by Kristy Tate
Irena went to the center of the small platform, stood in front of the quartet, and waited for them to finish their Bach fugue. When they’d completed the number, Irena tapped a crystal goblet with her spoon. Immediately, a respectful hush fell over the crowd.
“I’d like to welcome you all here this weekend. I trust everyone has been having a lovely and informative time. For those of you who don’t know, we’ve added two new faces to our staff and I’d like to invite them to join me.” Irena motioned for Nora.
Nora, who hadn’t been expecting this, smoothed down her dress. The crowd parted for her, making her feel a little like Moses wading into the Red Sea. And if she was Moses, then Turner Lawson was the pursuing Pharaoh.
But Nora wasn’t the only one joining Irena on the stands. A tall blond man with skin the color of tanned leather loped forward. He was loose-jointed, lanky, and boyishly handsome. His suit hung on him as if his shoulders were a clothes hanger.
Nora drew alongside Irena, who put her arm around Nora’s waist. “This is Nora Tomas, or as the girls call her, Ms. Tommy. Before joining our Humanities’ team, Ms. Tomas was president of Apex, a name most of you will recognize as an international high-tech firm.”
Nora couldn’t meet Turner Lawson’s gaze, but she felt him sizing her up and finding her unworthy of her position. She straightened her spine.
“But before taking Apex from a small startup to a multi-million-dollar company, Ms. Tomas had an impressive academic career at Brown University where she studied English Literature. For our readers in the crowd, you might also recognize Ms. Tomas. Her popular romance novels have kept more than one of us awake all night.” Irena winked at Cole, who blushed but didn’t look away from his mom’s steady and loving gaze.
“And this is Colton McBride.” Irena stretched out her hand to the tall, lanky man on her other side and laced her fingers through his. “Mr. McBride was, until recently, a coach for the nationally ranked Titans and before that, he played in the pros. He’ll be joining our staff as soon as the tennis season starts next term, but we brought him up here tonight so we could introduce him to all of you.”
Irena squeezed Nora, signaling that she could take her seat. Nora made it back to the table and slid into a chair beside Missy. Her thoughts drifted as Irena spoke about their goals for the future and their successes of the past year.
After Irena completed her speech and dinner had been served, the jazz band took the stage and a disco ball hanging from a wire attached to a pulley slowly descended and illuminated a small wooden dance floor.
“How did I miss that?” Nora asked Missy.
Missy shrugged. “I guess I should say I was surprised the first time I saw it, too, but honestly, I can’t remember. I came here as a girl.”
“You did? You were a student here?”
Missy nodded. “It’s home for me. I couldn’t imagine teaching anywhere else.”
“Wow.”
The microphone squealed as Megan pulled it from the stand. “Excuse me,” she said.
The jazz players stopped playing, except for Jesse Milton on the saxophone. Once Jesse realized she was playing a solo, she stopped blowing, and the horn slid into a moan that lingered in the air. Megan frowned at her, but Jesse shrugged and looked bored.
“I wanted to take a moment to thank Dr. Rowling,” Megan said, flashing her dimples and tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “Speaking as the president of the school student body, I wanted all of you to know how much we all love Dr. Rowling.”
“Thank you, Megan,” Irena said. “I love you all, too.”
Megan flushed. “I was talking about your son.”
Irena looked like she’d been slapped, but Megan stammered, “I-I mean, we all love you, too, Mrs. Rowling, but on behalf of the student body, we got Dr. Rowling this gift.” She pulled a slim gold foil- wrapped package tied with a black silk ribbon from behind her back and motioned for Cole to join her on the stand.
“Does the student body do this every year?” Nora whispered to Missy.
“No, this is a first,” Missy whispered back. “And if I had to guess, I’d say this was more of a Megan thing than a student body thing.”
Cole shot his mom an embarrassed glance, climbed to his feet, and made his way to the stand. “You really shouldn’t have,” he said.
“I wanted you to know how much I,” Megan caught herself, “I mean, we love you.” She handed him the box and watched with shining eyes as he tugged off the silk ribbon and slid his finger under the packaging. His eyes widened.
“Megan,” he murmured.
“Hold them up for everyone to see,” Megan demanded.
Cole drew out a pair of leather gloves. “The note says, we’re in good hands with you.”
A polite chuckled waved through the crowd.
“I bet she’d love to get her hands on him,” Missy whispered.
“And they’re monogrammed with your initials,” Megan said proudly.
“Thank you, Megan.” Cole cleared his throat. “And students—although only a few of you are here. This is really unexpected.”
“But they’re beautiful, right?” Megan pressed.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“Try them on,” she urged.
Cole tugged one onto his hands and held it up for everyone to see. The trustees clapped and looked happy for him, but Nora guessed that Cole was deeply embarrassed. When the jazz band began playing again, Nora slipped through the crowd toward Cole. She wasn’t the only one. Megan was also heading his way. Cole looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
Relief washed over his expression when he turned to see Nora at his elbow.
“Want to dance?” she asked.
“Yes,” he breathed in a rush. He glanced over his shoulder at the oncoming Megan before taking Nora’s arm. “In fact, let’s take a walk outside.”
