“Well, I hope it won’t take too long, but he can stay with us while you’re gone. You know we’ll take good care of him and I promise you that when this is all over, you can take a week off, maybe take Tyler somewhere fun.” Seth said, with a huge smile, knowing that he’d won.
“That sounds like bribery.” Heather said, shaking her head.
“Yep, and since I’ll be paying your salary while you’re there, you might find a bit extra in there.” He added, winking at Heather.
“You make it hard to refuse, but I have to be back here for the science trip. I’m not going to miss that.” Heather said, knowing she’d been beat and that she’d be on her way to Anchorage in a few days.
“I’ve booked you a room downtown not far from the theatre, and this is for expenses.” Seth said, sliding a credit card across the desk. “Thank you for doing this Heather, it means a lot to me.”
Heather stood in the doorway of the hotel room looking around her in shock. She’d expected a nice room, but not a suit and certainly not a suite in the fanciest hotel in Anchorage. When she’d walked in the front door exhausted from the long drive, she’d immediately felt out of place, the huge hotel overwhelming in its grandeur. But then she’d looked around and realized that most everyone was dressed much like her in jeans and tee-shirts and she was reminded again why she liked Alaska.
There were very few places where people would spend a ridiculous amount of money on a hotel room and still dress like they were out for an afternoon hike. She was put even more at ease by the front desk staff who once they learned who she was went out of their way to make sure she had everything she needed. In fact, the nice young man who’d brought up her luggage was even now opening the blinds and checking to make sure the room was ready.
“It looks like you’re all set, Ms. Whitcomb. Mr. Montgomery said to make sure you have everything you need so please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. Here’s my card.”
Heather took the card from him, trying to suppress a grin, apparently even the lowest of the staff kept up appearances. She slid the card in her pocket and offered him a tip, but he waved it away, “Mr. Montgomery took care of everything.”
When he’d left and shut the door behind him, Heather couldn’t help but run over to the bed and jump on it. It was the biggest bed she’d ever seen, covered by a plush comforter and a mound of fat pillows, and she sank deliciously into it. Shrugging off the guilt she suddenly felt leaving Tyler, she reminded herself that he hadn’t even batted an eye when she told him that she had to leave him with Seth and Lauren.
It had hurt her feelings until she realized that it was a good thing that Tyler had people in his life that he liked enough that her leaving didn’t matter. She knew that he would miss her, she’d miss him too, but this might be good for both of them. Raising a child as a single mother had come with a lot of hurdles, especially since she had little family of her own, but the people at Homestead House had become their family, a fact she sometimes lost sight of.
Of course, that was the reason she was here, Seth trusted her like family, and she couldn’t let him down. The first thing she planned to do was see the current play that Marshall was starring in, the reviews had been terrible but it would give her a chance to evaluate the man without him knowing she was there. She had no idea how she’d introduce herself to him when the time came, couldn’t imagine that he’d appreciate his brother sending someone to check up on him.
But she’d cross the bridge when she came to it, even to her the story that she and Seth had come up with seemed a bit far-fetched, considering the fact that Seth had made it very clear that he’d never supported Marshall’s acting career. Seth had insisted that it would work, that if Marshall thought Seth was going to help him finance his next play, he’d fall in line quickly. She certainly hoped so, because if Marshall turned her away there was little she could do about it and she’d have to go home defeated.
Chapter 2
Marshall put the final touches on his stage makeup, wishing for the first time in his career that the play was over. It had been a total disaster from the very beginning, the reviews so terrible that he’d stopped reading them, but Simone was going to change all that. With the play she’d written, he’d finally get the recognition he deserved, the world would finally know that Marshall Montgomery was a star.
He’d tried to get out of his contract, but the theatre manager had threatened to sue him and ruin his reputation if he did, so he was stuck here for another week, playing to an audience that had not come to see him, but to say that they’d seen a play in the old theatre. It had never bothered him before, but now that he had an opportunity to make all his dreams come true, he just wanted to get on with it.
But the show must go on he thought, and when the red light blinked on telling him that it was time for him to go on stage, he put a smile on his face and headed for the door. His fans would be expecting him to give his usual performance and that performance started when he walked out of his dressing room. Chance of a life time or not, he had to finish this run before he could move onto the role that would make his career.
Heather found her seat and sat down, then looked up at the ornate ceiling. The theatre was everything she’d heard it would be, built during the gold rush, it embodied the spirit of Alaska and the money that had built it. It smelled of old wood, mold, and dust, but was breathtaking, the dark red curtains and comfortable seats harking back to a time that was long gone. Sitting there she could just imagine what it must have been like when it was first built, how the people would have crowded inside, eager for some entertainment to distract them from the hard lives they led.
She’d gotten here early hoping to catch a glimpse of Marshall, but after wandering around the theatre for an hour, it was clear that the first time she’d see him would be on stage. When the bar opened, she got herself a glass of wine and found a place to stand next to a group of women. It was strange being here alone and she was just about to introduce herself when they began to talk about Marshall.
