under her breath as she glanced around the auditorium.
Voices drifted from backstage, giving her an idea. Nothing of note ever escaped the stage crew, whether it be clandestine love affairs, actor rivalries, drinking problems, or even the current location of a missing directorial assistant. She hurried up the apron steps, mentally promising herself that she would find a place to rest as soon as she had Virginia’s part in her pocket.
Once onstage—a location that never failed to exhilarate her as she looked out over the audience seats—she headed toward a handful of workmen gathered on the working side. Dressed casually in loose trousers and open-collared shirts, they appeared to be in the process of disassembling furniture and packing the pieces into wooden crates.
“Hiya, fellas.” Assuming the role of Virginia, she smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as if shy. “Sorry to bother you, but Mr. Stuart told me to find his assistant. Is she around?”
One of the men straightened. He was lanky and tall. Over six feet, easily. His sandy-brown hair was turning silver at the temples, and something about the ease with which he moved told her he was the man in charge. He didn’t bother returning her smile, though there was nothing unfriendly about him.
Shrewd brown eyes studied her for a moment. “Sue’s gone for the day. Had some last-minute errands to run before we head out tomorrow.”
She blinked, not quite sure she had heard him correctly. “Head out?”
“That’s right. Just found out today that the whole production has to be boxed up and ready to ship overseas ASAP.” He gestured toward the crates with his screwdriver. “As you can see, we were only halfway done with the construction when the orders came through, so things are a little crazy at the moment. But that’s the army for you.”
“We’re leaving tomorrow?” The implications of that careened about her brain like a panicked mouse spotting a cat. All she had with her was lipstick, soap, a hairbrush, and the outfit she’d been wearing for the last three days.
The man’s eyes narrowed. “We?”
Vi snapped back to the present quandary. “I’m the replacement dancer, which is why I’m looking for Sue. But now I’m wondering if I should be out shopping for the tour instead.”
“Once Sue gets you sized, everything you’ll need onstage will be provided, except for the shoes, which you can pay us back for, out of your earnings. As for basic sundries and a uniform, that’ll be issued by the army. The only things you’ll be on the hook for will be gal-type things, like makeup and stockings.”
“Right.” She pressed her hand to her chest to calm her still-racing heart. She had a couple of fins left from Sal. And if they shipped out tomorrow, that left only one night of room and board to cover, if she even bothered eating. She had gone to bed hungry before.
“What about food and lodging while on tour?” she asked to double-check.
“The USO pays for all that.” He hesitated, the furrow between his eyebrows deepening. “Forgive me, miss, but you seem rather uninformed about the particulars of this tour. You do know that our show will be headed overseas working the Foxhole Circuit? And that we may be performing quite close to the front lines?”
“Not too close, I hope.” Vi smiled weakly even as her stomach twisted.
“If we are, would it matter?” the man asked with a lift of an eyebrow. “Because if it does, now’s the time to back out. The USO’s mission is to lift the spirits of US servicemen, no matter where they’re stationed. That means we could land in Europe, or the South Seas, or even North Africa. Due to national security they haven’t told us what to expect, except that we’ll be playing outside of the States. And they only told us that because we need passports.”
A new worry stabbed her. Sal hadn’t mentioned anything about a passport. She wasn’t even sure how to get one, let alone with an assumed name and in less than a day.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say that, upon reflection, she wouldn’t be joining them after all. Then her son’s sweet face appeared in her mind. If she bailed now, she might never get to see him grow up. Of course, if she died overseas, she wouldn’t, either, but how often did the USO actually lose one of their performers? Plus, this was the second chance she had been dreaming of—performing in