Sea Glass Island (20 page)

Sue Ellen blinked at that. “That’s like one of those chicken-egg questions,” she said. “Do I panic because I don’t know my lines, or does the stage fright make me forget my lines?”

“Could you run them with me right now?” Samantha asked. “Just you and me, right here?”

“Sure,” Sue Ellen said with confidence. “I nailed ’em at home last night.”

Samantha wondered about that. Had she really nailed them, or had a helpful family member conveniently fed them to her? Only one way she knew of to find out. She glanced at the script Mrs. Gentry had handed her and told Sue Ellen which scene they were going to do, then read the opening line.

Sue Ellen responded, not just with accuracy, but with the right emotional intensity.

As the scene went on, she faltered only once or twice, which wasn’t bad considering that they’d only been in rehearsals a couple of weeks.

“I’m impressed,” Samantha admitted at the end of the scene.

Sue Ellen beamed. “I told you, it’s because I get too nervous in front of all those people.”

“If you’re going to do theater, you have to do it in front of an audience,” Samantha reminded her.

“Which is why I want to do anything else but theater,” Sue Ellen said with feeling. “Around here, though, this is all there is.” She hesitated. “There’s something else throwing me off, too.”

“What’s that?”

“I know everybody thinks Cass deserved this part. It doesn’t help that she’s my understudy. I can see her waiting in the wings for me to blow it. Then when I do, she gloats.”

Samantha couldn’t imagine Cass gloating, at least not publicly, but her presence certainly could throw an inexperienced, uncertain actress off stride. “Would you rather someone else be in the wings to feed you your lines if you need prompting?”

“That would be awesome,” Sue Ellen admitted. “But I don’t want Cass to get mad at me, at least not any madder than she already is. And it’s okay that she’s my understudy. That shouldn’t change.”

Samantha nodded. “I’ll talk to Mrs. Gentry and Cass and see what can be worked out. Now go on up there and deliver those lines as convincingly as you did for me just now.”

“Thanks, Ms. Castle!” she said before running back to the stage.

Samantha was slower to return to the front of the auditorium. She told Mrs. Gentry about Sue Ellen’s feelings and suggested that somebody other than Cass help out. “It may be all in Sue Ellen’s head, but Cass seems to intimidate her. That could be part of her problem.”

Mrs. Gentry nodded, quickly assigned another student to do the job, then called for the scene to be read. Cass joined them in the auditorium, a frown on her face. Samantha gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll explain later,” she promised.

To everyone’s apparent shock, Sue Ellen performed the scene without a single mistake or hesitation. Mrs. Gentry applauded, then walked to the stage to give the actors her notes.

“Holy smokes!” Cass said when she was alone with Samantha. “She was actually good.”

Samantha grinned. “You were scaring her.”

Cass’s eyes lit up. “No kidding!”

“I wouldn’t look so pleased about that,” Samantha scolded.

Mrs. Gentry returned. “I’m impressed, Samantha.”

“No big deal.”

“Well, it is to me,” Mrs. Gentry told her, then clapped for attention. “Everyone, I have an announcement. Ms. Castle has told me that she’s going to be offering some acting classes here in Sand Castle Bay in the near future. You’ve seen what a difference she was able to make with Sue Ellen today. If any of you are interested in learning more about those classes, I’ll have a sign-up sheet here for you at the end of rehearsal. Then she’ll be in touch with you with the details.” She glanced at Samantha. “Will that work for you?”

“That’s amazing,” Samantha said, taken aback by the unexpected show of support. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Gentry lowered her voice. “Just remember what I told you. You need to be above reproach.”

Samantha nodded.

Cass regarded her eagerly. “Can I sign up now?”

“You can sign up as soon as there’s something specific to sign up for,” Samantha told her. “In the meantime, if you’re free tomorrow afternoon, why don’t you come by Castle’s after school and read a couple of scenes with me?”

