resignation before Piper could say prove it. “When are auditions?”
“Tonight at six.”
“Tonight! Piper, I’ve got to close. I’ve got nothing to wear here and no time to go home and get my shoes, not to mention I’ve got nothing prepared for an audition.”
“So tell me where your shoes are and what you want, and I’ll go by and pick everything up for you.”
“I still don’t have anything prepared.”
“Oh come on. As if you can’t sing every single number from the show in your sleep.” The pair of them had done sing-a-long viewings of the movie for the last twenty years.
“It’s not the singing part that has me worried.”
“Tyler,” Piper drew out the plea to five syllables and folded her hands in prayer, complete with the puppy dog eyes that had, over the years, successfully convinced Tyler to go skydiving, be in a bachelorette auction for a hospital fundraiser, and add a set of very purple, very unfortunate highlights to her blonde hair.
Tyler scowled. “You don’t fight fair.”
“It’s the Madrigal.”
“Fine. I’ll be there, but I’ll be a little late. We don’t close until six.”
Piper knew when to take her victory and run. “Fabulous! I’ll meet you there with your shoes and your outfit. Where are they?”
Tyler sighed. “Top shelf of my closet, in the blue box.”
Piper gave a squee and wrapped Tyler in a rib-cracking hug. “I’ll meet you there! Bye, Norah.” Without another word, she whirled and bounced out the door. She had just enough time to pick up Tyler’s shoes before heading back to work.
~*~
The Madrigal was a glorious old place. The kind of theater that told a story besides the ones being played out on the stage. As he stepped into the auditorium, Myles looked around, taking in the delightfully ostentatious woodwork and all the tiny touches remaining from an era when craftsmanship still meant something. Man, they didn’t make them like this anymore. What a delightful surprise to find somewhere like this in his newly adopted hometown.
A woman on the stage was running through “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep”. A more than passable rendition, he decided. At least on par with what he expected for community theater. He saw Nate settled a few rows back from the front, in prime position to watch all the action. Having no wish to interrupt, Myles headed about halfway down the aisle himself and slid into one of the plush velvet seats. He slid a notebook out of his messenger bag and began jotting down impressions of the building, observations of the hopeful players scattered around the room.
A door to to his left opened, and a woman slipped out, quiet as a shadow.
Hello gorgeous.
She wore one of those dance costume things that looked like a swimsuit with a long flowy skirt. A leotard? The skirt trailed behind her like the tail of a comet as she moved up the side aisle. She was clearly on a mission, looking for someone or something.
From the stage, somebody launched into a painfully off-key rendition of “Blue Skies”. Ignoring that poor guy, Myles twisted in his seat to watch the woman progress toward the back. Had she already auditioned? Before the question even finished forming, she’d come back from the lobby, headed back toward the door to the stage.
Up front, Nate quietly conversed with the “Count Your Blessings” chick. As the ear torture ended, she rose and headed up the aisle. Myles called out softly as she came by, “Hey, nice audition.”
She stopped. “Thanks. Are you auditioning?”
“Hadn’t thought about it. I’m here doing a story for the paper. Have you got a minute to chat with me?”
“Sure.” She dropped into a chair beside him. “I’m Charlotte Ballard.”
“Myles Stewart. So is this your first audition or have you done this for a while?”
“Definitely not my first. I’ve been doing community theater off and on for about four years now. A lot of the folks here tonight have been in it a lot longer than that.”
“Yeah?”
“The Madrigal is important around here. Once the word hit the grapevine that it was in danger, the pressure was on to get the best of the best to auditions. Take this guy.” She nodded to indicate a blond guy that replaced the off-key gentleman.
“I’m Tucker McGee, and I’ll be auditioning for the role of Phil.”