Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee (30 page)

“Good idea.” Steve laughed. “I’m getting plenty hungry in here. What about the rest of you guys? Want to head over to the diner for something to eat?”

A rapid succession of yesses followed.

Darrell opened the side door of the van, and one by one the men climbed out.

“I hate to be rude,” Joe said, “but you fellas smell like you’ve been baptized in pesticide.”

“We have,” Pete said. “And we’re better men for it.”

“Amen to that,” Chuck said. “Feel like I’ve been reborn.”

“I feel like I need a shower.” Grady paused, his gaze shifting up to Bugsy.

Steve joined the men staring at the gaping hole in Bugsy’s side. It seemed strangely symbolic. “Do you suppose we’ll ever figure out what happened to him?” he asked.

All of the men grew silent. Grady even removed his cap.

Pete exhaled loudly, his eyes growing misty. “The way I look at it, it had to be a woman who did this to Bugsy.”

“A woman?” Steve looked Pete’s way, dumbfounded. “Why do you say that?”

“Because…” Pete brushed at his eyes with the back of his hand then looked Steve in the eyes. “Only a woman could leave a fella
that
torn up.”

Acting is not a mystery. There’s nothing that I know that other actors don’t know. We all act, we’re all actors, we all know the same thing. The only thing that separates us is experience.

V
INCENT
D’O
NOFRIO

Less than a week before the show was set to open, Steve found himself shifting into overdrive. Between his work at City Hall and the final plans for the build-out of the theater, he’d hardly slept a wink in days. Not to mention the Camelot rehearsals, which—due to technical difficulties—had taken twice as long as anyone had expected. Who knew the sound and lights guys would have such a big challenge with the outdoor theater setup?

Still, as the hours tilted forward and opening day drew nearer, one thing remained abundantly clear. They would—and could—do this. With the Lord’s help. And it was the Lord Steve leaned on, as never before.

Midafternoon on Monday he pulled into the parking lot of the Civic Center, surprised by all the other cars. In fact, he’d never seen the place so crowded. In the field to his right, Grady and Chuck worked to section off areas for additional parking. Come Friday night, they were going to need it. He hoped. In the chaos of preparing for the show, only one lingering question remained. Well, one critical question. Would the people come? Would folks really show up and support their tiny town by attending performances? Sure, they’d sold a couple dozen tickets, but most of those were to locals. Could they really sustain this effort, or would the whole thing be in vain?

Don’t think like that, Steve. Keep a positive mental outlook.

He had to do that, for both his sake and Amy’s. Over the past week or so, she hadn’t been herself. He’d never seen her so stressed out. Steve had kept his distance, in part because of her ever-growing moodiness and in part because she seemed to prefer the distance. He prayed it would end soon.

Charlie pulled into the parking lot behind Steve, taking the spot next to him.

Is that a woman in the car with him?

Sure enough. And not exactly who he might have imagined. As soon as the realization settled in, Steve got out of his vehicle and walked over to the passenger side of Charlie’s truck. Opening the door, he called her by name. “Caroline?”

She gave him a shy smile. “Hey, honey. Charlie was good enough to stop by and pick me up. I didn’t feel like driving today.”

“You’re not feeling well?” Steve leaned against the truck. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know how concerned I’ve been.”

“Oh, it’s not that,” she said. “I just thought it would be nice to ride with someone else for a change.” A smile turned up the edges of her lips. “Now, where is Amy? Natalie and I were supposed to meet with her to redo the hem in her wedding gown. Have you seen her?”

“Not yet.” Steve shook his head, now turning his gaze to Charlie.

“Amy’s been pretty emotional,” Charlie said. “Thought I saw her crying in church yesterday. You know how private she is, though. Wouldn’t let anyone know even if she was upset.”

“I think she’s just exhausted,” Steve said. “And feeling the weight of all of this because she suggested the idea in the first place.”

“She knows we’re not holding her responsible if this thing doesn’t fly,” Charlie said. “I’m not sure why she takes on so much responsibility.”

“She’s always been like that,” Steve said. “For as long as I can remember. She gets these ideas, dives in headfirst, then beats herself up when things don’t work out.” He paused, reflecting on his words. “But we have nothing to worry about this time. It’s going to work. We’ve done our part. Now it’s time for the Lord to do what only He can do.”

Charlie smiled. “Amen to that. It takes faith to step out and build something, even before you know it’s going to work.”

“This whole thing has been a faith move—for the community and for us as individuals,” Steve said. “I think God’s watching closely to see if we falter at the last minute. That’s why we’ve got to keep on keepin’ on, even when things get tough. And from what I’ve heard from Woody, the final week of rehearsals can get plenty tough.”

“Hope we’re up for the task,” Charlie said.

“I’m going to head inside and look for her,” Caroline said. “Maybe I can cheer her up.” She headed off in the direction of the Civic Center.

Pete pulled into the parking lot next and got out of his van, a look of excitement on his face. “Did you see what’s going on in town?” he asked. “Haven’t seen this much frenzy since Woody drove through the plate-glass window of the Sack ’n Save.”

“Are you talking about the RV park?” Steve nodded. “It’s almost done. Eula Mae set up a phone line for people to call for reservations. We have a handful coming in Thursday. That’s when we’ll set up the tents in Lance’s parking lot for the vendors. We’re expecting quite a few of them, so there will be food and shopping for our tourists. I expect it will grow over time.”

