“Ellen Henderson,” Julia said, an edge to her voice. “The original screenwriter.”
“Oh, right, of course. Yeah, maybe I’ll do that. But anyway, about Paige. You’ve worked with her on a period piece, and you think highly of her. Any red flags?”
“No, of course not,” Julia said, annoyed. What a thing to ask. A better question was whether Paige should be wary of red flags from Stephen Deneford, even in this new penitent persona. “In my opinion, since you asked for it, you’d be lucky to get her. But unless you’re shooting during our hiatus, you won’t be able to.”
“What do you mean? I thoughtPatchworkwas canceled.”
“That’s not even remotely true,” she said, a trifle sharply. “Theseries has not been officially canceled, unless it happened within the past few days and no one told me. We begin shooting season six in January, and I hope to have at least one or two more seasons after that. Paige plays a recurring character now, but I would expect her to become a season regular.”
“Oh, no, really? That’s terrible news.” Quickly he added, “Not for you, of course. For me. I really thought I’d found my Emily. Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be. But like I said, if you can film while we’re on hiatus—”
“That wouldn’t work.” He heaved a sigh. “Well, I’m glad I called, even though you’re not telling me what I hoped to hear. Appreciate the insight.”
“Stephen, listen,” she said, suddenly uneasy. “You should be talking with Paige and her agent, not with me.”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” he said briskly. “Thanks again. Let’s do lunch sometime.”
“That would be nice,” she said, but he had already hung up.
Julia slipped her phone into her pocket, thought for a moment, and took it out again. Her finger poised over the keys as she considered what to do. Obviously she should call him back. She hit redial, then listened as it rang and rang until it finally went to voicemail.
“Hey, Stephen, it’s Julia Merchaud,” she said. “I may have spoken out of turn. Would you please call me back as soon as you get this message and let me explain? Thanks so much. Take care.”
She hung up and put her phone away. Should she follow up with an email, or would that simply make matters worse? No, she should wait for his call. It was fine. It would be fine. When they spoke again, she would emphasize that Paige was a wonderful actor and colleague, and Julia honestly couldn’t say for certain that she would be busy withPatchwork. Ideally, she would be, but in that case Deneford should adjust his shooting schedule to accommodate her,because casting Paige would be worth it. But that was something for Deneford, Paige, and her agent to work out among themselves. Julia had already interfered too much.
She checked her phone to make sure that it was fully charged and not on silent. It was perfectly fine, of course. Deneford just hadn’t called, which made perfect sense, since it had only been a few minutes and he was a busy man.
Deneford would call, she assured herself as she headed back to the classroom. She was worrying needlessly. She’d set him straight, and whatever happened next would be up to Paige.
15
When Julia returned to the ballroom, she found six of her colleagues stitching away at the quilting frame, another four watching over their shoulders, and everyone else gathered around the longarm machine, where Sarah was guiding Louis through the rudimentary steps of free-motion quilting. Paige stood at his side, complimenting him and apparently teasing him too, if his grin was any indication. Reluctant to kill the happy mood by taking Paige aside and telling her about Stephen Deneford’s unsettlingly odd phone call, Julia decided to let the matter drop. There was no point in worrying Paige needlessly. If Deneford didn’t return Julia’s call by the time she left Elm Creek Manor, she’d steel herself, invite him to lunch, and explain the regrettable uncertainty aboutPatchwork’s future. She’d even pick up the check afterward. That should make up for her careless talk.
Taking a cleansing breath, acknowledging her uneasy thoughts, one by one, she deliberately let them go. Then she returned to the company, taking another turn at the quilting frame and even trying her hand at the longarm. Later, after supper, her lingering misgivings were put to rest when everyone gathered by the fireplace to read a new scene Ellen had written for Sadie, Ben, Jesse, and Anabelle. Julia and Nigel jousted as magnificently as ever, while Paige and Louis were riveting in an exchange of sharply comic barbs that suggestedan undercurrent of desire between the characters, sure to be explored later in the season.
At the end of the scene, as the performers bowed to their colleagues’ applause, Nigel leaned closer to Julia and murmured, “Is it just me, or are they the new us?”
“It’s not just you,” Julia replied as they returned to their seats. “I see it too. The only difference is that they’re younger and they’re actually attracted to each other. And Louis isn’t an actor, more’s the pity.”
“That was fantastic,” said Ellen, glancing up long enough to beam at Paige and Louis before bending over her script again, swiftly jotting notes in the margins, crossing out passages, circling a paragraph and drawing an arrow to indicate where it should be moved.
“If it was so awesome, why are you changing everything?” teased Paige as she took a seat beside Louis.
“I’m just fine-tuning a few things,” said Ellen, but it certainly looked like much more than that to Julia.
“You’re actually very good at this, Louis,” said Olivia, regarding him speculatively. “Have you ever considered acting?”
“I had the same thought,” Nigel declared. “You have a marvelous speaking voice and a compelling presence.”
As others chimed in with their agreement, Louis shook his head and raised his hands to fend them off. “No, thanks,” he said emphatically, smiling. “Not interested. I only want to be onstage or on camera if I’m at the piano.”
“Pity,” said Nigel. “Ah, well. More roles for the rest of us.”
In reply, Louis threw him a grin and made his way to the piano, where he let loose with a rendition of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” clearly intending to prove his point that he shouldn’t change careers. He graciously entertained them for the rest of the evening, occasionally accompanied by Paige on vocals. They were still at it when Julia, though reluctant to be the first to leave the gathering, nevertheless bade her friends good night and headed off to bed, tired but content.
The next morning, when Paige didn’t appear for Zumba class,Julia and Olivia exchanged a significant look. “She and Louis must have stayed up late making music together,” Julia speculated as they toweled off after the workout.
