by Jaci Burton
"Pretty much."
"That doesn't make any damn sense. If they all just said how they felt, none of this would happen."
She rolled her eyes. "And then there'd be no point to the play. Deception and holding of truths is part of the plot. Benedick really does love Beatrice, and she feels the same, but there's a certain amount of pride, neither of them daring to admit to the other how they feel. And Hero's crushed that Claudio so easily believed the lies told about her. He has to prove his love to her."
"See? If everyone was just honest, none of that game-playing would be necessary."
"And all that honesty happens in real life, right? People always tell each other exactly how they feel."
He just looked at her. "I guess not."
"I thought so." She wondered what would come out of his mouth if he was honest about his feelings--about anything and everything. Maybe at some point she'd just ask him. But not right now.
For now she was content to sit back and listen to the young dramatists play out their scenes.
"Okay, everyone, you're hitting your marks just fine," Margaret said. "I do want to tell you that we have a very special guest sitting in the audience watching us today. She didn't want to interrupt rehearsal, but I know you'd all like to meet her. She's in town for a movie shoot, and I hear she's a big fan of Shakespeare. Miss Desiree Jenkins is in the house today."
Oh, crap. And she thought she'd just sit and listen for a while, then sneak out. But a chorus of squeals went out, followed by applause.
"I guess you should go say hello," Logan said.
"I guess so." She stood. "Come on down with me."
"I'm fine right here."
She nodded, and headed toward the stage.
LOGAN HADN'T THOUGHT Des would be able to hide for long. He stayed in his seat and watched as she was surrounded by a throng of both male and female fans. She shook a lot of hands, then phones came out and she took pictures with people, never once seeming tired or irritated by the number of photos.
"Hey, Logan, can you come down here for a minute?" she yelled from the stage.
He pushed off and walked down.
"Logan, I didn't see you up there," Margaret said.
"Hi, Margaret." Living in a small town meant you knew pretty much everyone. Margaret had gone to Hope High, but she'd married Ed Penfield, one of his high school buddies from Oakdale.
"Could you take a picture of all of us with Mrs. Penfield's camera?"
"Sure." He took Margaret's camera, and Des gathered close with everyone while Logan snapped off a bunch of shots before handing the camera back to Margaret.
"Thank you, Logan," Margaret said. "This is going on the wall in my office."
"I'd love a copy of that," Des said. "I'll give you my e-mail address."
Margaret blinked. "Okay. I'll be sure to send you one."
Des grabbed Margaret's notebook and jotted down her e-mail.
"Miss Jenkins," one of the students asked. "How old were you when you first started acting?"
"Call me Des," she said, and grabbed a seat on the floor of the stage. "I actually started in high school, doing plays like this. That's where I first fell in love with acting. I did the same play you all are doing, as a matter of fact."
"You did?" one of the girls asked, her eyes wide.
"I did, though I only had a minor role."
"How did you get on television?"
"A lot of it is simply luck and timing. When I was eighteen, I made my way out to Hollywood to try my luck at acting. I made some friends and we worked multiple jobs to pay the rent. When I wasn't working, I took acting classes and went out on auditions. I managed to snag some roles in commercials and was lucky enough to book a few guest spots in television shows."
"And your first television part was as a street hooker in an episode of Law and Order: SVU," one of the boys said.
Des laughed. "That's very true. I was so excited to get that role. All twenty-four seconds of it, before I was strangled and tossed behind a Dumpster. That was the high point of my life at the time."
They all laughed.
"And then your breakout movie role was in Elizabeth's Dawn. You died in that one, too," someone said.
Des smiled. "Yeah, it's great to get a death role. Those always have some meat and give you a chance to show what you can do. Dying on film is not easy, kids."
"Is there anything you'd do differently if you could?"
That question came from Margaret.
"Honestly, I try not to live with regrets, because I can't go back and fix anything I screwed up. I can only look forward. So anything I do differently I'd have to do in the future. I do try not to repeat the same mistakes I've made in the past. Does that make sense?"
