Love Believes (Sully Point, Book 5) (12 page)

"I was just finishing dishing up the pasta
onto the plates. If you finish that, I'll cut the bar cookies. And you can tell
me all about the auditions."

Beth told her about who had gotten what part,
regaling Anna with Maelynne's nerve at auditioning after insulting Beth and
William like that.

"The woman is incorrigible," Anna said,
shaking her head. "What's the guy like playing the lead opposite you? Attractive?"

Beth thought for a moment. "Yes, I guess he
is. Blond hair, brown eyes, hunky body."

"Maggie told me that William stayed over last
night."

"Just to watch movies and we fell asleep on
the sofa. No biggie."

"So do you think you all will have time to
get the play ready in time for the new Playhouse?"

"The play? What are you talking about,
Beth?" her mother demanded, striding into the kitchen.

"Mom, I told you on the phone. I have a part
in a play, the first play to be put on in the Sully Point Playhouse."

"Well, of course you can't do that now, not
after..."

"I'm not giving up my part in the play."

"But you've been through a trauma!"

"Mom! There's nothing wrong with me. It
happened. It's over. Did it scare me? Hell, yes. Am I going to let it keep me
from living my life? Hell, no. I'll be up on that stage in the play. You can
count on it."

"Won't you consider coming back with us,
coming home? I want you there with us."

"I know you want to baby me and keep me safe.
But I want to stay in Sully Point. I think I need to stay here. And I want to
walk out on that stage and perform."

Sophia sighed. "You always did manage to get
your own way. My beautiful Maribeth."

Beth was startled to see tears in her mother's
eyes.

"Aw, Mom, come on.

"It's just that you could have been really
hurt."

"But I wasn't. I can't focus on what might
have happened. There's no point to it."

"I suppose you're right."

As her mother hugged her, Anna cleared her throat,
and Beth turned back to her. "I think we're about ready for lunch,"
Anna said.

"Okay, we'll get these plates on the
table," Beth said to her. "Come on, Mom. Let's eat."

* * * *

Frank ran into William at the grocery store late in
the afternoon. He thought the director was looking rather forlornly at the
take-home food items. "Hello, Mr. Christopher. How's it going this
evening?"

"Hi, Mr. Grainger. It's fine, going fine. How
are you?" William said.

"Call me Frank, everyone does. I was just
picking up some fish, tilapia. I happen to know it was brought in fresh today.
How'd you like to join my wife, Betsy, and me for dinner tonight? Nothing
fancy, just the tilapia and baked potatoes and a vegetable. It's been a while
since we talked to you."

"That does sound good, and please, call me
William. I'm in no mood to try and cook. It's not my best thing. Sure, if
you'll have me, I'll be there. How about I bring a bottle of wine?"

Frank nodded at the other man. "That sounds
good. You remember where the house is?"

"Yes, I'll get a bottle of wine and head on
over."

"You can get it at George and Al's wine
shop."

"Right. See you later!" William said and
Frank watched him hurry out of the store.

Frank ambled thoughtfully down the produce aisle
to pick out some broccoli. With all the rumors, in the family and outside it,
about Mr. Christopher, it was high time he got to the bottom of some of it. And
from a hint Maggie had let drop, he wondered if the director and his lead
actress might end up together.

He was home and pulling baked potatoes out of the
oven, when William was led into the kitchen by Betsy. "I see you made
it," Frank said.

"Yes. Here's a bottle of white that Al
thought might go well with the fish. I appreciate you having me over tonight.
It's been a long day."

Betsy took the wine and began to open it. "Go
ahead and have a seat the kitchen table, William. I'll get us a glass of this
while Frank finishes up the meal. He's an excellent cook."

William sat down. "I usually eat out, but I
just didn't feel like it tonight."

"It was all over town that today was audition
day for the play," Frank said. He was finishing up a lemon and dill sauce
for the fish.

"Yes, today was the day, and when I walked in
I thought the whole town had showed up at first."

