the bartender, who’s six foot three and two hundred pounds of solid muscle.”
Ethan nodded, looking relieved. “That’s good, then.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you work there much?”
“More than I’d prefer in recent months,” she confessed. “It’s not a bad place and the people are great, but being there is always a reminder that things aren’t going so well with my so-called real job.”
“Ever thought of giving up?”
“Sometimes,” she said. “Especially recently.”
“What’s stopped you?”
“Stubbornness, mostly. I’m not a quitter by nature. I’m an optimist. I always think the next big thing could be just around the corner. Enough little things pop up to keep that hope alive.” She paused, then added, “Or at least they did.”
“Not so much anymore?”
She shook her head.
“That must be tough.”
“I can’t deny that it is,” she said.
“I guess I always thought of that world as being glamorous and exciting. I never stopped to think about the constant stress of not knowing what’s coming next.”
“It takes a toll,” she said, not really sure why she didn’t want to reveal just how powerful a toll it had taken recently and that quitting was more and more on her mind.
They walked to downtown Sand Castle Bay in silence, but as he led the way toward a small bar on the waterfront, she glanced up at him. “Were you just lonely tonight or is there something on your mind?”
“I need to talk to you,” he said. He gestured toward an available table with a view of the water and the bar’s host nodded. Ethan led the way, then held her chair.
Only after they were seated and their drink orders had been taken did he continue. “Something happened today and it has me worried.”
Samantha heard the real anxiety in his voice. “What happened?”
“Cass Gray stopped by my office.”
“Ah, I see,” she said, immediately grasping the problem. He wanted to warn her not to tamper with the girl’s emotions. “She told you we’d met at the high school.”
“She did. And I think it’s great that you took the time to speak to the cast. Cass was obviously thrilled. Whatever you said inspired her.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It should be,” he conceded. “What I’m worried about is that she wants to get to know you better. I think she has some idea that you hold the key to her entire future. When she found out we know each other, she asked me to set up something.”
“Why is that a problem?” she asked, though she thought she knew the answer. He still didn’t entirely trust her not to be insensitive.
“It isn’t necessarily a problem,” he said quickly. “I just know how crushed she was by Mrs. Gentry’s failure to cast her in the play. I’m afraid if you tell her she’s wasting her time pursuing an acting career, it will be the last straw. I know she talks tough, but Cass is fragile. What she needs more than anything these days is to hang on to hope.”
“Even if it’s false hope?” Samantha asked, although she did understand his concern.
He regarded her with immediate dismay. “Do you think it will be?”
She put her hand over his. “Ethan, I have no way of knowing. I didn’t see her act or even read a single line. Mrs. Gentry says she’s good, and I trust her judgment.”
“But that didn’t stop her from rejecting Cass for a part in the play.”
“She knows now that she made a mistake, that she based her decision on appearances, not on Cass’s talent,” Samantha told him. “She says you made her see that, by the way. Good for you!” She held his gaze. “I can promise you this, if I do get to know Cass, if I do have the chance to hear her read for a part, I won’t judge her the same way.”
Ethan didn’t look as relieved by that as she’d thought he would be. “Not good enough?” she asked defensively, hurt by his lack of faith in her.
“I know it’s perfectly reasonable. I’m just scared for her. She’s finally making some progress with her self-esteem and her self-image. I don’t want her to go backward.”
“You can’t protect her from life,” Samantha warned him. “If you were listening to me earlier, you know that this business she’s chosen isn’t easy. It takes a tough hide to handle the rejections that are a natural part of it, or the bad reviews, or sniping from actresses who thought they should have gotten the part you were given.”
“Maybe it’s not possible to protect