“Awesome! I know you’re impressed with the way Sue Ellen got her act together just now, but wait till you hear me,” Cass said. “I’m going to knock your socks off.”

Samantha grinned at her confidence, wishing Ethan were around to hear it. He’d done his job well.

“I’m counting on that,” she told the girl. Because Cass was going to have to be head and shoulders above the other actresses competing for parts if she was going to overcome the undeniable obstacles ahead.

And for more reasons than she cared to examine, Samantha wanted her to have the talent to surprise the most jaded of Broadway directors.

20

W
hen Samantha walked in the door at home after her eventful afternoon at the high school, Cora Jane nodded in the direction of the backyard, her eyes twinkling.

Samantha frowned. “What?”

“You have company.”

Samantha glanced toward the water. Ethan was sitting on the end of the pier, his pants legs rolled up, his good foot dangling in the water. He’d seemingly locked the prosthesis in a position that would keep it dry, rather than removing it. In his work clothes, he looked very much like a man who’d played hooky.

“Is he fishing?”

“Not the way you mean. He came by trolling for information on your whereabouts. Since I had no idea where you were, I suggested he wait. I figured you’d call or turn up sooner or later. Let me know if he’s staying for dinner.”

Samantha nodded, kicked off her own shoes and walked barefoot through the grass to join him. He glanced up as she started along the wooden pier, then held out his hand to help her drop down beside him.

“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.

“You should have been. You should have known you’d be on my mind all day.”

“Really?” she said, pleased. “All day?”

“Every livelong minute,” he confirmed, not sounding entirely happy about it. “And when I managed to distract myself for a minute, Greg was there to pester me for details about my weekend. He seemed convinced you were responsible for my mood.”

She slanted a look at him. “Were you cranky?”

He smiled. “Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“That’s good, then.”

“No, it is very, very bad. It makes people who know me suspicious. When they get suspicious, they ask questions I don’t know how to answer.”

Samantha knew the whole concept of a relationship was new to him or, if not exactly new, a painful reminder of all that could go wrong. It was clear he was struggling with it. She opted to let him off the hook.

“You know,” she began, “nothing’s really changed.”

He stared at her incredulously. “You can’t be serious. Everything’s changed.” He frowned. “At least for me. Are you saying nothing that happened this weekend matters to you?”

“Of course it matters. I’m definitely hoping it wasn’t a one-night stand, but if it was, then so be it. It was remarkable just the same.”

His frown deepened. “It was not a damn one-night stand!” he told her emphatically.

She smiled at his fierce declaration. “Good to know. Any other definition come to mind?”

His gaze narrowed. “You want me to define what happened between us?”

“It might help to clarify things for both of us,” she said. “You seem a little lost.”

“I’m not lost. I’m annoyed.”

“At me?”

“No, at all the people who expect us to pin labels on what happened.”

“But that includes me,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, but you’re only trying to help. They’re just nosy.”

She laughed at the likely accuracy of that. “Ethan, you don’t owe them an explanation. You do owe yourself one, and I wouldn’t mind knowing what you’ve come up with. No rush, though. There’s plenty on my plate without worrying about exactly where we stand.”

Just to change the topic and give him some breathing room, she filled him in on what had happened at the high school with Sue Ellen, Cass and Mrs. Gentry.

“I couldn’t believe Mrs. Gentry gave me her blessing and started a sign-up sheet. Last week she sounded pretty skeptical. She seemed to be afraid all sorts of skeletons were going to come tumbling out of the closet and I’d ruin her reputation if we were too closely aligned.”

Ethan looked intrigued. “Skeletons? Do you have some?”

Was that a hopeful note in his voice? she wondered. Surely not. Or was he hoping for something that would give him grounds to walk away?

She returned his curious gaze with a steady look of her own, then shrugged. “Not that I know of, but heaven knows what might get people’s tongues wagging around here. I suppose with a bad spin most of us could stir up controversy with things we’ve done in the past.”