Nora laughed. “Are you sure you’re supposed to leave?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Aren’t you supposed to be schmoozing the trustees?”
He leaned down so he could talk in her ear. His breath sent shivery trills down her spine. “I don’t mind schmoozing the trustees. It’s the students that scare me.”
“You poor thing,” Nora whispered, her face inches from his. “Come on, even the principal deserves a breath of fresh air.” She laced her fingers through his and let him lead her through the crowd.
They didn’t speak until the music and conversations were a faint hum. The night air was sharper away from the crowd and lights, and a damp chill penetrated Nora’s dress and raised goose -pimples on her skin. Cole must have noticed because he took off his jacket and draped it over Nora’s her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No, thank you for getting me out of there.”
“I take it the gift from the student body was a surprise.”
He gave her a sideways glance and nodded. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he hunched his shoulders. “I don’t know what to do about it.”
“It was a lovely gesture. You work hard and provide a tremendous service for the girls.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “You’re an amazing principal. The girls are lucky to have you. And if they choose—”
“But the girls didn’t choose. It was just Megan.” He ground out her name as if it was profanity.
“She’s a senior, right?”
He nodded.
“So, she’ll be gone in less than a year.” And so would Nora. But she didn’t want to think about that right now. Nora tucked her hand around Cole’s arm, trying to cheer him up.
“The problem is I’m afraid Megan has started something. What if every student body president feels like they now have to buy me a gift? I don’t want their limited funds being frittered away on flea market fodder for me.”
“Flea market fodder? Really? They looked like nice gloves.”
“Oh, they are. Megan’s family...well, I’m sure she has a generous allowance, not to mention an ample trust fund.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Except that next year’s ASB president might not be as amply endowed.”
Nora snorted.
Cole turned red. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. That’s what made it funny.”
He stepped in front of her and met her gaze. She knew he wanted to say something...something that she probably didn’t want to hear. After a loaded silence, he heaved out a sigh. “We should probably go back.”
She agreed, but although she knew they could return to the school, she didn’t know how they could go back to being just friends. Even though they rarely touched and had never kissed, the intimacy and emotional bound between them grew increasingly steely. Unless she did something soon, there would be no going back.
And not knowing the real situation surrounding her birth, she didn’t know how they could go forward. Which left them in a murky, painful muddle that she didn’t know how to break free from.
BY THE END OF THE NEXT week, Nora had selected prepared the script for the school play and had come up with a list of parts for the girls. Now, she waited for Chelsea to arrive while a passel of her students rehearsed lines in the green room behind the stage. Nora wondered if she was almost as nervous as the girls. She bolted from her chair when the door cracked open and Chelsea walked in.
Even with her hair tied up in a messy knot and wearing a plain black tee and black leggings, Chelsea still looked gorgeous. Nora launched into her arms and gave her a swift, hard hug. “I’m so glad to see you!” She pulled away but kept ahold of both of Chelsea’s hands. “Thanks so much for doing this for me!”
“Hey, it’s for me, too.”
“Shh.” Nora looked around. “No one knows I’m paying you. I want to keep it that way.”
“You’re not paying me; Apex is making a donation to The Ventura Children’s Theatre.”
Nora nodded. “I’m happy to do that.”
“But is Apex? Who is even running Apex now?”
Panicky questions fluttered through Nora’s mind. “What do you mean? Blake is running Apex, right?”
Chelsea lifted a quizzical eyebrow. “If you say so.”
Should she call Blake? A picture of Teddy flitted through her mind. No. Just no.
Nora settled in a black plastic chair behind a table where she had a stack of the play scripts. “Okay, like I was telling you, because it’s an all-girls school, I had to find something where the characters aren’t gendered specific.”
Chelsea leaned her butt against the table. “That’s why you chose Alice in Wonderland.”
“Right. Anyone can be a cat or a rabbit. Also, we can throw in a lot of creatures. Ideally, I would love to give everyone who wants to participate a part, even if that means people only get one line.”
“Except for Alice, of course,” Chelsea said.
“Right.” Nora nodded and tapped the script with her pencil.
“I’m here to here to help you pick out an Alice.”
Nora had a pretty good idea who should probably be Alice. Megan Miller, a senior, was not only the only child of famous actors, she also looked the part. Nora’s frown deepened.
“Let’s just see,” Chelsea said. “Maybe the muse will speak to us.” She came around and pulled out the chair beside Nora and sat down.
“I’ve divided the auditions into three segments. There’s the lines, singing, and dancing.” Nora inhaled. “But really, there’s a lot more than just acting or musical talent. We also need girls who are dependable, trustworthy, and easy to get along with.”
“That’s not as easy to quantify.”
“Exactly. I have a few ideas and guesses because every girl in this school has to take one of my classes.” She propped her elbows on the table. “I’d really like to see a few of the wallflowers take the stage. Sadly, those are the girls who are the least likely to even audition.”
Chelsea nodded. “Sadly,” she repeated Nora’s word, “the theater tends to draw out divas. Where are the girls now?”
“They’re in the green room. Darrel Poole, our music teacher, is leading them in the final chorus. It’s a song everyone will sing.”
