“Dad, you mean to tell me you weren’t fishing that night like you said?’ she asked.
“Oh, I was fishing, all right.” He grinned and gave Caroline a kiss on the cheek. “Caught the most beautiful fish in the pond too.”
“Oh, this is the most romantic thing ever!” Blossom clasped her hands together. “It’s the stuff movies are made of!”
“No, it’s the stuff stage plays are made of,” Woody said. “Which reminds me, we still have a show to rehearse.”
Amy knew they should get back to business, but nothing about this made sense. Her father…and Caroline? Really?
Suddenly all the emotion she’d held pent-up over the last few stressful weeks came bubbling out. Amy began to laugh—quietly at first, and then louder. Before long, Steve joined her, their voices blending together in giddy harmony. Finally she managed to get control of herself. Amy dried the tears of laughter from her eyes and drew in a deep breath, knowing she could no longer put off the rehearsal.
As she turned to her father to give him a celebratory hug, Amy just had one lingering question. “Dad? Can I ask you something else?”
“Sure, honey.”
She pointed to the rubber chicken he’d been holding in his left hand the whole time. “Want to tell me what you were planning to do with that?”
“Oh.” He glanced down and chuckled. “Almost forgot about this poor little guy. We were planning to use him in the lusty-month-of-May scene. But now you’ve gone and foiled our plan.”
“Looks like I’ve foiled your plan, all right,” Amy said. “But I don’t think it has anything to do with rubber chickens.”
She reached up and gave her father a kiss on the cheek, hardly able to contain herself, before heading back onstage to continue her wedding scene.
Steve somehow made his way through the rest of the dress rehearsal. Still, every time he thought about Caroline kissing Amy’s father, he couldn’t help but laugh. Something about their hidden relationship struck him as funny. Here he was, struggling to share his heart with Amy, and her father had up and married his mom’s best friend without telling anyone. Just seemed…ironic.
The rehearsal continued for the next three hours, presenting the cast and crew with multiple bumps and bumbles. By the time they reached the curtain call, Steve was exhausted but psychologically prepared to speak his mind. He looked around, hoping to find Amy. He searched the backstage area…and couldn’t locate her.
As he passed by Annabelle and Blossom, Steve paused. “Hey, have you ladies seen Amy? I need to talk to her.”
Blossom pursed her lips and shook her head. “Where does she always go when she has a lot on her mind?” A chuckle followed. “She’s in the restroom, Steve. Probably contemplating all the wacky things that have taken place tonight.”
“Not again. Can one of you ladies go in after her? It’s really important. Tell her to meet me at center stage in five minutes.”
The two women looked back and forth at each other and shrugged.
“Oh, and by the way,” Steve said, “gather all the ladies too. Tell them to sit in the front row and wait for the show to begin.”
Annabelle looked confused. “What do you mean? We just finished the show.”
“Trust me.” He smiled. “You might find out that knights-in-shining-armor do exist after all. So take your seats, front and center.”
Blossom’s eyes grew wide and she nodded before the two women disappeared in the direction of the ladies’ room.
Steve had a few words with the guys in the sound and light booth and then headed for center stage, praying all the way. Lord, give me the words. Not a script, necessarily. Just words.
Moments later Amy walked onto the stage, dressed in her jeans and T-shirt. Though she was still at a distance, her face lit up when she saw him. “Hey, you’re still in costume.”
“Yep. Thought it would help me stay in character.”
She gave him a curious look. Steve stood his ground at center stage until she met him there. Then he slipped an arm around her waist and a spotlight hit them.
“Thanks, fellas,” he called back to the tech booth. “I needed that.”
She gave him a suspicious look. “What are you up to?”
“Oh, a couple of things. First, there’s something I want to say to you. Been trying to say it all night, in fact, but…well…a couple of things have gotten in the way.”
He’d no sooner spoken the words than one of the Styrofoam trees swung his way, coming loose from the bar above. It whacked him on the shoulder, sending him plunging headlong into Amy’s arms.
“Well, that’s one way to do it.” He staggered to an upright position, unable to keep from laughing. “Not quite what I had planned, though. That was a little more dramatic.”
“Sometimes God’s plans are better than our own,” she said and grinned.
“Yep. Usually.”
“So, you were saying…?”
Steve squared his shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Amy, we’ve talked a lot about what the real Camelot was like. I wasn’t sure if I believed the legend or not. I’m still not sure. But there’s one thing I do believe in, and that’s you and me.”
“Really?” She smiled.
“Yes, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to say this.” He swallowed hard and gazed into her eyes, garnering all the courage he needed. “I’m crazy about you. Head-over-heels, can’t-walk-straight, have-trouble-sleeping crazy.” He paused, knowing he had to take it a step further. “I love you, Amy. I’ve loved you since the seventh grade.”
At this point, a cheer went up from the front row and he heard the words, “You go, Steve!” Eula Mae, of course.
Steve looked out to see that the women of Camelot had arrived, just as he’d instructed. Perfect. But they would have to wait a moment for their performance. Right now he had to finish this one-on-one scene with Amy.
