She shook her head, smiling. “It’s helpful, I promise. I want to do an excellent job auditioning, and that starts with being word-perfect in my memorization. I don’t have to memorize the entire screenplay, obviously, but this page is one of a few that they’ve asked me to prepare for the audition.”
“Okay.” He smiled at her. “So I should just read this line in front of the first Annie line whenever?”
She nodded, closing her eyes and tilting her head upward slightly, as if the scene was a ray of sunshine that was about to cascade over her.
He cleared his throat and read the line aloud, feeling clunky and awkward. What happened afterward, however, sent a thrill up his spine. Delilah, with her eyes still closed, recited her next line perfectly, and with totally sincere emotion as if she was having a real conversation with him. Emboldened, he read his next line with less awkwardness.
He could hardly believe how many butterflies were swirling in his stomach as they continued to go through and then repeat the scene. At moments he felt as though he’d forgotten how to read, and his hands broke into a sweat a few times as he realized at the last second how to pronounce some of the longer words. They soon fell into a rhythm, however, and even though the lasttime Tom had attempted to act was as a rabbit in his elementary school production ofSnow White, Delilah’s sincerity as she spoke the lines made him begin to feel as though it was really a conversation they were having. It was as if the energy she was sending to him through her performance was a ball that he was learning to toss back cautiously in her direction.
“Ah, I’ve got to go,” she said, and for a second, he scanned the page, wondering where that line was and feeling confused.
“Oh, of course,” he said, looking up and clearing his throat.
Delilah’s eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. “Thank you so much, Tom,” she said warmly. “It’s a wonderful script, isn’t it?”
“So wonderful,” he agreed, although he was thinking more of her performance than the screenplay.
She stood up a little reluctantly. “I really enjoyed reading with you, Tom. I have some more scenes from this screenplay that I need to practice. Would you help me with those as well sometime?”
“Yes,” he said, blurting the word in an almost stumbling hurry, because what he’d almost said instead was, “Undoubtedly.” He stood up with her, but then wished he hadn’t because he felt like it made him look as though he was hoping for a hug, which would have been much too forward of him.
“Great.” She smiled at him, seeming to be about to say something else, and then she glanced at her watch again. “I’d better dash. So great to work with you. I’ll—I’ll be in touch.” She hurried off with a smile and a wave, and he sat back down as he watched her go. The skirt of her blue dress rippled a little in the wind, and he smiled, thinking that she brought a little bit of movie magic with her everywhere that she went.
He took a deep breath and then let out a long, contented sigh. He’d had more fun reading with Delilah than he’d had in a longtime, and that was saying quite a bit considering how much he loved his job and how often he spent time with his friends.
I can’t wait to read with her again,he thought, his heart swirling with happiness.I can’t believe this is something I get to do with my life.
All of a sudden, he remembered his lunch and he grinned. He pulled it out of the bag, pleased to find that it was still somewhat warm. He took a large bite out of the creamy and tangy Reuben sandwich and chewed contentedly. Another gust of wind blew across the town square, and Tom felt as though his heart was like a kite, getting blown upward in a sudden rush of joy.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dean slipped his hand around Noelle’s as they strolled down the sidewalk together. He looked down at his beautiful fiancée, feeling an ache of happiness in his chest. They’d bought ice cream cones—mint chocolate chip for him and chocolate eclair for Noelle—and they were enjoying their dessert as they strolled about their charming town.
“It’s such a gorgeous night,” Noelle said, sighing and squeezing his hand. “I love Rosewood Beach during all of the seasons, but there’s something really lovely about spring, I think. It’s like our whole town starts to wake up in new ways after winter. More people are out on the sidewalks, like us. The gift shops are open later. There’s this feeling of expectation and excitement in the air, like summer is something to celebrate and we’re all getting ready together.”
The shops around them glowed with golden light, which spilled out onto the sidewalk. The streetlamps added an extra glow to the night, like man-made moons lining their path. The small trees that lined Main Street rustled in the spring wind, and various delicious scents wafted out of chocolate shops and restaurants. In the distance, jazz music was playing somewhere,and the sound added a feeling of nostalgia to the beauty around them.
Dean chuckled. “I like the way you think. It does feel like everything’s more energized now. Especially the weather.” He gestured to the darkening sky, which still bore hints of pink in the west. “This warmth makes everything seem more hopeful.”
As soon as he said the words, he felt a pang of worry, since his concerns about his health had been darkening his hopefulness for the past few days. He’d been doing his best to stay optimistic, but he felt tired in more than just his body. It was difficult for him not to feel upset that he had to deal with his condition when what he’d wanted for his life was so different from his reality.
Noelle took an eager lick of her ice cream cone, and the gesture was so cute that for a moment Dean forgot about everything but her. He chuckled a little and took a lick from his own cone. The creamy flavor danced on his tongue, and he took a deep breath, willing himself to hold onto moments like this and not be too afraid of his future and what it might look like.
He couldn’t ignore the pain in his hands, however. They ached dully, even though he hadn’t done a great deal of work that day. He noticed it more in the hand that he was holding his ice cream cone with, but he could also feel it in the hand that was holding Noelle’s.
I need to tell Noelle about what’s going on,he thought, feeling his chest tighten with regret.
He didn’t want to speak with her about it, since he didn’t want her to worry or be upset, and he didn’t want to cast a shadow over the beautiful evening they were having together. But it wasn’t something that he could hide from her forever, and he knew that telling her was the right thing to do. He also felt as though he needed the comfort that she always brought to him in that moment. She was his safe space and his cheerleader,and the support that he knew he would receive from her was something that he needed.
“Hey, Noelle?” he said after they’d been strolling along in silence for a while. “There’s something I need to talk with you about.”
She turned to him, her eyes wide. It was clear that she knew he had bad news of some kind, but she kept her emotions steady. “Okay. Why don’t we go sit down on that bench under those string lights?”
There was a bench on the edge of the community herb garden, surrounded by lavender and sage, and lit by the string lights that were hung over the garden. It was a beautiful place, and it made Dean think of healing. He smiled. Noelle would pick a place like that for the conversation they were about to have.
“Sure,” he said, squeezing her hand.
They sat down on the bench and, as if they’d silently agreed to it, both finished the last of their ice cream cones. As soon as Noelle had swallowed her last mouthful of waffle cone, Dean took her hands in his.
