Everyone raised their papers in the air, and Alex beamed.“All right, let’s hit the stage!”
The faire grounds had eight stages for shows.One strategically placed in each main area of the faire, with its own name to guide visitors to the show of their choice.They were assigned to The Crown Theater, a small stage located near the front of the faire.Not the best location when she was trying to direct people toward her bookshop, but it would at least catch people as they walked in.
Alex was a natural when it came to giving directions.Her calm demeanor and knowledge of stagecraft came through as she set everyone in their places.Since their play was a parody of a dating game show, it didn’t require much movement.Lilian would sit off to one side, and the three men would sit in a line.A wooden fence with a curtain sat between them to ensure she couldn’t see the mystery men.
“What about me?”Logan asked, taking in the setup.“I’m the host.I can’t sit for the whole performance; it will look weird.”
“Your ankle is broken, Logan,” Alex reminded him.“You should sit while we run through lines.Maybe for the performance you can stand, but we don’t want you to push yourself.”
“A podium.You should at least give me a podium for the performance.”Logan snorted.And Lilian suspected he would have complained about his placement, with or without the chair.“This production is going to be awfully dull if everyone is just sitting about.”
Alex’s face tightened at the complaint.
But before she could snap back, a voice called from the surrounding benches.“No standing!”
Lilian turned and saw Hawk sitting in the middle of the audience seating.His laptop open in his lap, eyes trained on Logan.“Especially you.We’ve already agreed to cover your medical expenses, so you are not going to hurt yourself any further.”
Logan’s lips pursed, but he didn’t fight the matter any further.
They ran through the play three times.Once with their scripts in hand and twice with minimal use.The men all seemed to get into character easily.It was second nature for them to adapt to their characters for the play.Lilian could almost believe she was talking to Sir Debauchery or the Viking Odain Bloodlust.Even Logan, with his foot in a boot, convinced her he was the perfect pirate host as Captain Devlin Locke.
By their second run-through, her nerves eased.All her hours of practice had paid off.She knew the words by heart, but the acting part still tripped her up.No matter how hard she tried, she found herself smiling as David delivered a line.He wasn’t the most polished actor out of their group; his accent dipped in and out, but his method of shouting each line with the utmost gusto worked to distract from his flaws.Even Mr.Berscotta’s Scottish brogue made her grin from ear to ear.
“Sorry,” she said for the hundredth time, “I keep breaking character.”
“Keep it together,” Logan muttered under his breath.
Alex reassured her with a gentle, “It's all right.”
They looked at each other sharply, a silent battle playing through raised eyebrows and pinched lips.In the end, Alex must have won because she quickly plastered the biggest smile on her face and turned toward Lilian.“You're supposed to be wooed by these guys.The fact that you’re grinning is endearing.What you need to do is not lose your accent.”
“Right.”Lilian cleared her throat and tried again.
The third time they ran through was better than the previous two.No one glanced at their scripts, and even Logan looked satisfied.
“I think we’ve got the basics down,” Alex said.“Tomorrow we’ll work on finessing our gestures—then I think we’ll be ready.It will only get better with practice.So don’t sit on your lines and assume you have them down.”This seemed to be pointed at Lilian and David, the most inexperienced actors in the group.
Lilian glanced at her watch.It was nearly five o’clock.She needed to get home and start dinner, since her parents would be coming back from chemo soon.While her mom usually had no appetite, her father was always famished from driving into the city and keeping her company.
When she glanced up, Hawk was still sitting on the back benches.Scrolling through his phone as he waited for the group to leave.He was a poor stand-in for the audience.Not once did he look up to watch them rehearse, and he didn’t even crack a smile when they delivered their jokes.
“Hey.”David’s voice came by her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts.His backpack slung over one shoulder, and that dimple was back as he flashed a carefree smile.“Good job, are you sure you’ve never done this before?”
“What?”Lilian asked.“Act?Or go on a dating show?”
He snickered.“Act.”
The familiar heat of a blush scorched her cheeks at the compliment.“It was nothing compared to you guys.”
“Nah, I bet by next year you’ll be a full-time actor.Once you get a taste for the audience cheering, there's no going back.”
“Are you an acting student like Alex?”she asked.
“Me?No, I’m in veterinary school, actually.”
“For real?”Kansas State was well known for its vet school.She stared at David’s handsome face, expecting him to admit it was a joke, but he shrugged his large shoulders easily.
“Yep.”
