Page 151 of Everything's Coming Up Rosie

“Are you two finished being sappy?” Arthur’s voice calls down from the catwalk.

I smile up into the darkness. “Lord, is that you?”

“Funny.” I can hear him harrumph.

I draw in a breath. “One more show.”

“I need to go check the props table,” Dylan says.

“Isn’t that someone else’s job?” I ask.

“Yes.” She starts toward the door. “But I just want to be sure.”

As she walks out, Arthur appears in the wings. He seems to have no intention of stopping to talk to me, so I trail behind him. “Did you know Dylan could sing?”

“Nope.” He leaves the backstage area and walks into the scene shop. “Nice voice, though.”

I follow him into his office and sit down on the only open seat. “You should clean this place.”

“I call it creative chaos.” He sits behind the computer.

“I call it a disaster.”

“Good thing you’re leaving then.” He tries to hide his smirk, but I catch a glimpse of it before he turns away.

“Saw you with Bertie,” I say, probing.

He looks up at me. “Don’t make it a thing.”

“I’m really glad you’re talking again,” I say, but the request for more information is evident in my tone.

He shoots me another look, and I begrudgingly take the hint.

I look around his office. “So... I’ve been thinking.”

“That’s a first.” Arthur clicks around on his computer, barely acknowledging me.

“Okay, first, nice dig, and second, I went back through my submissions. I have a tendency to randomly panic-submit for jobs I’mtechnicallyright for. And some I’m really not right for. I mean, that’s how I ended up here.”

He squints over at me. “Is that what happened?”

I ignore him. “And I started to think about Britta Shockley.”

“Am I supposed to know who that is?”

I fold my arms. “She’s the casting director who asked me to audition forA Doll’s House.”

He shrugs, remaining disinterested.

I watch him, letting my pause grow a bit, just to see if he reacts.

He doesn’t.

He’s good.

“So I went back through my submissions.” I chew on the inside of my cheek, leaning forward a bit, looking for a rise, a flinch, anything.

Still no reaction.

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