Page 30 of Forbidden Romeo
Okay, maybe the second to last.
I try to ignore her and hoist my bag higher onto my shoulder as I take the stairs down off the stage toward the front door.
I’m almost there, almost free when she steps in front of me in the doorway, wedging herself into both my escape and my life. Again.
“Um, Kate…” she says, uneasy.
I lift my brows, doing my best to shake off the unsettled feeling gripping my core. “Yes?”
“I, um, I just wanted to say that you’re really great up there. As Skyler.”
Something pops like a champagne cork in my heart and I can’t help as my jaw gapes just the tiniest bit. “You stopped me from leaving after weeks of working together to tell me how great I am in the role you auditioned for but didn’t get?” Unmemorable. That was the word Holden used when he talked about her audition. Granted, at the time I thought he was talking about me.
She gives a self-deprecating chuckle, picking at her cuticles. “Yeah. I mean, I know you and I weren’t exactly friends in college?—”
My snort cuts her off and I recover quickly, clearing my throat. “Sorry. Continue.”
“I know, understatement of the year. But I was young and dumb and I thought you had to crush your opponents to win. I know better than that now. But back then, I was always so jealous of you.”
“You were jealous of me?” I repeat, dumbfounded.
“You had everything. You got the part. You got the guy. Every teacher loved you?—”
Another snort escapes me as my eyes find McCay across the room talking with Maggie in hushed tones. “Not every teacher.”
Her smile falters a little. “That’s what I really wanted to talk to you about. When Missy Howl called me, offering me the role of your understudy, she also asked me to keep tabs on you and Holden… offstage. It was sort of a… um, stipulation of me getting the role.”
I suck in a sharp breath. I haven’t done anything wrong. I know this. And yet, the thought of Addison digging into my personal life launches me down a path I have no desire to revisit. “And? What dirt did you dig up on me this time?”
“Nothing much…”
“Nothing much?” I shouldn’t sound so surprised. I truly haven’t done anything wrong. I know that and yet, I can’t help the anxiety that buzzes around me.
“Some weird money thing with the producers, but that shouldn’t have affected you…”
My eyes drift closed and I sigh. Addison discovered the rent thing and turned it into USEA. It shouldn’t surprise me. You’d think after someone betrayed me time and time again, I’d stop being surprised by it. “Of course,” I mutter.
“That’s a producer issue though, right?” Addison asks, wringing her hands.
I nod because what else is there to do?
“Sure,” I say, “It’s a producer issue. Was that all you dug up or was there more?”
Addison swallows and tucks her sleek, auburn hair behind her ear, refusing to look me in the eyes.
Realization slams into me and my eyes flutter closed. “You found Megan,” I whisper. “And you delivered her on a silver platter to Missy.”
Addison has the decency to look embarrassed. “And to McCay.” Her face flushes, turning a ruby shade that matches her lips. “I didn’t have a choice,” she cries. “You have to believe me. I told Missy and then I told her I was out. I want to be an actress based on my talent, not some weird love triangle. And you might not understand it, but this understudy gig is a huge deal for me. I’ve been waiting for a break like this my entire career?—”
“I understand. Trust me, I understand.” Prior to getting cast as this lead role, I would have killed for an understudy part in anything. “You’re done with this sabotage crap?”
She nods. “I promise.” After a pause, she adds, “And that thing back in college with me and Holden?—”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “We really don’t have to talk about that. It was a long time ago.”
She nibbles her bottom lip as though she wants to say more, but then after a moment’s thought, nods and says, “If it makes you feel any better, McCay doesn’t exactly like me either.”
“I hate to admit it, but that does make me feel a little better.” I yank open the door and hold it for Addison to leave through first.