Day 1 – Part 1
(William’s Perspective)
“Sorry, Mr. K, your show has been CANCELED!” arm mimicking an axe.
“SORRY, Mr. K, your show has been canceled,” head down and sullen.
“Sorry, Mr. K, but YOUR show has been canceled!” Chest out, proud.
“Sorry, Mr. K, YOU have been…” hands around script strangling pages.
I stopped practicing my line mid-sentence as I heard someone pull out the chair from the desk next to me. Taking in the surprisingly pleasant scent of perfume, I could tell it was a woman without looking. I took in the scent trying to imagine what she looked like. I sat very still while painting a portrait in my mind. She was blonde. No… Strawberry-blonde. Her eyes were green and she had freckles. She was slim and quite tall, 5’ 9” give or take an inch. Her lips were pouty and her eyes were bright.
I didn’t dare turn in fear of ruining the image I had built in my head. I’d done this before — trying to imagine what someone looks like from the sound of their voice, or the scent of their perfume. I was always wrong, and I was always disappointed.
My thoughts were interrupted by the clattering of a pen to the floor. From the corner of my eye, I could see it resting between our desks. My mind did the back and forth wondering if it was close enough that I would be rude not to pick it up — or if I could get away with ignoring it. While pondering, I saw a hand stretching toward the pen in an effort to retrieve it. I gave in.
“Thank you!” she said as I reached up to hand her the pen. When she took it, I saw her for the first time. In that moment the vision I had created faded into history. Sitting before me was a woman that made my vision a candle against the sun — and my voice abandoned me. I was grateful to just be able to get out a weak grunt and nod of my head in response before quickly turning back to face the front of the room.
I could feel the heat in my face as it must have turned three shades of red. Simultaneously, my mouth went dry, and my stomach twisted. I could only hope that she wouldn’t try to talk…
“My name is Helen,” I heard her say. I turned my crimson face toward her and choked out, “I’m William. Cool pen!”
(Helen’s Perspective)
I walked into the room with a bit of anticipation and great fear. It was my first day of acting class. I’d done some commercials and some local plays when I was living in Missouri, but my agent said it would be a good idea for me to have some classes under my belt — particularly after moving to California. He also said that making contacts was half the job.
I scanned the room for a place to sit. There were eight rows of desks with five seats in each row. Most of them were still empty — a benefit of being early. My goal wasn’t an empty seat, though. My goal was a friend. It’s hard enough taking these classes, much less doing it alone. I was drawn to the left side of the room where a couple of young guys were chatting away. They were both easy eights, and I took one step in their direction.
I shook my head. “No. No boyfriends. Need to focus on this class. I’m just looking for a friend,” I reminded myself and kept looking.
On the right side of the room was a group of three women chatting away.
“Too difficult to join a group,” I thought to myself.
I checked out the middle of the room. There was one guy sitting a couple of rows back from the front. “Hmm… late-30s? No romantic threat. Alone? No group to break into. Choking paper? Bit weird, but I’ll give it a shot,” I concluded. I walked up to the desk next to him and sat down.
I put my backpack under my desk. The paper-choking stopped. He just kind of sat there looking at the stage. “Time to make a friend,” I said under my breath and struck up a conversation. Well — I dropped my pen, which generally does the trick. At first, he just sat there, so I prompted him, pretending to try to reach for it. It took him longer than I thought it would, but he reached over and picked it up for me. As he returned it to me, I sized him up. I might have been wrong about the late 30s, but definitely mid-30s. Not unattractive. Bright blue eyes, with wispy blond hair. He had a gentle face, and he was bashful — definitely the shy type. He turned back around quickly after he handed me his pencil, but I needed a friend and I wasn’t giving up. He was as good a choice as any — and after looking around again, I was sure he was better than most.
“So I’m Helen,” I said. He said his name was William and told me that he liked my pen. I admit I’ve never heard that before. I couldn’t tell if it was a pick-up line or if he was lost for words. Judging from the crimson in his face, I would guess the latter.
“So have you been acting long?”I persisted.
“About 30 minutes,” he replied.
I grinned, and was about to ask him another question when several more students came into class and took their seats. The instructor bounded up to the stage, and I was out of time.
