Sea Glass Island (Ocean Breeze) - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,80
your next step? Are you just going to put up flyers? Announce you’re teaching classes? Find a storefront space and open a school?”
“I’m still working out the details,” Samantha said.
“Well, if your focus is on teaching acting, why not start by talking to Regina Gentry?” Gabi suggested. “I imagine she’d have plenty of ideas about what she’d like to see available in the area. She might even have a long list of potential students she’d share with you. And it might even be wise to get her more involved.”
Samantha frowned. “More involved? How? Why?”
“She’s been the respected drama teacher around here for years,” Gabi reminded her. “You don’t want to give her the sense that you’re trying to take over from her. It could cause a rivalry you don’t need. Ask her to direct scenes for you for a showcase. Have her teach some specific technique. I don’t know. Just get her invested in your plans beyond giving advice.”
Though Samantha worried a little about what Ethan would think of her working with a woman he’d so recently called out for her insensitivity, she immediately seized on the idea. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll head over to the high school later this morning, see if she’s available. I need to kick-start this plan so Ethan knows I’m serious about it.”
Emily and Gabi exchanged a look.
“Despite your denials, I knew Ethan was the real reason behind this,” Emily said, obviously delighted. “Am I good at this matchmaking stuff or what?”
“As soon as you’ve finished congratulating yourself, how about butting out?” Samantha pleaded. “I can take it from here.”
“That remains to be seen,” Emily said. “If I don’t see progress, I’m butting right back in.”
Gabi chuckled and once more lifted her mug. “Count me in.”
Samantha frowned at them. “You do realize I’m not the holdout, right?”
“She’s right,” Gabi said, her expression turning thoughtful. “We need to get Wade and Boone working on Ethan.”
“Please don’t,” Samantha begged. “He’ll pack up and move to Alaska or something.”
“Where you could hunt him down and make love in front of a roaring fire,” Emily said dreamily.
Samantha rolled her eyes. “I thought I was the one who’d made a career out of make-believe.”
“Fairy-tale endings aren’t make-believe,” Emily protested. “I have mine, Gabi has hers and yours is just around the corner.”
Samantha laughed. Nothing like a healthy dose of pie-eyed optimism to get the morning off to a good start.
* * *
When Samantha dropped into the high school office, she was greeted by a wide-eyed girl who looked vaguely familiar.
“Hi, I’m Sue Ellen,” the teen said. “And you’re Samantha Castle. I can’t tell you how inspired I was by your talk after rehearsal the other day. It just made me want to work all the harder to become a huge star.”
Samantha smiled, remembering now that this was the play’s lead, the girl with the almost terminal case of stage fright. “You’re serious about acting?” she asked carefully.
“Sure,” Sue Ellen said, then flushed. “I mean I know I suck in front of an audience. All those people scare me to death, but I can act. And movies and TV aren’t as hard, right? Just learn a few lines at a time, then play to the camera.”
“It’s not quite that simple,” Samantha told her, but Sue Ellen didn’t seem to be swayed by her gentle wake-up call. “I came to see Mrs. Gentry. Is she available?”
“She has study hall right now, but I’ll bet she wouldn’t mind if you stopped by.” She wrote down the room number and drew a map of the hallways. “Just go on in. You’re supposed to have an official pass, but nobody’s going to care.”
Clearly Sue Ellen was a rule-breaker, Samantha thought, hiding a smile. Maybe that would be enough to give her an edge in Hollywood.
A few minutes later, she found the room, tapped on the door, then poked her head in. Mrs. Gentry’s eyes lit up. She hurried over to the door.
“Samantha, what brings you by? Isn’t the wedding tomorrow? I thought you’d be swamped with last-minute details.”
“Cora Jane’s had everything under control for a month,” Samantha said. “She swears all we need to do is to show up for tonight’s rehearsal dinner and the ceremony tomorrow.”
“Lucky you. I remember how chaotic it was when my daughter got married, but then I don’t have your grandmother’s organizational skills.”