“I thought that was what you wanted,” she said.
“You thought wrong.”
The skin right above her nose puckered as she stared at me. Then she smiled. “You really are a good actor. You had me there for a second.”
“Did I?”
“Yes. So what sort of film is this? Action, adventure?” She sat back up, lifted her legs, and sat Indian style in the chair.
“Action with some romance thrown in, I guess.”
“So I get to see what you look like when you’re in love?”
“Yep. Just open your eyes and look.”
“Aces.”
Either she was the most naive person I’d ever met or she was afraid to admit that she knew exactly what I was saying. Unfortunately, it was probably the first. She didn’t have a clue, and I was too big of a wimp to spit it out and tell her the truth.
“Oh!” She jumped out of her seat. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back. Just hold your horses.”
“I don’t have any horses.”
“Haha.”
The more the theater filled, the more I slunk into the seat.
“Cab’s so hot,” a girl sitting a few rows in front of me said. “I’ve seen this movie six times already. It’s a good thing this is the dollar theater. I was starting to go broke.”
I plugged my ears, closed my eyes, and waited for my non-date to come back.
“Catch.”
My eyes flew open just as Kei threw something at me from the end of the row. Luckily for her, I was a good catch because she didn’t have good aim in the dark.
I looked down at the box and smiled. They were Sour Brite Crawlers.
“Here,” she said, walking up and handing me more boxes. “I got six.”
“Six?”
“Yes. The boy thought I was batty, but Oliver gave me the money, so I figured I might as well get enough to last you a while. And here.” She stuck a large drink in the cup holder between us. “We’ll have to share the drink because I ran out of money and couldn’t get two.”
“Kei, I—”
The lights dimmed, and she shrieked and jumped into her chair.
“You what?” she asked after sitting Indian-style again.
“Nothing. The movie’s starting. It can wait.”
“You certain?”
“Yep.”
It was an agonizing two hours, and for various reasons. First, I was forced to watch myself, and even when I closed my eyes or focused on watching Kei, I still had to hear myself talk. Second, we were sitting only a few inches from each other, and all she wanted to do was watch the movie while all I wanted to do was snog.
I felt like a fourteen-year-old on his first date. I wanted to hold her hand or put my arm across her shoulder, but I couldn’t. I did manage to touch her hand a few times as she reached for the drink because I left my hand there for that very reason.
Kei seemed to like the movie. She laughed, she sighed, she cried, and she covered her eyes when the action got too violent or bloody for her to watch. She only spoke to me once, when, about twenty minutes into the movie, she leaned over and whispered, “Do you ever put on a shirt?”
Just as the movie ended, I stuffed all the boxes of candy in my sweatshirt, grabbed her hand, and yanked her out of the building before anyone else even made it out of their seats. I didn’t let go of her until she was jumping into the car.
“Well?” I asked, climbing into the passenger’s seat.
“You were amazing. I kept forgetting it was you. That’s how splendid you did.”
“Really?”
“Honestly, Cabot. I loved it. I think you’re a very talented actor. I can completely understand why you’ve been given as many roles as you have.”
“You really think so? You’re not just saying that because you’re my friend?”
“No. No way. And it’s not at all what you’ve said. It’s more than just your looks. You’re wonderful, talented for certain. It’s your calling, Cabot. It’s obvious.”
I couldn’t speak.
“Cabot?” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Did I embarrass you?”
I shook my head.
“Okay then. I’ll just drive, and if you decide you want to talk…”
We didn’t talk until we were back home and sitting on the side of the hot tub, with our feet in the water.
“Sorry I got so tongue tied,” I said.
“You don’t have to apologize to me.”
“I don’t know. I think I was just honored that you thought I did a good job.”
“Why would you be honored that I liked it? I’m not a professional or anything as such.”
“I know, but you’re a tough critic. And I think you would tell me if you didn’t think I was any good.”
“Maybe not directly. I more than likely would have politely suggested another vocation.”
“That’s what I mean. I have so many people in world who only tell me what they think I want to hear. It’s either that or critics are ripping me apart. When you have so many people critiquing everything you do, it’s hard not to constantly doubt yourself.”
“Well, don’t doubt yourself. You have no reason to. Ignore all the bilge and go on with doing what you love. You have a lot of fans out there who think you’re great, and now that even includes me.”
“You’re more than just a fan. You’re important to me, so what you think is important to me.”
“You’re important to me too. Your friendship is a wonderful blessing to my life.”
“Friendship,” I muttered under my breath.
“I’ll forever get to look back over these last several months and be amazed.”
“Why are you acting like this is ending? I’m not going anywhere. Are you?”
“No. But I suspect that I’ll be seeing less of you now that your schedule’s getting busier and you’ve already experienced Uganda.”
“Well, you’d be wrong.”
“Would I?”
“Yeah. And anyway, as far as this week is concerned, I’ve got to come to the main house so I can spend more time with Millie.”
She lay onto her back and laughed. “Good lawd, that woman is batty.”
I lay back too. “Very true. Why does she call you Anna?”
“That’s my given name. Kei is a nickname.”
“Where’d the nickname come from?”
“The people in one of the villages we lived in gave it to me. It means ‘white’ in their language. I liked the change of name, so we kept it. There are only a few people who still call me Anna. Personally, I like Kei a lot more. It’s different.”
