AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She still is.” Edie nods toward the far side of the stage, where I now notice Stella helping to line up the nuns. “She insisted she prefers to continue to be the understudy. Nica will take on the role.” Edie sails to the center of the stage and claps loudly.
I raise an eyebrow at Nica, and she shrugs. “Stella insisted. She found me at the Lodge today and told me she has a big project at work and doesn’t have time to dedicate to the part. I’ll be honest—I didn’t argue too hard.” She avoids my eyes. “I’ve always wanted to play Maria. And Sylvia worked out a deal with Dame Edith.”
“What kind of deal?”
She shifts uncomfortably. “No money changed hands. But we had to hammer out the extent of my involvement. SAG requirements.”
I don’t know much about the Screen Actors’ Guild, but I’ve heard there are rules around when and how pros can perform. I glance at the crowd. “And these people are here to see you?”
“I guess. I posted on my Insta account. I seem to have a few local followers.” She nudges my ribs and nods at Edie with a smirk. “Quiet, the director is speaking.”
Edie finishes her pre-rehearsal instructions with a stern look at the impromptu audience. “I know you’re excited to have a Hollywood actor here, but all of our actors are deserving of your respect. There is to be no talking during scenes. I won’t hesitate to have you escorted from the building if you cannot comply.” She flings an arm toward the door, her loose sleeve snapping audibly. Then she spins and steps off the stage. “Act one, scene one! Actors, take your marks!”
Nica moves to stage left while I head to the far side to tackle Stella. I can’t decide if I’m thrilled to be playing opposite Nica—spoiler alert, I one hundred percent am—or dismayed. I grab Stella’s arm and pull her toward the windows, as far as we can get from the stage area. “What is going on?”
She smiles, her eyes still on the twin trail of actors processing onstage as they sing in Latin. “I told you, you’re welcome. We all know how you feel about Nica.”
“That’s the problem, Stella. She doesn’t feel that way about me and pretending to—to woo her on stage is going to be… painful. Probably embarrassing. Maybe even traumatic. Do you want my heart to break?”
“You are so dramatic, Matt.” She finally looks at me. “This is the perfect chance to get close to your crush. You’re a charming guy—sweep her off her feet. I did some research. She likes older guys, but she’s never had a serious long-term relationship. Maybe you’re the guy she’s been waiting for. If you do nothing, you’ll get the same results as if you take a chance and fail. Either way, I’ll be bringing you brownies and chocolate chip ice cream. But maybe, if you go for it, you’ll get the girl. You definitely won’t if you don’t try.”
I suck in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. Maybe Stella is right. I’m already crazy about Nica—when she leaves, it’s going to suck. Another thing occurs to me: maybe I’ll get over my crush by spending time with her. Familiarity breeds contempt, right? And I don’t know her—I only know what I see on the Romance Channel. Maybe if I spend time with her, I’ll decide she’s not all that, and it will be easy when she leaves.
I smother a snort of disbelief. That is not going to happen. “If she breaks my heart, I’m going to need something stronger than brownies and ice cream.”
“Whiskey then. Whatever you need. We’re all with you.”
My eyes narrow. “You’re all with me? All who?”
She looks up innocently, her lips curving a little. “Your friends. We talked it over, and we’re behind you.”
I grab her arm again. “You talked to my friends about my love life? Who did you talk to?”
She doesn’t quite roll her eyes. “Blake, Rachel, Dylan, Jamie, Rob…” She ticks people off on her fingers. “If you crash and burn, we have a plan. Brownies and ice cream from me. Rachel will watch sappy movies with you. Blake will take you out shooting or drinking—or both, but not at the same time. We’re here for you.”
I groan and cover my face with my hand. There’s nothing quite so humiliating as knowing your friends are prepping to watch your romantic demise.
“Captain von Trapp, you missed your entrance!” Edie’s rich voice rolls across the room, and every eye snaps to me.
I gulp and hurry toward the stage. “Sorry!”
The nuns have dispersed into the audience, and Nica kneels behind the cardboard box that stands in for a sofa in the von Trapp living room. She looks at her folded hands, a little smile playing on her lips. My heart leaps, and I want to jump ahead to the love scene. I take a deep breath and frantically search my memory for my first line.
“We’ll take it from Maria’s entrance. Places!”
Chapter 17
NICA
After rehearsal, the crowd lingers. At Dame Edith’s insistence, I move to the door and take selfies with people, encouraging them to depart. A few people ask me about my body of work, making it clear they’re only here because they heard someone famous had joined the cast, not because they know me. I answer pleasantly, smile serenely, and hustle them out the door as quickly as I can.
Behind me, Dame Edith talks to the actors and crew, discussing things they need to focus on for tomorrow’s rehearsal and reminding them we move to the festplatz stage next week.
When the last guest finally leaves, I turn. The rest of the actors have retrieved their belongings and stand in a clump near the center of the room.
“Sorry about that.” I bite my lip. “After Dame Edith asked me to step in today, I posted on social media that I’d be in the show. I was hoping to generate some buzz for the festival, not this.” I wave helplessly at the now empty door.
Dame Edith sails toward me, her arms open and sleeves flapping. “We cannot control others’ actions. We appreciate you—and the attention your notoriety brings. Tomorrow, we’ll have some of the set crew on hand to keep the rabble outside. And once we’re at the festplatz, we’ll have the area roped off.” She turns with one arm still extended toward me and sweeps the other to include the rest of the cast. “Thank you, all. Until the morrow!” She sweeps away, herding the few remaining cast members out ahead of her.
