‘You see?’ Travis said to Charlene. ‘No problem.’
‘That was an incredible performance,’ she said. ‘You really fooled her. Thank you so much. And I won’t be a nuisance. I’ll go now.’
‘No way. You just heard me say you were spending the day with me, so that’s what you have to do.’ He dropped his voice to a theatrical undertone. ‘If you flee my company it looks bad. People will think I’m losing my touch.’
‘And we can’t have them thinking that,’ she agreed.
‘Right. Now it’s time we went to the rehearsal.’
‘We? Am I allowed?’
‘You were going to go with the group.’
‘Yes, but will they let me in on my own?’
‘You won’t be on your own. You’re my guest, and you can do anything I say.’
He drew her to her feet, then crooked his arm for her to take.
‘Time for our entrance,’ he said.
CHAPTER TWO
WHEN they entered the rehearsal room the director raised his eyebrows, but a smile from Travis and his arm around Charlene’s shoulder evidently answered all questions.
He saw her comfortably seated and flicked open the script. ‘Which scene is it this morning?’
‘The one where you try to talk Myra out of being in love with Dr. Baker,’ the director said, ‘and Baker overhears you-if those two would only turn up-ah, Lee, Penny, there you are!’
Charlene stiffened as Lee appeared in the doorway, with the girl she’d seen him with earlier. She turned her head but not quickly enough.
Lee had seen her.
He’d recognised her.
She tried to interpret his stunned look as pleasure. Now he would hurry across the floor to greet her.
But he stayed where he was, confused, troubled. Not delighted.
‘Right, Lee,’ the director said, ‘we’ll have a camera on you, to get a reaction shot. Travis, start at, “You should forget Dr Baker.”’