"Is it true that Maelynne had the nerve to
audition?" Betsy asked, setting a glass of wine in front of William.

"Oh yes, she was there. I thought Beth was
going to blow up at her, but instead she just read the lines with as much venom
as possible. But we got lucky and found a great actress for the role of Corie's
mother. Lucretia Evans."

"Lucretia?" Betsy asked.

"She can act? I always thought she was a bit
of an aging hippie, if you know what I mean," Frank said. "Don't get
me wrong, she has a very healthy business with her jewelry. I wouldn't have
thought of her for a part in a play, though."

"She really has a flair," William said.
"I'm still not sure about the male lead. He seems a bit young to me,
untried."

"Well, Beth is young isn't she? So that
works," Frank said. "She's what, twenty or something, Betsy?"

"Yes, or rather, she's twenty-one is what
I've heard. I also heard at the deli today that the actor you're talking about
is very handsome. The young women in town are already planning on how to
accidentally meet him."

Frank noticed that this news seemed to perk up
William's demeanor.

"A lot of them were interested?" he
asked.

"Yes. Now tell us more about the play and
what you have planned," Betsy said.

As Frank served dinner, William told them about
what it was like to put on a play. Frank found it interesting how much more
charming William could be when talking about something he obviously felt
passionately about.

By the end of the meal, Frank was certain that
William had grown fond of Beth. The way he spoke about the girl made it
obvious. He had an idea.

"William, we're having a family gathering of
sorts this weekend. All the original investors will be in town and here for a
meal. How about you come for dinner and you can catch up everyone on how the
Playhouse is coming along? There'll be plenty of food, and we'd love to have
you." He ignored Betsy's surprised glance and smiled at their guest.

William said, "If you're sure...it would be
good to tell everyone about all the progress."

They continued to talk for a while, and then
William said he had to leave. After he was gone, Betsy turned to Frank with her
hands on her hips.

"Frank Grainger. I know exactly what you're
up to."

"Hmm? I'm up to nothing."

"You're matchmaking."

"Surely not. But if those two happen to see
each other in a different venue than work...well, you never know. I like him.
He's a good man."

"I like him too, but you can't just go
pushing people at each other."

"Sometimes, Betsy, you can. Besides, it's all
in the name of true love."

"You do realize that Beth's parents are going
to be there?"

"Yep. Should be an interesting time, don't
you think?"

Betsy shook her head at him.

Chapter 5

Beth spent a difficult night at her apartment.
There was no way she was calling anyone for help, not with her parents in town.
Something like that would just convince her mother she belonged back home with
them after her 'trauma.'

Of course, it had in fact, been a trauma. Having
someone break the door down and rush to attack was not a minor thing. But she'd
stood up for herself and hadn't been hurt. It was over. So why was she still a
bit uncomfortable alone in the apartment?

The morning light in the kitchen brightened as the
sun came up. She was waiting for the bakery to open, but realized they were
probably already down there baking now. Pulling on jeans, sweatshirt and boots,
she scrambled down the stairs and knocked on the back door.

Kayla opened the door looking surprised.
"What's up, Beth?"

"Please say you'll save me and give something
to eat. I'm starving and I don't care if it's yesterday's goodies."

Kayla laughed. "Come on in. You're in luck. I
just finished up muffins. The blueberry muffins are nice and warm."

Beth pulled money out of her pocket and laid it on
the table in the bakery kitchen. "Here you go. I'll take two. Thank you so
much!"

She dashed out with her bagful of warm blueberry
goodness. Upstairs once more, she made coffee and poured juice. Breaking open
the muffin, she sniffed the aroma and smiled. This was more like it. The
muffins were so rich, they didn't even need butter. As she ate, she thought
about the visit with her parents yesterday.

They'd been so worried. And then at one point,
when she'd made the mistake of saying how she'd 'gotten herself attacked'...well,
her father got angry then. And he was right. None of what had happened was her
fault. In a way, that was what made it all the harder to deal with, late at
night. Because it had been something completely out of her control. She hated
being the victim.

