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She nodded slowly, and wouldn’t meet my gaze. In a flash of insight, I realized that they probably slept together last night.
A jealous ache filled my chest at the realization. I immediately fought it back down. They were supposed to be friends-with-benefits. It was part of our proposition to her. So why did I feel so strange?
But Nadia suddenly twitched and said, “Yeah, I told him that Dorian and I heard a noise in the catwalks before rehearsal yesterday. We’re going to go to Director Atkins and tell him about it. Ryan might not be fired.”
“That’s great!” I said a little too excitedly. “That he might not lose his job. That’s really great.”
Nadia turned to her bag. She still seemed uncomfortable. “What time are we meeting your sister for brunch?”
I looked at my watch. “We’ll need to leave here in 15 minutes. I want to get there before her, so we can prep.”
Her back was still to me as she fished inside her bag. “Works for me. I’ll meet you downstairs in 15.”
Dorian and Andy were discussing the theater in the front parlor. “My point is that it’s something,” Dorian was saying. “Nadia didn’t see anything when she poked her head up there, but it’s awfully coincidental that we heard something right before the spotlight fell.”
“The noise in the catwalks?” I asked as I joined them.
They both whipped their heads in surprise. “You heard it too?”
“No, but Nadia told me about it. It’s got Ryan in a better mood, too.”
“As it should,” Andy explained, adjusting his glasses. “The connection between a strange noise in the catwalks, and a potentially fatal equipment malfunction, is tenuous at best. But it is better than nothing, and it is worth mentioning to the director. Ryan and I are going to gather more evidence today.”
“Maybe the place is haunted, like Ryan keeps insisting,” I suggested.
The three of us smiled at that. None of us were as superstitious as Ryan.
Nadia came downstairs wearing a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a deep blue blouse that hugged her chest just enough to show what she had. Her hair was down and brushed smooth, showing off the layers of gold and bronze. The tips had just a hint of curl to them along her shoulder blades.
“How do I look?” she asked, doing a little twirl. “Girlfriend-worthy?”
“Darling, you look fiancée-worthy,” Dorian announced. “You’ll knock them dead.”
“It’s just my sister, not my parents yet,” I explained. “But I agree. You’ll crush it.”
She beamed at me.
We walked the few blocks to the restaurant. The sun was peeking above the buildings now, which slowly warmed things up. But there was still a crispness to the air, and without our coats we would’ve been shivering.
“Okay,” Nadia said. “What’s our background story?”
“Easy,” I replied. “We met during The Proposition rehearsal when you took over for the lead. Our scene was very sexy. The chemistry was undeniable, and then we started dating.”
She gave me a sidelong look. “Sounds implausible.”
“Good thing you’re an actor then, huh?”
“How long have we been dating?”
“Two or three weeks, I figure.”
“Which is it?” she asked. “Two, or three? The devil’s in the details.”
“Let’s say three,” I replied after a moment. “Two is too early for meeting family. Three is a bit more serious.”
“I wouldn’t even think of introducing my family to a boyfriend until it had been at least a month,” Nadia said. “And even that would be pushing it.”
“Normally, I’d agree,” I said. “But I’m making an exception since I’m head-over-heels for you.”
