Christmas All Around Us ; The Perfect Time for Love ; Playing for Keeps

by Carla Kincaid

  "Broadway!" Megan exclaimed. "That's awesome! Isn't it? I mean you didn't look happy just now."

  "I'm okay. I was just thinking about how little time I have to learn the show. It's going to be a lot of work."

  "You can do it!" Megan said firmly. "I know you can!"

  It was obvious Megan was embracing her time to be the encourager.

  "I'll even run lines with you if it will help," she continued.

  Stacey leaned over and kissed Megan. "Thanks, Sweetheart. I might just take you up on that offer."

  "So, do you want to celebrate?" Megan asked softly.

  "Nah. I've got a catering event tonight. I think I'll just chill out until I have to go to work. Unless..."

  Stacey reached out and pulled Megan into her arms. "Unless you want to practice a love scene."

  "Is there a love scene in the show?" Megan asked wide-eyed.

  "Nope. But I won't complain if you won't," Stacey said as the two women fell back on the bed giggling.

  Chapter 14

  As Megan stood at the kitchen counter whisking the eggs for breakfast, she looked up at the calendar on the wall in front of her. Her eyes followed the now long trail of red X's filling each box until it ended on the empty square with today's date. She shook her head, finding it hard to believe how fast time had flown by.

  Her New York adventure had moved at a snail's pace when all she was doing every day was practicing the piano. Now that something -- or rather someone -- else occupied much of Megan's time, the days seemed to zoom by.

  In between rehearsing for her upcoming audition, Megan and Stacey had tackled almost every tourist sight they could think of. They visited the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, The Bronx Zoo, Times Square and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Both her time in New York -- and life in general -- had become a lot more fun thanks to Stacey.

  Megan poured the eggs into the sizzling pan and then reached out and grabbed the red pen attached to the calendar. She drew a big red heart around the words -- FINAL AUDITION.

  "I hope these reheat well," Stacey said as she came into the kitchen. She opened the toaster oven and pulled out the leftover hors d'oeuvres that she'd brought home after her last catering gig. "This is the only thing I'm going to miss about cater-waitering," Stacey said smiling over the toasted treats.

  Since today was both Megan's final audition and Stacey's first day of rehearsal for The Open Window, they'd decided to celebrate with a special breakfast together. As Megan plated the eggs, she looked over at the woman who'd become a regular occupant in her kitchen. She laughed at how much things had changed since their first hostile encounter at her back door a month ago.

  Even though it was too soon for Megan and Stacey to formally label their relationship, based on the amount of time the two of them were spending together, Megan was pretty sure things between them were exclusive. She could easily see herself getting more serious about Stacey and she hoped Stacey felt the same.

  "I wish I could go with you today," Stacey said as they munched on scrambled eggs and reheated lobster tartlets.

  "I wish you could go too," Megan confessed. For the past few days she'd been feeling relaxed about the audition but now she suddenly felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "But the auditions are closed, so I'll just have to manage on my own," Megan said taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

  "I know you'll do great!" Stacey said in her usual encouraging tone.

  Megan nodded with less assurance, putting her fork down on her plate. Her appetite seemed to be waining along with her confidence.

  Was she really ready for today's audition? Had she spent enough time practicing? Spending time with Stacey had changed her rehearsal schedule a little. Instead of practicing first thing in the morning, she often waited until mid afternoon when Stacey had gone out for the day. Of course, Stacey had offered to sleep upstairs in her apartment so Megan could keep her rehearsal schedule as it was but Megan said no. She liked it when Stacey stayed at her place -- even on the nights when all they did was sleep -- and Megan didn't want to give up snuggling with Stacey first thing in the morning. Besides, her afternoon practices had been going pretty well -- although Megan did sometimes get sleepy in the middle of the day.

  After breakfast Megan sat down at her piano to take one final look at her sheet music. She couldn't change anything now. All she could do was hope she was prepared enough to give a strong audition.

  "Break a leg," Stacey said. She leaned down and kissed Megan softly. "I know you'll be great! I'll see you tonight."

  "Have a great first day of rehearsal," Megan replied returning the kiss.

  Long after Stacey left, Megan could still feel the warmth of her lips and the sense of contentment she got from Stacey's encouraging words. That alone bolstered Megan's confidence enough to chase away the last of the butterflies and by the time she left for her audition, her confidence had resurfaced. Even approaching Lincoln Center didn't feel as intimidating as it did the first time she came to the infamous arts center. Megan also found it easier to imagine herself coming to work at the prestigious location on a regular basis.

