Heart to Heart

by Meline Nadeau

  The situation was making her as tired and uncomfortable, too. Pretty much every evening after rehearsal and a casual dinner, the cast and crew sat in the lobby and talked for a while. It was a nice diversion, and it was surprising just how much she didn’t miss television. But when she sat next to Asher, it made her nervous and self-conscious. Especially since she knew that later, they would be climbing the stairs to her room together.

  Just last night, Ross had been telling a story about the previous summer, when Carly had managed to dump a whole bucket of paint over his head in a ladder mishap. Everyone listening had laughed uproariously, she along with them. Asher had caught her eye, and she had blushed at the expression on his face. It was loving fondness, pure and simple. Then to make matters worse, he had reached for her hand and then kissed it. In front of everyone. Mortifying.

  Ross had made some crack about, ‘Wasn’t it time for them to go to bed?’ or something like that, and she, being the big mouth that she was, had protested, pretending to be repulsed. No one believed her. It was written all over their faces.

  She sighed, shaking off the embarrassment. Sooner or later, she was going to have to let him have the bed and offer to sleep on the floor herself. The mere thought of it made her even crankier. “Nicky should be sleeping on sofa in the lobby,” she thought. He wasn’t even a part of the theater company! That way, Asher could have a room of his own, and Carly could have some peace at night.

  Hopping up the hotel’s front steps, Carly resolved to talk to Nicky about it as soon as she saw him. She pulled open the screen door and walked through the lobby toward the kitchen. She pushed open the swinging door and stopped short. Asher and Nicky sat at the table, two bottles of beer in front of them. Nicky was on the phone, a serious expression on his face.

  “Yep. Yep. That’s what I’m saying. I’ll come down to the college and give a couple of on-camera lessons to your summer school students tomorrow. Yep. Right. And then you send them up here to help build the set. One hour of lessons for four hours of work.” He smiled and held his finger up to Carly, whose mouth had dropped open in surprise.

  “I think that’s fair, too, professor, considering that I have been in six national commercials. And if they want more lessons, we’ll work out something for … say, twice a week until the set is built. Right. Great. Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Nicky snapped the cell phone shut and turned to Asher. “I’m going to need a car tomorrow.”

  Asher scribbled on a pad of paper and looked up, grinning. “Done. And good work, man. Way to strike a deal.” He reached up and grabbed Carly’s hand. “Aren’t you going to thank the nice man?”

  Carly frowned and wiggled her hand free. Dammit. Now how could she possibly ask Nicky to sleep in the lobby? He had just scored her an indefinite supply of semi-skilled labor. She forced a smile and half-heartedly punched Nicky’s shoulder. “Thanks. That’ll really help.”

  “Hey, no problem. But it wasn’t really my idea. It was Asher’s.” He shrugged.

  Asher took a swig of beer. “Just trying to stay on top of my duties as a producer until we pick up Daniel and Sophie this afternoon.” Yawning, he stood up and stretched. “Let’s go make a list of your lumber supply, Carly. We can’t make another trip back into town tomorrow if Nicky’s got the van.”

  Hastily, Carly pulled a folded sheet of paper from the bib of her overalls and waved it at him. “Quit worrying. Let’s just go right now. I want to get it over with and back here in time to paint tonight.” She adjusted her baseball cap and pushed open the swinging door.

  Nicky waited until he heard the sound of the screen door bang shut in the lobby before he turned to Ross. “Whoa, she’s tense. What’s up with that, man?”

  Asher rolled his eyes and rubbed his tired face. “I don’t know. She’s always worked up. Part of it is Wheeler, part of it is worrying about her deadlines, and part of it is … ” He trailed off, shrugging.

  Nicky chuckled and slapped Ross on the back. “Part of it is you, buddy. That’s as clear as the sky is out here in New Mexico.”

  Asher ignored him and walked to the window, peering out. Carly stood by his van, writing in a little spiral notebook. “She’s remaking her list, I just know it. You’re right, Nick. She really needs to calm down.”

