Page 82 of Wild Love

"I'm glad I caught you, Miss St. Claire. I'm running a production ofWickedhere in Tennessee. My lead actress broke her foot. I need someone who could fill in, and your resume was sitting in my inbox. I see you've played this part before, and frankly, I'm desperate."

His wording dimmed my excitement about the job opportunity.

"I'm more than qualified for this part. Is there a reason why you'd say you were desperate other than needing someone right now?"

A sigh came over the line. "I have to be honest with you. I spoke with your former boss, Steve McNamare. He didn't have good things to say about you since you quit in the middle of the production without any notice. I can't have that happen here."

"I assume he didn't say why."

"I wondered if there was more to this story. Steve has a bit of a reputation himself."

Encouraged, I continued, "He came onto me. I wanted to do my job. I wasn't interested in getting involved with any of my coworkers, especially not my boss. It caused issues with the rest of the cast, and I didn't return the interest. I wanted him to leave me alone."

"This isn't the first time I've heard something about Steve. If you want the part. I need you here soon. We have an understudy filling the role for a few days, but we need a lead. Are you interested?"

My mind was reeling with everything I had to do the next few days. "Can I have a couple of days to think about it?"

"Twenty-four hours. If you don't take it, I need to move onto someone else." His voice was tight.

"I understand."

"I'll send the salary details to your email."

"Thank you for calling. I really appreciate it." I got off the phone, my heart racing. I was thrilled I was offered a part. The question was, did I want it?

It was a lead role so definitely worth my time. This director believed my story about Steve, so that was encouraging.

But did I want to leave Telluride? I wanted to see this play through to the end. We had our performance on Friday and then an after-party with the kids. After that, there was nothing keeping me here. Except for my family and Eli.

Eli just said he loved me, and I loved him. Would he be okay with a long-distance relationship, or would that be too much for him? We weren't kids anymore. He'd talked about building a house. He probably wanted to settle down.

Even though I loved the idea of having my own place and a kitchen to cook in, I wasn't sure I was ready for that kind of commitment. The idea was growing on me though. Especially when I thought about coming home to Eli.

We'd shared something that night that was more than anything I'd felt for anyone else. That had to mean something.

But could I walk away from a paying job? There wasn't anything for me here but an unpaid position. To walk away would mean denying my passion and my independence.

I finished sewing the dress for one of the girls and put everything away for the night. I stepped outside and was just locking up when a woman approached me.

"Hi. I'm Shanna Austin, a Realtor here in town."

I frowned. "The theater isn't for sale as far as I know."

"I've heard you're close with Eli, and I'm wondering if you could talk to him about reconsidering."

I narrowed my eyes on her. "Why would I talk to Eli about the theater?"

Now Shanna looked confused. "He owns it."

"Elijah Wilde owns the theater?" I was getting more irritated with this woman by the second. I gestured in the direction of the ticket window. "This one right here?"

"That's right." She nodded like I was the slow one in this conversation.

There was a roaring in my ears, and I swayed on my feet. Why would Eli own the theater? "What am I supposed to talk to him about?"

"I have a client who'd like to turn it into a bar and restaurant. It's the perfect location for them, and I can't imagine a children's musical is profitable for Eli."

I smiled sweetly despite my shock. "I'll be happy to talk to him."

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