Playing for Keeps (3 page)

Noah rubbed his chin. “Olivia Lawson . . . ? Doesn’t ring a bell, but then again, I was drafted into baseball when I was eighteen. I’ve been away for a long time.” He shook his head. “And my life before that was pretty much consumed with baseball too,” he said, more to himself than to them, but it was true. Everyone thought he lived a charmed life, but it wasn’t without cost, lately leading him to behavior he wasn’t proud of. He hoped that coming home would heal him in more ways than one. “Mabel, has Olivia lived here all her life?”

“Far as I know. She’s around thirty-five or -six and you’re what—thirty-eight?”

Noah nodded.

“So you would have gone to high school together,” Chrissie said thoughtfully. “I bet Miss Lawson was a total nerd-ball and you were this hot athlete. Like in the movie
She’s All That
. She was probably secretly in love with you. My mom said all the girls were.”

Mabel rolled her eyes. “Do not egg him on.” “Hmm . . .” he mused and then mumbled, “Olivia Lawson. Olivia . . .” He snapped his fingers. “Livie Lawson?”

Mabel shook her head. “She doesn’t go by that anymore, but she was called Livie as a kid.”

Chrissie looked at him with interest. “So you do remember her?”

“Oh, yeah.” Noah closed his eyes and nodded. “Chrissie, keep a few cookies out for me, but gather the rest of them up and tie the box with a pretty ribbon.” He paused and then said, “No, wait—do the same with the cinnamon cake.”

“Uh-oh. What did you do? Stand her up for the prom?” Mabel asked.

Noah winced and then raked his fingers through his hair. “Well, no, it’s not quite that bad . . . but not exactly that good either. It’s all coming back to me now.”

“Are you going to tell us?” Chrissie asked with a little bounce.

“No. Sorry, Chrissie, but wish me luck, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied but gave him a disappointed pout.

“Mabel, do you know where I might find her?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Remember Jessica Robinson from down at the diner?”

Noah smiled when he pictured the golden blond beauty with amazing amber eyes. “Oh, yeah.”

“Well, her daughter, Madison, wrote an award-winning play, and the Cricket Creek Community Theater is putting it on for the summer run.”

“I know all about it,” Noah replied.

“Really? How?” Mabel asked.

“I’m here to audition for the lead.”

Mabel and Chrissie exchanged a look.

“What?” Noah asked.

“Oh, boy.” Mabel turned to Chrissie. “Give the man a cookie. He’s gonna need it.”

O
livia stomped into the Cricket Creek Community Center and sat down on a folding chair so hard that the legs tipped sideways. With a little yelp she righted herself and managed to rescue her milk, but her elephant ear fell to the tile floor with a plop. “Oh . . . f-fudge!”

Madison looked up from her script and grinned. “For a second I thought you were going to drop the f-bomb. I should have known better.”

“Cursing is a sign of a bad vocabulary,” Olivia commented, reaching down for the bag.

“Then at least come up with something more creative than ‘fudge.’ ”

“Duly noted,” Olivia agreed as she opened the milk carton and inserted the small straw.

Madison leaned forward and put her elbows on the table. “So, what’s got your Hanes Her Way in a wad?”

“How’d you know I wear those?”

Madison scrunched up her nose. “Just a guess. So tell me.”

“Noah Falcon,” she answered tightly and broke off a piece of elephant ear. “Want some?”

“Thanks.” Madison accepted the offer and then tilted her head to the side, causing her long, curly blond hair to slide over her shoulder. “Wait.” Her big blue eyes widened. “How did you know about Noah Falcon? I’ve been dying to tell you, but I was told to keep it hush-hush.”

“Hmm?” Olivia washed down her bite of crunchy goodness and then frowned. “Know what?”

Madison glanced left and right. “Noah Falcon is reading for the male lead,” Madison told her in a high-pitched whisper. “Isn’t that exciting?”

“What?” Olivia leaned forward. “No way!”

“Yes,” Madison said with a smile but then shook her head. “Wait—you didn’t mean that in a good way, did you?”

“Not so much . . .”

Her smile faded. “I don’t get it. Noah Falcon will bring attention to my play and warm bodies into the seats, Olivia. He’s a professional. This is amazing news. I thought you’d be over the moon. The man is famous, not to mention smokin’
hot
.” She leaned back and fanned her face.

