Page 7 of No Angels

“Jack and Jerry, you’re coming with me.”

“But we want to stay here, Mr. Callihan,” one of them protests.

“You can practice with everyone else later. Right now I need your help finishing up the sets.”

The three of them are walking away when Addie St. Simon raises her hand and waves it madly in the air. “Ms. Cassidy!”

“Yes, Addie?”

“Can Abbie and I work on sets too?”

This morbid fascination with the older troublemakers could prove very dangerous for the success of the play. “No. I need the two of you here. The angel choir could use your help.”

The girls have kept the toddlers occupied and escort them to the bathroom when necessary. They proudly informed me they just started babysitting and they’re trying to drum up business. Learning from the Donaldson twins isn’t the way to convince the town to trust them.

I clap my hands until I have everyone’s attention. The chatter dies off and I can see them squirming in their seats. “We only have three weeks until the show. I’m depending on all of you to memorize your lines. If you don’t have any lines, I’m depending on you to know where you’re supposed to stand and help out with the singing.”

Suzie Danzig raises her hand. She’s Mary and I already extricated her from a mess caused by the Donaldsons tonight. When one of them pulled her ponytail she spilled Kool-Aid all over her clothes. She immediately burst into tears. “Ms. Cassidy, I’ve already learned all of my lines.”

She’s an officious little girl who reminds me of Nellie Olsen fromLittle House on the Prairie. I’ve never been the kind of person impressed by brown nosing, so I discourage her simpering whenever I can. “That’s wonderful, Suzie, but most of your fellow actors haven’t. We all need to be patient with one another.”

“Yeah, brown noser,” Lance West interjects.

I wag my finger in his direction. “That’s enough. There’ll be no name-calling here.”Even if I share the sentiment.

“She’s such a goody two shoes,” he complains.

Lance is playing Joseph because his father’s the preacher. I can tell he’s one of those kids who resents his ties to the church and wants to walk on the wild side a little. He probably wasn’t given a choice about participating and I heard him offer the Donaldson twins fifty dollars to take his place.

I know he’s not happy to be here, but Joseph and Mary have to get along. The audience will be able to tell from their body language up on stage if they can’t stand each other. “Suzie deserves your respect as your fellow cast member. Apologize immediately.”

His expression turns mutinous.

I glare and cross my arms.

He rolls his eyes and turns toward his co-star. “Sorry, Suzie,” he mumbles.

By the time practice wraps up, I feel like I’ve been herding cats for hours. I’m not keen to make conversation, but Farrah Caldwell pulls me aside when she picks up her stepdaughters.

“I know we haven’t had the chance to talk, but I appreciate what you’re doing. The girls are really excited.”

“I appreciate their enthusiasm. And their help with the younger kids – they’ll make great babysitters.”

Farrah’s face lights up and she slides her hand over the subtle curve of her stomach. “We haven’t told them yet that they’ll have a new family member to practice on too.”

She’s glowing when she makes the revelation. “Congratulations,” I tell her. “When are you due?”

“I’m due in June. On our first wedding anniversary. It was a little unexpected, but we’re happy.”

“Well if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.” I know next to nothing about kids, but I can always find something for them to do.

She laughs. “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I wondered if you’d be interested in joining my friends and I for our monthly movie night. Since the holiday movie marathons have started, that’s how we’re spending this Saturday night.”

“I don’t know if I can,” I hedge. The more connections I make here, the harder it will be to walk away when I find my out. And I’ve never been good at female friendships.

Farrah lays her hand on my forearm. “Please consider it. Mike said you’ve been away a long time and I’m sure it’s hard.”

“I’ll think about it.”

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