  “Oh, I can think of a really good thing to calm her down, man.” Nicky pushed open the swinging door and gestured for Asher to follow. “And you are the only person who’s capable of providing that for her, if you know what I mean.” He winked.

  • • •

  Unbuckling her seatbelt, Carly twisted in her seat and glared at Asher. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to finish your beer. If you’re so thirsty, then run across the street and get a soda or something. I’m only going to be in here a few minutes.”

  “Fine,” muttered Asher. He turned off the engine, hopped out and stuffed his keys in his pocket. “When I get back, I’ll wait right here. But if you’re not out of there in fifteen minutes, I’m coming after you.”

  Carly rolled her eyes. “Duh.” He stared at her. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she jumped out of the old van, stomped to the front of the paint store and jerked the door open.

  Asher was driving her crazy. If he wasn’t nagging her about ‘staying in his sight’, he was staring at her and making her blush. If she didn’t know any better, she might almost assume that he was developing a crush on her. But that was impossible. Men didn’t get crushes on Carly Foster, she got crushes on them. Crushes that never, ever, resulted in anything except her own embarrassment and frustration.

  Well, not this time. As much as she was attracted to Asher, she was not going to fall for him. She strolled down an aisle, absently plucking up a few paint samples. It was time to focus on work. The rest of the ceiling wasn’t going to paint itself.

  Grumbling, she dug around in her bag for her list. They had already hit the fabric store and the hardware store. All that was left were a few assorted cans of paint and some new brushes. It was a good thing the shopping trip was almost over, because she was developing a monster headache. Examining the shades of blue, she reached up to massage the back of her head.

  Just as she started to relax, a strong hand gripped her own and squeezed firmly, the fingers pressing into the sides of her neck. Stiffening, Carly turned her head, fully expecting to snarl at Asher for the hundredth time that afternoon. Her stomach dropped like a rock when she found herself looking into Wheeler’s menacing, narrowed eyes.

  “Get your hands off me, you psycho,” she demanded, jerking her body around. He released her, but placed both hands up against the shelf, backing her up to the paint cans and trapping her.

  He cocked his head to the side and brought his lips close to her ear. “How’s your new boyfriend?”

  Carly shuddered and moved her bag up to her chest, hugging it. He wasn’t going to intimidate her. That’s all he wanted, and damned if she was going to give it to him. He deserved nothing from her but scorn. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Wheeler, and I’m not looking for one right now, either. Work is keeping me pretty busy. I’m sure you can understand that, being a dedicated officer of the law, right?”

  “Oh, I think you’re lying,” said Wheeler in a tight voice, running his hands down the shelves to rest on her shoulders.

  Carly frowned and squeezed her bag. She took a deep breath and said, “If you don’t take your hands off of me right this second, I’m going to knee you in the crotch again. Harder. Although you were shitfaced last time I did that, I’m pretty sure you remember how it felt.”

  Wheeler snatched his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. “I remember, and you’re lucky. If I had thought about it then, I would have arrested you for assault. Touch me again, and it’s gonna happen, Carly girl.”

  “Well, then, we’re even. You don’t want me to touch you, and I certainly don’t want you
r revolting hands on me.” Carly tossed her hair out of her eyes. “So, now that that’s covered, just what the hell do you want, Wheeler?”

  Wheeler stared at her stonily. “I think you can guess what I want.”

  “No, I can’t. Please enlighten me.”

  “I want you to stay away from that Asher Day. You were my girl first, and don’t you forget it.”

  Alarmed, Carly glanced toward the entrance. This guy wasn’t just an asshole. He was delusional. And dangerous. Suddenly, she knew Asher was right. She had to stay with him from now on, no matter what. Her mind racing, Carly tried to think of a response that wouldn’t provoke Wheeler even further. Should she try to placate him? Just how did a girl deal with a stalker cop? There wasn’t a clear solution, so she decided to go with logic.