(William’s Perspective)
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Acting 101.375. I’m Raoul Richards. Today, I’m going to get to know you a little better, and assess any natural talents you may possess. This includes singing, dancing, and pantomiming — well, not pantomiming, unless you’re really good at it. Anyway, before I get to know you, you need to get to know each other. I’m going to give you thirty minutes to find a partner and get to know each other. You will be working with them throughout this course — not exclusively, but close, so choose wisely. Oh, and preferably someone that you won’t mind kissing.”
“Did he say kiss,” I thought to myself. “I’m 39. No one here will want to kiss me, acting or not.” I quickly scanned the room. I was clearly the oldest there, and I don’t think the next in line was any closer than ten years younger than me. As I scanned the room, it was clear that no one was looking in my direction. I began looking around when I suddenly felt a hand on my wrist.
“I’m sorry, Harold. I already have a partner.” I turned around. Helen had taken my arm and was telling another man that she was with me.
“Hi, I’m Tom.” I heard and turned around again. “Would you like to be my partner?” I looked at Helen who was pleading with her eyes. I turned back to Tom. “Sorry. I already have a partner.” He shrugged and walked off in another direction. Helen’s Harold remained.
“No, you’re going to be my partner,” he said as he looked at the clock. “You have about five minutes to figure that out. Which shouldn’t be too difficult. Look at that guy. He’s got to be at least fifteen years older than you. It’ll be like kissing your dad.”
I could tell Helen was uncomfortable, but didn’t know what to say. I turned to Harold and said, “You know, Harold, I’m not her dad, but I am an actor. How about I play her dad, and you play the guy that couldn’t take a hint.” He looked me up and down twice and slowly turned to find someone else.
Helen looked at me and apologized. “I’m sorry for volunteering you to be my partner, but he was creeping me out.” I thought about my near fate and answered her. “No worries. I’m afraid you got the short end of the stick anyway. I’m 39.”
“Don’t worry about it, William. I’m going to be 37,” she said with a grin.
I knew she was kidding, but it was a nice way to temper my disappointment. I wouldn’t have put her over 23, but it did make me feel a little less like a creep.
(Helen’s Perspective)
The room filled up quickly when it was time to begin. The teacher was on stage and speaking before some of the students had found a seat. I could hear him talking, but my mind wandered to the room itself. It was an old warehouse — nice for having enough space to do what we wanted, but it was going to be hot during the middle part of the day. The class was only for 12 weeks over the summer. The ceiling fans and the ventilation from the broken windows helped, but it was going to get warm pretty quickly.
It wasn’t long, and he was telling us to choose partners. I’m always up for meeting someone new, but then he said something about kissing. That took about 75% of the class out of my preferred choices. Even though William seemed like a nice guy, kissing someone that much older than me would seem a bit weird. I looked around the room. My eyes returned to the couple of guys near the door that might have worked, so I started toward them. Before I had taken two steps, another man was standing in front of me, blocking my way. “Hi! I’m Harold, and I’ll be your partner for this class,” he said.
“Um, no,” I replied as I backed up toward my desk. “You won’t be my partner.”
“Come on. You know I will. We only have thirty minutes, and I’m not letting you get past me to those guys over there,” Harold said as he nodded in the direction that I was headed.
“I wasn’t headed that way anyway. Why would I be going over there when I already have a partner?”
“Exactly.”
I reached behind me and grabbed William’s arm. “William is my partner.” Harold’s eyes widened, but he was not deterred. He tried to pull my hand off of William’s arm about the same time William turned around. He made some comment about William’s age, and William persuaded him to leave. Even though he had left, I was guessing this wasn’t the last I would hear of Harold.
“Thanks,” I told William. “I’m sorry for volunteering you like that, but I didn’t want to have to kick Harry’s ass on the first day.”
“No worries,” he replied and smiled, “He’s probably harmless, but either way, you’re getting the short end of the stick. I’m 39.”
I smiled, “It’s okay. I’m going to be 37.”
“Really?!” he asked in surprise. “I wouldn’t have put you over 23.”
“Yeah, well, it’ll take a little while to get there, but I have every intention of being 37 some day.”
William gave a crooked smile as I admitted I was 24. He seemed like a nice guy. I was glad we met, but I confess I’m not all that confident about having to kiss him. On the flip side of things, I sure as hell wasn’t kissing Harry.
We found a spot to sit down, and I asked him to tell me his story.