“Yes, and did you see all of the goings-on at the diner?” Pete asked. “Ellie Parker is on a roll, adding more booths and turning the storage room into a workspace for their new catering business. She’s got great plans for the food for the show. I’ve never seen her so excited.”

“That’s the point,” Steve said. “I haven’t seen our townspeople this energetic for years. It’s like we’ve had an injection of hope. And hope is a good thing. It’s what we’ve been lacking around here for the past few years. Your daughter had a good idea, Charlie. She really did.”

“Yep.” Charlie smiled, his eyes twinkling. “Gotta agree with you there. Putting on this play has been great for all of us. And I like what you said about hope. I’m a firm believer in looking ahead to better days.” He glanced across the field in the direction of the Civic Center.

“Speaking of better days…” Pete grinned. “I had a little talk with the Lord about Lucy Cramden after church yesterday.”

“Oh?” Charlie and Steve spoke in unison.

“Yep. He told me to be patient. That good things come to them that wait. So I’m waiting.”

Off in the distance, Eula Mae’s voice rang out. “Yoo-hoo! Steve. I need to talk to you.”

“Sorry, fellas,” he said. “When Eula Mae calls, I don’t dare delay.”

Charlie laughed. “She’s got you whipped.”

“Yep. But I’ve learned to live with it.”

“Good preparation for marriage, I suppose,” Pete said.

Steve thought about those words as he crossed the parking lot in Eula Mae’s direction. How could he even begin to think about marriage when the woman he loved had distanced herself from him?

“Steve.” Eula Mae gestured for him to come to the door of the Civic Center.

“What’s up?”

“We need to talk.” Her strained whisper was barely audible.

“Why are we whispering?” he responded, his voice lowered to match hers.

“Because…” She gestured with her head. “That county official is still out in the parking lot. You never know. He might have the whole place bugged.”

“Bugged.” Steve chuckled as he echoed the word. “We’ve got a pest-control expert on hand, Eula Mae, so we can take care of that in a hurry.”

She didn’t seem to get his joke. Her expression didn’t soften. “I’m just saying, the fellow could be a spy,” she whispered.

“No, Fred is a great guy,” Steve said. “And I invited him to come to the rehearsal today. Besides, I’ve got good news. He stopped by the office earlier and dropped off the paperwork from the county.”

“Have you tested it for traces of poison?” Eula Mae whispered. “That’s how they get you, you know. You touch it and then put your hands to your mouth, and…wham. You’re dead.”

“Eula Mae, you’re not listening. We passed the inspection. We’ve been given an eleventh-hour stay. They’re not shutting us down. We’ve been cleared to have the performance. We’re good to go.”

“Oh.” She released a breath. “Well, I’m still whispering.”

“Why?”

“Woody just pulled into the parking lot and is headed our way.” She glared at Steve. “You had to go and buy him a hearing aid.”

“Well, sure.” Steve nodded. “What’s wrong with that?”

She lowered her voice a bit more, her gaze darting out to the parking lot. “I liked him better when he couldn’t hear me.”

“Why is that?”

“Because.” She shook her head. “I was always muttering things under my breath whenever he got me riled up, and now he can hear every word.”

“What have you got to be riled up about?”

“Not sure.” She sighed. “Just feel like I’m on the slow boat to China with that man. We’re like the tortoise and the hare. I’m the hare, in case you’re wondering. And now things are more complicated than ever because he can actually hear what I’m saying.” She glared at Steve. “See what you’ve done? You’ve taken the zing out of our romance.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to take the zing out of your romance, Eula Mae.” Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, “But just so you know, Woody’s head over heels in love with you.”

“Oh?” A smile lit her face.

“Yes, and he’s not whispering about it,” Steve said. “In fact, he’s been shouting it at the top of his lungs. So you might as well stop muttering and tell him how you feel.”

“Someone talking about me behind my back?” Woody’s voice rang out.

Steve turned and smiled then gestured at Eula Mae. “Yes, we were talking about you. But I think it might be a good thing if someone started talking
to
you, instead.” He gave Eula Mae a gentle nudge in Woody’s direction.

She sighed and then whispered, “I don’t know what to say.”

“Sure you do,” Woody said, pulling her close. “Just tell this crazy old fool that you love him, and we can get on with the show.”

Steve began to walk away just as Eula Mae let out a little giggle. Looked like the zing hadn’t really gone out of their romance after all. Now if he could only figure out how to put it back into his own.

Amy paced the new theater, her mind reeling.
Set pieces. Check. Theater build-out. Check. Well, except for the restrooms, but they’re coming along nicely. Costumes. Check. All but Pellinore’s, but that’s okay. Natalie will get that done.

Natalie. Hmm.

The last time she’d seen Natalie, the poor woman had been unable to stand because of her swollen feet. Still, with Caroline’s help, she finished up most of the costumes.

Thinking of Caroline reminded Amy of Steve, of course. He’d been acting so strange lately. A little distant, even. Then again, she hadn’t gone out of her way to rekindle their romance. Her thoughts had been on one thing only—the play.

“The play’s the thing,” she reminded herself.

“No, the
people
are the thing,” Caroline said, drawing near. “But I understand what you’re saying. And I do have to admit that putting on a play can be consuming. We’ve more than proven that. It’s taken its toll on quite a few people.”

Amy tried not to let her dismay show. Still, Caroline had just deflated any enthusiasm she might’ve mustered up moments before. Unfortunately—or fortunately—she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Pastor Crane approached, concern etched in his brow.