Love Believes (Sully Point, Book 5) (4 page)

* * * *

Beth woke up slowly, stretching and yawning, and
then realizing where she was. No job to go to today! No auditions, no
disappointments...it was bliss. She jumped out of bed feeling more energized
than she had in months. She must have slept nine hours, she thought with a
grin. And the smells coming up from downstairs were divine.

She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it up
into a ponytail. Dressing in jeans, leather flat shoes and a t-shirt, she ran
down the stairs for food. The Bakery was busy, and she waited in line and read
the list of items on the chalkboard. Specials on blueberry muffins and apple
strudel. Apple strudel? She had to have some of that. As the line moved, she
saw that they had a display of k-cups. She thought it was a nice way to give
the people what they wanted. Just let them choose their flavor and then it got
put into the machine while you ordered and was ready when you paid. When it was
her turn, she chose Caribou Blend, her favorite coffee. That and a box filled
with several pieces of apple strudel, and she was a happy camper.

She headed back up to the apartment and settled
into the bright yellow and orange kitchen to eat breakfast. After wolfing down
the first piece of strudel, she slowed down and sipped her coffee. It was time
to think about the proposal from last night. Did she want to work while she was
here? More particularly, did she want to work with a famous, control freak
director? Hadn't she just had her fill and more of directors?

The thing that got to her about the situation was
that it was the stage, her first love. It had been so long since she'd been on
a stage. Granted she might not be acting, but she'd be involved with what she
considered to be true theater. And the things she could learn, working with
someone like Christopher! It really was a no-brainer when you threw him into
the mix, she thought. No matter how difficult he might be, he knew what he was
doing and had knowledge to impart. And he couldn't be as bad as the awful guy
who'd propositioned her. Sam and Anna and Maggie would have picked up on a guy
who was that sleazy.

She'd be careful all the same. Fortunately, she
had a firm rule about dating directors, as in never doing it, ever, again. If
she did take the job, it would be strictly business. She picked up her cell
phone and punched in her brother's number.

"Sam? I'll do it."

* * * *

"Here you go, Mr. Christopher," Mary Jo
said. She slid a plate with a veggie omelet and home fries onto the table.
"Need anything else?"

"No, this is fine."

He ate breakfast slowly, taking his time. He
hadn't slept well the night before, and then he'd woken to a call from Sam
asking to meet here at the Diner. Finishing up his meal, he lifted a finger and
Mary Jo came running to clear the table.

"More coffee I think. Sam Carter will be
meeting me here in a few minutes. Actually, there he is now."

As Mary Jo took the dishes away, Mr. Christopher
stood up and shook hands with Sam, before they both sat back down at the table.

"Coffee?"

"No, I just had a cup," Sam said.

"You said you had news on the phone."

"I do. I've found you an assistant."

Mr. Christopher felt surprise at first, and then
suspicion. "I told you I need someone who has theater exposure, who won't
have to be taught everything. You found someone like that here in town?"

"I found you someone who is passionate about
the stage, and also happens to be very good at secretarial and organizational
work. My sister."

"Your sister? Maggie has theater
experience?" he said with a frown.

Sam shook his head with a smile. "Nope. My
sister Beth, who arrived in town yesterday. She's acted in plays through high
school and some college. She's been out in L.A. looking for acting work."

"L.A.? An out-of-work screen actress? Thank
you, but no!"

"Now, hold on. She's taken a break from all
that because what she really loves is being on stage. You need someone like
her. She's supported herself with her office skills, she wouldn't need
everything explained to her, she's energetic and most importantly, she's
available now."

Mr. Christopher sat back and thought. He should
have known family connections would become an issue at some point. If the woman
did have secretarial skills, that would be helpful. But the thought of dealing
with a temperamental actress on a daily basis...he wasn't sure how that would
go. Still, he had a feeling this was one time he needed to give in gracefully.
He shrugged.