Day 1 – Part 2
(William’s Perspective)
We headed over to the side of the room to get to know each other better per the teacher’s instructions. As we walked, I took the time to appreciate my situation. Here I was with the most beautiful woman in the room, and it wasn’t even close. We were going to be partners for the next few weeks. I looked at her. The way her long brown hair framed her face and neck. her beautiful brown eyes…there was no way to describe here beauty with any kind of justice. Even though I wasn’t her first choice as a partner…I still couldn’t keep the crooked grin off my face.
We sat down and she asked me for my story. I told her I don’t really have a story.
“Everyone has a story, William,” she said. “Here, I’ll start.”
“You know my first name is Helen, but my friends call me by my middle name.”
“Oh? What’s your middle name?”
She smiled, “Friends only.”
That took me aback a little, but maybe I make friends a bit too easily. I could feel myself blush a little, but quickly recovered. “Ok. Fair enough. My friends call me by a special nickname. But it’s secret too, you know, until we’re friends.”
“I can wait.”
I furrowed my brow. “You’re not supposed to say that. You’re supposed to say ‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
“Or I could have patience.”
“Ok. You win, but you should know I intend to be your friend.”
“You’re off to a good start. So are you ready for the ‘talent contest’?”
“Oh,” I replied. “Of course. Well, except for the singing part. I don’t sing.”
“What??” she asked. “Why not? Are you that bad?”
“I’m mediocre, but it’s not my talent that keeps me from bring tears to everyone’s ears. It’s the trauma. I’ll tell you the story, but you have to promise not to laugh too much. It isn’t really that funny.”
“Nothing more than a snicker — I promise.”
I gave her a sideways glance and began. “When I was in college, I went to a karaoke bar with some friends. I wasn’t too keen on singing to begin with, but after a beer or two and a couple of buddies saying they would sing with me, I decided it wouldn’t hurt anything. So halfway through the song, one of my buddies starts moving behind me. I didn’t notice until it was too late. I was pants’d. Everyone in the bar saw my paisley boxers. Since that day, I’ve refused to sing publicly.
A sound came out of Helen’s nose.
“Ok…that was a snort.”
“No way,” she grinned. “That was a snicker.”
“Nope. Everyone knows a snort when they hear one.”
“Ok. I’m sorry, but I could just picture the look on your face. Have you had counseling?”
I gave her a quick scowl and said, “My turn. Are you ready for the ‘talent contest’?”
“I think so. I’m all right with singing, and I can hold my own when dancing…”
Before she could finish, Raoul called us back together as a group.
“I hope you’ve all learned a little bit about each other. It’s probably the most truth you’re going to get out of each other the rest of the time we’re together. We are actors, after all.”
“What I need you to do now,” he continued, “Is for one of you to come up to the stage and pick up a script for you and your partner. We’ll be using it to work on our acting skills. It’s quite an inspiring screenplay, as you’ll find out. And I should know — I wrote it. While you’re getting your script, please add your name and your partner’s name to the sign-up sheet on the table. I will be using that to call you up for your debut.”
We all kind of looked at each other and hoped for the best. I went to pick up the scripts as did Harold. He was heading back as I was approaching the stage and he bumped my shoulder with his. He grabbed my arm and said, “Sorry,” in as threatening way as that word can be said.
“As you are looking over the scripts, I’m going to be calling you up one team at a time for a quick talent evaluation. I want to know what your strengths and weaknesses are,” Raoul continued.
(Helen’s Perspective)
I watched William go to get the scripts and saw Harry bump into him. I couldn’t help but shiver a little. Harry was trouble, and I wanted nothing to do with him. I looked back at William. He had let the incident go. I appreciated that. I didn’t know him well yet, but I was fairly convinced that William was friendship material.
We sat and talked a little while as we waited for our turn on stage. As one team at a time auditioned, I couldn’t help but notice that there were some very talented people in the class. The more time went by, the more worried I was about embarrassing myself. I asked William what he thought.
“Well, it’s definitely possible to embarrass yourself, but I wouldn’t worry about it. I haven’t heard you sing, but I’m sure you’re great. The dancing will be a two-person deal, so as long as we can keep up with each other, it should be fine. Although I am a bit worried that I won’t pass the photogenic test.”
“Photogenic test?”
