Chris spend the following Thursday in Portland. Joy and Charlotte were off shopping for college-related things, so after he’d finished his interview with a local TV station in the morning, he spent the day in city, visiting Powell’s, the famous bookstore, and doing a little shopping of his own.

He was on his way back to Silverweed and had just gotten off the exit and begun driving through the countryside when Sherri called him.

“Hey, Sherri.”

Sherri didn’t waste time with hellos. “I need to talk to you about who you’re bringing with you to the premier,” she said as soon as he picked up. “It’s coming up quickly. Vanessa will be going with her fiancé, of course, so you can’t go with her.”

Chris could tell Sherri was peeved. “You’re not seriously angry at Vanessa for getting engaged?” he said. “I’ve met her fiancé, he’s a good guy.”

“That’s not the point. Rumors about the two of you—that was the right sort of PR. She could have waited until after the movie was released to get engaged.”

“True love, go figure.”

Sherri missed the irony in his voice. “Anyway, I’m thinking Sienna Duke, who’s getting divorced, or Marlena Morrison. She’s got this on-again, off-again thing going with Lawrence Bigsby, and right now they’re off. She’s always good for some buzz.”

Sometimes, he thought, it would be so satisfying to just throw the phone out the window. “Sienna Duke is a moron,” he replied instead. “She’s got about three IQ points, and they rattle around in that empty head of hers so loudly you can hear them. I don’t know Marlena, but I do know Larry Bigsby, and he’s a nice guy. I’m not going to try to steal his girlfriend.”

“You don’t need to have a relationship with either of them.” Sherri was using her patient voice, the one she employed when he objected to the artificial realities she tried to create for him. “You don’t even need to talk to them, really. It’s just for show.” She sighed. “But you have a point about Marlena. I don’t think we want you to be seen as her boy on the side. We need someone more wholesome.”

Something clicked in his head. “Yeah, well, don’t sweat it. I’ve already got a date anyway.”

Ominous silence. Then: “Really?” Sherri’s voice was chilly.

He gulped. When Sherri’s voice got cold and quiet like this, it was never a good sign. “Yeah. I ... I’m bringing Joy Albright, my co-producer of the Shakespeare play.”

Another silence. “And besides ‘co-producing’ Shakespeare in the vineyards, what does this Joy Albright do?” Sherri’s tone was now overly sweet, another very bad sign.

“Uh ... she works for the University. In the administration or something. She’s not a professor.”

Sherri sighed. “‘Administration or something’ isn’t a job category I can work with.”

He searched his memory. Damnit, he remembered what kind of coffee she liked, he knew how to drive her crazy by kissing that spot behind her knee, but he couldn’t remember what her job title was or what her department was called. “Something in fundraising. Development office, maybe?”

“Oh.” To his surprise, Sherri sounded somewhat mollified. “Well, that’s not all bad. Are you serious about her?” she asked suspiciously. “Engaged or anything?”

Or anything. He was not ready to put his fledgling relationship with Joy under Sherri’s microscope. “We’re ... friends,” he said, a little reluctantly. “But she’s the one I want.” He could sense Sherri’s hesitation. “She’s very good looking,” he offered, wondering how Joy would react to the news that she was coming to the premier.

“Well, I’m going to send you a list of other women to think about, just in case this Joy changes her mind about coming,” Sherri said smoothly. “If she doesn’t, I want her resume, measurements, and a recent headshot no later than Saturday.”

“Her resume? Sherri, what the—”

“Darla will email you. Don’t worry about a thing.”

The line abruptly went dead.

* * *

Joy was at rehearsal early that evening to unlock the theater. Actors began trooping in, then finally Chris appeared, and her heart fluttered. She smiled at him a little shyly.

To her consternation and delight, he walked over to her and gave her a light kiss on the mouth. Despite the melty feeling it gave her, her first instinct was to pull away, aware that cast members were watching. She fought the urge, standing her ground and smiling at him, and was rewarded by the look of happiness on Chris’s face.

“We’ve got a lot to do tonight, but I need to talk to you after,” he said quietly. “I have a big favor to ask.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain after rehearsal.”

“That’s a long time to leave me curious,” she complained.

“I’ll satisfy your curiosity soon. And if you’re good, I’ll satisfy other things,” he whispered playfully.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tracie smiling at them with cheerful interest. She took a step back and tried to regain some semblance of professionalism. “All right then, let’s get started. I need to make a few quick announcements, then they’re all yours.”