“I don’t know why we keep coming here, Marshall Montgomery has to be one of the worst actors in the city.” One of the women said.
“Lucy, we come here because it’s tradition.” Another chided.
“Tradition or not, I’m tired of coming to these terrible plays.” Lucy said, crossing her arms of her chest. “I don’t see why we have to come here.”
“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me that you don’t enjoy watching the man.” The woman said, elbowing one of the other women and winking.
“I did, but even his good looks can’t make up for his bad acting.”
That one conversation had told her more than hours of research on the internet could. Marshall Montgomery was known more for his looks than for his acting ability. But that didn’t mean anything in the world of entertainment, plenty of mediocre actors had made it big on just their looks, she could have named several off the top of her head. As the lights began to dim, and the orchestra began to play, she got a little burst of excitement. Going to the theatre had never been a part of her life, single mothers could rarely afford the cost of a ticket, and if nothing else she was excited to be here for the experience, bad acting or not.
It was almost ten minutes before Marshall walked onto the stage, there was an audible gasp from the women in the audience, and to her surprise Marshall actually took the time from his lines to look out at the audience and smile. Even a novice like her knew that he’d done something that an actor was never supposed to do, but that thought quickly left her mind when he began to speak.
His deep melodic voice floated across the theatre sending goose bumps down her spine and she understood why Marshall Montgomery had all the women in the theatre gasping. Watching him was almost like foreplay, his perfect body, wavy black hair and piercing blue eyes made a nice little package of man. But when she looked past his looks and voice, she realized that his acting was terrible, his lines delivered with strange pauses and emphasis on all the w
rong words.
By the time the first act was over, she felt bad for him. Nothing had prepared her for how truly terrible he was, although she had to admit that the play was not a good fit. Marshall playing a sad and depressed divorced man didn’t quite work, what he needed was a good romantic comedy, where the subject was light and the romance was the focus. But that was the stuff of movies and from what she understood, Marshall’s ultimate dream was Broadway.
When intermission finally came, Heather headed straight for the bar again, knowing that if she was going to make it through the second half of the show she’d need a little help. This time when she found a place to stand it was next to a group of young women who looked more like they should be going to a club in the city than a play at an old theatre. But when their conversation finally floated her way, she understood, they were there to see Marshall.
“Isn’t he dreamy, I told you he’s a total hunk.” One of the girls said, with a little shiver.
“I hear that his brother is the governor.” Another one said.
“And he’s got a bunch of money, billions if what I heard is true.”
“Best of all, he’s single.” The first girl said, then began to jump up and down in her four-inch heels. “I have a great idea. Let’s buy programs and go back stage after the play, we can say we want to get them signed.”
“Oh, that’s perfect, then maybe we can convince him to go to the club with us, that would be so cool.”
There was a bunch of twittering and sighing from the group as they thought about clubbing with the great Marshall Montgomery, as she was beginning to think of him. It seemed to make no difference to these girls that he couldn’t act to save his life, all they could see was his looks, money, and standing. Deciding that she’d heard enough, she headed back to her seat and what she knew would be the longest hour of her life.
Marshall did as he always did after a performance, went back to his dressing room and removed his makeup first then his costume. It was tedious to have to do all that himself, but there hadn’t been enough money in the budget for him to have an assistant, a situation that was happening more and more often. He’d offered to pay for it himself, but the theatre owner had refused to let him do so, almost as if he was punishing Marshall for something he’d done.
He knew that the man didn’t like him but would never dare to tell him out loud, instead he did little things behind the scenes to make Marshall’s life hell. If it hadn’t been for his friendship with the director, he knew that he’d never have been cast in this role, one he’d wanted fiercely. Now he wished that he hadn’t fought so hard for it, after all someone of his caliber shouldn’t be hanging up his own costumes, but that would all change after this play was finished.
Producing plays had never been on his list of priorities, but now he was convinced that it was the only way he’d ever make it big. Simone had walked into his life at just the right time, the play she’d written for him was perfect and exactly what he needed to propel himself into the limelight. He’d been shocked when the petite beauty had greeted him that day at the back door and announced that she had the play that would launch him into stardom.
He’d been feeling so low that day too, and then everything had changed. Of course, at the time he hadn’t known that his life was about to change, had only been answering the call of a fan, something he never failed to do since he loved the adoration. It had been the best choice he’d ever made, the script that Simone had given him was perfect for him, a romantic comedy that would showcase not only his good looks but his acting talent as well.
At first, he’d been reluctant, but the more Simone talked, the better the idea seemed. “Don’t you see Mr. Montgomery, this is the perfect role for you.” She’d said, handing him the script after giving him a brief overview of the story line.
“I don’t know. Have you written anything else, had anything produced?” He’d asked, looking at the script in his hands.