“With the fog, sometimes it’s hard to see what’s right in front of you,” he whispered, grateful that the microphones had been turned off. “We get caught up in our imaginings and begin to wonder if a far-off place is better. Sometimes what’s right here is what we’ve dreamed of all along.”
“I’m not fictional.” Tears rose and covered Amy’s bottom lashes. “I’m real.”
“Very,” he whispered, kissing her hair.
“And I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her voice now shaking. “Emotionally or otherwise. No dreams of far-off lands or knights-in-shining-armor. This is my home. You are my home.”
He stared into her eyes for a moment then leaned in to give her a kiss she wouldn’t soon forget. As their lips met, every bit of emotion he’d left bottled up inside over the past few weeks rushed out. And as the kiss intensified, so did the roar of approval from the front row. After a few moments, he couldn’t take their cheering anymore and released his hold on Amy, before taking a sweeping bow.
“So glad to see our scene meets with the approval of the audience. But if you like that, hang on for the ride. More is coming.” He turned to Amy. “If you don’t mind, m’lady, go join the other women in the front row. We’ve got a little encore presentation.”
“We?”
He nodded and she left the stage, a puzzled look on her face.
“Okay, fellas,” Steve called out to the men waiting in the wings. “Just like we practiced it.”
Grady, Pete, Woody, Darrell, Mickey, Fred, and Chuck entered the stage, dressed in knightly attire. Well, all but Grady, who still wore his shorts instead of pants. The men took their places, looking a little weak-kneed, and Steve led the way, singing the first few notes of the song they’d written that memorable day in the pest control van.
Okay, it was a little cheesy. Really cheesy, in fact. But from the cheers coming from the front row, he could tell that the audience members didn’t seem to mind. In fact, if the way the ladies of Camelot rushed the stage afterward was any indication…Steve would have to conclude they rather liked it.
Chapter Twenty
-Three
Well, I think one of the main things that you have to think about
when acting in the movies is to try not to make the acting show.
James Stewart
On the afternoon of the first performance, Steve whittled down his to-do list. One by one the final details of the show were ironed out. By three thirty in the afternoon, he found himself free to take a drive through town. Rumor had it—Eula Mae, of course—that the whole place was packed out with tourists. He could hardly wait to see for himself.
First stop, the diner. He inched his way past the parking lot, mesmerized by the number of cars with out-of-state tags. Unfamiliar people lined the sidewalk, waiting to get inside. In all his years living in Camelot, he’d never seen anything like it.
Next Steve drove by the parking lot at Lance’s, equally as stunned by the amount of people he found there. He parked and got out of the car, then walked from booth to booth. The sights and sounds nearly overwhelmed him. Several of the locals handed out hot dogs, popcorn, kettle corn, sodas, and more to people Steve had never seen before. Other Camelot residents sold jewelry, paintings, and various trinkets with a Smoky Mountain feel. And the Camelot-themed art seemed to be a big hit, as was evidenced by the line forming outside of the medieval tent.
After getting back in his car, Steve headed out to the new RV park. He drove up and down, counting all the RVs, Fifth Wheels, and campers. Forty-two. Who would have dreamed such a thing would be possible?
Oh yes. Amy. She’d envisioned this from the start. Well, envisioned putting on a show that would draw a crowd such as this.
After pulling away from the RV park, Steve picked up his cell phone and called her, just wanting to hear her voice one last time before curtain call. When her breathless voice came on the line, he realized he’d caught her in the middle of something.
“Don’t want to keep you,” he said. “Just needed to tell you something in case you didn’t figure it out last night.”
“What’s that?”
“I love you.”
A brief pause from the other end of the line caught him off guard for a moment…until he heard her giggle. “I love you, too, Steve. Who else would put up with me and these crazy ideas of mine?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
“Yes.” She chuckled. “Please don’t answer it.”
“Okay.” He glanced at the clock as he rounded the bend heading back into town. “By the way, where are you?”
“At the theater. Touching up some of the set pieces that fell last night and helping the ladies iron costumes. Natalie’s looking pretty worn out.”
“I’m headed there now.”
“Awesome. I think Darrell and a couple of the guys could use your help rehanging a couple of the trees from that center bar. You up for that?”
“Of course. Hanging trees is what I do.”
“Making me happy is what you do,” she said. “So come on over and see me, okay?”
“I’m on my way.”
Of course, the deed was easier said than done. Getting past the mob at the four-way stop in the center of town took some doing. And inching his way along the main road to the Civic Center was problematic. Folks kept stopping to take pictures of the hills and the amazing view near the bluff. Not that he blamed them. Oh no. There was plenty of beauty to draw people to Camelot.
Steve entered the theater at five fifteen. As he made his way up the center aisle, he glanced at the stage and watching with amazement for a moment as Annabelle practiced her dance moves. Crazy, how much she’d changed. Then again, they’d all changed, hadn’t they? Some—like the bubbly Sack ’n Save clerk—on the outside. Others on the inside. In a thousand ways, the town had been transformed.
As he made his way up the stairs onto the stage, Steve passed Jackson and Gwen.
“Hey, you two.” He stopped to smile.
“Hey, yourself.” Jackson extended his hand, a broad grin on his face.