  "Good afternoon, Ms. Green," the judge with the tightly coiffed hair said.

  This time the bun rested on the back of her neck instead of the top of her head.

  "Please tell us what you'll be playing for your audition."

  When Megan found out she'd made it to the finals, she decided to add her favorite Einaudi piece to her audition. Now not only did it remind Megan of her grandmother -- it also made her think of Stacey.

  "I'll be playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #2 and Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi."

  The judges nodded their approval and Megan slid onto the piano bench. She straightened her posture and then lifted her hands above the keys. She blocked out all other thoughts and soon her fingers were flying across the keyboard effortlessly. Megan was definitely more relaxed than she was at her first audition.

  She knew part of the reason she felt so comfortable today was because of Stacey being in her life. No one had been that supportive since her grandmother and it had bolstered Megan's confidence exponentially. Stacey's constant encouragement even helped Megan get past her parent's negative reaction when she told them why she was in New York. It had helped Megan tap into something deep inside. Something that had been covered over by all the negative things in her life.

  "Thank you, Ms. Green," one of the other judges said after she finished her second selection.

  Megan looked down at the row of faces. They weren't stoney this time. Or if they were, Megan didn't pay it any attention. She left the stage and walked back up the aisle toward the exit sure that she had done her best.

  When she got home there was a surprise waiting for her inside her apartment. On the piano sat a huge bouquet of red roses. Instead of staying at the theatre between the matinee and evening shows, Stacey must have come all the way home just to deliver them.

  Megan walked over and pulled the card out of the bouquet.

  "For the most beautiful concert pianist I know! You and your music make my heart sing. Love, Stacey!"

  Megan read the words over and over again. Her smile broadening each time she got to the words 'Love, Stacey'.

  ***

  "So, how's the nursery project coming along?" Megan asked her sister a week later when they met for lunch.

  "It's great," Kim said with a glowing smile. "I've got the furniture all picked out and the painters are coming next week to repaint the old guest room. You're still on board to help me with the baby shower, right?"

  "I sure am," Megan said. In truth she was getting kind of excited about her soon to appear niece or nephew. "Are you going to do one of those gender reveals?" Megan asked. She knew the trend of announcing the sex of a child had become super popular.

  Kim shook her head. "James wanted to do one but I talked him out of it. He wanted to rent a canon to shoot blue or pink powder into the air in our backyard but all we need is for
that stuff to blow into Mrs Samuel's rose garden next door and we'd never hear the end of it."

  "So what are you doing during the day now that you don't have to practice for hours?"

  Megan let out a long sigh. "Mostly worrying about the audition results," she said. "They said we're supposed to get a letter by the end of this month. The waiting is practically killing me! Meanwhile Mrs. Warren keeps emailing me asking for my contract for the upcoming school year at St. Phillips. Her last message said she needed my paperwork by the 31st of this month or else she'd have to offer the position to another teacher." Megan shook her head not wanting to think about it.

  "Other than that, I've just been sightseeing with Stacey," she said with a smile. The last place we went was Prospect Park during their summer concert series. It was absolutely wonderful. Before the night concert we rented a boat and pedaled around the lake for almost two hours. My quads hurt for days after all that," Megan said giggling. "But once Stacey got the standby gig, we started spending more time at home. I've even been helping Stacey memorize her lines," Megan said with a proud grin. "Even though she probably won't get a chance to perform, she still has to be ready just in case. It's a lot of work and I can hardly believe she's learned the whole show in such a short time."

  Megan was rambling on so fast that she didn't even notice that Kim was just sitting back staring at her with a huge smile on her face.

  "What?" Megan asked as she took a break from her news up date to take a sip of her wine.

  "You're in love," Kim said matter-of-factly.

  Megan drew back, shaking her head. "What are you talking about," she asked as if Kim had just said the most absurd thing she'd ever heard.

  "Oh, come on now. Don't deny it! It's written all over your face!" Kim exclaimed. "You're in love with Stacey!"

  Megan wanted to object but hearing the words love and Stacey in the same sentence made her stomach do a little flip.

  "I like her a lot. I won't deny that," Megan said. "But love?"

  Megan hadn't called anything she'd felt love since she'd fallen for Renee and she wasn't sure she was ready to use that word again yet.

  Kim leaned forward and spoke as if she was reading Megan's mind.

