by Nicole Smith
"I think Mom did tell me that, yes," Beth said, with a smile.
"And it's artificial intelligence to be specific," Eric said.
Maggie shook her head. "Whatever. You have to call us so we can try out his latest lullabies. He's been writing them for when the baby comes. We want to know how good they work."
Beth laughed. "You guys are going to be great parents. Okay, I'll call you, I promise."
Maggie stood up and walked around the desk to give Beth a hug. "Love you, Bethie."
"Love you too, Mags. And thanks for the shake!"
She watched her sister fondly as she left the room with Eric. Maggie could be so sweet. With a sigh she got back to work.
By the end of the day she felt worn out. Going to Sam and Anna's for a meal sounded good, since she didn't feel like figuring out dinner. She poked her head into William's office. "I'm leaving for the day. See you tomorrow."
"Oh...the time got away from me." He looked at her directly, and she smiled.
"I'm fine. I can tell you were going to ask."
He gave a short laugh. "Yes. Look, I wanted to say something. You can call me if you need anything tonight. I know you plan to stay there, at your apartment, and if you...well, just know I'll be around if you need company."
She blinked. This was...unexpected. "Thank you, William. I should be fine."
"Okay then. Tomorrow."
She walked down the stairs wondering if she should have made up something so he'd come over. But she'd never been that kind of girl. She waved to Julia and headed out to her car. On the way to Sam's house, she tried to figure out if she felt worried about staying at the apartment. She didn't feel anything about it, she decided. Everyone was worrying too much.
Anna met her at the door with a nervous smile. Beth hugged her and walked in. "Where's the munchkin?"
"Sam's putting him to bed. For the third time. Josh didn't get a nap this afternoon, so he's exhausted. Come on into the kitchen and I'll get you a drink. White wine okay?"
"Sounds delightful."
In the kitchen, Anna handed her a glass of wine, while Beth sniffed the air. "Mm. Something smells good."
"Roasted chicken with roasted veggies. I thought a nice simple home-cooked meal might be good."
"I should learn how to roast a chicken. How hard could it be?"
"Not hard at all," Anna said with a smile. "I'll teach you." She took a sip of her wine and then set it down on the granite countertop. "Beth, I have to tell you something."
"What? You look so serious."
"Your parents know about the...attack. And they're on their way to Sully Point. They're driving down and will be here tomorrow."
"Here? Tomorrow?" Beth said, glass frozen in her hand as she was about to take a drink. "Why? How do they even know...you told them?"
"Sorry, I'm sorry," Anna said. "They had called and it just kind of slipped out. They're concerned and want to see you to make sure you're okay."
Beth slumped against the cabinets. "Great. Just...great. Since I'm the youngest, they always see me as the baby. This ought to be fun."
"Again, I'm really sorry. But it will still be good to see them, right? You haven't seen them in a while."
Beth nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yes, of course, it will be good to see them. I guess I was a bit naive to think I could keep it from them."
Anna reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I think they should know. They are your parents. How about you go sit down in the living room and look at the view for a few minutes? Dinner will be on the table soon."
Beth went into the living room and stood at the sliding glass doors that went out to a large deck. The ocean was in the distance, waves crashing on the shore. As she watched the waves, she thought that perhaps it would be good to see her mother and father again. She'd been too long out in L.A., away from all family. The more time she spent in Sully Point, the more she realized that she didn't want to be away from all of them again.
"Beth, there you are," Sam said.
"Did you get Joshua to sleep?"
"Finally. Little guy was wiped out but he was wired. Had to read a few stories. He's such a great kid."
Beth smiled at him. "You're a good dad. You were always a great big brother."
"Why thank you, little sister. Anna got you a drink?" He said as he walked toward the kitchen.
"Yes, I'm all set." She sipped her wine until he came back.
"So, she told you about Mom and Dad coming?" he asked, sitting on the long rust-colored sectional couch.
"Yes, and I'm okay with it."
"Good. You know you can call us, anytime if you need us."
"I know. Thanks." She sat down in large leather armchair. Looking around, she saw one of Anna's paintings on one wall that featured a view of the ocean in the moonlight.
Sam saw where she was looking and said, "It's one of my favorites of hers. I have a newer one in my study. Her work always inspires me."
"How's your latest book coming along?"
"Good. Once I got past the pickaxe scene..."
She raised her eyebrows, but before she could comment, Anna came into the living room and sat down next to Sam.
"Beth was just admiring your painting," Sam said.
"Thanks, it does seem to work in here," Anna said.
"The whole room works well. I love the combination of the teal and blue with the rust. And the view is incredible. I feel like I could sit and watch the waves for hours."
"You should come out during the day sometime, some Saturday, and sit on the deck once it's warmer," Anna suggested.
"Maggie's house was a surprise. Such a mix of the old and the new."
"It's a perfect blend of Eric and Maggie," Sam said. "Did you see his lab?"
"No. I'll have to do that next time. I think Maggie wants me to stay there longer, but I just feel I need to face the apartment, sooner rather than later. You guys get that, right?"