“Well, no but that’s because I don’t know anyone. I thought that if I wrote something for you that you might be willing to take a chance on me. You seem like such a great guy, not like the others, you know.” She’d said, looking up at him with impossibly blue eyes that instantly drew him in.
She’d seemed so young and innocent, he’d been unable to hand the script back. “I’ll look at it, but I can’t promise anything.”
Without warning, Simone had thrown her arms around him and hugged him, her lithe little body pressed up against his in a way that made him think she was anything but innocent. When she’d pulled back and kissed him on the cheek, he’d immediately felt guilty, clearly, she was exactly what she appeared to be, an adoring fan who had fantasies about him staring in a play she’d written.
“Thank you so much, you have no idea how important this is to me. I’ve always wanted to write a play and see it produced in a theatre.” She’d said, then practically run out the door without looking back.
He’d thrown the script on his desk when he got back to his dressing room and forgotten about it for days, but after an especially bad performance he’d picked it up and read it out of frustration. Then he’d read it again, had even tried out a few of the lines to see how it felt, thrilled to discover that the play was just what Simone had promised. It was almost midnight before he dialed the number written in a flowing hand on the back of the play.
“Hello.” Simone mumbled, her voice scratchy from sleep.
“Simone? This is Marshall Montgomery, I’m sorry to call so late, but I just read your script and I think you might have something here.” He said.
There was the sound of blankets shifting and when her voice came across the line again, she was clearly awake. “Really? You mean it?”
“I’d love to get together and talk about it. How does lunch tomorrow sound?”
Heather felt ridiculous standing outside Marshall’s dressing room door with all the other women, but she hadn’t been able to resist following them when the final curtain had come down. Tucked into a corner, she hoped that he wouldn’t notice her when he came out, but she really wanted to get a look at him off stage, see if she could get any idea what he was really like before she introduced herself. There was a very petite blonde woman standing right by the door, talking to the security guard posted there, she seemed to know him well and was completely at ease.
It had to be the infamous Simone that she’d heard the women talking about earlier, if for no other reason than the fact that each and every woman was shooting her dirty looks. She’d overheard them talking about her on the way back stage, and what they had to say wasn’t pretty, or very nice. But women could be ruthless when it came to rivals, and from what she understood Marshall and Simone had been seen together everywhere.
“He rented her a suite at the Plaza.”
“I bet he bought her that dress.”
“Do you really think she wrote a play?”
The rude comments went on and on, the women speaking loud enough for Simone to hear, making Heather feel sorry for her. But that feeling quickly evaporated when Marshall walked out of the dressing room and pulled her into his arms. As ridiculous as it was, she was suddenly very jealous of Simone, an emotion that made little sense considering all that she knew about Marshall.
As good looking as he was, Marshall wasn’t the kind of man she was usually attracted to, although it was pleasant to look at him. Of the three brothers, he was certainly the most handsome, not that his brothers weren’t attractive in their own way, but Marshall was the whole package. Pushing her jealousy aside, she watched the couple noticing that Simone seemed to have all of Marshall’s attention, he was so focused on her that he didn’t even notice the hallway full of admirers.
Nor did he stop to sign any autographs, simply took Simone’s arm and led her away. Heather watched them walk away wondering if what she was seeing was real. She wasn’t any expert on love, but what she was seeing didn’t feel real, it felt more like they were playing a part. It was possible that it was a
publicity stunt she thought watching them walk by, but just as they were about to step on the elevator, Simone looked over her shoulder and sent the women a triumphant look.
Heather knew that look all too well, she’d seen it before. It was the look a woman gave the competition when she knew that she’d won. When the elevator doors closed on the couple, the women broke into excited chatter, some fighting back tears of rejection. Disgusted with the entire display, Heather made a quick retreat down the hall to the restroom, sure that there was more to little Simone than met the eye. It was time to give Seth a call, she was pretty sure that he had no idea that his little brother had fallen for his playwright.
When she got back to her room the first thing she did was call Seth, a romance between Marshall and Simone might change things and she wanted to make sure that he was up to speed.
“I think we have more of a problem on our hands than you thought. From what I could see Marshall and Simone have more going on between them than a play.” She informed Seth when he picked up his phone.
“Are you sure?”
“Well, not for sure. It could just be an elaborate publicity stunt, a way to get people talking and if it is, it’s working. Rumors are flying around everywhere, but I only saw them for a few minutes, not nearly long enough to tell if it’s real or just a way to get people talking.” She explained.
“If he has fallen for her, we’re in big trouble. When my brother falls in love, he does stupid things, it’s happened before. I want you to find out exactly what’s going on. If this thing between them is real, I want you to put a stop to it.” Seth said, his voice taking on an edge she didn’t like.
“You want me to break them up?” Heather asked, “How exactly am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know. For now, just follow them and see what you can find out.”
Heather sighed, “If that’s what you want, I’ll do it. From what I hear, she’s staying in this hotel, in a suite so that should help, but I don’t feel very comfortable with this.”
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