Mansfield Ranch (12 page)

“Remember what?” I followed him.

“That Sean can convince you to do things that us pitiful normal guys can’t.”

“Sean’s smart enough to know how.”

Just before we walked into the classroom, he held his arm out to stop me. “Either way, I’m glad you’re joining us.”

I took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

“Whoa. This doesn’t have to be a death sentence, you know.”

“What?”

“That frown. You really don’t want to be in the musical, do you?”

Was it showing that much? I thought for sure I was doing better at that whole “be happy and not miserable” thing. “I’m fine.”

His gaze searched mine a bit more seriously than I was expecting. “I don’t want you to do something you really don’t want to do.”

Now he tells me
. I chuckled to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I would love more than anything to get to know you, really get to know what you think about and dream about and all that stuff normal people don’t get to know.”

I hitched my backpack higher on my shoulder to shift its weight. “Why?”

“Because despite how much I tease you, I actually do care about you. More than I think you realize.”

The warning bell rang. I closed my eyes.
No, you
think
about becoming a decent-enough person to care for me. But you don’t even know me yet. It’s still a game, and you don’t even see it.
“So what part did you get?” I changed the subject as I walked into the room.

He knew exactly what I was talking about. “Tommy.”

I nodded. The high school rebel and town flirt. It suited him. “And did Lauren get the part of your girlfriend?”

He laughed. “No, actually, Alexis is playing Zaneeta.”

If I’d been drinking water, I would’ve spewed it all over the classroom. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope.”

“And, er, what part did Lauren get?”

“She’s the mayor’s wife.”

“Okay, class, settle down,” the teacher called as the final bell rang.

I hurried over to my seat as Harrison whispered, “Just think of all the sibling drama you would’ve missed out on had you not decided to join.”

I shook my head. “I would’ve been much better off not knowing. I like it when they don’t tell me anything.”

His face got a serious look as he sat down.

“What?”

“It’s just not right. None of it is. And I swear I’m going to change the way they see you.”

I turned around and slid down in my seat. Why did such a statement, instead of bringing warmth, settle like a stone in the pit of my stomach?

***

I was so nervous as Sean drove me into Farmington for auditions that night, I could hardly speak to him. I don’t know why, though. It ended up being nothing, absolutely nothing. We walked into the large theater and all the way down to the front of the stage up to a table with a couple of chairs and the man who was seated there. Sean introduced me to the director, who smiled and shook my hand all gracious-like. He looked me over and then asked, “So are you okay with starting rehearsals on Monday?”

“Uh . . .” I blinked. “Sure.”

“Great. Welcome to
The Music Man
. I’ll give you your part on Monday.” He handed me a sheet. “Fill this out for me and bring it back Monday, and then you’re good to go.”

“Oh, you don’t want me to sing or something?”

He shook his head. “Nah. As long as you’ll be there for the performances around Christmastime and New Year’s, I’m a happy man. Can’t seem to get many people to commit.”

Ah, now it was all making sense. Who would want to perform instead of going away for the holidays? “So it really doesn’t matter if I can sing or not or anything?”

The director laughed. “Look, at this point, if you’re a willing body, I’ll take you.” He leaned back in his chair. “We needed at least ten more people to round off the cast nicely and make this worth our effort, and we’ve had twelve show up. Every extra person right now is a bonus. We’ve already got our leads cast. Just thank you for doing this. It means a lot.”

“Oh, okay. No problem.” I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t until I calmed down enough to breathe that I realized the director was young, probably about Sean’s age or just a bit older, but he acted so much more knowledgeable and self-assured than anyone I knew. Very artsy. He had a fedora and those cool black-rimmed glasses. I stepped back, a little out of my depth. “Thanks.” I bumped into Sean. His hands went to my waist to warn me he was there, and then they sort of stayed for a moment as we watched a couple more people come up and speak with the director.

My heart began to race.

All at once, Sean inhaled sharply and his deep voice sent shivers down my spine. “You’re wearing the perfume I got you last Christmas.”

I tried to act cool. “Yeah?” My voice was a bit weak.

