while. The bastard even had the gall to smile, like we were tight. Bosom buddies. Old pals.
He was in for a rude awakening.
I kept my expression blank, and his brow furrowed as he mouthed my name questioningly, Rosie? The nickname I’d once thought adorable now caused bile to rise in my throat.
“Take note of your places, everybody, and please stay on your marks. Eddie, I want you up here in front. We’ll start with ‘Lady Marmalade’ and then move on to ‘Because We Can.’ I want you all on your toes,” said Iggy loudly before he counted us down and began calling out steps. I noticed he wasn’t in the best mood today, and the cast suffered a gruelling morning because of it.
“Maggie! You’re about a foot off your mark. Please, we don’t have time for this,” he barked at one of the dancers. She looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, so I went to help her find her footing. As I moved through the dancers, I passed by Damon and our arms grazed, setting all of my tiniest hairs on end. It was revelatory, the effect his touch had on me, and I still had no idea what I was going to say to him at lunch.
Jacob called for a fifteen-minute break, and I grabbed my coat and purse to head to the nearest coffee shop. It was as I was leaving the building that somebody caught hold of my elbow, stopping me in my stride. I turned to find Blake’s clear blue eyes staring back at me, and I momentarily wanted to vomit.
“Rosie, it’s me, Blake,” he said, like it had been years since we’d last seen each other instead of weeks.
“Yes, I know who you are, Blake. I haven’t undergone a lobotomy since the closing night of Guys and Dolls.” He’d played the lead role of Nathan Detroit, a high-rolling gambler. His affected New York accent had been rocky at best.
“Okay,” he said, eyeing me shrewdly as he pulled the cigarette from behind his ear and lit up. “You’re pissed at me, I get it. I acted like a world-class prick to you before, and I’m sorry.”
“It’s in the past. I’d rather not discuss it,” I said, and began walking again. Blake followed, easily keeping pace with my quick strides.
“I didn’t know you were working on this show,” he told me.
I laughed bitterly. I also found that hard to believe since rehearsals were taking place in Iggy’s studio. Still, I didn’t bother arguing about it. Instead I gave him as much attitude as I could muster. “Of course you didn’t. I doubt you would’ve agreed to the role if you’d known. Wouldn’t want to have to go through the bother of being nice to an old notch on your bedpost.”
“I still would have taken it, Rosie. It’s a good part. Admittedly, I’d prefer to play the lead, but it seems that role has already been cast.”
I snickered at the idea of him even thinking about usurping Damon. Dancing aside, Blake didn’t even come close to the kind of star power and charisma Damon had in his little finger.
We reached the coffee shop, and I held the door open. “Look, Blake, I have no interest in rekindling our friendship, or whatever it was we had, but I’m prepared to be civil to you if you’ll be civil in return. That way we can both do our jobs and not be tiptoeing around each other for the next four months.”
Blake took a drag of his smoke and exhaled. He watched me for a second, as though trying to decide if I was playing some kind of game. “All right, civility it is. And I mean it when I say it’s good to see you, Rosie. You look great.”
I didn’t respond to his compliment, only nodded and turned to go inside. Putting in my order for a small flat white, I glanced back outside to see he’d gone. My breath whooshed out of me, and I felt relieved that the encounter was over. I wouldn’t put it past him to try waiting outside to walk me back, wheedle his way into my affections again so he could fool me into another night of meaningless sex.
When I returned to the studio, I instantly spotted Damon sitting on a chair by the window. Alicia was perched on the ledge before him as she took a sip from a bottle of water. He said something, and she giggled loudly. Normally I