I sighed. “I want to. We just need to figure out the long-distance thing. I don’t know. She seems to fit right in with everyone. Maybe she’ll move here.”
“Let’s hope,” he said. “Because I was talking to a friend of mine the other night about Clara.”
I turned to look at him with my eyes narrowed in question. “Really? What about?”
“Well, this particular friend works with the Broadway League, and Kerri and I showed her some of Clara’s designs for the party. The other night at dinner, she mentioned she was a set designer. Anyway, my friend loved what she saw.”
“Really?” I asked, feeling hope flicker inside me like a candle flame.
Marshall nodded. “She said lots of directors she works with would be interested in someone with as much attention to detail as Clara.”
“Wow, that’s great news,” I said. “I love her stuff, but of course I’m biased.”
“I’m the same way with Kerri,” he said. “So yeah, tell her I have a friend ready to shop her around to different productions, find her a job on set. Maybe that will convince her to finally move out here. It’ll solve your long-distance problem.”
I nodded, a little dazed with excitement. Clara was going to lose her mind when I told her the good news.
It was her dream to move out here to try to break into Broadway. It felt very possible now, especially when she turned to look at me, precariously balanced on a ladder, and smiled. Because of our arrangement, it was impossible to know if it was a real smile or for show.
I wanted it to be real, even though it could never be. At the end of this, she would get her money and I would win the bet with Troy, and the charade would be over. We had two more weeks left in the city before going back to Texas for the real test.
Kerri and Clara saw Marshall and me watching them, and they said something to each other that made them both laugh. Clara began to make her way over to me.
Marhsall slapped me on the shoulder again. “I’ll let you tell her the good news. I’m going to see if Kerri is ready for dinner. I need a steak, a beer, and a nap.”
“Have a nice night, sir,” I said. “And thank you for talking to your friend about Clara. That was a really nice thing you did. I won’t forget it.”
He nodded. “Just get me free tickets to any of her shows.”
Clara said hi to Marshall as they passed each other. Then her eyes were on me, all smiles. “So what do you think?”
I looked around and nodded. “It’s amazing. I work here all the time and I don’t recognize it. I love it, and everyone else seems to be thrilled with it too.”
“Oh, stop, you’re going to give me a big head,” she said, joking, but her cheeks pinkened noticeably. “We’re still missing the lighting. It’s an eighties theme too, so there will be neon. They want it to be flashy and over-the-top.”
“That sounds like it will hit the target,” I said.
“There’s something else, and I’m not sure you’re going to like it,” Clara said, looking up at me through bashful eyes. “We’re all supposed to wear ugly sweaters.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. I don’t like it.”
“It’ll be fun and you don’t want to be the only stick in the mud not participating.”
“We’ll discuss it,” I said. “Are you ready to call it a day?”
“Yeah, I just need to say goodbye and grab my stuff and we can go.” Clara smiled. “Hopefully to dinner. I’m starving.”
I grinned back. “I was thinking the same thing. Come on. I have something I want to show you.”
CHAPTER 16
CLARA
After Lenny dropped us off at Luke’s building, we took the elevator all the way up to the penthouse.
“I’ve given you the tour but I didn’t show you the best part,” Luke said.
The elevator dinged open and we went into his place.
