Shutting the door behind it, Eddie took a moment to center herself. She leaned back against the door and tried for a deep breath.
Phenomenally stupid idea, as it turned out. The moment she closed her eyes, she was beset with images of Shade’s broken and bleeding body. Action it was then, and she took the stairs to the theater three at a time.
From the stage, it sounded like Lillian and Barrie had solved their artistic differences.
“Edme.” Rodney emerged from the door to stage right. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Were hell princes like vampires and needed human blood to heal? In which case she might consider tossing Rodney on the cause of saving Shade’s life. “Yup. Here I am.”
“I have looked into the matter of the dog down the road.” Rodney frowned.
Here it came.
“And you’re quite right.” He gave a stiff nod. “The house was recently rented, and they do own a large dog. I wanted to assure you that I will be sending them a firm email in which I insist they maintain control of their animal.” He shook his head, the only man capable of seeing reason in this world. “We cannot have all that howling. Especially not during performances.”
“Great idea.” She decided a hasty retreat was in order. She’d been taking a complete flyer on there being a dog down the road. Also, she really wouldn’t feed Rodney to a vampire. At least, not to the death.
Rodney stood between her and the door to the greenroom. “I also wanted to speak to you about the box office.”
“Right.” She didn’t have time for this. Any moment now, one of the hounds might take it into its head to bust out of the basement and come looking for her. “Actually, Rodney, I don’t have time right now to talk about the box office, but we can meet early next week.”
Rodney’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You don’t have time?”
“No, Rodney.” This commanding thing was getting contagious. “I have a lot of responsibilities in this theatre, and I need to schedule my time carefully.”
“Really?” He flushed as if she’d slapped him. “If you find your responsibilities too onerous, we can always find someone who can manage them.”
Eddie nearly laughed in his pompous face. Yeah, good luck getting someone else to manage this theatre in rural Ontario on what they paid her. She flashed him a smile. “You’re welcome to look.”
“Well.” Rodney straightened the pens in his top pocket. “I don’t think we need to start that process just yet.” Then he found his balls again. “Did you fix the clogged toilet?”
“All done.” She smirked and ducked past him. “Next time use less paper to wipe.”
It was a good thing you couldn’t slam stage doors, because Rodney gave it his best as he stomped off.
Matt was in the greenroom studying his script and making notes. As Seyton only had five lines, Eddie gave him points for enthusiasm. He smiled when he saw her. “Hey, Eddie.”
“Matt.” She found the first aid kit on the small bookshelf beside the couch and hauled it out.
Eyes glinting as his gaze locked on the first aid box, Matt jumped to his feet. “Is somebody injured? Is it Barrie? Because not to worry if it is, I’ve been studying Macbeth’s lines, and I can easily step in.”
“It’s not Barrie.” Eddie tucked the white metal box under her arm. “And it’s a fantastic idea to understudy the lead. Because this is live theater, and you never know.”
Matt flushed and gave her a shy smile. “You think? Because Macbeth is such a wonderfully, complex character.” He pounded his chest with a fist. “I really feel like I can relate to him on such a visceral level.” Moisture gleamed in his large brown eyes. “His struggle for identity, his desperate need for affirmation, his profoundly held belief that he is not good enough.”
He was such a sweet guy and deserved a chance to do more than shadow Barrie. Eddie squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d make a great Macbeth.”
“Hey, Eddie.” Bianca’s raspy, hot coals voice came from the doorway.
Eddie turned and was hit by The Smile. She held firm against its charm. Nearly dead hell prince in her basement trumped all other distractions. “Hey, Bianca.” She moved to slide past her.
Bianca somehow got between Eddie and the greenroom door. The Smile gained intensity. “How are you, Eddie? I wanted to check in with you. You were pretty upset at the board meeting the other day.”
“I’m good, Bianca.” Eddie tried for a light tone but came out sounding more like she was running to catch the last bus of the day. “I really need to get on.”
“Oh, dear.” Bianca clocked the first aid box under her arm. “Is somebody hurt?”
“Nope.” Eddie was proud of the evasion she produced. “I just need to check the contents and make sure the box is up to date.”