Method Acting: An opposites attract, found family romance (Center Stage Book 2) Adele Buck (e novels to read .TXT) 📖

tried to push each other’s buttons, psych each other out. But where other people came and went in Alicia’s life, Susan was the one constant.

I’m sure a shrink would have a field day with that. It sounded unhealthy even to herself.

“Congratulations,” the bartender said as she put a glass in front of Alicia. “What show should I be keeping my eye out for?”

“Chamber of Lies,” Alicia mumbled, and the bartender gave her a thumbs-up.

“To our friend, the rising star in the chamber!” Kathleen said exuberantly. She and Wendy clinked their glasses to Alicia’s, and Alicia took a sip, the buzz and tickle of the wine on her tongue reminding her of the night she met Colin.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Wendy said, bumping her shoulder into Alicia’s. “Aren’t you excited? You have a new job, a new guy…”

Alicia chuckled ruefully. “I think I’m in shock.”

“She did get an amazing dress at Olga’s. And she sent a sultry selfie to the guy to boot. How did he respond?” Kathleen asked, nudging Alicia with her elbow.

Wendy’s eyes widened. “You’re not sexting him, are you?”

Alicia laughed. “No, no nudity. Just a preview of the dress.” She dug her phone out of her bag and called up the photo, showing it to Wendy.

“Nice,” Wendy said, nodding.

“And to answer your question, Kathleen, this is how he responded.” Alicia swiped the selfie aside and showed both women the photograph she had taken of the giant flower arrangement.

Kathleen’s mouth dropped open, and she looked wide-eyed at Alicia, her hand whipping through the sign of the cross. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. That must have cost a fortune. He’s got it bad, girl.”

Chapter 8

The evening of the gala, Colin tugged his black tie, assessing the straightness of the bow. He supposed it would do. He knew from long experience that the first try was almost always the best. Better to leave it alone. Shrugging his tuxedo jacket on, he grimaced. It was a touch too tight. He should have heeded Brandon’s warning.

Well, no help for it now.

Frowning at his reflection, he mused that he was overdue for a haircut. Alicia was going to think he was a complete prat at this rate. He stepped away from the full-length mirror and assessed the totality of his appearance.

Clean shaven. Hair too long but brushed back into some semblance of order. Spotless shirt-front, passably tied bow tie, suit jacket a hair too snug.

It would have to do.

Giving his tie one last pat, he glanced out the bedroom window to the street. His limo was waiting.

Showtime.

Alicia considered her reflection, turning one way and then the other. The dress fit like it had been made for her. The long slit on the side of the skirt was slightly less provocative than the trend for dresses that were slashed up the front, but her shiny, red patent-leather pumps were sufficiently eye catching. Her hair, recently cropped at the back and trimmed at the top, spilled over her darkly made up eyes. Sliding deep red lipstick over her lips, she considered the effect and smiled, capping the lipstick and dropping it into her bag.

The doorbell chimed through the apartment. Alicia tossed her head back and strode to the front door. Opening it, her breath caught in her throat. Colin in black tie was…well, breathtaking. His jacket was maybe a bit too tight across his shoulders and biceps, but she wasn’t complaining. His black hair, waving back from his forehead, was just long enough that Alicia felt a craving to run her fingers through it and tug.

Hard.

“Hi,” she said, feeling foolish.

“Hello,” he said. His eyes were huge and dark. He offered his arm.

Alicia slid her fingers into the crook of his elbow and let him lead her to the waiting town car.

At the sidewalk, Colin nodded to the driver holding the door open and handed Alicia into the car. Walking around the car, he let himself in the other side and settled in beside her as the driver resumed his seat and pulled away from the curb. Colin’s tie felt too tight, his throat constricted. He resisted the urge to run his fingers around his collar and looked sideways at Alicia. She was regarding him, her large eyes shadowed in the dark car.

He cleared his throat. “My compliments on the frock. It is…exquisite.”

Alicia smiled and smoothed a hand down the skirt. “It’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned,” she said.

“I’m honored that you wore it to attend this, then.”

She glanced up, her eyes creasing with humor. “I bought it to attend this.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “So, what are you going to do now that the run of the play is over? You mentioned that you would probably go home to New York.”

“Home.” She gave a dry chuckle. “No, actually I’ve lined up another job here.”

Colin filed her strange initial reaction away for inquiry later. He was buoyed by the idea that she would stay on for a while longer. “Really? What is that?”

“Cable drama. Political. Go figure, I’m going to be playing a congresswoman.”

“Why ‘go figure’? You would make a brilliant congresswoman.”

Alicia shot him a hard look. “Right. You mean I’d fake a brilliant congresswoman. No education, remember?” Her hand rubbed up and down the leather seat. Colin captured her restless fingers and held them.

“No, I mean you would make a brilliant congresswoman. You are smart and resourceful. What is education but structure to help you learn? You learned so much without it, and that is so much harder.”

“That’s kind of you.”

Colin’s teeth gritted together. Why didn’t she get it? “It’s true. Education does a lot of things, but most of them aren’t what you think they are.”

“And what are they?”

“Structure. Access. Context. And the more prestigious the institution, contacts.”

“Prestigious like Oxford and Georgetown?”

“For two examples. But education is not always about learning.”

“If you say so.” She looked skeptical, but Colin fancied he could also see a glimmer of hope in her expression that was illuminated by the lights flashing by the