William smiled. “All actors have to pass the photogenic test, right? I mean dancers can stand in for actors and if needed, an actor can lip-sync. It’s the face that has to be right.”
“Good point. Now I’m more nervous.”
“Don’t be. That’s one test you pass with flying colors.”
I think it was my turn to blush. I didn’t say anything, but I appreciated his encouragement.
(William’s Perspective)
Helen and I talked for awhile as the other teams were completing their talent evaluations. In an effort to take our minds of the wait for our turn, I brought up the point that regardless of our talent, it was our face that would be what merited the most interest.
“Great. Now I’m even more nervous,” she responded to the idea.
“Oh, you’ve got nothing to worry about there,” I told her. “You’ll pass that test easily.”
She blushed a little and I felt like maybe I had said the wrong thing. I debated trying to correct my error, but didn’t know how. In the end, I let the awkward silence stand.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before we heard Harold and his partner, Alison, called to the stage. We hadn’t paid much attention to the others, but Helen and I both had an interest in seeing what he could do.
They began with the dance. It was clear from the beginning that he and Alison weren’t on the same page. The poor woman was trying to follow his lead, but he wasn’t leading very well. In spite of his poor leading, he seemed to be angry at his partner for their mediocre performance. I was watching him closely, and it looked at one point like he had balled one of his hands into a fist. He left it at his side, however, and it was subtle enough that I doubted whether I had actually seen it happen.
Alison’s voice was okay, but nothing exceptional. When Harold began singing, I admit that his talent surprised me. His voice was the best that we’d heard since the evaluations had begun. The group applauded his performance and he and Alison stepped down from the stage.
(Helen’s Perspective)
Helen and William, you’re up!” Called Raoul.
William and I got up and headed in his direction.
“Hi, Helen, William. How are you both today? I’m going to be assessing your talent level to see which role you are best suited for in this class. I’ll want to see how well you dance, and listen to you sing. As you know, the rest of the class will be listening and watching. As with the other groups, we’ll begin with the dancing. Just give me a second to get the music ready.”
I could tell William was nervous.
I put my hand on his arm. “Don’t worry. I’m a pretty good dancer,” I reassured him. “Just let me lead and we’ll be fine.”
When the music began, William took my hands and we began to dance. It’s true I can hold my own as a dancer, but William was out of my league. The music began with a waltz, then the tempo picked up. William didn’t miss a beat. I kept wondering if he could keep it up at his age, but he barely broke a sweat.
As the music ended, the room broke out in spontaneous applause. I think it was as much out of surprise as it was appreciation. But either way, William deserved it. He can dance.
I looked over at him. As the applause died down, it was time to begin the singing part. His face had turned ashen, and I wished there was something I could do to help him. I grabbed his arm and told him that he could do it. He looked at me to thank me, but I could tell it hadn’t helped.
Day 1 – Part 3
(William’s Perspective)
It was time for the dance portion of the talent review. I was glad we were starting with this. I had taken two years of dance classes of all kinds. It wasn’t for any specific reason other than being single affords more time for things like that. The music began and I took Helen’s hand. She mentioned something about leading, but once the music started everything became automatic for me. She didn’t seem to mind once we had started.
I enjoyed dancing while I could, but soon enough it was time for the singing. I was glad now that I had told her my karaoke story. At least she would understand why I was suddenly trembling and pale. She grabbed my arm and told me that I could do it. I appreciated the attempt at comforting me, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.
“I’ll go first,” she said. I knew she was putting off my turn so that I had time to compose myself. I was trying to psych myself up to go when she began to sing. As her voice began to fill the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked. It was the most incredible sound I had ever heard. There are good singers, there are great singers, and then there is Helen. We were all captivated from the first note to the very last. Her five minutes blew by and it was soon my turn again — although I did get a small reprieve until the applause died down. She came back and looked me in they eyes.
“You can do this, William. I know you can.”
I looked at her and said, “Helen, no one can do that.”
A soft clearing of his throat and Raoul had my attention. It was my turn. Helen stayed where she was and I spoke in a soft voice to Raoul.
“Hey, man. I can’t do this.”
“Are you an actor?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then pretend you can do this.”
I looked at him. He had no sympathy in his eyes.
“Everyone will do this,” he said.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t.”