“Yeah, and I’m trying really hard not to notice how good you smell.”

I wanted to roll my eyes and push him away, but another part of me wanted to stay just like we were forever. I closed my eyes instead. “Tell me more.”

He moved in closer and I could feel his chest against my back. He rested his chin on my head a moment before lowering it and kissing my cheek. “I’d better not,” he whispered. “What would people say?”

“I don’t care. I’ve never cared what people think about me.”

He rested his cheek next to mine. “Lilly, I will always care about you. I don’t think I have a choice there. You’re a part of me. You always have been.”

I sighed. A delicious warmth spread its way from my middle all the way to my fingertips.

“I’m sorry.”

In the next second, he’d stepped back. The feeling of loss was so acute, I nearly stumbled backward to find him again. And then I knew why he moved away.

“Sean!” Julia shouted from up on stage and then came running down the stairs and over to us. “You’re still here. Great!” She waved two small books at him. “Look! I was able to convince the assistant director to let us have our scripts early so we can start working on our lines.”

“Nice. That sounds like fun.” He smiled and took the script she handed him.

She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. “Do you want to go up on stage now and read them together?”

“Uh . . .” He glanced at me.

I shrugged. He was my ride, but if he wanted to work with Julia, who was I to tell him no?

“Sure. Might as well start now,” he said.

I watched as they made their way up on stage, chattering to each other. They found some folding chairs, and before I knew it, they were sitting in the middle of the large wooden floor, sharing lines and laughing.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. Time for this girl to remember her pledge to be happy and not miserable. It wasn’t working so well. And then, for no reason, my silly eyes began to fill up with tears.
This is not happening
. I blinked and made my way out of the auditorium toward the ladies’ room.

As I rounded the corner of the theater to head out into the lobby, I found Harrison jogging toward me as if to go inside.

“Hey, I was just on my way to watch you audition.” He stopped in front of me. “How did it go?”

“I didn’t—”

I stopped as he gently tilted my face upwards. “Tears? You’re crying? Oh, man, are you kidding me? You didn’t make the musical?”

“No, I—”

He crushed me to him in the biggest bear hug I’d ever gotten. “Lilly, I’m so, so sorry. What is that director thinking? I can’t believe it! I mean, it’s just a chorus part. How hard could that be?” He released me and grabbed my hand. “Come on, it was probably a bit of stage fright. I’m going to convince him to let you audition again. Do you need me to stand next to you? Because I will, if you need some support.” He started to pull me into the theater again.

“Harrison, wait.” I chuckled. I had to—this whole thing was so absurd. I tugged on my hand and he released it. “It’s okay. I’m in the play. I’m part of the chorus.”

“Oh.” He smiled. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

I laughed. “Good grief, I tried to! But your mouth works faster than mine, apparently.”

“My mouth, eh? You wanna test that theory?” He leered a bit as he moved in closer.

I quickly placed my hand on his chest. “No. Now knock it off. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I told you—to watch you audition.”

Ugh
. “Why? I’m fine on my own without being babysat, you know.”

A frown played on his lips. “Look, I didn’t see it that way. I was excited, and when I had some free time, I decided to come down and support you. My bad.”

Great. Now I felt like a jerk. “No, I’m sorry. It’s just that this whole thing is so unnerving, you know? I would’ve been a basket case up there trying to audition and knowing you were here to watch me. So I’m really glad that one, you were late. And two, that I didn’t have to audition at all. He just gave me this paper and told me I was in.”

“Awesome!” He smiled. “I don’t care
how
you got in—I’m just glad you’re in.” Then his brows lowered. “So what were the tears for? Sad you made it?” He attempted a lame chuckle.

He had to remember the tears, didn’t he? I groaned. “No. They weren’t really tears, anyway. More like leaky eyes. You know, probably allergies or something.”

“Yeah, right.” He folded his arms. “What caused them?”

I glanced at the now-closed theater door and then back at him as I shook my head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’m just being a dork.”

Harrison opened the door and peeked inside. He looked around the theater until his gaze settled on Sean and Julia on the stage. “Huh.” His eyes met mine. “Are you okay now?”