Joy gave the assembled cast members a quick update on the auction and ticket sales. They’d had more contributions for auction items, including some bigger-ticket items such as a time-share and case of high-end wine. They’d sold 35 tickets, which covered the costs of the reception with a little to spare; another 65 tickets plus the auction items, and they could easily clear $20,000, which would set them up nicely for next year.

“We can have up to a hundred people at the reception, so keep selling those tickets, please! We could still use more big-ticket items for the auction and some smaller items for the raffles, so if you can donate or ask your place of work to donate, that would be great. It’s all tax deductible. Let me know if you have people I should approach myself, I’m happy to do that. Rob could use some more help with the set—please see him if you have any kind of carpentry skills or even if you just have a strong back. We’ll be doing a full dress rehearsal at Perry Park the Wednesday before the first performance, so put it on your calendars. It’s mandatory. And ... that’s all I’ve got. Over to Chris.”

Chris took charge, and for once, the rehearsal went with no mishaps. Chris ran the actors through Act Four, while the townsmen ran through Act Five in the lobby, Joy filling in for the characters who were rehearsing with Chris. It was fun playing the different roles, especially since she was under no pressure to memorize the lines or say them properly. The boys who played the townsmen were in high spirits and very funny, and she felt more confident than ever in the success of the play, and by extension, the Players.

But she was still dying of curiosity to know what Chris wanted to ask her, and when the cast finally trooped out, leaving her and Chris to lock up, she turned to him.

“This better be good, I’ve been dying of curiosity all evening.”

He looked a little nervous, which spiked her interest even further. “Okay, here’s the thing: you know I have to be in LA in two weeks for the premier, right?” She nodded. “It’s not that big a deal, really. All the actors show up, and walk into the theater, and watch the movie. There’s some press outside, and usually a couple of people makes speeches, but basically, it’s just watching a movie. And then my director is having a party afterward at his house in Beverly Hills. No press, just people involved with the movie. Kind of a cast party with top-shelf alcohol.”

She smiled a little and nodded again, not quite sure where he was going.

“So, I was wondering if you’d like to be my date.”

“Oh” She blinked. “For, like, a big Hollywood event thing?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I thought we could go to the premier and the party, which should be fun, and then we could spend the rest of the weekend together, just ... relaxing. I’ll show you my favorite parts of LA. You can see where I live. That sort of thing.”

His diffidence both amused and touched her. Plenty of women—maybe most women—would jump at the chance to go to a Hollywood premier on Chris’s arm, and the hesitancy in his voice spoke to his humble streak. Still ...

“Chris, I don’t know ... this is the whole red carpet thing, right? I mean, reporters and cameras. There have to be other people you could go with who’re more experienced at this sort of thing. I’d be afraid of saying something stupid and embarrassing you. I wouldn’t know what to do ... or what to wear or anything.”

“I talked to my publicist’s office. They can set you up with something to wear. You’re not going to say anything that would embarrass me, but if you’re worried, just let me do all the talking. The press at these things is really friendly. Softball questions, no crowding, it won’t take long. Once we’re in the theater, you’re just watching a movie and then going to a party. And you’ll like the people from the movie. They’re really nice and down to earth.”

She sank into one of the theater seats. “I thought you were just going to ask me out to dinner, or something,” she said with a small laugh. The thought of being that publicly visible made her stomach twist up in a most unpleasant way.

“We can have dinner too. I’m not going to let you starve,” he promised. “And I’ll pay for the airline tickets and anything else you need. I want this to be a fun, no-stress weekend away for you.”

She bit her lip. “That’s right before the silent auction.”

“We’ll get back in plenty of time. Do you really think there’ll be a lot of last-minute stuff to do for it?”

She thought about it. “No,” she said honestly. “It should be under control well before that … You’re not worried about people knowing you’re involved with an older woman?”

He sank down into the seat next to hers. “Older, younger, whatever. I want everyone to know I’m involved with you,” he said quietly.

There was that melty feeling again. She stared thoughtfully at her lap. If she and Chris were going to pursue a relationship, at some point it would mean being in the public eye. If not this, then it would be something else. Possibly something less “softball,” like the crowds of paparazzi that periodically drove him crazy. Sooner or later, she’d have to face it.

She realized that she was actually thinking about a future with him.

“Okay,” she nodded slowly. “I think that would be a lot of fun. And I’d love to see your bachelor pad.”

The tension drained out of him and the look of happiness that spread over his face told her that it was the right decision.

“Excellent!” He rewarded her with a sexy kiss. “By the way, I’m going to need your measurements, headshot, and a resume,” he added.