“I figured as much,” Stuart told her. “Let’s take a walk. Let me show you what we’ve got going on these days. Hear me out, and then, if nothing else, this was a chance for us to catch up.”
“Fair enough,” Sophie agreed, standing to follow him out of his office.
“Thanks to the generous support of our patrons, last year we were able to upgrade our lighting system,” he told her as they stood in the production booth, surveying the equipment. Sophie had only a rudimentary understanding of how it all worked, but she knew enough to know she was looking at a state-of-the-art system.
In fact, the more they walked and talked, the more she realized the Alton Theater was doing well. The paint was fresh. The seats were plush and pristine. It had a full roster of shows scheduled for the year, exciting and innovative shows, some of which featured names she recognized from Broadway.
Stuart told her about the job, about the responsibility she’d have in overseeing the Young Actors program and what productions were scheduled, about the Alton’s commitment to strengthening its outreach in the local community and bringing in more diverse productions and casts. It was a dream job…if her dream wasn’t to be the one on the stage. Stuart had said that sometimes dreams changed as people got older. Had hers? Or should it?
She’d worked on Broadway for over a decade now. Not everyone was meant to be a leading lady, and if she took this job, she’d have a steady salary that was more than she’d ever made as an actress. She’d work in this wonderful theater. She could find an apartment for a fraction of the cost of renting in the city. She could build a career here. A different career. A new life for herself.
But she would have to leave Broadway behind. She’d leave the thrill of the city, of auditions, of dancing and singing and acting on stage. She’d have to move away from Jules. She would have to give up on her dream, change it, evolve it into something new.
“So, have I swayed you even the slightest bit?” Stuart asked as they stood side by side on the stage, staring out at the rows of empty seats in front of them.
“Yes,” she told him with a smile. “The slightest bit.”
“That’s fair,” he said. “And obviously, there’s time for you to think about it. Shirley isn’t retiring until April, and I understand that you’re contractually obligated toIt’s in Her Kissuntil then anyway.”
“I am.”
“So give it some thought. Come back and see one of our productions. And in a month or so, let me know if this is something you’re seriously considering, so I know whether to expand my search.”
* * *
“Julia, please pass the wine.”
Jules reached for the bottle, passing it to her aunt. It was Christmas Eve, and she and the rest of her family had comfortably—or not—settled into the sort of food coma that came after hours of boisterous eating and celebrating, resting before Midnight Mass. On the other side of the table, her grandma was planning a shopping excursion with her mom in anticipation of their upcoming trip to New York.
“Gracias,” Tía Martha told Jules as she took the bottle and topped off her glass. “Will there be a way for us to watch your performance here in Miami?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Jules told her. “Most theater isn’t recorded. You aren’t even supposed to take photos during the show.”
“Oh, psst,” her aunt said, making a dismissive motion with her hand. “I know Paula will sneak a few photos for us.”
“She better not.” Jules raised her eyebrows at her mom, who gave her a look of mock innocence.
“I would never break the rules,” she said, not quite meeting Jules’s eyes.
“Mami, you could get kicked out of the theater,” Jules told her. “You know this.”
Her mother waved her hands as if Jules had nothing to worry about, but she wasn’t convinced. She’d talk to her about it again later.
“I hear you’ll be kissing a woman onstage,” Tía Martha said, eyes wide as if she’d just said something scandalous.
Jules lifted her wine and took a careful sip. “Yes.”
“How…modern,” her aunt said.
“I’m pretty sure women have been kissing women for as long as they’ve been kissing men,” Jules told her, stomach tightening uncomfortably.
“Well, you know what I mean,” her aunt said.
“Sure,” Jules said.It means you’re uncomfortable with the idea.
The conversation shifted to Jules’s brother, Alex, and his wife Cindi, who had just announced she was pregnant with their third baby. They already had two adorable little girls, and the family was taking bets over whether number three might be a boy. Jules’s youngest brother, Rob, had a new girlfriend that everyone was dying to meet. Inevitably, the next thing they wanted to know was did Jules have a boyfriend?
“Nope,” she said, feeling absolutely sick about lying, even by omission. But she had to tell her mom first, and it wasn’t a conversation to have on Christmas Eve in front of the whole family. There would be plenty of time for that after the holiday.