"Very well. When can I meet with this paragon
of organization?"

Sam smiled widely. "Good. I'll let her know
to go to your office this morning. About an hour?"

"Yes, that sounds fine. I'm only agreeing on
the condition that we are able to work together."

"Understood."

Sam left and Mr. Christopher finished his coffee.
An actress. Just what he didn't need. He took his time leaving the Diner, and
got back to Julia's Place about fifteen minutes before his meeting with his new
assistant. As he walked in, he wondered if Julia might know any details about
Sam's sister, to prepare him. He entered the main space and saw Julia at her
computer desk, with a young woman leaning over her shoulder and pointing to the
screen.

He was surprised to find that there was someone to
rival Julia in looks in Sully Point. This girl had dark, silky-looking,
espresso hair that flowed down across her shoulders. He watched as she stood up
and laughed at something Julia had said. What a body! In her tight black jeans
and a cherry red sweater that clung to all the right places, he thought he
hadn't seen such an alluring young woman in ages. And she did look young.
Ah
well,
he thought.
Not to be.

Julia saw him standing there and stood up,
motioning to the woman beside her. "Your new assistant is here."

He had started walking forward and stopped dead.
He couldn't have heard right. "What did you say?"

"This is Beth Carter, Sam and Maggie's
sister. She and I were just talking about computers. Beth, this is Mr. William
Christopher."

Beth walked forward and extended her hand. Mr.
Christopher shook it quickly and then stuck both hands in his pockets.

"You have office experience?"

"Yes, I do."

"You don't look old enough to have very much
experience."

She bristled. "I'm twenty-one and I've been
working since I was nineteen. I have all the experience you'll need."

"I didn't plan on someone this young."

"I also have experience in the theater."

"Yes, Sam told me you'd been in L.A. That's
not exactly the kind of experience I'm looking for."

Green eyes the color of dark ivy glared at him,
from a porcelain face. Full rose red lips tightened around her mouth, and he vaguely
realized that he might not be making the best impression.

"Look, Mr. Christopher. My greatest desire is
to work on the stage one day. For now, it's all about learning for me. I would
appreciate being given the chance to work with a director of your caliber,
whether it's helping out with getting ready for your first play here, or doing
your office work—whatever you need. But don't discount me because I'm young, or
because I looked for a part on television. I may not have been able to find a
job on stage, but I can handle this job."

Good voice,
he thought randomly.
Nice
timbre and tone. She'd probably project well.
Then he blinked and
remembered he wasn't looking at her for a role.

"Very well," he said, abruptly, turning
away from her. "Come with me up to the office and let's see what you make
of it."

He glanced back at her and saw her exchange a glance
and a shrug with Julia. He liked that she wasn't fawning all over him, but he
knew how temperamental actresses could be. He'd just have to wait and see how
this one turned out.

* * * *

Beth refrained from stomping up the stairs in her black
leather knee high boots only by keeping a tight rein on her emotions. He was
going to be difficult. Arrogant, haughty, and quick to judge, he was living up
to his reputation. Well, she decided, it only meant she'd have to work harder
to prove him wrong.

She entered into his office and her eyebrows rose.
It was a mess. Papers, books, and boxes were scattered across the floor. No
wonder he needed help. She couldn't believe anyone needed this much paper in
the age of computers. He stood in the center of the room, and ran a hand over
his face.

"It is, as you can see, a bit of a mess. If
you could get it into some kind of order so that I can find things..."

She took a deep breath and walked across to the
desk. She noticed that his gray-blue eyes weren't quite as steely as they had
been downstairs. Maybe he realized just how big the job was that she had to do
for him.

"Do you use your computer?" she asked.

"Not very much. I like to write notes as
things come into my mind. No telling where I'll be when an idea hits."

"Uh, yes, I can understand that, but there
are laptops which can be useful outside your office."

"No, I tried one. They're too much hassle
when I can just keep a small notebook and pen in my pocket. Much easier."

