Lovescenes

‘Where?’

Her smile broadened. ‘Kansas State,’ she said. ‘Where else?’

‘Where else, indeed?’ he grinned. ‘So, tell me the rest. You were in your junior year... ’

‘... and I hadn’t eaten anything for three days... ’

‘Three days without eating? What were you doing- trying out for a part in The Invisible Man?’

‘I was cramming for final exams,’ she said with dignity. ‘Do you really think I’d starve myself just for a part?’ Cade’s eyebrows arched and she laughed softly. ‘OK, so I would.’ She paused as Nico placed a platter on the table. ‘Umm, that smells wonderful. What is it?’

‘A little of this, a little of that,’ the old man said with a shrug. ‘Eat—but save room for the rest.’

‘You mean, there’s going to be more?’ Shannon asked Cade in disbelief.

‘I should have warned you. Elena never forgot the early days when I’d pack in a meal here in hopes it would hold me for a while. Try those little round things—the cheese pastries. And have some of the stuffed grape leaves, too.’ He watched while she took her first bite. ‘Good?’

‘Delicious.’

‘I’m glad. Now, tell me more about Kansas. Do you miss it?’

Shannon swallowed a mouthful and smiled wistfully. ‘Sometimes. But I get home for holidays—well, usually. I couldn’t make it last year—I was in an off-Broadway play—so my Dad packed up what looked like half the dinner my mother had cooked and shipped it to me Air Express. The cast and I feasted for days!’

‘Your folks sound like nice people.’

She nodded. ‘They are.’ She looked down at the table and then back at him. ‘Do you want to know something funny?’ she asked softly. ‘I was a little concerned about... well, about this new part. I didn’t know how they’d feel, seeing me—I mean, seeing you and me…’

‘And?’

‘And,’ she said smiling, ‘my mother called to tell me they were proud of me. She said I was giving a great performance.’

‘Your mother and I agree completely.’ .

‘She said it was an improvement over seeing me play a happy toadstool in first grade.’ Shannon laughed. ‘So much for the sheltered folks back in Kansas, hmm?’

‘Would you believe that the Marauders have never given a concert in Kansas? We gave one in Kansas City when we first started ten years ago, but for some stupid reason, that’s in Missouri.’

‘Ten years. That’s a long time for a band to be to­gether, isn’t it?’

‘An eternity. But we’ve been lucky. We like each other.’

‘What are the other Marauders doing while you’re on Tomorrows? I can’t imagine the music business is any different from acting—you’ve got to keep busy or they forget your face.’

‘That’s the truth. But we’d been talking about dis­solving the band.’

Shannon stared at him. ‘Dissolving it?’

‘You sound like our manager,’ Cade laughed. ‘Maybe “dissolving” is a bit strong. It isn’t as if we’d vanish. But we’re all ready to try our hands at other things. Jack and Phil have been talking about opening a club and Tommy’s into painting.’

‘And you decided to take a shot at acting?’

Cade pushed his plate aside. ‘It wasn’t quite that simple, but I’d been thinking about it and thinking about it… So, when Jerry gave me a spot, I figured if I were ever going to try, the time to do it was while they still know my name out there.’ He smiled disarmingly. ‘It’s called capitalizing your assets.’

She smiled in return. ‘Take the money and run, huh?’

‘Absolutely. Everything moves fast in this business. If something feels right, you’ve got to go for it. If I’ve learned nothing else in all these years, I’ve learned that much.’

Shannon sat back as Nico set down fresh platters of food.