I could tell he was frustrated, but he wasn’t going to waste time arguing with me either. He looked at Helen and said, “You and your dad can go sit down. Toni and Jordan. Come to the stage, please.”
Helen and I returned to where we were sitting before we went on stage. Neither of us said a word.
We listened to the rest of the groups perform. I was the only one that did not sing. While no one else’s singing came close to what Helen did, Harold was probably the second best in the class. All of us sat around while Raoul looked over his notes from the singing and dancing. Finally he spoke.
“Everyone, we are almost at the end of today’s class. Before we leave, I’d like to thank you for your patience while I evaluated each team. I have videotaped each performance and will take those home to review. I will need a few days, but it is possible that by the end of the week, I may need to rework a few of the teams. I want to give everyone in the class the best chance at success, and to do that I need to match talent levels as best as possible. Tomorrow we will begin working on the scripts. If there are no questions, class is dismissed.”
With that, everyone walked back to their desks and began packing up their belongings.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t sing,” I said to Helen.
She looked at me and smiled. “It’s all right,” she said. “Maybe some other time.”
I could hear a tinge of disappointment in her voice, and I felt bad. She took her bag and headed to the door with a quick “bye.”
I picked up my items and put them in my bag and headed toward the door too.
(Helen’s Perspective)
I headed toward my car. I was disappointed that William hadn’t sung, but more than that I was disappointed that I couldn’t figure out some way to help him get past his fear. With my mind elsewhere, I didn’t notice the motorcycle approaching me in the parking lot. I did notice it when had come between me and my car. Harold glared at me from the seat.
“Hey, what are you doing tonight?”
“Going home,” I said.
“Oh, don’t be lame. Hop on the back, and I’ll take you for a ride.”
Something about the way he said that sent chills up my spine and made my hair stand on end. “I really need to get home. I have other things to do today.”
“Where do you live? I’ll give you a lift.”
“I have a car.”
“I hope it still works.”
I glanced over at my car. It didn’t look like anything had been done to it, but now I was worried.
“Come on. You know you’re gonna be mine. Why fight it?”
“Hey, you forgot your pen.”
Harry and I both looked over to see William standing there with a smile and a pen in his hand.
“That isn’t m…Thanks!” I said. “That’s my lucky pen. I don’t know what I would have done without it.”
Harry scowled at William and asked, “How long are you going to try to ruin things for us?”
(William’s Perspective)
I walked out the doors into the sunny parking lot to see Harold sitting on a motorcycle blocking Helen’s path to her car. I could see that she was uncomfortable, and Harry looked like he was enjoying himself a little too much. I pulled a pen out of my pocket and headed in their direction.
“You forgot your pen,” I said to Helen. Without missing a beat, she responded.
“Thanks! This is my lucky pen. I don’t know what I’d do without it.”
“Hey, man. How long are you going to keep showing up during my time? Class is one thing, but it’s after hours now. Give Helen a chance to hang out with a real man.”
“I’m sure she’d love to, but it looks like you’re sitting in her way. If you move, she might go hang out with a real man.”
“Oh, she’s going to hang out with a real man, real soon.”
Helen’s face made it clear that she had had enough. “Harold, I’m not going to hang out with you. I’m not going to date you, I’m not going to the prom with you, and I’d be happy to never see you again.”
“You’re only saying that because he’s here,”Harry said pointing to me. “Why don’t you take a hike, man?”
I stepped up to Harold. “Listen, man. She’s not interested. She just told you so. Hit the road.”
“Or what?”
“Or we’ve been dancing around this all day long. Step off your bike and we can clear the air over you running into me earlier today.”
He looked at me, but didn’t get off his bike. He looked at Helen and gave it a quick rev, finally leaving in a shower of gravel. The rock pinged several cars as he left. I felt a couple hit my legs. I looked over at Helen.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for the pen.”
“Sorry if I stepped in when I shouldn’t have.”
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to deal with that guy alone. He scares me a bit.”
“Yeah. Understandable. Anyway, have a good night. See ya tomorrow.”
“Sure thing. Get some rest. Tomorrow we work on our lines.”
I chuckled. “Good thing. My lines need some work.”
I stuck around until she got her car started, and then I headed home.
(Helen’s Perspective)
I pulled into the bookstore parking lot shortly after 6pm. I walked into the coffee area and sat down across from the man who was already sitting there.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said as I kissed him on the cheek.