Margaret smiled and nodded. "It does."
"Like . . . what mistakes?" one of the girls asked.
"That's a good question." Des took a deep breath. "Don't get close to people who are bad influences on you, no matter how cool they seem or what they offer you. Sometimes that inner voice you have that tells you something is bad? It's there for a reason. Listen to it. It'll never steer you wrong. I didn't always listen to that voice, and now I always do."
"That's very good advice, Des," Margaret said.
Des had an easy rapport with the teens. She answered all their questions honestly. She admitted to some mistakes she'd made along the way and gave them sound advice. She was honest about the industry and didn't make it sound like it would be a dream come true for all of them.
"Oh, man, my roommates and I ate a lot of ramen noodles for a very long time. Listen, this business is harsh. It's filled with rejection, and for every one of us who is successful, there are thousands who aren't. You have to be really tough, and you have to take rejection well. I still get turned down for roles I really want badly."
One girl's eyes widened. "You do?"
"Of course. You know Shot Down, the blockbuster last year that starred Suzanne Lachelle?"
All the kids yelled yes.
"I wanted Suzanne's role so badly. I auditioned six times for it, and it was down to the two of us. I didn't get it. And you know how successful that movie was. But Suzanne was brilliant in that movie, and when I saw it, I knew they had made the right choice."
"So you aren't mad that she got the role and you didn't?" one of the girls asked.
"Well, to be honest, initially, I was really pissed."
They all laughed.
"But you aren't going to get every role you try out for. That's not realistic. And like Suzanne in the role in that movie, some actresses are better suited for a part than you are. Acceptance is a large part of the industry, and there aren't any guarantees. All I can tell you is that if you want it badly enough, go for it, but be prepared to fail."
She went on and answered every question they asked, until Logan looked at his phone. "I'm sorry, but we need to go."
Des stood. "I'm sorry, too. We took up all of your rehearsal time. But I had so much fun talking to all of you."
She said good-bye to the kids and Margaret walked with them to the entrance. "This was worth giving up half a rehearsal day. The kids learned a lot from you."
"I'm not sure I gave them anything useful."
Margaret took her hand. "You gave them honesty. That's more than they'll get from a lot of people, especially someone in your industry. Thank you for that."
"I enjoyed it. They're great kids, Margaret. Talented, too. I'll be back to see the production in a few weeks, if you don't mind."
"I'd love that. The kids would, too."
"Great. I'll bring Colt with me, too. He loves this play as much as I do."
They headed outside to the truck, and since Logan had parked it between two of the school buses, they were still well hidden from any of the photographers who might be wandering around looking for them.
"You did good in there," Logan said.
She looked at him. "Complimenting me again? I might think you like me, Logan."
"Don't go getting any ideas."
She climbed into the truck and put on her seat belt. "Oh, I have a lot of ideas where you're concerned."
He shook his head. "I don't know what to do with you, Des."
She laughed. "Don't worry. I know exactly what you can do with me."
Chapter 6
STAYING TO THE back roads and winding through neighborhood streets, Logan drove them a few miles away to a one-story home in a beautifully landscaped neighborhood. The house was an older model, but Des could tell it had been recently repainted a lovely green with white shutters. The lawn was well kept, and there were colorful flowers in pots lining the front porch. The garage door was open, and Luke was outside. He motioned for Logan to pull into the garage. When he turned off the engine, Luke pushed the button and closed the door.
They climbed out and Luke grinned. "I figured we'd hide you from the photographers, who've been burning gasoline all over town looking for you two for the past several hours."
Des laughed. "Hey, that's good for Hope's gas stations, isn't it?"
"It's nice that they're helping our local businesses, even if they don't want to be. Come on inside. Emma's not home yet."
They walked in to a nice living area with the kitchen and dining area behind them. It was open and sunny, with a large window in the living room and a sliding glass door off the kitchen. Boomer came to greet them, so Des crouched down to pet him.
