All That Lies Within (26 page)

“Ah. I see. So all-in-all, a successful day.”

Dara thought back to the beginning of the day. “Mostly. Seems like her boss is a bit of a problem.”

“How so?”

Dara explained Alistar’s demands.

“Well, she does already have a day job, Dar.”

“I know that. But if he holds her to that schedule, she’ll be exhausted before the first week is done. The guy’s being a jerk.”

“Seems to me he’s just taking care of his professional responsibility.”

“Maybe, but I’m worried for her.” Carolyn was silent on the other end of the phone. “You still there?”

“I’m here.”

“I thought maybe I lost you.”

“Nope. I’m just wondering what happened to the woman who stood outside my house last night vehemently insisting that she never wanted to see Rebecca again.”

Worst mistake ever.
Dara closed her eyes. “Okay, I was wrong. You were right. Is that what you want me to say?”

Carolyn laughed. “I wasn’t looking for that, but you could say it about a hundred more times and I’d be all right with that.”

“I’m going now.”

“Bye, Dar.”

Dara ended the call as Rebecca emerged from the bathroom and walked toward her.
Yeah, I was definitely, definitely wrong about that.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rebecca twirled around in the middle of the tastefully furnished, spacious living room. This was the third condo they’d checked out in the last two hours. Dara rejected the first spot, Rebecca the second.

“Do you like it?” Dara asked.

“I do. It’s modern, yet comfortable. You know what I mean?”

“I was thinking the same thing. Did you see this?” Dara motioned for Rebecca to join her in the backyard. “It’s got a sunken hot tub. Perfect for relaxing after a long day on the set.”

Especially if I could share it with you.
“That’s a nice bonus.”
Stay on track here.
“What happened to Stacy?”

“She’s probably out front on her iPad, investigating other options for us.”

The way she said it made Rebecca wonder if Dara had asked the agent to make herself scarce. But why would she? Rebecca went back inside and down the hall to have a look at the bedrooms. There were three of them. One bedroom doubled as an office. It featured a sturdy desk and a comfortable office chair and a recliner in the corner that would be a perfect spot to do some reading. The second bedroom held a treadmill, a flat screen television, and a queen size futon. The third bedroom was the master bedroom.

A large, flat-screen TV dominated the wall opposite the king size bed. A sizeable window opened onto a nice view, and the walk-in closet was large enough to house a dresser alongside a California Closet organizer for pants, blouses, dresses, and shoes.

“This is the nicest one we’ve se—” Rebecca stopped short and her mouth went dry when she turned around to see Dara lying on the bed.

“The bed is pretty comfy. Come try it out.” When Rebecca hesitated, Dara added, “You can’t know whether a place is the right one for you until you know that you can get some quality sleep in the bed.” She patted the bed next to her.

Tentatively, Rebecca sat on the bed and pushed down on it with her hands. “Feels pretty good.”

“Argh.” Dara reached up and pulled Rebecca’s shoulder so that she fell backward. Now they were lying side-by-side. “Now you can tell whether or not the bed suits you. What do you think?”

I think if I stay like this I’m ninety percent likely to do something I know I really, really shouldn’t do with a business colleague.

“It’s fine.”

“Fine? Fine isn’t good enough for ninety nights of sleeping. I’ll take comfortable, or heavenly, or even yummy. But fine just isn’t going to cut it.”

Rebecca tried her hardest to get comfortable without touching any part of Dara’s body. She scooted to her right by a few feet and wiggled around until she was in proper sleeping position. “It’s comfortable, and heavenly, and yummy to boot. Satisfied?” She jumped up and stepped back from the bed.

Dara grinned like a Cheshire cat and rolled off the other side of the bed. “That’s better.”

Are you intentionally making me crazy? Or is that just a side benefit?

“Do you want to keep looking?”

They walked back into the living room and Rebecca spun around one last time. “I could see spending three months in a place like this. I think I’m good.”

Dara nodded her approval. “I agree. Let’s go see what Stacy has to say about how quickly we can get you in here.”

“Right.”
So why am I hoping the lease doesn’t start right away?

 “So, this is my place.” Dara flitted around, turning on lights. “Normally, I’d be at my beach place on the weekend, but we’ve got such an early start tomorrow, I thought it would be better if we stayed closer to the studio.”
And why are you blabbering on like a high school girl on a first date worried about getting to first base?
“I’ll show you around.”

“Is this from that Williamstown Theater production of
Under the Blue Sky
?” Rebecca was peering intently at a picture on the wall in Dara’s office.

Dara moved in behind Rebecca to stand over her shoulder. “You know about that?”

“Why do you sound so surprised? Of course I know about that. What kind of academic would I be if I hadn’t done my homework?”

“I suppose there’s something to that, but I have to say, that’s a little frightening.”

“Sorry.” Rebecca turned to face Dara. “The last thing in the world I want to do is frighten you.”

Too late for that.
Dara momentarily lost herself in Rebecca’s eyes. “Right. In answer to your question, yes. That shot was taken by the production’s marketing folks.”