On the other hand, she had turned from victim to
survivor when she whacked him in the head with the frying pan. Ed Carter, her
father and ex-police detective, had seemed pretty proud of how she'd defended
herself.

So all she had to do now was learn how to sleep
comfortably when alone. William being there the other night had been so good.
She'd felt perfectly safe with him.

She decided that after a bad night's sleep she
could do only one thing. She'd take a shower and then dress up for work. Really
try and look her best. That was bound to lift her mood.

Deciding it was time to wear a skirt, for a
change, she put on a short black skirt and black tights with a cobalt blue silk
blouse. To top it, she wore a floral jacket, done in greens and blues, with a
black background. She pulled on her black suede boots that came up over her
knees, the ones with the three-inch heels. Taking extra time with her makeup, she
managed to conceal the dark shadows under her eyes. She used hot curlers in her
hair so that it bounced in waves to her shoulders.

Spritzing on some of her favorite perfume, she
looked in the mirror and felt pleased. It did pay to take some time in getting
ready. Two gold chains, and dangly gold earrings and she left the apartment.

She sang with Adele on the radio, and realized her
black mood from the bad night before had left her. When she walked into the
main floor of the offices, she waved to Julia.

"Hold it, stop right there," Julia said.
She came out from around her desk and stared at Beth. "You look fab.
Really great."

"Thanks!"

"What's the occasion?"

"I just felt like dressing up more today.
I'll see you when I take my break, okay? I want to get started," Beth
said, as she turned to go upstairs.

"He beat you in, again," Julia said.

Beth stopped and looked at her. "Damn. He
always does that."

When she walked into her office, she found him
rummaging on her desk. "What are you looking for, William?"

He turned quickly around, and then stopped, eyes
going wide. "Uh..."

"Good morning," she said, with a smile.
"Can I help you?"

"Uh...sure."

She frowned at him. "William? Are you
okay?"

He shook himself. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I
needed to see the invoice Milton submitted. I think he ordered the wrong
material."

Beth set her handbag down and walked across the
room to the file cabinet. "It's in here, under invoices."

"Those boots...how can you walk in those
heels?" William asked.

"These?" She looked down at them.
"They're comfortable, surprising as that seems."

"I just want to say that you look fantastic
this morning."

Beth felt herself blushing. "Why, thank
you."

"I wonder if we should use those boots as
part of your wardrobe in the play," William said, clearly thinking aloud.

Beth felt incredibly silly for having taken the
compliment on the boots and her looks as something personal. He'd only been
thinking of the play, of course.

"Sure," she said. "If you think
they work for the character."

"I'm not sure. They look terrific on you, but
they may not fit Corie. We'll have to see." He took the invoice from her
hand and walked out of the office.

Beth walked slowly to her desk and sat down. She
had no idea if she'd just been admired by him or not.

"Get a grip, girl," she murmured. There
was no point in even thinking of him like that. He was her boss and her
director which meant he was clearly off limits. End of story.

"Beth?" William asked, leaning around
her door.

"Yeah, boss."

"Do you want to grab lunch together at the
Diner later on?"

"Uh, sure. A working lunch sounds good."

He blinked a few times. "Yeah, work, a
working lunch. Absolutely."

He vanished from her view, and she turned back to
her computer with a smile.

* * * *

"All right girls, here's the plan," Frank
said to Maggie, Anna, and Julia. He'd called them all for a quick meeting about
the weekend gathering. "Looks like we'll have fifteen people to feed
and--"

"Fifteen? Who's the last one? I thought we
were fourteen," Maggie said.

"I asked someone else to come," Frank
said. "Now, we're not doing steak and lobster because we've been there and
done that too many times. Since my recipe calls for two roasts, we'll need four
pork loin roasts--"

"Who?" Maggie asked.

"Just somebody. With the apples baked--"

"Really, Frank, who?" asked Julia.

"William Christopher," Frank said.
"As I was saying, aside from the roasts, we'll need two baking dishes full
of macaroni and cheese and--"