“I wouldn’t be surprised if Richard and Chuck gave you another fat lead to do this summer,” Randy went on. “As a matter of fact, they’d be foolish if they didn’t.”
“But there isn’t another lead I could do,” Peggy said, surprised. “There’s just the little part in the melodrama and then, I suppose, the model in Guest in the House—”
“What about Evelyn?” Randy asked, looking at her intently.
“Oh,” Peggy laughed, “that’s Alison’s part. She’s been waiting for it all summer!”
Randy nodded and said nothing while Peggy suddenly remembered what Chuck had said to Alison—not to count on the part. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered if Chuck had meant that he might give it to her! Oh! Peggy took a deep breath, feeling a little giddy. It just couldn’t happen, it was too good to possibly be true! No, she simply wouldn’t let herself think about it. She looked at Randy and caught him smiling at her.
“Yep,” he agreed with her unspoken thought. “Don’t think about it. You’re quite right. Put it entirely out of your mind!” They laughed happily and went back to rehearsal.
Opening night of You Can’t Take It with You made a permanent place in the history of Lake Kenabeek. With so many local people in the cast, the auditorium was overflowing with relatives and friends as well as summer guests. It was the best house the theater had had.
Michael Miller arrived with a little package carefully wrapped in cotton wool and asked Chuck where he should set it off.
“Set what off?” Chuck demanded, distracted and intent on getting things settled backstage as well as remembering his own part.
“My Kenabeek Special!” Michael answered. “You know, the explosion.” He hadn’t brought it to dress rehearsal with the explanation that there was only one firecracker. It hadn’t mattered—everyone was too busy to care. At this point, Chuck was crossing his fingers and trusting to luck that everything would turn out all right.