“I like it too.”
“So, did Millie give you an ear-bashing?”
“What do you think?”
“Crikey. What did she say?”
“She said that if I didn’t keep it in my pants, she’d cut my manhood off.”
“She’s a scrappy thing for certain. What did you say back?”
“I told her you were safe with me.”
“Did you tell her we don’t see each other that way?”
“Not exactly.”
“Well, did you calm her down any?”
“I’m still walking, aren’t I?”
“I suppose so.”
“I’ll be sleeping with one eye open, though. I’ll guarantee you that.”
“Speaking of sleep, I should get some.” She sat up, pulled her feet out of the water, and shook each one to get the water off.
“You don’t want to stay out here with me a while longer?”
“I better not. It’s late, and besides, we wouldn’t want Millie getting the wrong idea about us. You don’t want to lose your manhood. You’ll need it next week when Sofie comes for her visit.”
“I told her not to bother coming.”
She spun my direction. “You what?”
“Put an end to it. Once and for all.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
“Last week? You were in Uganda last week.”
“I know.”
“How’d you manage to do that?”
“A phone call,” I said.
“Are you upset over it?”
“Not at all.”
“Was she?”
“I doubt it. We hadn’t seen each other since I met you. Maybe had a few phone conversations. It was her idea to come visit. Anyway, it wasn’t like there was much to call off.”
“What brought that on?”
I looked at her for several seconds before speaking. “Let’s just call it a reassessment of what it is I really want.”
“Putting your priorities straight?”
I sat up and faced her. “The right girl isn’t going to want me as long as I nob with someone else for no other reason than to pass the time.”
“I think pretty much every girl wants you. Don’t they?”
“You tell me.”
“If they knew you like I do, they certainly would.”
“What about you?”
“You’re safe with me, Cabot. I already told you that. I don’t have ulterior motives here. I’ll never ask anything from you.”
“Kei, I want you to want—”
“Anna! Your mama’s set to call any moment.” Millie’s voice traveled across the water.
“I’ll be right there.” She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks for the film, Cabot. I had a splendid time.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m going for a run in the morning. Will you be joining me?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“All right then.” She stood and lightly kicked me in the ribs with her foot. “See you in the morning.”
“See ya.”
I watched her until she walked inside and out of sight.
C H A P T E R
28
“I don’t understand how blokes can even like this sport. I thought you were all about action, and this has absolutely no action in it.”
“There’s action. They swing clubs, don’t they?” I said.
“I just don’t like it, Cabot. You’re going to have to find something else to watch.”
“Who doesn’t like golf?”
“Me, that’s who,” Kei squealed.
“Only because you don’t have a true appreciation for the game.”
“True appreciation? I don’t have
any
appreciation for it.”
“You have to give it a try.”
“All it does is make me want to nod off. All that whispering…really, I could hit the sack right now just thinking about it.”
We were interrupted by a knock on the guesthouse door.
“Come in!” she yelled before turning to me and rolling her eyes.
“Hey, you two,” Oliver said as he and Mariah made their way inside. “We need some help on something.”
“Thank God. Anything to get me out of watching the most horrid sport ever invented.”
I picked up a sofa cushion and hit her in the face with it. “Oh, you’re going to watch golf, and you’re going to learn to love it,” I announced.
“Baloney.”
“Are you guys going to help or not?” Oliver asked impatiently.
“What do you need?” I asked.
“We’re trying to rework a scene. It comes off as a little too much, and we need to see it in front of us.”
I stood up off the couch and caught the cushion as she threw it back at me. “Sure. What do you want me to do?”
“Go stand over there by the fireplace.”
Kei watched as Mariah put me in position and explained what she wanted me to do. “Do you need me to leave?” Kei asked.
“No,” Oliver huffed. “I need you over there with him. Mariah, put her where she goes.”
The redhead’s eyes got huge. “Me?”
“Yeah. This scene has two people.”
“But I don’t act. I’m not an actor.”
“We’re not going to be filming it.” Mariah said. “We just want to take some notes.”
“I don’t know.”
I flapped my arms and clucked. “Get over here, you big
chicken.”
“Bog off,” she scolded.
“Not until you get over here and get this scene done. Then I’ll bog off all you want me to.”
“Hurry up, Kei.” Mariah waved her toward the fireplace. “We’re on a roll, and we want to get this thing done. It’ll take no more than ten minutes. I promise.”
“Fine.” She threw herself off the couch and marched to my side. “This is beyond embarrassing.”
“There’s nobody in the room,” I noted. “Why are you so embarrassed?”
“Because I can’t act.”
“Then don’t act. Just be the character.”
“I don’t know one blasted thing about the character.”
“Oliver, give her back story. Maybe that’ll help shut her up,” I said.
She stuck her tongue out at me before turning her attention to Oliver.
“Kei, you’re playing Philline. She’s a peasant girl who works in the palace owned by Feiro’s family.”
“Who’s Feiro?” she asked.
“Me,” I said.
“Oh.”
Oliver continued. “Feiro and Philline have grown up together, but they live in two separate worlds. So although they used to play together as children, now that they’re grown and she actually works for him, it would be scandalous for them to be together. But unbeknownst to each other—and against all odds—they’ve fallen in love.”