“Of course.”

He stared at me for several long seconds before asking, “How long have you been in love with him?”

“With who?” I wanted to escape, but Harrison’s look kept me rooted to the spot.

“How long?”

I shook my head and then just gave in. Why try to deny something that’s apparently transparent anyway? “Forever.”

He slowly nodded. “Now it all makes sense.”

“What?”

“Why it’s so easy for you to resist me when no one else can.”

Sheesh
. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I don’t have to.” He spoke with such complete conviction, it was annoying. “You don’t care about me and you’re never going to. How can you, when your heart beats for him?”

This conversation just got awkward again. I placed a hand on my hip. “You’re not my type, Harrison—you never were. So it really doesn’t matter if Sean’s taken or not. I still wouldn’t be attracted to you.”

He stepped toward me and I automatically walked a few paces away. “Are we back to that again? You trying to convince me that you’re not attracted to me? Remember what happened last time? Do you want to experience that again right now?”

“I dare you to kiss me so I have the perfect opportunity to knock some sense into you!”

He grinned. “Be careful what you wish for.”

“Does anything ever faze you?”

“When it comes to girls, not usually. I have them all figured out.”

“Yeah, I bet you do. Which is why you and I will never happen.”

“Hah! Never say ‘never’ to a man who loves a challenge. And you’ve just upped this one quite significantly. Now that I understand why your heart wasn’t mine to begin with, I can actually work with something here.”

“What? But . . . ugh.” I was so flustered, I couldn’t even speak. “I thought you said I’d already won and the game was over.”

His smile grew and he waggled his brows. “I’ve changed my mind. You may have won that round, but the game is still most definitely on.”

Save me.

Chapter Fifteen: Packs a Punch

The first rehearsal wasn’t that bad, actually. I had to admit, it was even kind of fun, more exciting than I thought it’d be. Sean chattered the whole way there—it seemed he was in his element. Then again, getting the lead in a musical could very well take a guy who’d normally be afraid of the limelight and give him a whole lot more courage. I smiled. It was cool to see him so energized about something I thought he’d never do.

By the time we were leaving the community center and heading to our cars, I’d even convinced myself that it’d be kind of fun to go back to rehearsal again. That was, until Harrison and Julia ruined everything.

Just as I was opening the door to Sean’s car, Julia came running up to us, her pretty brown ringlets bouncing as she came over. “Hey, guys! We were wondering if you two would like to swap.”

I glanced at Sean.

He smiled. “You mean like, Harrison take Lilly and you drive home with me?”

Julia giggled. “Yeah, well, then we could talk more about our parts.”

“Great,” Sean said. “I have no problem dropping you off at your house.” He looked at me hopefully. “Do you mind?”

Why would I mind?
Ha. I could think of several reasons. “Nope.” My grin was tight.

Sean’s gaze fell to my mouth and then back to my eyes. He knew I wasn’t happy. He gave me a sort of apologetic shrug. “Unless you’d like to ride with us, Lilly. You’re welcome to.”

Gee … Harrison’s smug face, or watching Sean fall for another girl? What could be more fun? I put my script in my purse. “I’ll ride with Harrison. You two have fun.”

“Thanks!” Julia called as I purposefully made my way over to her brother’s car.

“Well, isn’t this just cozy?” He smirked. “Looks like Lilly Price will ride with me after all.”

“I swear, if you say one word, I’ll—”

“What?” He blinked. “What will you do,
Mrs. Crawford?”

“Ugh. That name!” I opened up the passenger door to his annoying laughter.

“Get used to it. You know deep down that you love me teasing you about it.”

I rolled my eyes and moved to climb in.

“Wait!” Alexis shouted from across the parking lot. “Wait! Harrison, don’t tell me you’re forgetting us.” Lauren came through the theater doors after her.

“Are you kidding me?” I mumbled under my breath. I completely forgot my sisters were riding with him. Looking over, I watched Sean’s car begin to pull out. There was no way I was going to run back there and flag him down.