Love Me Not, page 16
The last part slipped out.
“Again?” he asked. With a sigh, I leaned my head on the back of the couch. Nudging my foot with his knee, he said, “We don’t have to talk about it.”
We did, actually. Because I’d rather know now if this would be a repeat of the past.
“I didn’t always have this no dating stance.” I toyed with a loose string on the shredded part of my jeans. “I dated like anyone else dates when I was in my twenties, and the relationships always ended the same way. Basically, I was the problem.”
“The problem how?”
Where to start? “I wasn’t affectionate enough or domestic enough. One couldn’t see me as the mother of his children because I’m too cold and distant. Another claimed he could never tell if I actually cared that he was around because I didn’t do cartwheels upon opening the door, I guess. Now that I think about it, one guy said I wasn’t adventurous enough, which doesn’t bode well for us considering what you said that day in the truck.”
After chucking every insecurity onto the couch between us, Trey remained silent, but there was a slight twitch in the muscle along his jawline. So this was probably where things ended. He’d likely still help with the play, but there wouldn’t be anything more personal between us. Not that I blamed him. Clearly, I was faulty goods.
“You went out with some real jerks,” he finally said.
“The common denominator was me, so…”
“Lindsey, don’t believe any of that crap. Those guys had insecurities and they took them out on you.”
His staunch defense was appreciated, but there was one important fact to remember. “You don’t know me, Trey. We’ve barely spent any time together for you to say one way or another if any of those claims are wrong.”
Instead of arguing, he crossed his arms and said, “How long did you date those guys?”
I had to think. “Some only a few weeks, and the longest was maybe a couple of months.”
“I’ve known you two and a half months, and I’ve talked to you at least five days a week for half that time. Did you see any of those guys as much as you’ve seen me since school started?”
“No.”
“Then I know you more than they did and I say they were wrong.”
How did I argue with that? “We’ve been coworkers and friends. You don’t know what I’m like in a relationship.”
Trey was not deterred. “You’re the realest person I know so I doubt you’re any different.” He turned, pulling one knee up onto the couch, and slid a hand under my heel to make room. “May I?”
The heat of his touch reached through the thin sock. “Sure,” I said, sounding breathless.
He pulled my foot up over his leg and gently massaged the ball of my foot with his thumb. My whole body went on red alert while relaxing at the same time. The conversation continued and I struggled to keep up as my brain was in danger of oozing out my ears.
“How long has it been since you dated one of those bozos?” he asked.
Swallowing a moan, I said, “Four years.”
His thumb paused but maintained the pressure against my foot. “You haven’t dated in four years?”
Whatever button he was pushing down there shut off my ability to talk, leaving me no option but to shake my head no.
“I thought I’d gone a long time.”
My head shot up. “What?”
Trey slid his thumb down the arch of my foot. “You aren’t the only one who took yourself off the market.”
How was I just now hearing this? “Since when?”
He tilted his head and looked up to the ceiling in thought. “Close to three years now.”
Unbelievable. “Why didn’t you mention this before? Everything has been about my refusal to date, when you were doing the same thing.”
“Not exactly the same. I have no problem with dating. I just decided not to casually date anymore. If I’m going to put myself out there, it has to be for someone worth my time and effort.”
That felt like a compliment. “So you’re saying I’m worth your time and effort?”
Trey squeezed my big toe. “That’s what I’ve been saying, yeah.”
The foot massage wasn’t the only thing melting my resistance.
“That’s nice to hear.” Smile in place, he watched me with brows high as if waiting for something. “What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he said with a sigh and leaned forward to reach for his pop.
“Don’t do that. What am I missing?”
Eyes on the can, he shrugged. “I was hoping you’d say the same back, but I promised not to pressure you so forget about it.”
He was so cute when he was being needy. A thought I never in a million years could have imagined crossing my mind.
“Trey Collins, are you fishing for compliments?” I teased, repeating his own words from the night before.
“Forget I said anything,” he mumbled before taking a drink.
Swinging my feet to the floor, I scooted to the middle of the couch. “It’s still pretty early yet. Do you want to watch a movie?”
Looking down to see how close I was, he lifted bright blue eyes up to mine. “Do you have popcorn?”
What did he take me for? “Of course I do.”
Full lips curved up in a sexy grin. “What should we watch?”
Time for the true test. “I’ve got all the Jane Austen films.”
Eyes glowing, he said, “Can we start with Persuasion?”
A man after my own heart. “We can do that.”
Chapter Seventeen
“We should take her temperature,” Donna said. “See if she has a fever.”
“Maybe she’s been kidnapped and this is a body double,” Josie suggested. “Blink twice if you’re the real Lindsey.”
Megan laughed. “That isn’t how the blink thing works. Check for the birthmark on the back of her neck. I doubt a body double would have that.”
They had all lost their minds.
“Give her a break,” Becca said, zooming a bite of scrambled eggs into Noah’s mouth. “She met a man who likes Jane Austen movies. Who among us could resist that?”