“No problem dear. Glad to see your smiling face. How was class?”
“It was interesting to say the least. They had us pair up for the class then we were evaluated on our singing and dancing.”
“It sounds intense,” he responded. “How’s your partner?”
“He’s interesting. Older, but a nice guy. Good friend material, I think.”
“How much older?”
“He’s 39.”
“Hmm… are you okay with that?”
“I am as a friend. I wouldn’t want to date him or anything. Besides, we were sort of thrown together.”
“How’s that?”
“Well, there’s another guy in the class. This guy named Harold. He’s got it in his mind that I should be dating him. I think he thinks I’m the love of his life.”
“I assume you made it clear to him that you aren’t?”
“I tried, but I don’t know if he’s the kind to get it.”
“You want me to come to class and convince him?”
“Daddy, I’m 24. I have to handle some things on my own.”
“This is true. You make sure that your bank account is current and you don’t have any overdue bills. If something is going to get physical, I don’t want you trying to take him on yourself.”
“He tried to get me alone after class, but William came over and got rid of him.”
“Who’s William?”
“He’s my partner. The 39 year old.”
We finished our coffees and our conversation.
“Well, honey, you keep me posted on this Harold guy and let me know if you need me to step in.”
“I will, Dad. Thanks. I love you.”
“Back at you, kid.”
A quick hug and kiss, and I went home.
Day 5
(William’s Perspective)
“Class! Gather around. It took some time, but I reworked some of the teams that you have formed. This is based on your individual levels and what I think will help each of you achieve your greatest potential. So please when I call your name, come up to the front of the stage.”
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began calling off names. “Amanda, Tony, Frank, Harold, Helen, William, Alison, Susan, and Eric.”
We all approached the stage. He began by speaking to Helen and me.
“William, your dancing was superb. No one else even came close to what you did up here. But then you refused to sing. It’s one thing for someone to lack talent, but it is something else altogether to lack courage. I am afraid that I have to give you a different partner for this class. And frankly, I’m not sure you’re cut out for this kind of career if you can’t handle your fears. Alison! You and Helen switch partners. You will be William’s partner and Helen will be partnered with Harold.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was mortifying. About halfway through what he was saying, I zoned out. I vaguely heard something about giving me a different partner, but I was stunned.
(Helen’s Perspective)
I looked over at William. So he didn’t sing. He didn’t deserve being called out like this in front of the whole class. Then I heard Raoul say that we were switching partners. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. Then he spoke the words, “…Helen will be partnered with Harold.” I spoke out in protest.
“Raoul can I have a different partner? Harold and I don’t get along.”
“Hello, class,” Raoul dripped sarcasm, “You are ACTORS. Pretend to get along.”
I was stunned. I looked over at Harold. If I didn’t know better, I would say I saw him lick his lips. I wasn’t sure what I was going to…
My jaw dropped. Everyone’s jaw dropped. I looked over and William was on the stage! He wasn’t a great singer, but he was singing. I couldn’t have kept the smile from spreading across my face if I’d wanted to. I looked back at Harold and moved toward William.
(William’s Perspective)
It was like an out of body experience. I watched myself from the floor as I took the stage and started a cappella. This wasn’t the plan, but here I was belting out broken note after broken note. I knew when I saw the look of fear on Helen’s face that I had to do something. The look of relief that washed over her as I started almost made it worth it. As surprising as my singing was Helen joining me on the stage. Our voices could hardly be described as blending, but her voice balanced the unique flavor of mine. Standing there together, I felt her hand move down my back as she grabbed a belt loop and pulled up.
“Don’t worry,” she said between notes, “I’ve got your back!”
From my out-of-body vantage point, I could see the silly ear-to-ear grin I wore throughout the entire tortured melody. I sang until Raoul waved his hands indicating to stop.
“I see, William. You have found your courage. It is not your singing ability I am so much interested in as it is your ability to step out of your comfort zone. I am impressed, but there is nothing like a pretty girl to help a man find his courage, eh?” he said as he grinned. “You two can continue to be partners. The rest of you come see me and we will sort out who will be partnered with whom.”
Helen was standing in front of me. Behind her I could see Harold seething. He was not a happy man. I turned and looked to Helen. She smiled and pulled my ear to her lips until I could hear her whisper, “You can call me Verity.”