my chances.” I’d never seen Vonetta so angry. Until tonight, I hadn’t even known she could get angry.
Laurence barked a disbelieving laugh. “You’d rather let the production fail than have me around? That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it?”
“Think what you want,” Vonetta snarled. “If I’d known the truth about you, I never would have hired you.”
What truth? I edged forward a fraction of an inch so I could see them more clearly.
I was pretty sure her comments had hit their mark, but Laurence hid his anger well. Smirking, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “Oh come on, Vonetta. Lighten up. You’re making a mountain out of a mole-hill.”
“How dare you.” The words ground out of her throat, and she drew back her arm as if she intended to strike him.
Laurence caught her hand and barked another laugh, but his expression changed in the blink of an eye, and I saw something cold and calculating beneath his handsome exterior. “I’d be careful if I were you. Once you get up on a high horse like that, the only way off is down. Maybe it’s slipped your mind, but we have a legally binding contract. If you want out, take me to court. Otherwise, I have a job to do. I suggest you stay out of my way while I do it.”
Vonetta jerked her hand out of his grasp and massaged her wrist. “You’re the one who’d better be careful,” she snarled. “Stay away from my daughter. Stay away from the cast. Stay away from the crew. And don’t do anything to jeopardize this production or I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
She pivoted away and a second later I heard the door to her office shutting behind her. Laurence watched her go, an odd expression on his face. After a moment, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and strode into the auditorium, whistling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
I stayed in the shadows of the box office, my mind whirling as I replayed the argument I’d just witnessed and thought back over everything else that had happened tonight.
What would Vonetta do next? There was no way she could take Laurence to court and win. If nothing else, he’d just keep spending money on delays until her bank accounts all ran dry. Even if she won, the publicity involved would destroy her reputation. A man like Laurence Nichols would win hands down in the court of public opinion. But neither could I see Vonetta just backing down and letting Laurence stay.
One thing for sure, Vonetta had been right the other day. Life in the theater was never dull.
“I have four more orders for one-pound mixes, three for chocolate caramels, and five more for chocolate-covered strawberries,” Liberty announced as she strode into the kitchen at Divinity the next morning. We’d only been open an hour, but we’d had a steady flow of customers into the store since we unlocked the doors, and the phone had been ringing off the hook.
At this rate, I wouldn’t have time to miss Jawarski or envy those who were in the play, and that was fine with me. In the space of twenty-four hours, I’d managed to misplace my last bottle of cinnamon flavor oil and I’d already wasted half an hour looking for it. I didn’t need any distractions.
I stepped off the stool I’d been standing on and brushed past a hanging heart to take the order forms from Liberty. “All of these came in during the last hour?”
Liberty nodded, and the black and blond hair she’d piled loosely on top of her head threatened to escape its clip. “Can you believe it? The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since I walked through the door.”
I was happy to see the brisk sales, but a little worried about my ability to keep up with them. Swallowing my rising panic, I forced a smile. “I’ve noticed. You haven’t been promising exact dates for delivery, have you?”
Liberty gave her head another shake. “By the fourteenth, just like you said.”
Gratified, I pulled in a calming breath and reminded myself that
Laurence barked a disbelieving laugh. “You’d rather let the production fail than have me around? That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it?”
“Think what you want,” Vonetta snarled. “If I’d known the truth about you, I never would have hired you.”
What truth? I edged forward a fraction of an inch so I could see them more clearly.
I was pretty sure her comments had hit their mark, but Laurence hid his anger well. Smirking, he leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. “Oh come on, Vonetta. Lighten up. You’re making a mountain out of a mole-hill.”
“How dare you.” The words ground out of her throat, and she drew back her arm as if she intended to strike him.
Laurence caught her hand and barked another laugh, but his expression changed in the blink of an eye, and I saw something cold and calculating beneath his handsome exterior. “I’d be careful if I were you. Once you get up on a high horse like that, the only way off is down. Maybe it’s slipped your mind, but we have a legally binding contract. If you want out, take me to court. Otherwise, I have a job to do. I suggest you stay out of my way while I do it.”
Vonetta jerked her hand out of his grasp and massaged her wrist. “You’re the one who’d better be careful,” she snarled. “Stay away from my daughter. Stay away from the cast. Stay away from the crew. And don’t do anything to jeopardize this production or I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
She pivoted away and a second later I heard the door to her office shutting behind her. Laurence watched her go, an odd expression on his face. After a moment, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and strode into the auditorium, whistling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
I stayed in the shadows of the box office, my mind whirling as I replayed the argument I’d just witnessed and thought back over everything else that had happened tonight.
What would Vonetta do next? There was no way she could take Laurence to court and win. If nothing else, he’d just keep spending money on delays until her bank accounts all ran dry. Even if she won, the publicity involved would destroy her reputation. A man like Laurence Nichols would win hands down in the court of public opinion. But neither could I see Vonetta just backing down and letting Laurence stay.
One thing for sure, Vonetta had been right the other day. Life in the theater was never dull.
“I have four more orders for one-pound mixes, three for chocolate caramels, and five more for chocolate-covered strawberries,” Liberty announced as she strode into the kitchen at Divinity the next morning. We’d only been open an hour, but we’d had a steady flow of customers into the store since we unlocked the doors, and the phone had been ringing off the hook.
At this rate, I wouldn’t have time to miss Jawarski or envy those who were in the play, and that was fine with me. In the space of twenty-four hours, I’d managed to misplace my last bottle of cinnamon flavor oil and I’d already wasted half an hour looking for it. I didn’t need any distractions.
I stepped off the stool I’d been standing on and brushed past a hanging heart to take the order forms from Liberty. “All of these came in during the last hour?”
Liberty nodded, and the black and blond hair she’d piled loosely on top of her head threatened to escape its clip. “Can you believe it? The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since I walked through the door.”
I was happy to see the brisk sales, but a little worried about my ability to keep up with them. Swallowing my rising panic, I forced a smile. “I’ve noticed. You haven’t been promising exact dates for delivery, have you?”
Liberty gave her head another shake. “By the fourteenth, just like you said.”
Gratified, I pulled in a calming breath and reminded myself that
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