"Only until you try to keep track of all
those notes." She sighed. "Mr. Christopher, you have heard of
tablets, right? The ipad or some variation of it? You can carry them anywhere
and put all your notes in one place. Then the notes can be transferred to your
computer if needed."

"Yes, I've heard of them," he said,
rather defensively she thought. "Look, the last thing I need is for some
girl to come in here and tell me to change something that's been working for me
for years."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm right about this. Check
out your office. Are you seriously telling me this method is working for
you?" She stood there her hands on her hips and stared into his eyes.

He threw his hands up. "I knew this was a
mistake! Just because you're related to the investors—"

"Don't think you're doing me any
favors!"

"I knew once I heard you were Sam's sister,
plus being an actress, that this would be a mistake. You're too young. I like
to do things my way. I'm not about to go changing everything on your say
so."

 "Just hold on! I happen to be good at office
work. Before you fire me, you should at least give me a decent chance. That is,
if you can tolerate a bit of organization in your life."

"I can tolerate organization, but I'm not
sure I can tolerate your tone of voice," he said loudly and stomped out of
the room.

Beth shook her head and looked around the room
again. "Well, he didn't fire me," she said aloud. Then she sat down
behind the desk and began sorting through papers. She wasn't going to let him
intimidate her. If he thought she'd go running to big brother Sam, he was
mistaken. She knew she could do this.

Two hours later she was convinced Mr. Christopher
was a madman. To expect to keep track of little pieces of paper and find them
useful was absurd. She had a box filled with notes he'd written about
everything from price quotes on the cost of locally-built sets to what kind of
material the curtain was to be made from to hang across the stage. In between
were ideas for casting, suggestions about which play to put on, and details big
and small.

She stood up and stretched, reaching for the
ceiling and then bending over and touching the floor. As she straightened up
she threw her head back so that her hair fell into place...and saw Mr.
Christopher standing in the doorway looking rather stunned.

"Uh," he said.

"Yes? What is it?"

He blinked twice and said, "Yes, well, I
thought I'd see how you were coming along."

"I've collected all your notes. Here, look in
this box." Beth handed the cardboard box over to him and he peered inside.

"Hmm. There do seem to be a lot of
them."

"I want to get a tablet from downstairs. I
know Julia carries them for sale. Then I want to sit down with you and show you
how that one piece of technology could change your life." She noticed that
he seemed a bit flustered. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, I guess I should see...very well. But
after lunch. I can't face it on an empty stomach."

She smiled at him. "Excellent! I'll meet you
back here in an hour." She grabbed her bag and headed out, while he watched
her go.

When she reached the main floor, she stopped at
Julia's desk. "We're going to need one of those," Beth said, pointing
to the tablet on the counter.

Julia looked at her questioningly. "It got
awful quiet up there after being pretty loud."

Beth nodded. "We're making headway. Too soon to
tell how it will go. See you later. I'm going to lunch."

* * * *

"Mr. Christopher, how's it going?" Julia
asked.

He walked down the last few stairs and stood
looking at her blankly.

"Mr. Christopher, did you hear me?"

"What? Oh, no I didn't."

"I asked how it was going, you know, with you
and Beth."

"I don't know how she just did that. I walked
in and she was...her hair...then the tablet..."

"What?" Julia asked.

"Somehow I ended up agreeing to try something
I said I'd never do. Very strange. I think I need lunch."

He wandered out the door, still feeling rather
dazed. When he'd come to the door and seen her body all tight and firm as she
stretched and then when she threw her head back and all that luscious dark hair
waved around her shoulders...but, he couldn't be thinking of her that way! She
was an actress. But what a great smile she had.

He got into his car and drove to the Lobster
Shack. They usually weren't very busy at lunch, and he didn't want to be
distracted by people. He needed to think. After ordering lobster bisque and a
salad, he sipped his tea and sat back. He couldn't help but hear voices from
two tables over.