  "It's okay," she whispered. "You deserve this. You deserve all the good things that are happening for you right now!" Her sister reached across the table and took Megan by the hand. "Don't let something from the past stop you from embracing what's here now. Stacey seems like a really great person and I'm happy for you."

  Megan blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Okay, stop that," she protested playfully. "You're gonna have me doing the ugly cry right here in the middle of the restaurant."

  Kim shrugged knowingly and let the conversation drift to another topic until they'd finished lunch.

  "Why don't the two of you come to the house for dinner next week?" Kim said as she was getting into the car to go home.

  "Uh. I don't think we can," Megan answered honestly. "Stacey has to be at the theatre six nights a week."

  Megan had to admit she was glad to have a legitimate reason to turn down her sister's dinner invitation. She was still trying to work out the knots in her stomach caused by Kim's earlier comment about her being in love and she didn't think she was ready to deal with her sister grinning at she and Stacey over dinner.

  "Ok. But sooner than later," Kim said in a sisterly tone that let Megan know she was serious about the request.

  ***

  For the next few days Megan tried to relax and not stress about the results of her audition. To distract herself, she tackled a to do list that she'd been ignoring. First she cleared out her email inbox -- unsubscribing from a ton of websites that featured information about living in New York. Then she deleted all of the responses she'd received from apartment rental ads when she was trying to find someplace big enough for her piano. Once her inbox was back down to a manageable size, Megan moved on to cleaning the apartment.

  Down on her hands and knees, she scrubbed base boards, and dusted spaces behind the furniture. Then she emptied the kitchen cabinets, wiped them down and re-shelved all of the items neatly.

  "Tony's really going to appreciate this," Stacey said as she watched Megan's cleaning fit from her spot on the couch.

  She'd suggested the two of them go to the park or something since this was her only day off but Megan said she wasn't up to it. The truth was Megan didn't want to be away from the house when the mailman came.

  Megan was out on the back patio beating the dust out of the hallway rugs when Stacey called out from inside the apartment.

  "Megan, mail!"

  Megan dropped the broom and sped inside. When she reached Stacey she looked down at the stack of mail she was holding.

  "He gave it to me instead of putting it in the box," Stacey explained.

  Megan reached out for the stack, slowly, as if the envelopes were going to bit her or something. She flipped through them.

  "It's not here," she said disappointedly.

  She tossed the mail onto the coffee table and collapsed on the couch. Stacey sat down beside her and took one of her hands.

  "You're going to drive yourself crazy if you keep this up," she gently scolded.

  "I know," Megan said dropping her head to her chest. "But so much hinges on what's in that letter. In a few days, I have to tell Mrs. Warren if I'm going to accept the teaching assignment at St. Phillips and I really wanted to find out about my audition before making that decision. What if I turn down the job and still don't get in?" Megan moaned. "I feel like I'm living in limbo! I can't even put a deposit down on another apartment and my sublet is going to expire next month."

  "What if you moved in with me?" Stacey asked.

  Megan looked at her wide-eyed. "You mean move upstairs to your place?"

  It wasn't inconceivable. The two of them spent most of their time quite comfortably in Megan's apartment and Stacey's was the exact same size.

  "Yes," Stacey said with a smile. "If you want to."

  "But what about my piano?"

  "Well, obviously it would come with you," Stacey said with a laugh. "Look, Megan. I know you're good enough to get into the Sero Institute but even if you don't I was kind of hoping you might stay in New York instead of going back to Oklahoma."

  Megan couldn't fight the smile that was spreading across her face. "Really?" she said softly.

  "Really," Stacey repeated.

  "So that would mean you and I would be living together?" Megan said trying to manage the excitement in her voice.

  "That's usually how it works," Stacey said with a laugh.

  Megan let out a big sigh. Stacey's offer didn't relieve her stress about her audition results but it certainly lessened her worries about where she would live if she did get in. It also made her heart swell knowing Stacey felt strongly enough about her to move their relationship forward in this way.

  "Can I think about it before I give you an answer?" Megan asked.

  "Of course, Sweetheart," Stacey said taking Megan into her arms. "Take all the time you need."

  Chapter 15

  After almost two weeks of watching the show from the audience and feverishly taking notes on every move Trish Warner made, it was time for Stacey's first put-in rehearsal. Surrounded by the show's understudies Stacey performed the lead role as if there was a full audience in the seats below her instead of only three people sitting behind a table taking notes.