at all. It was a little unsettling, but as I turned back to the path, the sun and the trees had a calming effect. I already liked it here.
The rest of our people were gathered in a clearing with a sign nailed to a tree: CHAUCER STAGE. There was no stage. There was half a platform and a stack of planks ready to be made into the rest. Chris sat on the edge of the finished half of the stage, holding up a pearl-encrusted bodice and talking to one of the other adult volunteers.
Costume. Right. I stuck my sunglasses on top of my head and fished in my backpack while I walked toward her. I’d brought my boots today for final approval. If Chris okayed them now, I wouldn’t have to talk to Simon unless it was absolutely necessary. Everyone would win.
Chris looked them over. “No zippers or modern ornamentation. Looks good to me.” She handed them back to me. “I didn’t see you at the bookstore this week.”
“I know.” I smiled; it was nice to be missed. “April’s down to physical therapy every other week now.”
“That’s great news! So she’s getting better?”
“Much.” My smile widened. “Thanks for asking.”
“Of course! Tell her I’m thinking of her.” Chris placed a hand on my shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. I was dismissed, but not rudely.
My smile remained in place as the rest of the cast gathered around the half-finished stage for our morning briefing. I liked these people; I liked this town. Why didn’t April? I could see her valuing privacy, but no one was trying to meddle. So far, everyone I’d met in Willow Creek was nice.
Then I spotted Simon. Okay, almost everyone. I looked him over and frowned. It wasn’t like him to be at the back of the crowd like this, but there he was, leaning against a tree, fiddling with something in his hands. Sunlight flashed off silver, and I squinted when I realized he was holding a flask, turning it over and over, tossing it lightly from one palm to the other.
What was with this guy? The day we’d met he’d been the straightest of straitlaced people, but lately it was like he’d been letting himself go. His hair was massively in need of a trim, and if I’d thought he looked scruffy the weekend before, now he looked like he’d given up on shaving entirely. And why was he skulking in the back with booze? He was a teacher, for God’s sake.
He looked up and our eyes met. I started like I’d been caught at something, which I guess I had been. He frowned at me and stowed the flask in the back pocket of his jeans. Then he folded his arms firmly over his chest, his gaze more of a glower in my direction. I quickly turned back around.
The energy in the group was charged with excitement, and it was easy to see why as I looked around. Wearing long skirts and practicing accents in a high school auditorium felt like planning an overly elaborate Halloween costume. But here in the woods, away from traffic noises and the hum of industrial air conditioners, the only sounds were the chatter of the kids around us and the wind rustling in the treetops. It was easy to imagine we’d stepped into another century.
“Different kind of rehearsal today!” Chris’s voice rang out in her usual sunny tones, and everyone quieted down and turned their attention to her. “This is going to be our home from now until the end of the summer.” She threw her arms wide as if she could embrace the trees. “We open in two weeks, and we have volunteers working hard to put this place together. So what we’re going to do today is take a walk around the site and get to know it. It’s all basically one big circle, with lots of side paths. Feel free to explore for a little while, and then we’ll get to work.”
“Work?” I turned to Stacey, my eyebrows raised. She bumped me with an elbow and directed my attention back to Chris, who was still smiling, way too pleased with the idea of work on a Saturday morning.
“We leave the heavy lifting—literally—to our stage techs and volunteers, but there’s plenty we can get done this morning. A couple of the sets are constructed and ready for paint; that’s why we asked you to wear old clothes today, remember!”
I had forgotten about that, but thankfully it