Chapter Eleven
Dalton's Magic Rule #12: When all else fails, pull out the rabbit.
“Tell me you're joking, Max. Please.”
At Rhys's urgent tone, Melina's eyes popped open. Her gaze quickly swept the room, taking in the scarves that still dangled from the bedposts, as well as her packed suitcase next to the bedroom door, which was cracked open slightly. Sitting up gingerly, she swung her legs off the bed and quickly put on her clothes.
She opened the door and saw Rhys pacing as he talked on his cell phone.
“Can't they wait until after the Seven Seas performance?” He paused, ran a hand through his hair, then began pacing again. “I know you can't time something like that, but she signed a contract. No, I'm not saying I'm going to sue her, but what does she expect us to do? We hired her specifically because she was shorter than the other girls. That's what the act needs—someone who's about five-four.” He scoffed, held the phone away from him as if he wanted to throw it against the wall, then snapped it back up to his ear. “Do you know how much time it would take to modify it? Well, I do. A lot.”
At his increasing distress, Melina stepped out of the room and caught his eye. She motioned to him in a “what's going on?” gesture. He briefly closed his eyes, held up a finger, then told Max, “I'm in Lake Shasta with Melina. I've got to get her home and then I'll catch my flight. I'll see you there before midnight.” He paused, glancing at Melina before he quietly said, “No.”
He disconnected the call.
“I'm sorry about that. I've got to leave immediately and do some damage control.”
“One of your assistants can't perform?”
“She's decided to show her ex that she's serious about reconciliation and that means she's quitting traveling immediately.”
“And she's the only girl who can assist with the trick?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes all scrunched up as if he was in pain. “Yeah.”
“Can't you just do a different trick?”
“Sure. It's just this trick is pretty spectacular. I think if we nailed it, we'd blow Seven Seas out of the water. Without it…” He sighed and shook his head. “I don't know if it'll be enough. We're competing against some pretty good acts, including the Salvador brothers. They'll be unveiling a new trick, too.”
Appearing as if he'd suddenly lost the strength to stand, he moved to the sofa, dropped onto it, leaned his head back, and stared at the ceiling. He looked so defeated that she rushed to sit beside him and hold his hand.
“I worked so hard on this one. But, hey,” he said, looking at her with a strained smile. “Maybe this is a sign that the sea's not for me. We've got our established circuit. We'll just keep working at it.”
“Why is this contract so important to you? Sure, it's prestigious, but you're so successful already.”
“It's not just the prestige. It's having the best of both worlds, or as close as you can get. Stability as well as the thrill of performing. Even if that stability's on a cruise ship, it's still better than packing up and then unpacking again every few weeks.”
She looked around her, at the house Rhys had restored and essentially kept to himself. His complexity was also his weakness. How could he fulfill his thirst for adventure when he equally craved roots to hold him down? She supposed Seven Seas was the perfect solution.
“I'm so sorry, Rhys,” she said, not knowing what else to say. “But I'm sure your other tricks will wow Seven Seas, too.”
He took a deep breath and patted her hand absently. “Thanks.” His eyes focused, as if he was actually seeing her for the first time since she'd walked out of the bedroom. He kissed her gently. “Thank you for everything.” Closing his eyes, he leaned his forehead against her, his breaths steady and quiet. Finally, he lifted his head. “You ready?” He got to his feet and held out his hand.
She automatically took it and stood, even as she strained to think of a solution to Rhys's problem. There must be something they could do. That she could do.
She froze. What she was thinking seemed almost laughable, but what other options did they have? She gripped his hand. “Rhys, you said Seven Seas is coming for one of your shows. Which one?”
“The opening night. This Wednesday.”
“So that's the one that's really important in terms of that particular trick.”
“Yeah, but like I said, the chances of modifying the apparatus by then are slim.”
“What if you don't have to modify it? Can you just train someone who's the right size?”
“I suppose, but who am I going to find now?” He shook his head. “Like I said, we'll figure it—”
“I'm five-four.”
He released her hand. “Huh?”
“I said, I'm five-four. I can…I can stand in for your assistant if that would help. I'm sure I'm heavier than her, though. And I'm absolutely not a performer, but...”
She trailed off. He didn't say anything. He didn't move. He just stared at her, his expression stunned. She could feel herself turning red with embarrassment. “You know, it was a stupid idea—”
“You'd do that for me?” he asked. “Get up in front of a theater of strangers and let me tie you up?”
“Well, I'd rather not think of the strangers right now—”
“What about work? You said you had to get back, and to have a shot of pulling it off, I'd need you right away so we could rehearse.”
“When would you need me by?”
“Tonight. Tomorrow at the latest.”
“So you can drive me home, I'll pack, call into work in the morning, and fly out tomorrow.”
“Why would you do that?”
She moved toward him, not stopping until she was close enough to take his hands and kiss them. “How can you ask me that? I know how much this contract means to you. If I can do anything to help you get it, I will.” She dropped her hands and stepped back. “I feel a little silly, though. I mean, me on stage? If you want to say thank you and forget it, I understand.”
He took her hands again. “Thank you,” he said. “And I think—”
He paused, and she held her breath, waiting for him to reject her.
“I think you'll be perfect on stage.”
All she felt was relief. And joy. “Really?”
“Yes.”
She jumped up and down in her excitement, her insecurity momentarily forgotten. “Okay, then let's do it.”
She broke away from him and rushed to her bedroom to get her suitcase. He turned to get his own stuff, stopping when she called out, “Oh, and Rhys?”
“Yeah?”
“I just want to make something perfectly clear.”
Wariness crossed his face. “What?”
“I'm absolutely not doing anything topless.”
His mouth quirked. “You sure? Because, man, with your body, we would definitely draw in some—”
“Rhys…” she drawled warningly.
“Okay, sure. No going topless. But that only applies on stage, right?”
“You have somewhere else in mind?”
“Oh, I've definitely got several places in mind.”
Her eyes rounded. “As long as we don't have an audience, I think we can make things work.”
“That's fine with me. I do my best work one-on-one, anyway.”