Des looked up at Luke. "Has Boomer seen a lot of police action?"
"He's a great police dog, and, yeah, he's caught quite his share of perps. He took down a suspect last spring that was breaking into pharmacies and medical offices to steal drug supplies."
Des scratched Boomer's ear. "Good dog."
"Come on in and take a seat. Would either of you like a beer or a soda, or maybe some water?"
"I'd love a beer," Des said.
"Same for me," Logan said.
Luke went to the refrigerator and grabbed three beers, opened them and handed them out. They went into the living area and Des pulled up a nice comfortable spot on one of the chairs.
"What did you do this afternoon?" Luke asked.
"We went to the high school. Des talked to the drama students."
Luke looked at her and gave her a smile. "Bet they enjoyed that."
"I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it more than they did. They're doing one of my favorite plays, so I wanted to stop by and watch them practice. And how did your day go? Did you and Boomer catch any bad guys?"
"Nothing eventful went on today. A couple fender benders and some speeders. Pretty routine day."
"Sounds great to me. Whenever I'm in L.A., it seems like you can't turn on the TV without seeing a televised police chase on the freeway."
"Big news out there."
She took a long pull of her beer, swallowed and nodded. "Yeah. And a lot of crime. A town like Hope is a nice break from having to have bars on your windows."
"I imagine it would be."
"You don't have to live in L.A., do you?" Logan asked.
"No. A lot of actors keep homes outside of the L.A. area. I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet. And I only spend half the year or less at my condo there since I have a busy shooting schedule. Maybe when I get married and have a family, I'll buy a place somewhere remote. With big dogs and less crime."
Luke laughed. "That sounds like a great plan."
The front door opened and Emma came in with Daisy and Annie. It was wild chaos, with dogs scrambling around sniffing each other, tails wagging.
The dogs came over to greet her. "Hi, girls. It's so nice to see you again." She bent to pet them.
"Oh, you're here. I didn't see your truck, Logan."
Luke went over and gave Emma a kiss, then took her bag. "I had them park in the garage. The photographers are still trying to hunt them down."
Emma's gaze panned over to Des. "You poor thing. It must be hell to be hounded like that."
"I'm used to it. I'm sorry for the disruption, though."
"It didn't disrupt me at all, and Luke tells me it was fun for him today." She turned and wrapped her arms around Luke. "How was your day?"
"Uneventful. Yours?"
"It was good. Did you get the food?"
"I did."
Des watched the interplay, the way Luke and Emma only had eyes for each other. So that's what it was like to be madly in love with someone. She felt the intensity of it all the way across the room. Her gaze slid to Logan, who was watching her, not his brother and Emma.
She felt the zing, and everything inside her heated.
"Are you two hungry?" Emma asked.
Yeah, she was definitely hungry, but not for food. She shifted her gaze to Emma. "Sure."
"Great. We're having barbecued chicken kabobs for dinner along with some rice. I hope that's okay for you." Emma paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think to ask if you were a vegetarian or something."
Des laughed and stood. "I'm not, and it all sounds awesome. What can I do to help?"
"Let me take a quick shower, then we'll get started."
"I'll go get the grill fired up," Luke said.
Alone with Logan, she moved over toward him. "Hungry?" she asked.
His eyes went stormy dark. "Yeah. You?"
Edging closer, she felt the power of him, the way his gaze tracked her as she nearly touched him. "Starving."
He smelled good, and it had been a really long time since she'd been with a man. And she'd never been with a man like Logan. All the guys she'd slept with before had been actors, and honestly? Not exactly tough guys.
She'd just bet Logan McCormack had never had a manicure in his entire life. She'd bet his hands were rough, worn with calluses. She'd love to feel his work-roughened hands gliding over her skin. There would be no refinement in his touch, no practiced moves that she'd wonder if he'd learned them on a movie set.
She swallowed, and his gaze tracked to her throat. She watched his lips, and really wanted his mouth on her neck.
"Des."