A murmur of agreement went around the table. For a change of pace, we’d met for our girls only—with a baby boy exception—Sunday breakfast at Delta’s Diner. Sometimes straight up eggs and bacon was all you needed.
“Are you guys done?” I asked, unamused.
“Come on.” Josie reached for her orange juice. “You’re dating someone. You can’t pretend this isn’t a big deal.”
Yes, I could. “Can we talk about something else, please?”
“Answer one question first,” Donna said. “What time did he leave?”
“Two A.M.” Before they could jump to conclusions, I added, “But only because we fell asleep on the couch during the movie. He woke up first, then woke me up, dropped a goodbye kiss on my forehead, and left.”
Megan sighed. “That’s so sweet.”
Much sweeter than I was used to. But speaking of sweet…
“You guys didn’t need to clean my apartment. Trey saw it before we went to dinner, so he knows how messy I am and he didn’t run the other way.”
“We didn’t do it for Trey,” Becca said. “We did it for you.”
“This is play month,” Josie added. “We know how stressed you get this time of year. That was our way of helping to minimize the stress where we could.”
Megan slathered jam across her wheat toast. “The date got you out of the house without one of us having to coax you somewhere. It was perfect timing.”
Did Trey know what they were up to? Was that why he asked me to dinner?
“No,” Donna said, before I could ask. “Trey had no idea, so don’t start thinking the date was a trick. We simply jumped at the opportunity he unknowingly gave us.”
I really did have the best friends a girl could ask for. “I appreciate it. The play still needs a lot of work so that’s all I’ll be thinking about for the next three weeks.”
The performance weekend was coming up fast. Under three weeks, actually. During the last rehearsal we made real progress, which increased my confidence that they could pull this off. The kids were embracing the message behind the play, and that, in turn, would help them convey that message to the audience.
Provided we would have an audience.
“Do you like how it’s going?” asked Megan. “I’m sure it’s odd without the musical aspect. Or maybe that makes it easier?”
“Half of the cast has participated before, but for the other half this is their first time on stage, so it balances out. Emma’s realized that she was relying far too much on her singing chops in the past so this has been an eye opening experience for her. She’s grown a ton, which is what she needed before heading off to college next fall.”
“What about the football players?” Becca asked. “Trey told Jacob they’re doing well, but I’m guessing he’s biased. How are they really doing?”
I loaded a bite of cheesy eggs onto my fork. “He isn’t wrong, actually. Burke’s part is small, but he sells it well. Aiden is a revelation. I wish I’d gotten him on stage three years ago because he’s a complete natural.”
“Do you think he’ll keep acting after this?” Donna asked, snagging Noah’s binky off the floor for the third time. The little man threw anything he could get his chubby little hands on these days.
“I don’t think so, no.” Which was a pity. The young man had a face for the big screen and the chops to back it up. “Kaitlyn has real promise, though, and makes me less stressed about losing Emma at the end of the year. For a freshman, she has stage presence out the wazoo.”
“Does she have a big part?” Donna asked.
“Not a lot of lines, no, but she plays the girl who drives drunk and nearly kills her friend, so it isn’t a lightweight part by any means.”
Josie held her napkin in front of her face to play peek-a-boo with Noah. “What’s it like having input from Trey? His experience must come in handy, too.”
“I’m not sure experience coaching applies to the play much.”
“No,” she said, “his acting experience. He told Miles that he acted in plays the last two years of college.”
Confused, I stopped with my fork halfway to my mouth. “I’m sorry, what? Trey acted? The Trey who has come to nearly every rehearsal and never mentioned this?”
The girls exchanged concern-filled glances and Josie lowered the napkin back to her lap. “I think that’s what Miles said, but maybe I misunderstood.”
“Trey better hope so,” I mumbled.
Why wouldn’t he tell me that? The man was a walking open book, but he kept this very pertinent piece of information to himself? Or, worse yet, told one of his poker buddies and not the person he was literally working with on a stage play?
“Maybe we should change the subject,” Donna suggested.
“Noah has a new tooth,” Becca volunteered. “That makes two now, and I can’t wait until the rest come in so we can all sleep at night.”
Having been through this with countless nieces and nephews, I knew that was a pipe dream. “Good luck with that.”
For the rest of breakfast, Trey Collins became he who shall not be named, but I was still annoyed. Part of me wanted to believe that Miles got it wrong, but Josie’s other half was a smart man. What else could Trey have said that sounded remotely like I acted in college?
We’d exchanged numbers on Friday, so I could send a text demanding answers, but this was a conversation to have in person. And have it we would.
Monday was a hectic day that started with a frantic hunt for my keys, which were hanging on my little key hook thingy where I never put them. This was why cleaning and organizing did more harm than good for me. My mess might look like chaos to others, but it made total sense to me.
This meant I was running late, but my gas tank was nearly on E so I had to stop for gas. I made it in time for first period, but barely. The day didn’t improve, and by lunch time I was convinced the planets must have hit some odd alignment because the students were distracted and moody, no one made the coffee in the lounge, and even Nina Mathers, who was typically the sunniest person in the building, snapped at me when I asked if Carole was in.