“How’s Sarge doing?”
“Coming home tomorrow. He’s ready to spit nails that he couldn’t come tonight, though. He’s wanting to make it back in time for next week’s performance.”
“Hope there is a next week’s performance,” Gwen said. “Guess we’ll have to see how tonight goes.”
“It’s going to be great.” Steve reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ve never prayed harder about anything in my life. And it will be great if Sarge can come see the show as soon as he’s able.”
“We were just ironing out the details of his care,” Jackson said. “Gwen’s putting together a team of women from the church to bring meals to the house once he gets back home. She’s been such a big help through all of this.” He turned to give her a comfortable smile.
“Nice.” Steve nodded. “Glad things are progressing.”
“Oh, by the way, Amy’s looking for you,” Jackson said. “She’s backstage with Natalie and Caroline.”
“I’m on my way.” Steve headed back behind the curtains in search of Amy. He found her bent over an ironing board, pressing wrinkles out of her bridal gown.
She looked up with a look of contentment on her face. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, you.” He drew near and wrapped her in his arms—grateful she’d put the iron down. “Ready for tonight?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“It’s going to be great.”
“I’m going to photograph it in my mind,” she said. “So I won’t forget a thing.”
“Well, photograph this too.” He gave her a kiss. Then another. And another. He found himself swept away…until Eula Mae’s voice rang out.
“You two kiss entirely too much. Don’t you realize that kissing spreads germs?”
Steve step back and chuckled. “That would explain why you and Woody both had a sore throat this morning.”
Eula Mae rolled her eyes. “Very funny. Just wanted to tell you that tonight’s performance is officially sold out.”
“No way.” He and Amy spoke in unison.
“Yes. Heard from Pastor Crane. Every seat is taken. And tomorrow’s matinee is nearly sold out too.”
“If you build it, they will come.” Steve gave Amy a wink. “You had it right all along.”
“No one is more surprised than me,” she said.
He gave her another quick kiss on the nose then headed off to find Darrell. The next hour or so whizzed by at breakneck speed. With so much to do and so little time to do it, Steve felt a little overwhelmed. Only when he reached the men’s dressing area and slipped into his first costume did he pause to take a deep breath and whisper up a prayer that tonight’s show would go well. Then he walked back out to the wings and peeked around the edge to spy the incoming crowd.
The patrons were now arriving in steady succession, filling first the center section. Then the sides. Then the back. Whoa.
Eula Mae drew near and whistled. “You look mighty handsome, King Arthur.”
“Thank you very much.” He bowed.
“Wish you’d shave those whiskers off your face, though.” She gave him a scrutinizing look.
“I’ve been trying to grow them out so I’ll look more kingly.”
She snorted. “Whatever. Guess your mama didn’t raise you right. Good boys don’t wear hair on their face.”
“Take that up with the Lord,” he said. “He’s the one who put it there.”
“Hey, speaking of your mama, she called the office earlier today. Wants you to call her cell phone a half hour before showtime.”
“That’s right now.”
“Yep.” Eula Mae nodded. “Better get to it, then. Don’t want to keep your mama waiting.”
Steve reached into his pocket for his cell phone and punched in his mother’s number. She answered right away with an excited, “Hello,” but with all the noise in the background, he could barely make out her voice to understand the rest of her conversation.
“Mom, we’re about to go on.”
“I know.” She lau
ghed. “Can’t wait.”
“Can’t wait?”
“Well, sure, son. We’re sitting in the third row. Center section. Stick your head out and give us a wave.”
“No way.” Steve peeked around the edge of the stage and searched the audience until he saw his mother and Bob sitting in the third row. “Hang on, Mom, I’m coming.” He ended the call then sprinted across the stage, costume and all, eventually bounding down the steps.
She met him at the edge of her row, face alight with joy. “Well, hello there.”
“I can’t believe you came.”
“We drove all day. Bob didn’t mind. He knows it’s for my boys.” Her mother gave him a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, and Bob offered up a wave from his seat.
“Well, you’ve made my day,” Steve said.
“I’m so glad about that. But I came for another reason too. The minute I got the news that Caroline had up and married Charlie, I had no choice. I still can’t believe she went behind my back and did that. What’s a best friend for, if not to tell your secrets to?”
“We were all shocked,” Steve said. “But I’m glad you’re here now. She needs you.” He gestured to the stage. “We need you. Does Darrell know you’re here?”
“I just sent him a text. He should be…” Her voice drifted away and she pointed to the stage. “Right there.”
Steve turned to find his brother standing stage right, a broad smile on his face. Moments later, he joined them. They entered into a lively conversation…until a loud gong went off, letting patrons know that the show would be starting soon.
Steve gave his mother another quick hug. “Sorry, Mom. Gotta run. The show must go on.”
“So they say.” She blew him a kiss.
As he headed back to the stage, Steve caught a glimpse of Fred Platt seated in the first row with his wife and children. Steve gave them a wave before heading backstage to join the others for what he knew would be one of the greatest nights of his life.
Amy scurried around backstage, making sure everything was in place. “Five minutes, everyone,” she said.
Love at Center Stage: Three Theatrical Love Stories Page 56