“Meet you againdomani?” he said.
“Domani!”I said with my hands and my best Italian accent.
“Domani,”he said, turning his canoe in the direction of his hotel as my little metal rowboat rocked in his wake.
We rehearsed in the dance hall down by the bowling alley on the south side of the property, and early that afternoon we practiced on the outdoor stage near where we’d had dinner the night before. Howie gave us stage directions for five of the classicFolliesnumbers—including most of the acts I’d performed during my parents’ disastrous attendance—and while the stage was nowhere near as smooth and polished as the New Amsterdam’s, and it was a fraction of the size, we were able to make it work.
Usually when the company went on the road, they went for four months over the summer to cities such as Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Cleveland and Philadelphia. They took over two train cars: one for the performers and crew, one solely for the scenery and costumes. This, however, was a one-month deal and we couldn’t bring scenery because there was no way to transport it once we were off the train. It made the whole thing feel less impressive than our usual productions, but we still managed to put on a decent show.
After the performance, we changed and mingled with the guests around the bonfire. Ziegfeld had been right: they were all grateful and complimentary for the entertainment. Archie was sitting with a group of people on the far side of the bonfire. We caught each other’s eye and I saw him excuse himself from his group and walk over to me.
“You were spectacular as usual,” he said.
“Thank you, we had to make do with what was available.”
“Honestly, you could have been unaccompanied with no stage and no fancy costumes and you would have had us all on our knees.”
I smiled.
“Join us.…” He motioned to his friends. I wanted to, but I didn’t want to appear too eager to let him off the hook.
“I should stay,” I said, looking back to my fellow performers. “We were in the middle of discussing the show.”
“Ah.” He nodded, though I sensed he knew I was making him work for his forgiveness. “Maybe tomorrow, then,” he said.
“Maybe,” I said coyly, and I had to force myself to turn and slowly walk away.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The next morning, Archie showed up at my cabin wearing his hiking clothes—plaid britches, a button-down shirt and lace-up boots.
“I know you leave in a few days, so I thought I’d try and persuade you to let me take you on a short hike.”
I hadn’t stopped thinking about what he’d told me before dinner two nights earlier, and I’d hoped he’d make another attempt to spend time with me. If he was telling the truth and the engagement was called off, then I didn’t see any harm in getting to know him.
“What do you say?” He smiled.
“I say if you can wait ten minutes for me to put on my sporting togs, then I’ll be right with you.”
He smiled. “Capital,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the main lodge.”
“So, where are we going?” I asked Archie. He was walking next to me along a pathway leading away from the cabins, through part of the camp that I hadn’t yet explored.
“We’re going hiking.”
“But where? Isn’t there a destination or something, a place that we’re trying to get to?”
“Not really.” He laughed. “We’ll hike through some conifer trees and a hardwood forest, according to the guide, and we’ll pass by Black Pond.”
“So, we’re just walking for the sake of walking? There’s no place to stop and have a refreshment?”
“Agnes, the housekeeper, packed us some sandwiches.”
“Well, I’d do things a little differently around here if I were the owner of all this land. I’d have bar carts all along the trails,” I said, half-joking. “I’d make it a lot friendlier to the average show girl.”
“There’s nothing average about you,” he said.
“I’m just trying to know my onions about the purpose of hiking,” I said. “I’m used to having a goal in mind, and then I do the things necessary to get there. It’s how my brain works. I always have to know what I’m reaching for next.”