She wasn’t and I didn’t ask any more questions.
None of this made me forget about Trey’s possible acting revelation. Though he’d left a sticky note on my desk simply saying Good morning and had waved once when our eyes met across the hall during a class change, we’d yet to speak since he left my apartment late Saturday night.
Or, technically, early Sunday morning.
I had to admit that the note was sweet enough to make me forget I was annoyed with him for a full four and a half seconds. The gesture even bordered on romantic, which would normally make me nauseous. The lack of nausea proved I was already in deep. That I tucked the note inside my top desk drawer where I would see it every time I needed something revealed exactly how deep.
“Hey there,” Trey said as he strode down the left aisle of the theater. “How was your day?”
Rehearsal didn’t start for another fifteen minutes and the kids had yet to arrive.
Concerned he’d charm me out of asking, I went right to the question. “Did you act in college?”
He paused and did the head tilt. “I’m not sure anyone would call that acting.”
“But you were in plays? You were on a stage and didn’t tell me?”
The smile never faltered. “I took up space, more like. Junior year, they needed someone to wear the uniform and deliver a package. I didn’t even have a line. Senior year, I pushed a cart across the stage and got to say ‘Get out of my way’ before disappearing into the wings. Both were done because I liked a girl in the drama program, and she was smart enough to put my devotion to use.”
Unable to quell the curiosity, I asked, “Did you date her?”
Trey shook his head. “Please. She wanted an artist, not a jock shooting above his level.”
Ignoring the relief in my chest, I got back to the point. “But you’ve been part of a production. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Lindsey, I got the parts literally the day before each show and went in with almost no rehearsal. The audience played a bigger part in those shows than I did.” As if sensing my annoyance, he added, “I’m sorry I didn’t mention it. The only reason I told Miles was because my helping out with the play came up and he asked if I knew anything about acting.”
“How do you know that’s where I heard about it?”
He leaned close as the kids began to file onto the stage. “Because the guys tell the girls everything, and then you all tell each other what they tell you.”
Tensing, I asked, “Does that bother you?”
His lips curved up in a grin. “Not at all.”
The blush burned my cheeks, forcing me to clear my throat to cover the smile I couldn’t contain.
“You good, Ms. P?” asked Burke.
I coughed one more time while nodding. “I’m fine.”
Looking up, I was surprised to see him carrying Kandace’s bag along with his own before dropping both into the same seat. She tossed a long curl over her shoulder and I feared she might have taken the date his best friend to make him jealous tact, but when she turned Burke’s way, the adoration in her eyes looked quite genuine.
To Trey I whispered, “Did you know about that?”
“No idea,” he whispered back.
Another five minutes passed as the rest of the cast arrived and everyone took a seat on the edge of the stage. There was a low murmur among the group and an unexpected tension in the air. We still had two and a half weeks before dress rehearsals and the nerves didn’t typically set in this early.
Proceeding as usual, I said, “Okay, guys, let’s start by practicing the scene we re-blocked last week.”
No one moved and Emma said, “Are we losing our funding?”
Confused, I shook my head. “What makes you think that?” I knew the threat was there, but how would they know?
“The French club trip to New York got pulled today,” said Madison.
“Our Movie club got shut down entirely,” added Nick.
Last week marked the end of the first quarter, but Carole had given the impression decisions would be made mid-year. Guess that changed.
“I haven’t been told anything,” I said, giving them an honest answer. “No matter what happens, this play will go on. As for after that, all I can promise is that this club will not go down without a fight. I’ll do whatever I can to keep us going, okay?”
Not that I had any idea what I could do if the worst happened. We’d have the profits from this production that might get us through the spring. Especially if we chose a stripped down production that needed very little in the way of sets and wardrobe. Beyond that there wasn’t much I could do without the backing of the school.
The mood remained somber as they rose to get started.
“Do they do that a lot?” Trey said.
“Do what?” I asked.
“Cut funding. Is the school in trouble?”
How did I answer that knowing they’d made him promises that they likely couldn’t keep? I had no desire to be the bearer of bad news, and, quite selfishly, preferred not to give him a reason to look for a new job somewhere else.
“They don’t, no.” Technically, Carole let me know funding was low at the start of the year, but she hadn’t shared details or used the words in trouble. And I couldn’t remember the last time multiple activities were cut like this.
“The kids seem really disappointed,” he said as I pulled the marked-up script from my bag. “Are you worried about being next?”
Flipping through the ear-marked pages was a good excuse not to make eye contact. “Like I said, I’m not giving up this club without a fight. If we can get butts in the seats then hopefully we can fund ourselves for the spring. That’s the focus right now.”
The kids took their places and I headed for the stage with Trey following close behind. He stayed silent for most of rehearsal and I had no idea what was going through his mind. I could only assume he was wondering if the investments in his program were going to happen.