  Carly grimaced. “Wheeler, I hope you don’t think that because we went out once, we have some kind of commitment. Let me make that very clear. I’m sorry we don’t have anything in common, but that’s just the way it is.” She waited, her heart hammering for his response.

  To her dismay, he immediately turned and walked away from her. This wasn’t good. She had to make him see reason … maybe it would stop him from damaging things at the theater. “Wait!” she called, jogging after him. “Stop. Hold on a second, Wheeler. I really want to — ”

  “Shut up!” he yelled, rotating around to face her. “You don’t fool me. I know you’re lying. I saw you. I saw you with him. And you better stay away from him.” Wheeler was so angry his eyes were bulging. Spit formed at the corners of his mouth and he jabbed a finger at her. “You’re mine.”

  Carly’s gaze darted around, checking for someone … anyone to walk by so she could escape. “I told you before, not that it’s any of your business, but nothing is going on with Asher,” she lied.

  “Shut up!” he yelled again, and threw his hands in the air. “I don’t believe you. What makes you think I’m so gullible? And what makes you think I can’t do something about it? You better listen and listen good, Carly.” He leaned in close and glared at her. “Think of this as your warning. Anything else happens up at Ruby Spring … you know it will be your fault.”

  Uttering a curse, he stalked off; punching a paint can on his way. It fell off the shelf with a thud and rolled to a stop at Carly’s feet. In shock, she picked it up and set it back on the shelf. Oh, hell. What was she supposed to do? If she told Asher, he would probably go straight to the county sheriff’s office. And from what Sophie had told her, that wouldn’t be much help. The supervisor was also Wheeler’s best friend.

  Carly sighed and stuck her trembling hands in her pockets. It was best to say nothing for now. She couldn’t bear the thought of being the cause of more injury at Ruby Spring. If she were careful to stay an arm’s length from Asher when they were in town or outside, then maybe Wheeler would calm down.

  It made her furious, though, to know he was watching. What gave him the right to intrude on her life like that? Well, she would think of something to put a stop to it. She was just too mad to do it right now. Carly stomped back up the aisle and grabbed two gallons of white primer and walked to the front of the store to plunk them on the counter.

  The door jingled behind her and she jumped, dropping her bag on the floor. She reached down and scooped it up with shaking fingers. Asher ambled toward her, a frown on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” he demanded.

  “Nothing. I’m just tired and I guess I’m not paying much attention to what I’m doing today.” Carly forced a smile and shifted the paint cans on the counter.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, absolutely. Don’t worry about me. You know how I fret about deadlines. Sometimes it just wears me out,” Carly dug in her bag again for the list. “I’m not quite ready. I got side tracked looking at paint samples. Would you help me pick out the rest of this?” She waved the list.

  “I guess,” he said, taking it from her hand. He looked at her, concern etching lines at the corners of his eyes. “I get a feeling there’s something you’re not telling me. But we can’t stay here much longer. We still have to go by the hospital and pick up Daniel and company.”

  Carly smiled and crooked her hand through his arm. Her fingers still shook, so she squeezed his bicep to still them. “So how does it feel to be Uncle Asher?”

  “Oh, don’t say ‘uncle.’ It makes me feel so old,” he groaned. “I guess we all have to grow up sometime, though, huh?”

  Carly nodded. “No getting around it. So, why don’t we start by being responsible and getting some work done?”

  Asher winked and gestured with his free hand. “After you, madam.”

  A slow smile spread over Carly’s face. God, she loved it when he winked at her. It made the rest of the world go away.

  • • •

  Outside the store, Wheeler stood with his hands cupped around his face, his nose pressed to the glass. He glared at Carly as she flirted with Asher. The bitch hadn’t kept her promise more than a minute. He shook his head, and pushed back from the glass. “I fucking warned her,” he muttered and strolled to the street, whistling.

  Chapter Ten

  Marilyn stood with her feet planted in the center of the stage, her arms outstretched and her chin lifted. “My home is where I stand today. Men have tried to take it from me, but none have succeeded. So bring your best, Mr. Carson, bring your best. And be prepared for the worst you could possibly imagine.”