“To get a role like that right out of the gate… What a coup.”

For a moment, neither one of them gave ground.
If I stay here like this, I’ll kiss you.
Dara cleared her throat and took a step back. “It was just an understudy role. I got pretty lucky.”

“You’re selling yourself short, and you know it. You don’t get something like that by being lucky. That’s about talent.”

At that moment, Dara’s computer alerted her to an e-mail. Both she and Rebecca jumped at the intrusion. “Sorry. That’s probably the call sheet for tomorrow.”

“The call sheet?”

“The schedule that tells everyone what time they need to be on set or in makeup, and what scenes are being shot.”

Rebecca checked her watch. “They’re just now sending it at seven-thirty on a Sunday night?”

“Are you kidding? That’s early.” Dara walked to her computer monitor to verify that it was, indeed, the call sheet. When she returned, Rebecca was staring at her phone.

“What is it?”

“E-mails. One from Alistar gushing about the crew that came and created an entire new world in what he’s calling the Minton Lab.”

“See? I told you everything would be fine with your boss.”

“For now. Tomorrow’s another day.”

“What did I tell you about the Law of Attraction?”

“Right. Yes,” Rebecca agreed, “everything is fine and will remain so throughout the duration of this project. Better?”

“Much. Good job.”

Rebecca continued to stare at her phone.

“What else?”

“Hmm? Oh. An e-mail from the director ordering me to be on set at 8:30 a.m. and an attachment with the pages for tomorrow’s filming.” Rebecca’s arms fell loosely to her sides. She looked up at Dara, wide-eyed. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”

Dara smiled broadly. “It most certainly is. How about if we go over the pages? I’ll print them out for us and you can run lines with me. Together we can work out what needs to change in the script.”

“Okay. Wow. I can’t believe this is real.”

“Want me to pinch you?”

Rebecca shook her head. “You’re a little too eager, I think.”

Rebecca lowered the script to her lap. They were comfortably ensconced on matching leather chairs in Dara’s library. Rebecca had her feet up on the ottoman. “Is this really helping you?”

“Are you kidding? You’re a great Harold. Sam had better watch out before you steal the part from him.”

“Very funny.”

“Who said I was kidding? I don’t usually get to run lines with someone who so thoroughly gets the ins and outs of the character she’s reading, or the one she’s interacting with. Most often, I’m just in my own little world with someone woodenly reciting words opposite me. So, to answer your question, yes, you’re really, really helping me tremendously.”

Rebecca spent a moment basking in Dara’s smile, enjoying being in her company.
You’re in deep trouble. Keep it professional. You’re just here to help. You can’t sit here and go all gaga on her. That makes you no different than anyone else in her life.

 “I thought most actors wanted that lack of affect from their reading partner? I read somewhere it throws them off otherwise if the real actor playing that other part plays it differently than it was rehearsed.”

“You did, huh?”

“Yes.”

Dara reached behind her, grabbed a throw pillow, and heaved it at Rebecca. “Anyone ever tell you, you read too much?”

“Hey!” Rebecca blocked the pillow and it fell to the rug. “That was completely uncalled for.”

“What fun is playing fair?”

Rebecca smirked, grabbed the matching pillow behind her back, and let it fly. To her surprise, Dara caught it.

“Ha! I have mad skills.”

Just as Dara was about to send the pillow back, Rebecca launched herself out of the chair and onto the floor, reaching for the pillow she’d deflected earlier. Immediately she was pinned to the floor by a body. A very warm, soft-in-all-the-right-places body. Long, delicate fingers clamped down around her wrists. Rebecca forgot to breathe.

“Don’t even think about struggling.”

Dara’s voice was right next to Rebecca’s ear. Struggling was about the last thing she had on her mind as heat radiated downward from her belly.

Still, the competitive side of her refused to surrender, so Rebecca gathered herself, pushed up onto her knees, broke Dara’s grip, and flipped them over so that Dara was underneath her, her head on the pillow.

Rebecca scrambled until she straddled Dara, a knee on either side, her hands flat on the rug, framing Dara’s head. She looked down triumphantly. “Never underestimate the literary nerd.”

“I’m sure I wouldn’t.” Dara’s chest was heaving. Her eyes were deep and dark, her voice husky.

All Rebecca wanted to do was lean down and kiss her. It would’ve been so easy.
You can’t. If you do, you risk everything.
“Not anymore you won’t, anyway.”

Carolyn’s words from their lunch in New York replayed in her mind:
Dara’s life hasn’t been easy. She’s been badly hurt before. It’s difficult for her to trust that someone wants to know her. Really know her.

Carefully, Rebecca got her feet under her and stood up, never touching Dara in the process. She retook her seat, dusted her hands off, and tried for an air of insouciance. “Now, where were we?”

Rebecca saw the momentary confusion on Dara’s face before Dara, too, picked herself up and resumed her seat.

If you’re feeling what I’m feeling, Dara, you’re going to have to make the move. I can’t do this. You have to choose me, not the other way around.

“Act One, Scene Three,” Dara said, as she put her feet up and crossed her legs at the ankle.