Anna nodded. "Of course. Just be sure to call someone if you get anxious, okay?"
Beth smiled at her. "I will. I've already promised Maggie."
They went in soon for dinner. The evening was pleasant and calm, and Beth felt very soothed. Sam and Anna were so easy to be around. They fit together somehow, even with different personalities.
As she drove home, Beth thought she'd be lucky to find something close to their relationship someday. The car got closer to the apartment and she felt herself tensing up. "Nobody is going to break down the new door," she told herself aloud. "Frank says it's steel."
She parked and walked slowly but steadily up the stairs. At the top she put the new key into the new door and opened it, walking into the silent space. She noticed that the debris from the broken door had been all cleaned up.
Once the lights were on in the living room, kitchen and bedroom, she felt herself relax a bit. It was just an apartment, nothing scary to it. She grabbed a bottle of seltzer water from the kitchen and decided to work out with her Wii and do some zumba.
An hour later, she was sweating and warm, but feeling energized. She took a shower and put on her favorite leopard print silky pajamas with the long top and long pants. Throwing a soft black brushed satin robe over her shoulders, she grabbed a book to read and settled in the brocade-covered chair.
The sound of the page turning seemed loud in the stillness. She re-read the same page three times. A rattling window in the wind outside made her jump. "Come on, you're being silly," she told herself. But when a knock happened on the front door, she screamed.
"Beth? Are you okay? Beth, it's me, William."
She caught her breath and then jumped up and ran to the door, to fling it open and see William standing there. "William? What are you doing here? You scared me to death!"
She motioned for him to come in and he walked into the living room. "I'm sorry. I drove by and saw that your lights were on so I thought I'd come up and see how you were. I should have called. Don't know what I was thinking."
"It's okay. I only lost a few years of my life from fright and heart failure. I had just been sitting here feeling jittery and the knock pushed me over the edge. Sorry about the scream."
"It was a good scream. I mean, as screams go, it's good you have a scream like that."
"You're speaking as a director, right?"
"Yes."
She started laughing and couldn't seem to stop. After a moment he joined her. Finally, she waved a hand at him and got out the words "Sit...down."
He sat on the sofa and she sat in the chair across from him. "I'm glad to see you," she said. "I told everyone I'd be fine here tonight, but..."
"It's scarier than you thought it would be," William said.
"Yep."
"I could stay--"
"Could you stay--"
They both talked at the same time and stopped together.
"Yes," he said. "I can stay for a while, as long as you need. I brought you something anyway." He pulled a folded booklet from his jacket.
"It's the script."
"Yes, it is. I know you have a copy already, but this is different. I've got my notes in here, and I thought you might enjoy going through to see what my thoughts are on your character."
"Of course, I would love that. Let me go get mine." She got up and went quickly into her bedroom. As she got the script off the bedside table, she glanced in the mirror...and remembered she was wearing her leopard pajamas. They covered everything...and with the robe...she decided she was decent enough for entertaining.
Over coffee and chocolate chip cookies, they sat in the kitchen and worked on the script. Beth was intrigued by how his mind worked, at how he saw the whole play and then the separate pieces within. He brought out things about her character, Corie, that she'd never thought of before, and that she knew would enhance her performance.
"When are auditions?" she asked.
"They start tomorrow. We may have some people down from the city, and I know we'll have Sully point show up en masse. There aren't that many parts, so this will be tricky. I promised to use some Sully Point residents. I'm just hoping a couple will have some acting ability."
"Sam has told me that Sully Point has more depth than you think when it comes to the population. People from other places have settled here. Maybe you'll discover a new talent, or one who has an acting background."
"I want you to sit in on the auditions, Beth. Your relationship with the other characters will be vital to selling the whole play."
"Okay. At the Playhouse?"
"No, at the high school. I don't want anyone tripping over a bucket of nails and suing me."
"Good point," she said.
Silence fell between them, and Beth realized it was getting late. He probably needed to leave. She should just tell him he could leave, that she was okay.
He looked up with eyes that were a mix of gray and blue tonight. "Got any good movies?"
"I don't honestly know," she replied, with a bit of relief. "But I'm game to watch one if you are. Let's look at what Maggie left here."
They watched the version of Camelot with Vanessa Redgrave and Richard Harris, and then they discovered Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. They both fell asleep during a documentary on the making of The Fellowship of the Ring, William on the sofa and Beth leaning against his shoulder.
* * * *
Banging on the door woke William up. He reflexively tightened his arm before realizing it was around Beth's shoulders and that she was asleep against his chest.
She stirred and then froze.
"I think we fell asleep," he muttered.
"Oh. Yeah. We must have."
Banging on the door began again.
"What the...Coming!" Beth yelled and scrambled off the sofa to walk to the door.
William ran a hand through his hair and then scrubbed both hands over his face. Beth was opening the door to her sister, Maggie.
"Beth! What took you so long..." Maggie stopped as she walked in and saw William on the couch. She glanced at Beth and then back at him.
