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“Oh, thank you,” I said, feeling a warm flush of pride.
“So, I need some insight,” Alice said, pulling me out of Stan’s hearing range. “There’s this gentleman here tonight I have had my eye on for a while, and I was hoping you might have some advice on how to get his attention.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really? Who is he?”
“I really shouldn’t say out loud here, but he’s so handsome,” Alice said, her cheeks flushing pink as she glanced toward Stan. “I was hoping you might have some tips on how to persuade someone who works with theater, and has little time for anything else?”
I smiled, realizing she must be talking about Stan. “Well, sometimes a little flattery can go a long way. And if all else fails, just be yourself. People can sense when someone is genuine and sincere.”
“Thank you, London,” Alice said, her eyes shining with gratitude. “I really appreciate your advice. And once again, congratulations on the show.”
“Thank you, so nice to meet you,” I said, glancing around the room. I still needed to find Spencer. “Good luck with your gentleman. I hope everything goes well.”
Avoiding the cast and crew who wanted to congratulate me on a job well done, I slipped along the edges of the crowd to make my way to the dressing rooms. If Spencer wanted to greet everyone, that would be a good place to be.
Ten minutes later, after searching everywhere backstage, I’d almost given up, thinking he must have left, and then suddenly, I spotted him.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I walked toward him. I needed to apologize first, and tell him I should have talked to him instead of pushing him away. Then I had to let him know that what she saw with Timothy and me–
All thoughts flew out of my head as the same tall, slender, beautiful brunette from before kissed Spencer on the cheek.
Alice. What the…
I blinked andfroze in my tracks as I watched. That could have been simply a friendly greeting.
Except she put her hand on his arm and laughed. There was no mistaking the flirtation in that sound or the way she tossed her hair. Stan wasn’t the man she had been after. It was Spencer.
I suddenly felt the grime of caked-on theater make-up on my face, the way my costume clung to me, fabric damp with sweat. Alice looked cool and fresh, not a hair out of place. She probably smelled a lot better than I did, too.
She laughed again and leaned into Spencer enough to press her breasts against his arm. I waited for him to tell her he was seeing someone, or at least offer a polite smile and step back. Instead, he just stood and smiled. And it was a nice one with warmth to it.
Then he took her hand in his.
“There you are!” Timothy’s voice boomed behind me.
Color flooded my face as Spencer and Alice turned in my direction. I didn’t look to see if he was still holding her hand. I didn’t want to know, and I definitely didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
I spun on my heel and stalked toward Timothy. Grabbing his arm, I said, “Let’s go.”
If Spencer wanted to spend time with another woman, well, I had another man who wanted to be with me.
TWENTY-TWO
SPENCER
Alice Sargent was an attractive,well-dressed woman with deep pockets and an affinity for the theater. Stan had introduced me to her shortly after we’d secured the backing of the Shubert Foundation, and she’d since become one of our top sponsors.
It was clear, however, that she was interested in more than just my show. She had not been bold enough to make her intentions clear while I was with Stan, but I was unsure how long her discretion would last. To maintain professionalism, I had limited our interactions to emails through my business account.
But now, as I stood waiting for the cast to return to the dressing rooms, Alice approached me.
“You look so hot tonight,” she said as she leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Although I bet you look great every night.”
“Thank you,” I replied, offering a polite smile. “You look lovely as well.”
Alice laughed, placing her hand on my arm. “Things always sound better with a British accent, don’t you agree?”
I chuckled. “I suppose that depends on the region of England.”