“So you’re moving forward with teaching classes?” he asked.

“I thought I’d start with two or three,” she said. “See what the demand is. I need to sit down and figure out the focus of each class. I suppose I could do beginners and advanced, or maybe something devoted to comedy and something else to drama.”

“No musicals?”

She smiled. “Not my forte. If you’d let me get away with singing when I showed up at Boone’s bachelor party in that cake, you’d know that. My problem is, I love to sing. I just can’t carry a tune. I had big hopes for that night. A captive audience. Drunk, too, so more likely to be appreciative.”

Ethan laughed. “Think of it this way, I saved you from embarrassing yourself.”

“Hardly,” she said, laughing with him. “It was way too late for that.” She sobered and glanced over at him. The tension in his shoulders seemed to have eased. “You staying for dinner? Cora Jane says you’re invited.”

“Only if we can go to my place for dessert,” he said.

“Sounds like a deal to me,” she said, leaning in to his side. “Panic attack over with?”

“I was not having a panic attack,” he protested. “In case you haven’t heard, until you came along, my life was all orderly and predictable. Now not so much. Just trying to get those doggone ducks back in their rows.”

There was no mistaking the frustration in his voice. She managed, though, to hide a smile. “Are they lined up now?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Not really,” he said, a smile now playing on his lips. “But I’m suddenly starting not to care.”

* * *

It was just past noon on Wednesday when Samantha got a call from Gabi.

“Anything on your agenda for today at four?” her sister asked.

“No. I’ve been helping out at Castle’s this morning, but I’ll be free by then. What’s up?”

“Could you go home, put on something pretty and meet Wade and me at the courthouse?”

Understanding dawned immediately, followed quickly by dismay. “You’re getting married? Today? Does Grandmother know? Oh, my gosh, she’s going to have a fit, Gabi. She wants you to have a dream wedding just the way Emily did.”

“No, she wants me to marry Wade. I don’t think the fancy details matters to her, any more than they do to us.”

“But you can’t get married when Emily and Boone aren’t even in town,” Samantha protested. “They’ll never forgive you.”

“I already have their blessing. They’re going to throw a reception for us when they come back. Nothing pacifies our sister like offering her the chance to throw a big party. And it’ll guarantee she stays on the coast for a couple of extra weeks, which will make Grandmother ecstatic. It’s one of those win-wins everybody loves.”

“But it’s so fast,” Samantha found herself protesting. “What about Dad? Are you at least inviting him?”

“He hasn’t even left town yet. He’s holed up in some hotel on the ocean with Sophia. I think he’ll be thrilled with any ceremony that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. He’s my next call. First I had to be sure I had my maid of honor.”

“You’ve got her,” Samantha assured her.

“You can bring Ethan,” Gabi told her. “I’m telling Dad he can invite Sophia, and of course, Jerry will be there with Grandmother. Louise, her husband and all Wade’s nieces and nephews will be there, along with Meg and Sally. Tommy Cahill is Wade’s best man. I think that’s as much for Meg’s benefit as Wade’s. They hit it off at that bachelorette party we threw for Emily. That’s it for the guest list. Then we’re having a barbecue in the backyard. Jerry’s cooking. Louise is finding some kind of cake at the bakery and dressing it up with wedding bells or something appropriate.”

“I don’t believe this,” Samantha murmured. “What can I do?”

“If you can get home by three, you can keep me from falling apart. Otherwise, just get to the courthouse on time.”

“I’ll be at the house,” Samantha promised. “You want a bouquet? I can pick something up, just a single flower with some ribbons if that’s all you want, but you should carry something. It’s a shame most of the flowers at Grandmother’s are past their prime.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever,” Gabi said, clearly uninterested. “I’ll leave that to you. Now I have calls to make. You’re in charge of getting Ethan there.”

“Got it,” Samantha said. “Sweetie, I am so happy for you and Wade. I hope today is everything you want it to be.”

“As long as he and Daniella are there, it will be,” Gabi said with conviction.

