Stevie blinked, but Simon face-palmed himself.
“Oh my god, this is for your book,” he said.
“What book?” Stevie asked. “What the hell is happening?”
Iris released Stevie’s sweaty palm and turned to face her. “I write romance novels and I’m a bit stuck. I just need a little inspiration, that’s all. I’m hoping some good old-fashioned courting will get me back in the mood.”
“And I can help you do that?” Stevie asked.
Iris nodded. “Totally. I’ll be your fake girlfriend around your friends and when we’re at the theater. You be my romance guinea pig.”
Simon looked horrified.
“Okay, that didn’t sound great,” Iris said. “The guinea pig part, but it’s not a big deal. I date you, you date me.”
“Fakely,” Stevie said.
“Hey, this was your idea,” Iris said, folding her arms. “We can just tell Adri and her Aphrodite girlfriend that you lied and—”
“No,” Stevie said, shaking her head. “I’m in. I can do it.”
“I don’t understand a fucking thing that’s happening right now,” Simon said, sending both hands through his hair. “They should make pills for this.”
“I’m sure they do,” Iris said, patting his cheek.
“Stevie?”
Footsteps sounded on the concrete, and Adri and Vanessa appeared in the hallway.
“Oh,” Iris said quietly, “showtime. Simon, be cool.”
“Be cool how?”
“Just shut up,” Iris said to him and then yanked Stevie closer, arm curled around her waist. Stevie was a fucking brick wall next to her—that was going to need some work.
“Hey, there you are,” Adri said, spotting them through the doorway. Her eyes flitted down to Iris’s arm around Stevie, before lifting again. “Did you two want to do a reading? I’m happy to run that so you can get a feel for interacting with Stevie on the stage.”
“No need,” Iris said quickly. “I’ll do the play.”
Vanessa clapped her hands once, her mouth spreading into a lovely smile. “Wonderful! Amazing.”
“That’s great,” Adri said. “We’re excited.”
Iris smiled. “Me too.”
Adri glanced at Stevie, then cleared her throat. “Okay, so, some details. We usually hold the full company rehearsal in the evenings to accommodate our actors with day jobs, though I also conduct regular workshops for our principal actors if they can swing it.”
“That works, I think,” Iris said.
“Everything starts up next Friday with our principals’ retreat at Vanessa’s parents’ house in Malibu. We have team building exercises, pair off to run lines, do some role reversal. I know it’s last minute, but I’m afraid it’s nonnegotiable.”
“Malibu?” Simon said. “That’s a bit far, isn’t it?”
“Not for me,” Iris said quickly, becauseMalibu.“I’ve never been and I’ve always wanted to go.” And, Jesus, the idea of getting out of Bright Falls for a bit sounded nice.
Vanessa smiled. “My folks pay for everything, including airfare, so there are no worries there. They’re big supporters of the arts, and this is part of their annual contribution to the Empress. They make themselves scarce while we’re there, which is also appreciated.” She laughed. “Things can get a little wild.”
“I love wild,” Iris said.
