An Encore for Estelle (Melodies of Love Book 2)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Could he be right? She’d stopped acting because the parts stopped coming in, not because she hated it. Blake and Derek’s musical was well written, and from what she’d heard of the score, the music was incredible. Plus Derek seemed to have the Midas touch when it came to writing hits.

  She looked to Kayla. “Do you promise to give this your best and do everything in your power to be at all the rehearsals and performances?”

  “How many performances are we talking about?”

  “There are three performances over a weekend at the end of the summer. One on Friday night, one matinee on Saturday and then the final performance that night,” Estelle said.

  Kayla nodded slowly and looked to her husband with a raised brow. “What do you think?”

  “It won’t be easy, but with my mom’s help we can make this work.” He looked to Estelle. “That is, if you meet your end of the deal. You must be her understudy and coach her.”

  “I’ll do it.” The words rushed from her mouth. She needed to get out of here. She felt like the walls were closing in. “Do you mind if I take my salad to go and pass on the park?” she asked Kayla. She needed time to process and she couldn’t do it in this bustling diner.

  “Not at all. I suppose I should skip the park too since rehearsal begins this week.”

  “No. Park.” Betsy pounded a fist on the table.

  “Young lady,” Derek said, “that kind of behavior is not okay. I will take you to the park, but only if you mind your table manners.”

  Her eyes looked downcast. “Sorry, Daddy. Can we still go play?” she asked in a small voice.

  “Yes.” He grinned. “As soon as I finish my lunch.”

  Estelle got their waitress’s attention and had her food boxed to go. “The practice schedule is online.” She slid out.

  “Okay. Thanks.” Kayla scooted out of the booth and gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for agreeing to this. When we talked the other night, I never in my wildest imagination considered doing the part myself. Are you sure you’re okay with everything?”

  Estelle returned her hug. “I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She left the diner and ambled up the block to her car. What had happened in there? Had she really agreed to play the understudy of a role in a small-town children’s theater? If the tabloids got hold of this, oh-boy! The town would be inundated with paparazzi, much like it had the last time she had been here, six years ago. No matter what, she’d do her level best to keep this quiet. The last thing she wanted was to be featured in a Then and Now segment on some television gossip show or celebrity magazine.

  Chapter Five

  Blake’s phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket and did a fist pump. Kayla had said yes! He could hardly believe it.

  “Good news?” Pastor Miller asked from across the picnic table.

  “The best. Kayla Wood agreed to play the stepmother in my musical.” He took a long drink of lemonade then read the rest of the text. “No way.”

  Merry chuckled. “This is more fun than watching the Leroy twins pretend they’re not passing notes during church. What has you so surprised?”

  He looked up at the couple across the table from him. “Do you believe in miracles?”

  Pastor scratched his neck. “You’ve been sitting in the Sunday morning service for years, and you seriously asked us that?”

  “Good point.” He raised his phone. “Estelle Rogers is the understudy.”

  Merry gasped and clapped. “That’s incredible. This little town is going to make the entertainment map—if you can get her on stage for at least one performance. Before you know it, we’ll be raising funds for an auditorium where all the famous people who want to come here can perform.”

  Pastor patted her hand. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m proud of Kayla for taking a risk. Since she had her girls and sold her half of the florist business, she’s practically become a hermit.”

  Merry nodded. “I only see her on Sundays now. I used to see her all over town at this or that meeting. But those girls consume her life.”

  “Well, it seems that’s about to change.” Blake shook his head. “I still can’t believe it. How did Estelle and Derek convince Kayla to agree? She gave me a firm no about taking on the role.”

  “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,” Merry stated matter-of-factly.

  “I suppose so.” Blake looked down at his mostly empty plate, grabbed what was left of his burger, then popped the last bite into his mouth. This news was almost too good to be true. He knew Kayla would never tease about such a thing, but it was still incredible. Blake looked to his hosts. “Do you mind if I eat and run? I have a lot of stuff to do today before rehearsal begins tomorrow.” The most important thing he had to do was confirm the time the choreographer would be at the community center. They needed to get the dances marked out right away.

  “Not at all. It was nice getting to visit with you today,” Pastor said. “Merry and I started having a family over every Sunday after church. I suppose we should’ve been doing it for years now, but we just thought of it recently.”

  Blake stood. “Better late than never. I appreciate being asked.” He also appreciated they hadn’t invited any single women to try to set him up with. Sometimes well-meaning friends did that, and it was awkward for everyone. Today was refreshing. They were easy to talk to, and he’d found himself talking about things he never told people. Hopefully, he could trust them to keep his personal life to themselves. “I’ll be seeing you.”

  The couple rose in unison, wearing matching smiles.

  He’d always thought of them as rather serious people, but today had shown him another side. “’Bye.” He made his way to the gate and then on to his pickup. Would Estelle be at the farm? Now that she was an understudy, she’d be around a lot more. He hadn’t thought of that at first, and he was relieved to realize it didn’t bother him at all. When they’d first met, he had wanted nothing to do with her because of the memories she brought to mind and because of what Trinity had said about Estelle, but now he only felt relieved and grateful to have her help. This musical was bound to be a success. Maybe it would create enough buzz to grab the attention of other directors. He’d love to make a living off his writing.