“Madison, have you seen him act?”

“Well, no, but—”

“He’s a baseball player, not an actor.” Olivia peered at Madison over her glasses and then removed them. She only needed them for reading but was always forgetting to take them off. “I’m certain that Noah Falcon got the job on
Love in the Afternoon
for his looks, not his talent.”

“Um, Olivia . . .” Madison tilted her head with a look of warning, but Olivia was on a roll and wouldn’t be shushed.

“Sure, he’s eye candy and his mug would look good plastered on a poster,” Olivia continued hotly, ignoring Madison’s wide eyes and shaking head, “but he would never do your warm and witty play justice.”

“We don’t really know that,” Madison insisted, with a little eye-roll-slight-nodding gesture. “In fact, I’m sure he’s going to be amazing.”

Olivia snorted. “Yeah, right, he—” She stopped short when Madison gave her a hard nudge beneath the table.
Oh . . . no
. Olivia’s heart started beating in rapid alarm. She swallowed and then mouthed, “He’s standing right behind me, isn’t he?”

Madison gave her a short, choppy nod.

“Well, now,” began a deep, silky voice that added even more heat to Olivia’s already hot blush, “maybe, just
maybe
, there’s more to me than meets the eye.”

Olivia shifted in her seat and slowly turned to see Noah Falcon leaning one shoulder against the doorframe. Scuffed cowboy boots were crossed at the ankles, and a white bakery box with a pretty ribbon dangled from his fingers. “How long have you been standing there eavesdropping?”

“Olivia!” Madison whispered, but Olivia was fixated on Noah.

“Hey . . .” He straightened up and pointed over his shoulder. “The sign out front says that this is the community center. I’m part of the community and the door was open.”

Olivia arched one eyebrow. “You haven’t been part of this community for a very long time.”

“Well, now.” His slow grin did funny things to Olivia’s stomach. “I’m back.” He set the box on the table. “And I come bearing gifts.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want your cookies?” she sputtered, but then she looked at Madison with embarrassment. She needed to get herself under control and present herself as a professional. She inhaled sharply and folded her hands together. Losing her composure was totally out of character for her and she didn’t like it one bit. “But thank you for bringing them,” she added in a nearly calm manner. Madison, thank goodness, didn’t appear upset. In fact, she had a slight grin on her face. Weird . . .

“I thought you might say that.” Noah pushed the box closer. “So I didn’t bring cookies.”

“Oh.” Olivia was curious but feigned indifference. She glanced at Madison and couldn’t understand why she looked like she had just won the lottery. Noah Falcon was the devil in disguise, and Olivia wasn’t about to let him ruin Madison’s wonderful play with an uncaring attitude and subpar acting.

“Excuse me.” With her smile intact, Madison stood up and extended her hand. “I’m Madison Robinson.”

Noah grasped Madison’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Well, as an adult. I remember you as a child. But, listen, I really enjoyed reading
Just One Thing.
I laughed at your insight into the human condition, especially between men and women. You have a lot of knowledge for someone so young.”

Madison smiled. “Thank you. My mother always said I was an old soul. I never really understood what she meant until recently. But, as you know, I spent my early childhood in Myra’s Diner. From the playpen on, my entertainment was watching people. While my mom and aunt ran the business, I sat with coloring books and toys, but my favorite thing to do was to simply observe. I always found it fascinating.” She looked from Noah to Olivia and then chuckled softly. “Still do,” she admitted.

Olivia lifted one shoulder in question and wondered what she’d done that was so amusing. She got that a lot.

“Thanks for coming into town to audition. I was very excited when your agent called me. He sent me a head shot and résumé.”

“No thanks necessary. I’m glad to have a reason to come home, if only for a while. I know that I have been gone for a long time, but I still think of Cricket Creek as my hometown, and the people here have always been supportive of me.”

Olivia barely refrained from rolling her eyes. He sounded so sincere . . . Maybe he was a better actor than she gave him credit for.

Madison tilted her head to the side. “Well, I’m flattered that someone of your caliber would want to audition for a small production like ours.”

