“Mason, you are so sweet to be concerned about the care of your niece and nephew,” Olivia said teasingly. I loved her tone, which insinuated that he was here forme.
Mason put an arm around each lady and said, “All right then, you two. Love you both, and I will see you to the door so that I can help Daisy with bath time and bedtime. We’d hate for her to quit.”
As they left, I took a deep breath. I walked over to the island and said, “Okay, kiddos. Best dinos ever?”
“Bestever, Aunt Daisy!” Greer agreed. So, I guessed we’d landed on that whole Aunt Daisy thing after all.
“So, Daisy,” Tilley said, casually. “Since the kids will be off to school in the morning and there shouldn’t be much to do around here, would you be willing to drive me somewhere?”
Oh, I was so very intrigued. Mason reentered the kitchen and said, “Aunt Tilley, Daisy is busy. I’m sure Mom will drive you wherever you want to go.”
“Well, see, that’s the thing,” Tilley said. “I’m not so sure she would approve of my going to this particular place.”
Doubly intrigued.
I leaned against the counter, relishing the place of power I occupied and already knowing that I would take her anywhere. “Oh, Tilley, do tell.”
She grinned conspiratorially. “Well, see, Daisy, I haven’t mentioned this to you before, but the theater and I have a bit of history, a love affair if you will.”
I wanted to squeeze that woman to me. She was a little mischievous, and it was so soul-satisfying to watch her work.
“A love affair, you say?”
“Oh, Aunt Tilley,” Mason said. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea—”
“A bad idea?” Tilley interrupted. “Do you know what would be a bad idea, Mason? If someone were to drop to your mother thatyouare the reason her beloved massage therapist quit returning her calls.”
Mason opened his mouth and then closed it. “But how do you…” He trailed off.
“I’m Aunt Tilley. I know all. I can keep secrets, and I thought you could too, but I guess we’ll see, now, won’t we.”
He laughed. “Geez. All right. Message received.”
Tilley turned back to me. “As I was saying. Yes, a love affair with the theater. You might not be aware of this, but women of a certain age don’t often have the opportunity to try out for the very best parts in a show, but, well, the Cape Carolina Playhouse is putting on a production ofHello, Dolly!And Dolly is a role I was positively born to play.”
I smiled at her enthusiasm. But I worried too. “So, let me ask you a question.”
She nodded.
“If you were, by some small chance,notto get the role, how would you handle that?”
She said, “That’s showbiz, baby,” so nonchalantly that I believed her.
“And,” I said, “if you were to get the role, which is obviously much more likely, would you be able to handle that?”
I had no idea if she was likely to get the part. For all I knew, the woman was tone-deaf and flat-footed.
She smiled at me. “I would relish the long hours, the practice.” She locked her eyes on mine. “Daisy, for years I have drifted about in the world letting the past define me, residing there so I didn’t have to face the truth. It is time for me to regain my glory. It is time for me to shine again.”
She was good. “How in the world could I argue with that?”
Aunt Tilley might crash and burn. But I’d be damned if I was the woman who never even let her try.
TILLEYA Character
Was Tilley nervous stepping onto the stage that midmorning? Of course she was. But 10 a.m. was always her favorite call time, because it gave her time to eat a balanced breakfast and get a good cup of coffee and enough hours for her to fully digest, for the buzz to wear off, and to produce a well-fueled performance. She took getting her favorite call time to be a good omen—good enough that it allowed her to fully avoid the thoughts of the last time she had been on a stage, nearly forty years earlier.
Tilley knew Tony Kennedy, the director, well. Of course, she knew everyone in Cape Carolina well.