  He drove straight home and went in search of Estelle, bypassing the house and heading for the courtyard garden. She sat at the little table Helen had recently added. His heart pounded at the sight of her.

  “Afternoon.” He willed himself to calm down and schooled his face so he didn’t come across as giddy. He almost laughed at the thought. When was the last time he’d felt giddy with excitement about anything?

  “Hi, yourself.”

  “How was lunch?” He rocked up onto the balls of his feet then down a few times before stopping himself.

  “Nothing like I expected.” She motioned toward a box that lay open on the table.

  “Looks like you’re still eating.”

  “I am. We spent all our time talking, so I asked to have my salad boxed up. Plus I’m sure they needed some family time without me. I assume you’ve heard the news.” She forked a bite of salad into her mouth.

  “I have. Thanks for agreeing to coach Kayla.”

  “Well, if I’m going to be associated with this thing I want it to be great.” She quirked a grin.

  He chuckled at her teasing and stepped closer to the table, resting a hand on the chair opposite her. “May I join you?”

  She nodded.

  “Kayla also said you agreed to understudy for her.”

  “True. I suppose someone needs to be prepared to step in if necessary. But I pray it won’t be necessary.”

  He sobered at the realization that Estelle wasn’t happy about this turn of events like he was. “I understand. You’re determined to stay off the stage, aren’t you?”

  She shrugged.

  “Why? What are you afraid of?”

  Her gaze slammed into his. “Nothing,” she said with a defensive to
ne. “What makes you think I’m afraid?”

  He gentled his tone, not wanting to cause another rift between them. “You stopped acting rather abruptly. I assumed something happened.”

  She placed her fork down and looked him squarely in the eye. “What happened was the biggest flop of my career, and then my manager was arrested for human trafficking. No one wanted to touch me.” Her voice cracked, and she looked away.

  His heart melted with compassion for her pain. The demise of her career had been big news when it happened. Even Trinity had talked about it. “But that was a long time ago. People have short memories. I’m sure you could work in movies again if you wanted to.”

  Her sad eyes looked back at him. “I don’t think so. But thank you for saying as much. Hollywood has moved on without me.”

  Doubtful. If he were a betting man, he’d wager her stint this summer would be exactly the kick in the pants she needed to start going out on auditions again. “Since you’ll be at the theater anyway, would you be willing to help with a few things?”

  “Of course. I already said I would help. Besides, I have nothing better to do this summer.”

  He nodded. “Thanks.” Helen had told him how Estelle had resisted volunteering. It looked like once she made up her mind to do something, she was committed—he liked that about her. He was beginning to wonder if Trinity’s experience with her was a fluke. Then again, Estelle had admitted to not being the nicest. Regardless, he’d clearly judged her too harshly to begin with.

  Tension flowed off her. “I need to know something.”

  “Okay.” Unease settled over him at the serious look in her eyes.

  “Was I invited to be a part of this production to draw attention to your musical?”

  Where had she come up with that idea? He hadn’t even wanted her help when they’d first met, and he’d been pretty clear about it. “No. I never even thought of that, but I suppose having you in the musical would be beneficial to ticket sales.”

  She studied his face. Looking for what? Her shoulders relaxed. He must have passed.

  He should leave before he did or said something that would cause her to change her mind. “I have a lot to accomplish before tomorrow morning.”

  “The rest of my afternoon is free if you’d like help.”

  He hesitated. “I thought you had plans.”

  She shrugged. “They changed. What can I do?”

  The eager look on her face that begged him to accept her offer endeared her to him. He described everything on his to-do list.

  “I think it’d be best if we divide and conquer.” She rattled off several items she would take care of. “Since I’m going to be rehearsing the dance numbers, is there any place in town to buy dance shoes?”

  He shook his head.

  “Too bad.” She pulled out her phone and started typing into it. “I’ll have my assistant overnight mine. But Kayla is going to need a pair too.”

  “She’s not the only one. There’s a great dance supply place in Salem. I’ll post the information on the theater’s website. You want to carpool into town tomorrow?”

  Surprise filled her face. “Sure. What time?”

  “Seven.”

  She groaned. “Did I mention how much I dislike early mornings?”

  “You’ll survive.” He had no doubt his words were true. He knew all about the schedules movie actors kept.

  “Easy for you to say. You’re probably a morning person.”

  “There’s no probably about it.”

  “I should have known that’s why you were such a bear the other night,” she said playfully. “You’d better get a move on, General Price, or you won’t finish that long list you created.”

  Remembering her response from when they’d started this journey together, he mimicked her, as he clicked his heels together and saluted her.

  She laughed, and her blue eyes twinkled.

  He sucked in a breath. She was stunning. No wonder Derek had fallen for her once upon a time.

  “Blake?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Aren’t you leaving?” She looked past him as if to say “go.”

