Backstage Romance: An Austen-Inspired Romantic Comedy Box Set by Gigi Blume (ebook reader with highlighter txt) 📕

“I don’t understand.”

“I know Will Darcy. He’ll do everything in his power to poison Bing’s mind against Jane if he feels like it. And Bing is just enough of a follower to believe him.” I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head furiously. I couldn’t imagine Bing would ever hurt Jane. Jorge noticed the protest in my body language and quickly amended, “I’m sorry. Bing seems to really like your friend. I hope I’m wrong.”

I didn’t know whether to be grateful or angry. Surely, Jorge had good intentions, but with him in such proximity, Will Darcy was the furthest thing from my mind. Clearly, the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“You think about him a lot, don’t you?” I said, more of a comment than a question.

“How can I not?” he cried. “He has his claws in every corner of my life—you, your friend, even Stella.”

His face was contorted into something a little less beautiful but still magnificent, like the fury of a tropical storm or a raging sea.

“That new choreographer you have…”

“Colin?”

“He works for Rosings,” he spat. “Did you know that the founder of Rosings is a shareholder of Darcy’s production company? Will is practically engaged to her granddaughter. He’s everywhere. I can’t get away from his influence.”

I was speechless for the duration of several tense moments. I didn’t know what to say. There was certainly nothing I could do about it. With any luck, Jorge would get through the run of Pirates, and Will would be back to filming his stupid movies. Also—practically engaged? Why did that suddenly bother me so much? I wondered if Caroline knew about that juicy tidbit.

Jorge tossed his head from side to side and looked down at his shoes with a sigh.

“I’m sorry,” he bade softly. “I just can’t lose this job.” After a lengthy pause, he exhaled a profound breath he had been holding and plastered a forced smile on his tragically gorgeous face. And running a paw through his mane, he declared lightly, “Ah! You don’t want to hear about my financial woes. I seem to always spill my heart out when I’m with you. What is it about you, Beth short for Elizabeth sometimes Lizzie but never Eliza?”

I shrugged, feeling rather like a bartender in a bad movie. “Maybe I just have that effect on people.”

He smiled tenderly and closed his hand over mine.

“You certainly have that effect on me.” He winked and placed a sweet kiss over my knuckles. I felt my bones turn to butter before he withdrew the warmth of his touch and slid into his truck. He closed the door between us like an exclamation point on the distance he asserted in our friendship. His faucet ran hot and cold—this was the cold side of him and in the end, that was all it would ever be.

10

Any Savage Can Dance

Beth

Thanksgiving week was upon us, and we would only have Monday and Tuesday to rehearse before a five-day weekend. Jorge wasn’t there either day, nor was he returning my texts. I started to worry his fears were founded in truth—that perhaps Will had him fired after all. But Denny assured me he was just out of town for the holiday.

“He’s probably surfing in Cabo,” he said dismissively. “He said he’ll be back next week.”

This was confirmed by the head set designer when I inquired after Jorge in the scene shop. He didn’t know any details but told me Jorge had some personal business to attend to. He didn’t seem alarmed at all, so I took his cue to feel likewise. Besides, I had my own discord with Will to endure.

“Guess who ‘gets’ to marry the Pirate King at the end of the play?” I said with as much sarcasm I could muster. I vented to Charlotte who’d brought me lunch from the lodge. We hadn’t spent much time together since I started Pirates rehearsals, so I suggested she visit me at the theatre on my lunch break. I was also craving a Lord Byron Reuben sandwich, so that was a bonus.

Charlotte squeezed ketchup all over the French fries and shrugged as I ranted. “I don’t know. Jane?”

“Jane!?” No. Jane marries Bing in the end. I mean, their characters marry each other.”

“Well, thanks for the spoiler.”

“It’s a classic. Charlotte, everybody knows Frederic marries Mabel.”

“All right. So, who marries the Pirate King?”

“Me, Charlotte. Me. And I have to kiss him. Colin is doing the pairs choreography after lunch.”

“So?”

She was completely engrossed in meticulously laying out her makeshift picnic. That was Charlotte for you. Control freak. A place for everything and everything in its place—even a hamburger wrapper.

“You haven’t been listening to me all these weeks, have you?”

“Not really, no.”

She unapologetically took a bite from her cheeseburger.

“Charlotte!” I cried. “The Pirate King is played by Will Darcy.”

She set down her burger and wiped secret sauce from her chin with a napkin.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing,” she said rather seriously. “If I were you, I’d take advantage of the opportunity. You’re playing opposite of an uber-famous movie star. Capitalize on the publicity you could gain from this.”

She smiled and pierced into the French fries with a plastic fork. “Who knows? You might even end up liking the guy.”

“That would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to me,” I said. “Especially since I swore to hate his guts for all eternity.”

“All I’m saying, Lizzie,” she warned, “is don’t burn your bridges. This might be the key to get what you’ve always wanted. Don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She dabbed her mouth with a flimsy one-ply napkin and gave me the serious Charlotte face. “I know why you never audition for screen work anymore.”

“I don’t audition for screen work because I prefer the theatre.”

“You’re a good actress but a terrible liar,” she said. “So don’t try improv.”

“Okaaaay.”

“That was just one incident, Beth. One incident that’s totally forgotten by now.”

I wasn’t interested in