“Should I go and get them? Tell them we’re ready to start?”
“I’ll do it,” Nora said. “But first, maybe you can help me with something.”
“More? Aren’t I doing enough already?” Chelsea’s smile told Nora that she didn’t mind.
Nora put her hand over Chelsea’s. “Absolutely, but I just need some advice.”
“Oh good. I’m good at handing out free advice.”
Nora sucked in a deep breath. “According to Darrel Poole—”
“The music teacher,” Chelsea put in.
Nora nodded. “Cole—”
“The hunky principal that you are NOT in love with.”
“Shh!” Nora looked around to make sure no one could hear them. “Cole is super sensitive about finances, and I guess that the play has historically always lost money. So, I’m going to try and make money this year.”
“How are you going to do that?” Chelsea rocked back in her chair.
“Well, for one thing, I wrote the script myself.”
Chelsea cocked an eyebrow. “I’m impressed.”
“The art department is going to paint our backdrops and then I’m going to take pictures of them and sell them for other theaters to use as a projection.”
“Whoa!”
“I know. Brilliant, right?”
“What if they suck?”
“Well, hopefully, they won’t.”
“But they might.”
Nora nodded. “I’m also going to sell my script.”
“Is that even legal?”
“Why not? Who is going to sue me? Lewis Caroll has been dead for more than a hundred years.” Nora nodded and stood. “I’ll go and tell Darrel that we’re ready.” She paused. “How should we do this?”
Chelsea chuckled. “Just tell Darrel to send the girls in every ten minutes.”
“Will that be long enough?”
“For some girls, that will be far too long...” Chelsea predicted.
Of course, Chelsea was right. The girls came in all shapes and sizes and some roles like the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter were easy to cast, while others required a lot more thought. They were two hours into the auditions when Irena walked in.
She sat beside Nora, her shoulders hunched and her face tired. Nora wondered if it had just been a long day, or if there was something else bothering her.
Irena watched the auditions without saying a word. After a few minutes, Cole walked in, placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder and sat beside her.
Nora’s skin tingled with awareness of him. How did he have this much power over her? She tried to will the skin-pricking sensations away, but just like the taste of a fresh peach in her mouth, it not only refused to go, but it filled her with sweet anticipation. Nora fidgeted with nerves. She fingered through the girls’ entries. Two more girls. She could sit near Cole through two more auditions....
Morgan Crosby came on the stage. She twitched like a rabbit but was built like Tweedle-dee or Tweedledum.
“What part are you reading for today?” Nora asked.
“I want to be the Cheshire Cat,” Morgan said.
Nora nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I'm not crazy. My reality is just different than yours.”
“Do you have a song?” Chelsea asked.
Nora, so tired of listening to girls sing, wanted to lay her head on the table and bury it in her arms.
“Isn’t the grin the most important part?” Cole asked with a grin of his own.
Somehow, they made it through the last two auditions. Thankfully, Chelsea took copious notes, because Nora had stopped paying attention to the girls the moment Cole walked into the room.
“That was the last one,” Nora said, standing. “What do you think?”
“I’m excited about this It’s going to be so fun,”
Chelsea said. “It may not seem like it right now, but I’m excited about this. It’s going to be so fun.”
Nora glanced at Irena, she who looked anything but excited.
“Is something wrong?” Cole asked his mom.
Irena breathed out a heavy sigh. “The event planner we always use for the Parents’ Weekend has totally dropped the ball.” Irena drummed her fingers on the table. “I don’t know what to do. Should I just cancel it?”
“Can you do that?” Nora asked.
Cole answered with a shake of his head. “It’s our most successful fundraiser.... We can’t afford to not hold it.”
“Can it be postponed?” Nora asked.
Cole bit his lip. “It’s not a good idea. ...We rely on those funds.”
“If you need a good accountant, we know one,” Chelsea said. “She can eke a penny out of an empty tin can.”
“We don’t need an account, we need an event planner.”
Nora and Chelsea exchanged looks. “She’s so organized, she can do that, too,” Nora said.
Chelsea nodded. “It’s true, the way she pulled her sister’s wedding together at the last moment was amazing.”
“Do you think she could—or would—step in for us?”
Nora grinned, thinking of Darby and Cole. “I think she’d jump at the chance. To earn an extra bit of money, of course.”
Chelsea elbowed Nora. “Of course...for the right amount of money.”
Nora nodded, knowing that money had absolutely nothing to do with Darby’s answer.
THE NEXT DAY, DONNA, the school secretary, poked her head into Nora’s classroom to tell her someone named Darby had called. Nora left her half-eaten sandwich on her desk and hurried to call back her friend.
“I have to apologize to Chad,” Darby said without preamble as soon as she answered. “What do you think I should do? Send him a note?”
“This is brilliant!” Nora glanced over at Irena’s and Cole’s closed doors. Donna was busy at the noisy copy machine so Nora settled into Donna’s chair.
“I’m not feeling brilliant. At all,” Darby whispered. “I should have listened to you. Of course, he wouldn’t have told Meg about my Benjamin mistake. I mean, why would he?”