  “Yes. I’m out of here. See you tomorrow.” He’d better watch himself. The last thing he needed to do was get distracted by her. He had a musical to direct, and that would require all of his attention. Except one problem—Estelle would be at every rehearsal, and now that he realized she was actually a nice person, he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  ~

  Estelle gazed at her image in the full-length mirror at the cottage and held up a yellow sundress in one hand and a dove gray linen suit in the other. Today was the first day of rehearsals, and it would set the tone for the summer, so she wanted to present herself as a professional but also wanted to look approachable. The suit said professional, but linen would wrinkle. She tossed the suit aside and slipped the dress over her head.

  A knock sounded at her door. She was late. “Coming.” She slipped her feet into a comfortable pair of sandals, strode to the door, then pulled it open. Blake waited there holding daisies. A tingle zipped through her. “What are those for?” Surely Blake hadn’t gotten her flowers. Clearly he was happy to have her help with the musical, but this was completely unnecessary. She opened her mouth—

  “Helen asked me to hand deliver them. She’s a morning person too and picked flowers at the crack of dawn.” He winked as if he’d known what she was about to say.

  Her face heated. Why would Blake bring her flowers? She should have known they’d be from Helen. “She spoils me. Hold on a second while I put them in water.” She retreated to the kitchenette and pulled a glass from the cupboard. “You can come in while I take care of these.” She flicked on the tap and filled the glass, then added the daisies. “These are one of my favorite flowers. They make me happy.” She placed them on the table. “Ready?”

  He nodded. “We need to get moving. I want to make sure we’re the first ones there.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Doesn’t rehearsal begin at nine?”

  “Yes, but they start arriving by eight-thirty. Parents need to get to work.”

  “I should’ve thought of that, but we’ll be fine.” She trotted beside him to keep up. If he kept this pace all summer long, she’d never have to run on the treadmill again. “You could slow down a bit,” she panted out the last words.

  He dipped his head and looked at her with a chagrinned look. “Sorry. I get kind of nuts on day one.”

  “We all do, but some of us hide it a little better.” She shot him a smile meant to relax him, but noted he only frowned. Tough crowd. Okay, so teasing wasn’t a good idea today. Hopefully he’d chill before the kids arrived, otherwise he might freak out some of the more sensitive ones. She climbed into his pickup. “We can take my car tomorrow.”

  “I don’t mind driving my pickup every day. That way if I have set pieces to drop off, I can.”

  She nodded and folded her hands in her lap, hoping to get a handle on her nerves. Veteran or not, it had been a long time since she’d had a first day on the set, and her tingling fingers testified to her uncharacteristic nerves. “You do this every summer?”

  “Yep.”

  “Why?”

  He shot a look her way. “What’s with all the questions?”

  She pressed her lips together and stared out the side window. She’d worked with directors like him before. Staying quiet was the best way to deal with them.

  They rumbled toward town as cars zoomed in the opposite direction toward Salem. She was glad to be headed to Oak Knoll instead. The small town’s charm had quickly grown on her. She hoped to be able to do a little shopping during their lunch break today—maybe even stop into Flowers and More and say hi to Jill.

  Blake expelled a sharp breath. “I’m sorry for snapping. Mrs. Smith sent me an email. She won’t be giving her usual donation this year.”

  What a difficult woman. “Why not? You gave her daughter a strong role.”
/>
  “I said the same, but she won’t be happy with anything less than Cindy.”

  “Well, that’s not happening.” Mrs. Smith might think she could control Blake with her money, but she’d learn the truth soon. Blake was a man who couldn’t be bought. “How much does she usually donate?”

  He rattled off an amount.

  Wow. No wonder he’s anxious for the money. “I know I said I’d deal with her and I will, but it would be nice if we weren’t dependent on people like Mrs. Smith.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. What do you suggest?”

  It would be easy enough to get the funds for him from some of her philanthropic friends, but she believed people should work for what they had. “The kids can do a fundraiser to supplement the loss.”

  “They already do.”

  “Oh. You could raise ticket prices.”

  “Nope. They need to be affordable.”

  There had to be some way to have the funding they needed without the theater becoming dependent on one patron’s donation. Maybe she should fill the gap this year, but that wasn’t the point. The theater should be self-sufficient. “What about raising fees for the kids?”

  “Impossible”

  “Why? I mean, I get why you can’t this year, but in the future you could.”

  “Summer theater is free for everyone. I don’t want anyone excluded because of finances.”

  Free? “Please tell me you’re joking. How do you keep the doors open? No wonder so many showed up for auditions.” Even a nominal fee would go a long way toward covering expenses. “That has to change.”

  “No. It must be free.” Blake’s firm tone surprised her.

  There had to be more going on here than she realized. It didn’t make sense to not charge any kind of fee at all when it cost to run the theater. Did he receive a grant she didn’t know about so they didn’t depend strictly on donations and ticket sales? She’d make sure they had what they needed this year, but beyond that it should be solvent on its own.

  She stared out the windshield as she debated with herself how to tell Blake her plan. Would he accept her money? Maybe she could make an anonymous donation. Yes. That was the way to go. She’d have her attorney wire the money, and no one would be the wiser.