“Thanks, Tabatha. I’m horrible with names.”
“I get it. Too many new faces and names.”
Surprisingly, that wasn’t it at all. I knew most of the cast from being in and around the Broadway community. It’s just Tabatha was so…ordinary. She was almost forgettable. I wasn’t quite sure why she was cast in the show. I hoped she sounded better on stage than in rehearsals. Half the time, I couldn’t hear what she was saying from across the room. The poor girl was going to have to learn to project and fast. Even if the audio people turned her mic all the way up, she’d still sound like she was whispering.
“How can I help you, Tabatha?” I asked
“I wanted to let you know how much I absolutely loved your performance in the revival ofPirate Queentwo years ago.”
Katherine snickered at my side. I wasn’t sure if this young thing was being humorous, evil, or dumb.
“You do realize I was turned down for that role. Right?”
The look of horror that flashed across her face looked genuine enough.
“I am so sorry. Caiden said you’d been in that show. And I so loved the production.”
I glanced to where the male heartthrob, Caiden Wynter Jeanes, stood next to Peeter Gaspari, who was doubled over laughing. Peeter’s face had turned beet red. I shot both a scowl.
I let out a huff before I addressed Tabatha. “Tabatha, dear, you were set up by Caiden and Peeter to get on my bad side. I don’t fault you at all. I’m sure this was all Peeter’s idea. He loves his practical jokes. I get it. You’re young, fresh off the boat, so to speak, and naïve—“
“I’m not naïve,” she said in a huff.
“Oh really?” Katherine asked. I looked at her, and she had one eyebrow cocked in a knowing glance. “When did you arrive in New York City?”
“About two weeks ago.”
“And how many auditions did you have before landing this job?”
“Two…”
“As she said,” Katherine noted cocking her head in my direction. “You’re naïve. That’s not a bad thing. It means you haven’t been around this business long enough to learn who the genuine people and the creeps are. And Mr. Gaspari over there definitely falls into the creep category.”
“He’s kind of cute,” Tabatha said.
“Yeah, but he’s probably more interested in Caiden than he’s interested in you.”
The look of shock that crossed her face was priceless. “He’s a gay?” she practically exclaimed.
I looked to my left and looked to my right before saying, “Most of the guys in here are gay.”
“What?” she said, her hand shot to her mouth to cover her surprise.
“Where did you move from?” Katherine asked.
“Paducah, Kentucky?”
“Where’s that?” Katherine said before she could catch herself.
“It’s about two hours northeast of Nashville, Tennessee.”
I tried to figure out where that would be in my head, but my geographic knowledge of that part of the world was seriously limited. The only time I’d ever been in Tennessee was a weeklong stint in Nashville withWickedmany years earlier.
“How large is Paducah?” I asked.
“It’s huge. There are about 25,000 residents.”
I ripped out a laugh. I couldn’t help myself.
