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However, my good mood was quickly dampened when Carson greeted me with a frosty demeanor unlike any he had shown me before. I trailed behind him as he led me to the back room and gestured for me to take a seat, curious about what had him so frustrated.
“You said you wanted to talk to me about costume designs?”
“Yes,” I replied with a cheeky grin. “I’ve been thinking of sprucing things up a bit for my West End production and wondered if you’d like to get in on the action. After all, you know the lead character like the back of your hand. I’m looking for something slightly different, of course, with different measurements.”
“And what makes you think I’d be interested?” he asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
“Well, I mean, it’s not every day one gets the chance to design costumes for a West End production, now is it?” I chuckled. “And let’s not forget the bonus of working with a charming chap like myself.”
I waited for him to say something, but he just stared at me, arms still crossed.
Bloody hell.
“Is there a problem, buddy?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Do you really need to ask?” He leaned forward, his tone accusatory. “Have you any idea the damage your relationship with my sister has caused to her reputation?”
I frowned. “There were a few stories written about us and some comments from her cast mates. I offered to handle the situation at work, but she asked me not to.”
“And yet you listened?” Carson’s tone was incredulous.
I raised a brow. “You have met your sister, haven’t you? Do you honestly think our relationship would survive if I went against her wishes, especially for something that could compromise her professional image?”
“She’s not always the best judge of what’s best for her,” Carson replied, a determined glint in his eye.
“That may be,” I said. “But I can’t go against her wishes. Besides, she’s promised me she’ll come to me if things become too difficult.”
“And why would she do that?” he asked, with a hint of frustration. “She’s the one receiving backlash for sleeping with her boss. Your reputation has barely been impacted.”
“I just had lunch with my friend and partner, Stan Longley,” I said cheerfully, “and he assured me that the situation is calming down and neither mine nor London’s careers will be negatively affected. You know, I’ll do everything in my power to protect your sister. I care about her deeply. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about doing something special for her on Valentine’s Day.”
Carson studied me for a moment before speaking. “I’m still not thrilled about the situation, but I’ll give the two of you some time to work things out. And, I suppose, I’ll help you come up with a romantic plan for Valentine’s Day.”
“Thank you, Carson,” I said, genuinely grateful. “And I promise to do whatever London wants to keep her safe.”
“That’ll do for now,” Carson said with a resigned sigh. “Now, let’s get back to talking about costume designs, and then we’ll discuss these romantic plans of yours.”
THIRTY-FOUR
LONDON
Last night’srelatively calm and quiet production, seeing that people were just giving me sideways looks rather than coming after me, gave me hope things were blowing over.
I’d come in early to work on a specific move I’d had a bit of a problem with last night, and now I was on the stage, walking back and forth, when my foot caught on something, and I turned, crouching down to run my hand over the floor. My fingers quickly found the head of a nail sticking up, and I looked around for something to mark it. Not seeing anything on hand, I went to look for the stage manager to tell him about it.
As I made my way to the backstage area, I nearly ran right into Timothy.
Raising my hands, I stepped back. “Sorry.”
“You just don’t understand, do you, love?” Timothy spoke with a hint of frustration in his voice.
“What are you on about?” I asked, trying to step around him.
“If you hadn’t been so difficult that night when I drove you home, things would be different for you now,” he explained. “You wouldn’t be facing this mess with people around here.”
My blood began to boil. “Are you saying that because I didn’t succumb to your advances, I deserve to be hounded by everyone here?” I said.
“Don’t go blaming me, darling,” Timothy retorted. “You made your own bed when you got involved with Spencer. You’ll have to face the consequences.”
