Lovescenes

‘Didn’t Jerry tell you a damned thing? They rewrote the script and they figure they ought to get at least four months out of us.’ He glanced at her and then looked down at the table. ‘Of course, that was only because we were going to be playing opposite each other.’

‘Four months,’ Shannon repeated in a soft, wistful voice. ‘I never had an acting job that lasted that long.’

Cade cleared his throat. ‘Well, of course, that won’t happen now, will it?’ He smiled apologetically. ‘I mean, I’m going to tell Jerry that I’m not taking the part.’

‘Yes, but...’

‘Besides, even if I were—even if you and I got along— you wouldn’t want to see your part enlarged just be­cause I’m a “star”.’ Laughter glistened in his dark eyes but his expression was grave. ‘You wouldn’t want to take advantage of something like that, would you, Padgett?

Shannon tried not to smile.’ She put her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands. ‘I could learn to live with it, I guess,’ she said softly.

‘And me? Could you live with me that long?’ He grinned and leaned back in the booth. ‘That’s just a figure of speech, of course. What I meant was, could you play opposite me that long without feeling you’d compromised all your principles?’

A flush rose to her cheeks. ‘Don’t make me sound so.. .so pompous, Mr. Morgan. I admit, I resented you at first...’

‘At first,’ he said, nodding.

‘I suppose it’s fair to admit that what you do onstage is a kind of acting. I mean, you’re not yourself up there, are you?’

He laughed and shook his head. ‘No, not by a long shot. The real me is always sitting out in the audience somewhere, wondering what the hell the other me is doing onstage.’ He lifted his mug to his lips and sipped at the cold coffee. ‘It’ll be even worse if I take the Tomorrows role. Crawford wanted us to start re­hearsals Monday and tape later in the week. I have this nightmare that ends with him telling me to get off the set and make room for a real actor.’

Shannon looked at him and smiled. ‘Don’t push your luck,’ she said in a soft voice. ‘I already told you that workshop scene was pretty good. One compliment a day is about the best I ever manage.’

‘Then you’re over your allotment,’ Cade said with a wicked grin. ‘I seem to remember you said something complimentary about my kiss.’ Her cheeks turned a pale pink and he touched her hand gently. ‘Sorry about that. . I just couldn’t resist. Anyway, you’re right, I was fishing for another compliment. I was scared to death when Eli asked me to read.’

‘Were you, now?’ she asked softly, remembering the look of terror in his eyes. ‘But you were a convincing Stanley, anyway.’

‘Well, thanks for that. But I know Streetcar. All Our Tomorrows is another thing. I keep looking through that scene where we meet... ’

‘Well,’ she said lightly, ‘I’m glad Jerry’s given one of us a script.’

‘I really thought he’d told you,’ Cade said. ‘He promised he would.’

‘Is it the cocktail party scene? That was the one Tony and I had been rehearsing.’

‘That’s the one. I told Jerry it didn’t make sense to me. And he said...he said I should remember what happened the day we met.’ He stared at her for a long moment and then he cleared his throat. ‘Look,’ he said gruffly, ‘if the director thinks we can do it—I mean, what the hell, Padgett, what have we got to lose? I can always go back to travelling from gig to gig, never knowing what town I’m in... ’

‘The glamorous life of a musician, hmm?’

‘Yeah, exactly. When this came along, my agent said I’d be a fool not to give it a shot. I’ve wanted to try my hand at acting—there just never seemed the time for it. You’ve got to keep cranking out the music and the records if you want to stay on top.’

‘And now?’

Cade shrugged. ‘And now, I figure I’ve been around long enough to take the chance.’ He looked at her and grinned. ‘If I make a fool of myself, I’ll survive.’

Shannon took a deep breath. ‘Would you really give up the part because of me?’

‘Hey, don’t make me sound like a martyr. If I do the guest shot instead of this part, I can go back to sleeping nights. No more cold sweats, no more bad dreams.’

‘Eli says there’s no growth without pain,’ she said brightly. ‘Cold sweats and bad dreams will make you a better actor, Mr. Morgan.’

‘Are you suggesting I need improving, Padgett?’

Shannon buttoned her jacket and slid towards the edge of the booth. ‘What I’m suggesting is that it’s going to be hard to play a love scene with a man who calls me Padgett,’ she said, not looking at him as she got to her feet. ‘The only person who ever cal

led me that was my phys ed teacher in tenth grade.’

A grin creased Cade’s face. ‘OK, then. Miss Padgett.’ He scrambled to his feet and tossed some bills on the table. ‘How’s that sound?’