“Thanks, Madison. I’m looking forward to the opportunity.”

What?
Olivia raised her eyebrows at Madison, but the young playwright’s focus was on Noah. So he had a few commercials, a couple of bit parts, and two years on a soap opera. Big deal! Okay, so she taped
Love in the Afternoon
and watched it every evening while eating her dinner. It wasn’t like she cared about the silly story line or watching Noah play Dr. Jesse Drake. It was just something to do while she ate dinner. Although she had to admit that she hadn’t seen Dr. Jesse Drake getting blown to pieces coming and, okay, maybe she shed a tear or two. But while Noah Falcon possessed a certain amount of charisma, his acting left a lot to be desired. Madison might be flattered that a television actor was auditioning, but she was about to be disappointed. Olivia couldn’t wait to see the look on Noah Falcon’s smug face when he failed to land the part. Filling the auditorium was only half the battle.

“Hey, if I can give back to Cricket Creek by generating some excitement and attention to your play, then I’m happy to do it.” He smiled. “Well, I just wanted to pop in and introduce myself. I’ll be back for the open casting call.”

Madison shook her head. “There’s no need. You’ve got the part.”

“What?” Olivia squeaked. “But, Madison, don’t you want him to audition?”

“I have a monologue memorized,” Noah offered.

Madison waved a dismissive hand. “That’s not necessary.”

“Madison,” Olivia insisted, “don’t you at least want him to read with me? You have some sides picked out. Let’s do a couple of them.”

Noah frowned. “Sides?” He looked at Olivia for help, but she remained stubbornly silent.

Madison gave Olivia a “What’s up with you?” look and then said to Noah, “Scenes I handpicked from the script to read.” She grinned. “Were you thinking green beans or mashed potatoes?”

Noah laughed. “Well, I am getting hungry. I can’t wait to eat at your aunt’s diner. I’ve eaten all over the country and there aren’t any onion rings or bacon cheeseburgers that compare to Myra’s.” He glanced at Olivia. “Or cookies from Grammar’s. Right, Olivia?”

“I haven’t eaten all over the country, but if I had to guess I’d say you’re right,” Olivia answered honestly and then stood up. “That’s another important reason we need for this play to be a success. Myra’s and Grammar’s are holding on for now, but we’ve got to bring in some tourists this summer. A lot is riding on the play’s success.”

Noah folded his arms across his broad chest. “And you don’t think I will take this seriously.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Sure you did, between the lines. You think I haven’t changed.”

Noah took a step toward her, crowding her personal space. But instead of backing down, Olivia put her index finger in the middle of his chest. “If the shoe fits . . .” she said—and then she didn’t know where she got the nerve, but she angled her head and gave him a little poke—“wear it.”

“Hmm . . . that was a bit trite for an English
tutor
.”

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” Her heart beat faster when she realized that he did remember her from high school, when she’d tutored him—no, make that
attempted
to tutor him—in English so he could play baseball. What he’d really wanted was for her to do the work for him, but she had refused and made him actually study. “Because I’m not.”

“Surely you can be more creative than that, Miss Lawson,” he taunted softly and inched even closer. To her credit, she stood her ground, but she hated that Noah Falcon still had the ability to make her weak in the knees.

Though she’d rather eat chalk than let him know it.

“I wanted to stay on your playing field,” she countered, with much more moxie than she felt. She heard Madison gasp and knew she needed to back it down, but her mouth was taking on a life of its own.

“My playing field? Did you forget I was in the major leagues?”

“You’re on my turf now.” Oh, wow, did she really say that?

He arched one eyebrow. “Maybe I was paying more attention to
you
than you thought.” Noah looked down at her finger and then slowly back at her face. His eyes settled on her lips, making Olivia have the insane urge to fist her hands in his shirt and pull him in for a long, hot kiss. Crazy! Some of what she was thinking must have shown in her expression because his gaze lingered, as if daring her to do it. “Ever think of that?”

“No, and just maybe I wasn’t paying as much attention to
you
as
you
thought,” she replied, but her breathless voice lacked any real bite and gave her away.
Fudge!
“Ever think of that?” She tried to add an edge to her tone while tapping her cheek as if in thought. “Mmm, I’m thinking . . .
no
.”