"Yeah?"
"Stop."
"Stop what?"
"Whatever it is you're doing."
"I'm not doing anything."
"Yes, you are."
She cocked a brow. "What is it that you think I'm doing, Logan?"
"Looking at me."
"And that's bad?"
"Here it is."
"So . . . you want me to look at you somewhere else?"
The back door opened and Logan stood. "Anything I can do to help?"
Luke took a look at them and grinned. "No, I think I can turn on a gas grill by myself. Anyone need a beer refill?"
Logan finished his off in one swallow. "Yeah, I definitely need another."
She played with the dogs while the guys talked.
Emma came out of the bedroom a short while later, her hair still wet. She had thrown on a pair of capris and a tank top. "I feel so much better now. How about we get started on that chicken?"
Logan followed his brother outside. She washed her hands and helped Emma slice up the chicken and skewer it onto the rods, along with vegetables and pineapple.
"I have this supersecret sauce I marinate the kabobs in," Emma said.
Des watched her add ingredients to a container. "Supersecret, huh? I have to admit, I love food, but I'm never home enough to do more than grab takeout."
"You don't like to cook?"
"I love cooking. Or at least I'd love to learn to cook. Whenever I'm home, I dabble with cookbooks. But I'm just not in one place long enough to get the hang of things, which is why I do the whole takeout thing. Obviously I don't have a lot of patience--or time."
Emma laughed. "I know how that is. I ate a lot of frozen meals before Luke moved in. But now that there's the two of us, we both like to experiment on the food front, and I find myself cooking more than I used to. Plus, this marinade is easy."
She showed Des the ingredients she used.
"You're sharing your supersecret recipe
with me?" Des asked.
"Well, you do need to do more cooking, right? It's only fair I give you a leg up on the easy stuff."
Des grinned. It wasn't all that difficult to make, and Emma laid the skewers in the marinade.
"Now we'll let those settle for about fifteen minutes, and we can start the rice cooking."
"You're right. That wasn't hard at all. You're really good at this."
"I've failed at a few things, but Luke is nice enough not to say anything. It's mostly a learning experience."
"I guess I'll have to practice, since food is one of my favorite things, and I'd like to cook more."
Emma reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of wine. She opened it, then pulled two glasses from the cabinet. "Come on, let's grab a seat. The guys can take it from here."
Emma peeked her head out the door to let Luke know the kabobs were in the fridge and marinating, then led Des into the living room. They took a seat, and Emma poured the wine.
Des took a sip. "This is very good."
"I'm sure you have great wines out in California, with all the wineries out there, but, you know, we have liquor stores out here," Emma said with a grin.
Des laughed. "It's all the same thing, right?"
"I guess so. And as far as cooking, I'm sure it's hard for you with all the travel you have to do."
Des leaned back. "Honestly? It's a little tiring. I mean I love the work, and I want to do as many movies as I can while I'm still popular. But the lifestyle is rough."
Emma nodded. "I can imagine it is."
"I don't want to sound ungrateful. I know there are thousands of actresses out there who would kill to be in my shoes."
"But it's exhausting, right? I don't know how you do it. You released . . . what? Four films last year?"
"Yes. And thank you for knowing that."
Emma's lips curved. "I'm a fan."
"Thank you. And like I said, I'm so grateful for being able to do what I do. I've had countless opportunities, and the chance to work with amazing directors."
Emma looked at her. "But?"
"I don't know. It's almost like I feel if I stop, the offers will dry up. And at the same time, I've been working nonstop since I was nineteen. That's seven years, which I know isn't a lot, but I'm ready for a break, which sounds awful."
"I don't think it sounds awful. I'm not an actress, but I went through veterinary school for four years, then immediately started working with a group of doctors in South Carolina. I had intended to do that for several years, but the opportunity to buy my own practice here came up last year and I jumped at the chance, even though it was going to be a huge financial burden. The past several years have been intense. So I understand what it's like to feel as if you're running nonstop without taking a breath."