"Uh, yeah," Beth said. "William came by to discuss the script last night and then we started watching movies and I guess we fell asleep."
She turned to William and wiggled her eyebrows. He said, "Yes, that's right. I wanted to point out some things to Beth in Camelot that differed from the stage to the movie version."
"Oh. So you fell asleep watching Camelot?" Maggie asked.
"Hmm. No, we watched Operation Petticoat." Beth replied.
"And then we watched a documentary," William said. "I think that's when we must have fallen asleep. It was quite late."
"Well, here," Maggie said and handed over a coffeecake. "I made it. Cinnamon-pecan. Let's all have some." She handed it to Beth and took off her jacket.
"Sure. I'll get some plates."
Beth went into the kitchen and Maggie came up to William and placed a hand on his arm. "Thank you for staying with her last night. I know she needed someone here, even if she wouldn't say so."
William smiled at her. "No problem. We had a good time. That should help take away the bad memories."
"Good."
"Come on, you two," Beth said, setting plates on the dining room table. "I'm making coffee for us, but what can you drink Maggie, with the pregnancy?"
"Some milk would be good with this, if you have some."
Maggie regaled them with stories from Sully Point as they woke up. William was grateful she was there, because it eliminated any awkwardness that might have occurred if he and Beth were alone.
Finally, he stood up and said he needed to go change at his house, to get ready for the auditions.
"I'll be there," Beth said, before he could remind her. "Two hours from now, right?"
"Yes, that should be good."
Beth walked him to the door. "Thank you for coming by last night. It was a big help."
"I was glad to do it, and I had a nice time too."
She smiled at him, that bright smile with the deep red lips that was so inviting. Her green eyes crinkled at the edges, and he looked deeply into them. Yes, she was going to be all right.
"See you soon, Beth."
"Good bye, William," she said.
He drove off wondering how it was that she seemed to be getting more beautiful every time he saw her. He couldn't ask her out, although, seeing as how he'd spent the night there watching movies...no, he wouldn't do it. It was such a cliche anyway, director falling for the lead actress.
He changed quickly at home and then headed for the high school. When he walked into the gym, he discovered a crowd waiting.
"What's this?" he asked, and everyone started talking at once.
"Hold on, hold on. You..." he pointed at a middle-aged woman. "What is happening here?"
"You said auditions for two minor roles were at this time. We're all here to try out."
"Hmm." He had not thought so many would turn out. He knew he needed to do some weeding. "These parts will require that you attend rehearsals in the evening three nights a week in the month before the play, with it being every night in the last week. Are you all able to commit to that?"
After some discussion and questions, a number of people acknowledged that they really had no time to be in the play, and left disappointed but not mad. It turned out that a few of the ones left did have acting experience, but in the end, he chose two people who were novices. He just really liked the feeling they projected on stage, and they both read the comic lines with great timing. The delivery man was Joe Bonaparte, a car salesman of luxury cars, and the big surprise was Kayla from the Bakery as the phone repair woman. She had a remarkable ability to project a dry humor into the lines that was perfect for the part.
Beth came in and sat down next to him as the two were leaving. "Kayla?"
"Yes. She was a big surprise."
"Wow."
"Now we come to the part of your mother, Mrs. Ethel Banks. We'll hopefully find someone you connect with. Are you ready to read
lines with them?"
"Me? Now? Up there?" Beth stammered.
He laughed. "Get up there, Beth."
She laughed at herself and then marched up to the stage. The first few people were complete bombs and were not surprised when they got the negative shake of the head from him.
Then to the shock of William and of Beth, Maelynne showed up to audition. Beth's antagonism toward the woman was so obvious, William would never have been willing to take her on, plus she wasn't very good.
The next one up on stage was Lucretia Evans, the jewelry-maker. She'd pulled her long, gray hair up into a bun, and was dressed in a suit instead of her usual bohemian long skirts. As she began to read her lines, the chemistry between Beth and Lucretia was obvious. William felt excited the way he always did when a casting decision was really right. Beth turned to look at him at the end with sparkling eyes, and he nodded at Lucretia. She clasped the script to her bosom and lit up the stage with her broad smile.
Next came the role of the neighbor, an elderly man, Victor Velasco. Several character actors from the city showed up to audition for this part, and William was pleased to get Richard Bart for the role. He had an energy that fit the role, and he played well off Beth's Corie.
The group of young men auditioning was large, and William brought Beth down off the stage as he had each one come in and read a speech. He quickly eliminated over half of them, and then asked Beth to read with the rest. The role of Paul Bratter required a handsome, young man in love with his new wife, who was of a completely different temperament.
All the men read with Beth and he reduced the group by half again. Then he really tried to focus on the chemistry between Corie and Paul up on stage. It was difficult he discovered. He kept seeing Beth as herself. He knew this was not so much due to Beth's acting as his desire for her. And he was finding it irritating to hear these young hunks proclaiming their love for her.
He'd never had anything like this happen to him before. He was always a complete professional. Sighing, he realized that maybe this time around it was different. He called to Beth, and she came to stand by him.
"What's up?"