Well Played, стр. 31
I eyed Caitlin. She’d look good in yellow. “She should go for it.” This would be her third year doing Faire, and she was a rising senior. She wouldn’t have to worry about being turned away. And after all, at this point she was also family. Simon might not want to show favoritism in his classes, but he had no such scruples when it came to Faire.
All in all, sign-ups went extremely well. Plenty of kids, and I was even able to persuade a few new parents to take part. We had a cast in place, and once school let out in June, rehearsals would begin in earnest. Before long, we’d be spending our Saturdays at the high school for the yearly rehearsals for life as a Faire volunteer. For the returning cast members, these Saturdays were mostly a refresher, but for the newbies they would be a crash course in Elizabethan history.
Of course, I was also excited about Faire for a different reason. Text messages with Dex were practically a nightly occurrence these days, and the closer we got to the summer, the more inadequate they became. There’d been more than one night that I’d almost hit that Call button on my phone, desperate to hear his voice. Something always kept me from doing it, but knowing that Faire was on the horizon, and that I’d be seeing him soon, kept me anticipating his return like a kid waiting for Santa Claus. But with more kissing.
Meanwhile, the planning for Simon and Emily’s wedding had started to ramp up as well. There was lots going on, and more and more often we met a couple evenings a week at April’s house, which became command central for both wedding planning and Faire organization. April had lodged a protest at first, saying that she had nothing to do with Faire, but it was halfhearted and we kept showing up anyway. She must not have minded that much, because somehow there was always a family-style dinner waiting for us on those nights: a huge tray of baked ziti and salad or a shepherd’s pie. Caitlin joined us some nights around her mother’s big dining room table, usually engrossed in homework since finals were coming up for her, but also giving us a unique, teenage perspective on high school gossip, especially when it concerned kids who were participating in Faire. I kept a close eye on her, especially when she asked Simon for help with her homework, but I didn’t detect any real signs of a crush. Her interest in her future uncle seemed to be purely academically motivated, which had to be a relief to Emily.
One night, Caitlin looked up at me from across the dining room table. “Emily said you used to sing too, right?”
“Sure did.” I shot her a grin as I slipped my phone into my bag. It was too early in the evening for Dex to be getting in touch anyway. “Let me know if you want any help rehearsing. It’s been years since I was a Lily, but those songs are still stuck in my head.”
She nodded eagerly. “That would be awesome, thanks.” She peered at me a little closer, and I wondered if I had something on my face. “You really like doing Faire, huh?”
“Guilty,” I said with a smile. “I’ve been doing it since I was your age. Probably my favorite part of the summer.”
“Well, it’s not like there’s a whole lot else to do around here.” Her voice had a grumble in it, and I could see her point. Willow Creek wasn’t exactly a metropolis. I was about to turn back to my list again, but Caitlin wasn’t done. She tilted her head to look at me, looking so much like a younger version of her aunt Emily that I had to bite down on my smile. “Is that why you’re here?”
“Well . . .” I shrugged. “I mean, I’m helping more with wedding stuff than Faire stuff, but it’s kind of all hands on deck, you know? You should be careful; they’ll put you to work next.”
“Nope, I have to study,” she said cheerfully. “But I mean, is that why you haven’t left Willow Creek? Because you like doing Faire?”
“Oh.” I looked down at the papers in front of me. I wasn’t sure how to answer that question.
“I mean, Mr. G and Coach Malone grew up here, but they teach at the high school. But, like, you could work in a dentist’s office anywhere, right? So did you stick around here to do Faire?”
“They have faires other places too, you know.” I hated how defensive I sounded. Why was I arguing with a teenager? I fought to not cross my arms over my chest. Instead I slapped my patented Stacey Smile back on my face. “But, yeah. Maybe I like this one.”
“And maybe you’re being rude, kiddo.” April appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. “You don’t just ask someone why they live where they do. Maybe it’s none of your business.”
Caitlin opened her mouth and then shut it again, her face reddening. “Sorry,” she mumbled, throwing a look in my direction.
“Hey, it’s cool.” My defensiveness faded. She was a kid. It was okay to ask questions. I picked up my pen again. “Let me know when you want help with those songs. I’ll teach you some of the ones you’re too young for, and you can sing ’em in the tavern when Simon isn’t looking.”
“Yeah?” Her eyes lit up.
“No,” April said from the doorway, in unison with Simon from the other end of the table. But Caitlin and I grinned at each other in solidarity, all awkwardness forgotten.
April shook her head and leaned against the doorjamb, swirling some red wine in her glass. “When am I getting my dining room