“I’m buying a bunch of disposable cameras, too,” Samantha told her. “You need pictures, and nobody prints out the ones they take with their cell phones.”

“Thanks. I don’t intend to forget a second of this, but pictures would be nice.”

As soon as she’d hung up from speaking to Gabi, Samantha called Ethan.

“Hold on to your hat,” she told him. “We have an impromptu wedding today at four.”

He laughed. “It’s not ours, is it?”

“Nope, not even I am that spontaneous. It’s Gabi and Wade. I guess they caught wedding fever or something. Can you meet us at the courthouse?”

“I’ll make it happen,” he promised.

“And don’t worry,” she told him. “I’m not getting any ideas.”

“Then you may be the only one who isn’t,” he murmured, then hung up.

She didn’t have time to ponder what on earth he meant by that, because Cora Jane came bustling across Castle’s just then, a huge smile on her face. “You heard?”

“I heard,” Samantha confirmed. “You’re not upset that they’re doing this in such a rush?”

“They’re getting married. How they do it hardly matters.”

Samantha gave her grandmother a fierce hug. “That’s the spirit.”

Cora Jane winked at her. “Two down, one to go.”

“Do not get started on me,” she warned her. “Or on Ethan.”

“Oh, come on. The man’s sitting on the edge. One quick shove and he’ll tumble straight into your arms.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Samantha said, though she desperately wanted to believe her grandmother was right. “Just make sure you’re not the one doing the shoving.”

* * *

Louise’s children were running around the judge’s chambers creating even more chaos in an already unruly situation. Ethan was tempted to snag them, but since no one else seemed to be fazed, including the judge, he let them be.

Sophia slipped up beside him. “I’m starting to fall in love with this family,” she told him. “When I flew here from Los Angeles for Emily’s wedding, I had no idea I’d be getting two for the price of one.”

“Much less a new man in your life?” Ethan asked.

A blush tinted her cheeks a shade of pink that couldn’t be manufactured. “Definitely a bonus,” she said, glancing toward Sam with an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. “So, where do you stand on the whole romance thing? Will you and Samantha be next? Obviously Cora Jane is counting on that.”

“A worrisome situation,” Ethan said.

She laughed. “I imagine so. Cora Jane seems like the kind of woman who gets what she wants.”

“So do you,” he commented.

“Absolutely true, which is why I understand what you’re up against.”

In an attempt to deflect the conversation away from himself, Ethan asked, “Mind if I ask something personal?”

“Have I not just been butting into your life?” she asked, clearly amused by his hesitation. “And you don’t even need to ask. Yes, I find Sam fascinating. It’s been a long time since I met a man with substance and values and a great sense of humor.”

“Do you plan on sticking around?”

“For a while.”

“Until the novelty wears off?” he inquired, worried that Sam might be in way over his head. That might not be his problem, but it would be a concern for Samantha and her sisters.

“I’m not looking at it that way,” she chided. “When you get to be my age, you learn to seize the good things that come your way and treasure them for as long as they last.”

Ethan found himself in the uncomfortable position of defending happily-ever-after. “That sounds a little fatalistic. I thought good relationships were something you were supposed to nurture, that if you worked at it, they could last forever.”

She lifted a brow. “Voice of experience?”

He shook his head. “To the contrary, I’ve never believed in love-everlasting, at least until recently. Much to my own surprise, I find myself coming around.”

“It must be something about the Castles,” Sophia said. “After several divorces, I’m starting to think Sam could make a believer out of me, too.”

Again, her gaze sought out Sam Castle, who was leaning down to whisper something in Gabi’s ear. He glanced up, caught her eye and winked. To Ethan’s amusement, this polished, sophisticated woman suddenly looked as flustered as a schoolgirl.

“Go on over there,” he encouraged her.

“I don’t want to intrude,” she protested.

“Judging by that gleam in his eye, he won’t consider it an intrusion.”