  Although Marilyn’s voice was barely a whisper, it carried to the back rows of the theater and raised a chill up Carly’s spine. She dropped her small paintbrush into the can and clapped along with her college student interns, who stood in amazement alongside her.

  “She’s a real star, isn’t she?” breathed a petite pig-tailed girl, “Oh, how I wish that I could be that good someday. And she’s so beautiful, too.”

  Carly chuckled and resumed painting the trim near the balcony steps. “So you’re telling me you would rather be like Marilyn than a supermodel?”

  The girl gasped. “Of course. Marilyn is a real star. Plus, look at her. Guys gravitate to her like bees to honey.” She gestured toward the front row of the theater.

  Marilyn was leaning over the front of the stage, listening to Ross. Although she was wearing a loud, loose, flowing top and faded black leggings, her hourglass shape was evident, and the top was cut low enough to reveal a lady-like hint of cleavage. Ross was oblivious to her physical appeal, but Carly noted the gleam in his eyes and he waved his hands as he spoke.

  “I have to say again … good work, everyone. Marilyn, I like the change you made for that final line. You’re right. The character wouldn’t shout. It would be too common, and she’s much too confident a person to do that.”

  Buddy, the hero and Jack, the villain, stood behind Marilyn and murmured in agreement. Carly could tell that as far as they were concerned, she could do no wrong. Jack eyed Marilyn with open admiration, and for once, Buddy was actually making notes in his script.

  Marilyn smiled. “Excellent. Now that we’ve muddled our way through Act Two, is it possible to take ten?” she asked.

  Parker, the stage manager, jumped up from his desk and checked his stop watch. “We’re ahead of schedule by … wow … twenty minutes. We shaved twenty minutes off that act. How did that happen?”

  “Because these three perform like clockwork together,” Ross said with a chuckle.

  Completely because of Marilyn, thought Carly, but it was just like her best friend Ross to massage actors’ egos. Without kissing anyone’s ass, of course. She winked at him.

  Ross grinned and called back to Parker, “OK, if that’s the case, then why don’t we take thirty? If we run over on Act Three a little bit, I think Carly will forgive us … right, Carly?” He turned and peered toward the back row.

  Carly raised an eyebrow and stuck a hand on h
er hip, feigning irritation. “I suppose so, Mr. Director. We’re supposed to have the stage at four, but I guess we could wait a few extra minutes.” She put down the paint can and walked up the center aisle, wiping her hands on the front of her paint-stained jeans shorts. “Seriously, we’re ahead as well. I think I can give my helpers a thirty-minute break, too.”

  Cheers erupted from the back of the theater and Carly laughed again. She stopped in front of Ross and leaned in, lowering her voice. “I had almost forgotten what it was like to be so young and enthusiastic. These kids are so excited about their on-camera lessons with Nicky, and they are doing really careful work. To hear them talk, Nicky is a god, and this theater is his temple.”

  Ross plopped down in a new velvet-covered seat in the front row. “So, you’re really ahead of schedule?”

  “You know I wouldn’t hide it from you if I was behind. Yes, we are, and because of that … I’m hoping to take … well … half a day off on my birthday.” She sat down next to him and batted her eyelashes.

  He shook his head and threw his hands in the air. “Oooh, an entire half day. Hmm, I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, partner.”

  Carly swatted at his shoulder. “You’re supposed to be nice to a girl on her birthday.”

  “It’s not your birthday until Monday. And I can’t be nice to you, because I won’t be around you. I’ll be stuck in here … but I’m pretty sure that Asher would be very happy to be … nice to you. Although nice is not quite the word I’m searching for … ” he trailed off.

  Carly’s smile narrowed into a frown. “Shut it, Ross. He’s probably still up in the balcony,” she whispered. Ross’s head swiveled and his eyes searched the balcony area. She grabbed his head in her hands. “No. Don’t look, you bonehead.”