Free One Night With You by Gwynne Forster Page B

then.”
    Deciding to look as much as possible like the average forty-year-old woman, she dressed in a straight black skirt that barely skimmed her knees, a red turtleneck sweater and black loafers, put on her storm coat and headed for what she hoped would be the beginning of fun and friends.
    As she read, she warmed up to the part until, by the end, she felt as if she were the mother of a sixteen-year-old girl hell-bent on ruining her life. She handed the script back to Mike Reinar and asked him, “Well, what do you think?”
    â€œI can’t believe it,” he said. “It’s plain damned eerie. You read it as if it were written for you. The part is yours. Do you think you can look a little more harassed? I mean no makeup, no earrings and straggly hair?”
    â€œI’m not wearing any makeup, Mr. Reinar, and please, call me Kendra.”
    â€œI’m afraid we’ll have to take a vote on that. For now, I’ll call you Miss Kendra.”
    Later, at home, it required all of her willpower to resist calling Reid to tell him what she’d done. She studied the part with the theme music of Peter Gunn in the background, for it helped her to concentrate. When she went to bed, she wasn’t happy, but at least she was doing something other than sitting at home morose and longing for a man she shouldn’t have.
    The following afternoon, she had no afternoon cases, so she went to the theater, and Reinar guided her in projecting her voice. “You’re a natural,” he told her after reading with her.
    â€œWhat a trial lawyer does has many elements of acting,” she told him. “I practiced law for five years.”
    â€œInteresting,” he said. “Lawyers are usually a lot richer than judges.”
    â€œBut face fewer hazards,” she said and changed the subject. “When do you hope to present the play?”
    â€œLate May at the earliest. Not all of my actors are as quick a study as you are. Meanwhile, some of us will be practicing for our summer play in the park. Folks come from all around to see that. This year, it will be Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Can you see yourself playing Big Daddy’s wife? I can.”
    â€œLet’s see how well I do in this one,” she said.
    The girl signed to play the leading role seemed flat and lackluster to Kendra, but she supposed Mike Reinar knew what he was doing. She made up her mind to immerse herself in her role, and to enjoy every minute that she was on stage.
    â€œIt’s not working,” Mike told her after a week of rehearsals. “That kid can’t act. The writer is going to rewrite it so that it’s a family drama, and she’s a minor player.”
    She adjourned the court for the spring recess as the county clerk directed, and decided to visit her sister in New Bern. I can’t leave town without telling Reid. It’s bad enough that I can’t see him and be with him, but I’m not prepared to pretend he doesn’t exist. She stopped packing and dialed his number. It’s only eight-thirty, she thought, so a call shouldn’t disturb him. The phone rang several times, and she was about to hang up when she heard his voice.
    â€œMaguire speaking. How may I help you?”
    Instead of saying hello, she said, “Don’t you have caller ID?”
    â€œYeah, but it’s turned off. Kendra! My Lord! I was so deep in this thing that I almost didn’t answer the telephone. What is it? What’s up? Are you all right?”
    â€œI’m fine, Reid. How are you?”
    â€œI’m able to work, eat and sleep, and for that I am grateful.”
    â€œI, uh…called because I’m going to New Bern for a week to see my sister, Claudine, and I couldn’t make myself leave town for that long without letting you know where I am.”
    His long silence unnerved her. Finally, he said, “Could we maybe meet somewhere for a coffee or something? Please. I want