“Go ahead,” Chuck answered dully. “There isn’t going to be a reading, anyway. I don’t know if we’ll even be open after this week, so I’m not going to work you any harder than I have to. Today everyone gets a rest; tomorrow we’ll begin again.”
“Thank you,” Peggy said, wishing she could wave a magic wand and set everything right. “Is there anything I can get for you while I’m in town?”
“No, thanks, Peggy. By the way, we will have a line rehearsal before the show tonight. Five o’clock here.”
Five o’clock. Peggy calculated. Yes, that would work out. She could be about her business and get back in plenty of time. She left quietly, hoping that nobody noticed her as she walked up the little path around the side of the inn and down the hill to the highway.
The weather was changing, Peggy noticed, as she walked along. When she had arrived a hint of spring had still been in the air, but now it was hot and beginning to feel like real summer. Wouldn’t it be fun to enjoy some of the pleasures of the resort, she thought, looking at the beautiful blue of the lake dotted with sails and speedboats. Michael had promised to take her out in his boat someday. Someday! Everyone had been so busy that even Michael hadn’t had an opportunity to be out on the water that he so dearly loved.
“When we get settled into a routine,” the company had dreamed optimistically. “In a few weeks, after things are going smoothly, well, then we’ll have time to swim once in a while and go boating!”
Peggy sighed, taking off the little jacket that topped her gaily flowered summer dress. It could still work out, she thought, things could run smoothly if everyone knew that the theater would stay open. This uncertainty, though, was terrible for everyone’s morale and left no time for play. Actors needed relaxation, too, she mused. The theater was fun, but it was hard work as well.
“And today I’m free for a while!” She smiled with a sudden sharp enjoyment at being outdoors and away from the theater.
As Peggy passed the offices of the Kenabeek Gazette, she paused for a moment. She needed a newspaper and wondered if she should go in. But no, she decided, somebody might recognize her, so she hastened on and walked into the drugstore. There were several copies of the paper left and Peggy bought one along with some cosmetics she needed. Outside again, she flipped through the paper, seeking the information she wanted. There it was—the first showing of the movie today would be at noon. She had just enough time. Hurriedly, she walked on, nodding back at several people who smiled at her, apparently part of their grateful, if small, audience.
“Oh, Miss Lane—” A middle-aged woman, smartly attired in sports clothes, stopped her on the sidewalk. “I just want to tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed you in Dear Ruth. We saw it on Broadway years ago and I must say we were surprised at the professional excellence of your cast. Tell me, who did that lovely set?”