Claire shook her head. ‘No, of course not. I just happened to be in the neighborhood.’
‘Come on, Claire, you don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?’
‘Believe what you like,’ her agent had answered with a noncommittal shrug. ‘I’m only responsible for your professional life, not your mental condition. If you want to be paranoid, do it on your own time.’
‘You’re not going to joke your way out of this, Claire. Did Jerry tell you I’m doing badly...’
‘He never said that. He just said you seemed...tense,’ Claire sighed. ‘OK, OK, you got me. Yes, Jerry called. He said you seemed to have some sort of block, so I decided to drop by. What’s so unusual about that? You know I have only your best interests at heart.’
Shannon nodded. ‘The way you did when you neglected to tell me they’d hired Cade Morgan?’
‘Oh, come on! You’re not still ticked off about that, are you? I was going to tell you about Morgan, but you ran off before I got here.’
‘I bet you think I’ll believe that story if you repeat it often enough.’
‘It’s the truth,’ Claire insisted, her eyes sliding away from her client. ‘Just because I made the mistake of telling you it was a good career move, you’re convinced I didn’t try and talk Jerry Crawford out of it, but...’
‘Funny, that’s not Jerry’s story. He says you were hot for it.’
‘Look, Jerry had already made up his mind. Besides, what’s the difference? You and Morgan buried the hatchet, didn’t you?’
Shannon sighed heavily. ‘I’m not having problems with Cade. It’s—I don’t know, I just have this feeling everybody’s watching us all the time... ’
Claire had rolled her eyes. ‘Ach, mine child, I was right. Ve have here a case of galloping paranoia, yah?’
‘It’s the truth..’
‘And a terrible thing it is, too, my paranoid friend. After all, why should anybody watch an actress act?’
A truck rumbled by in the street below and the living- room windows rattled. Shannon sighed and tilted the jelly glass so the last drops of wine slipped onto her tongue.
Claire’s gentle teasing had helped enough so that later in the afternoon, when they started rehearsing the scene again, she’d felt almost comfortable—until she’d noticed people gathering around the periphery of the set, some of them people she’d never seen before.
Hey, she’d wanted to yell, what are you doing? Are you all expecting something special? A bolt of lightning, or... or...
Of course they were expecting something, she thought, pouring more wine into her glass. The story about her and Cade and that stupid kiss must have made the rounds everywhere. Probably half the people who’d heard it were convinced Cade had swept her into his arms and carried her off, while the other half believed God only knew what. Everybody was watching and waiting, waiting and watching. It was enough to make any person edgy as a tightrope walker with a blister.
The harsh buzz of the doorbell made her start. Finally, she thought, setting her glass down on the coffee table, her grocery order had arrived, and not a moment too soon. Her stomach was growling. Even frozen shoe-leather would taste good by now.
‘Just a second!’ she called, rattling the chains on the door as she opened them. ‘I’d almost given up hope, Mario. What took you so...’
Cade Morgan grinned at her from the open doorway. ‘Hi,’ he said, thrusting a bottle of red wine into her hands. ‘Have I missed dinner?’
‘... long?’ she finished lamely.
‘I’d have been here sooner if I’d known you were waiting.’
Shannon swallowed drily. ‘I didn’t mean you. I was expecting Mario.’
He grinned again, his eyes sweeping from the tousled curls pinned on the top of her head, to her tattered robe, to the Mickey Mouse feet peeking out from beneath the hem.
‘Lucky Mario,’ he said.
‘Mario is the delivery boy from the market down the street,’ she said automatically, pulling the lapels of her robe together. Why am I explaining anything, she thought, and what on earth is Cade Morgan doing here? ‘Did you--did you want to see me?’
Brilliant question, Padgett. Why else would he be standing outside your door? Get hold of yourself.
Cade nodded. ‘I hope you don’t mind my dropping in. I was in the neighbourhood...’