Chapter 21

Wednesday dawned cold and gray. A sharp wind cut through town shaking leaves from dormant trees. Julianne sat at the kitchen table finishing a bowl of cereal when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Julianne, it's Cameron. How are you?"

“I'm fine. How are you? Is your father doing better?"

"He’s back to his old self, flirting with all the nurses and driving my mother crazy. I am heading back to Alexandria today. Would you be able to meet with me tomorrow?"

"Sure if you are up for it. I don't want to rush you."

"It's not a problem. The new season is rapidly approaching and I still have a lot of work to do. Why don't you stop by my office around eleven tomorrow?"

"I’ll see you then. Drive safely."

 

Oliver's feet beat against the firm, damp sand. Cold air flowed in and out of his lungs prickling like tiny needles. Sandpipers chased the surf back and forth, scattering as Oliver approached. He rounded a bend in the beach and Alexandria Pier came into sight, several fishermen were already out, silhouetted by the rising sun. Oliver paused to catch his breath.

"Nice morning for a run," a man called down from the dunes.

"Good morning, Michael," Oliver replied and jogged toward the wooden stairs to meet him. "I’m surprised to see you out so early. Do you ever sleep?"

Michael laughed. "Some times are busier than others. This time of year is big for weddings. Actually had a couple getting married at sunrise. I just came in to make sure the staff was awake and in top form."

"It must have been a beautiful ceremony."

"It was. What brings you out so early?"

"I couldn't sleep. Thought the fresh air would clear my head."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with Julianne would it?” Michael's voice was kind rather than threatening.

"She’s quite the enigma."

"That she is. Is that why you couldn’t sleep?"

"I don’t know. Maybe I’m just nervous for her. She seems very invested in this project."

"More than you know. Do you like her?" Michael asked bluntly.

Oliver buried his feet in the sand. “I am just getting to know her.”

"She’d kill me for telling you this, but--”

“Then don’t,” Oliver cut him off. "I have to get back home. I’m helping Pastor Darien get the church ready for the fall festival today.” Oliver turned back down the beach leaving Michael to watch his back disappear around the sand dunes.

Julianne sat down at her desk and opened her portfolio. Pages of ad slicks and pie charts stared back at her. Her hours of labor were apparent, but she felt it was still lacking something. She read over her notes and noticed for the first time a cold, analytical tone. Panic gripped her heart as the first fear of failure crept in. She reached for the phone.

“Hello?”

"Hi, Gavin, I hope I’m not interrupting you. Do you have a few minutes?" Julianne sounded anxious on the other end of the phone. Gavin set aside the script he was reading and reclined back in his chair.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking when I offered to help Cameron. Everything I have prepared is useless.”

“Julia, calm down. Take a breath. Did you already meet with Cameron?”

“No, and I can’t possibly take this portfolio to him. There is nothing in it worth wasting his time. I have spent days researching all of these shows, the historical records at the theater, and trends in popular culture but it is all for naught. There is no heart, no emotion in any of the ideas I have ready to pitch.”

“Take it easy. I’m sure your work is wonderful. It’s not unusual to have doubts before a big moment like this. Before my first premiere I was a wreck, certain the movie was going to flop and I was going to be the biggest joke in Hollywood. It was Michael who calmed me down enough to attend the premiere and things turned out fine.”

“Yeah, but you knew what you were doing. I am just making this up as I go along. I haven’t done a marketing campaign since college and what do I know about theater really? I know what I like to watch, but does that give me the authority to tell other people they should watch as well?”

“Why don’t I come over and have a look at your presentation. Give you a chance to run through it with me.”

“I don’t know if you want to put yourself through that kind of torture.”

“I doubt it will be torture,” Gavin assured her. “I’ll be over in an hour.”

Julianne hung up the phone still distraught over the impending meeting. She didn’t see any hope for salvaging the days of work she had put into this cold portfolio.

Gavin barely reached the door before it was jerked open. Much like his previous visit to her house she was dressed in sweat pants with her hair pulled back, but this morning her sweat jacket was open revealing a thin camisole top.

"Thank you for coming over. You must think I am such a child getting all crazy like this."

"Not at all. Now let's see what you have."

"I laid everything out on the table. Follow me."

Gavin stood over the ad slicks for several minutes before picking up the proposal. Julianne fidgeted, pacing around the kitchen anxious for his reaction. He pulled out a chair and seated himself as he read through the spiral bound presentation once. She waited with baited breath, then he flipped back to the first page. As he read through a second time, he lingered over each word digesting every thought and nuance presented to him.

An hour passed and still he read on. Julianne surrendered herself to the wait and collapsed on the sofa. After the third reading Gavin closed his eyes and laid the spiral bound book the table. Slowly he rose and moved to the living room. Julianne's body pulled taut as a rubber band when she saw him.

“So?” She asked, her eyes barely meeting his.

“That is one of the best proposals I have ever read. I had no idea you were so talented.”

“Don't joke with me, Gavin. This is serious.”

“I’m serious.” He lowered himself onto the couch next to Julianne. “I have read hundreds of proposals for movies. Not one was half as good as what I just read.”

“But it is just facts and numbers, no heart or energy.”

“Cameron already knows you have heart and energy. You showed him that by agreeing to work for free. This proposal is about showing him the practical side of you, the side that can get things done. There is more research in there about how to get people into a local playhouse then there usually is behind a movie idea. Studios will pour millions into a movie and watch it bomb, but if they had research like this before hand, they wouldn't have to. At least half of these horrible movies wouldn't be made.

“Not only is the research excellent, you put it together beautifully. It is detailed yet concise. It reads almost like a novel with background on the theater and the community leading up to your proposed changes. You have research to support every change you suggest, but you don’t offer a foolproof plan. You have a couple of shows listed that are wild cards. Who knows how they will fare here, but you were willing to take that risk and give the theater a little edge. How many shows out of the original schedule did you change?”

“Five. I didn't want to change the whole schedule or vary it too much since some of the season ticket holders may not want to see these new shows. I wanted to limit the backlash as much as possible. If things go well this year perhaps I can work with Cameron on next year's schedule.”

“See, many people wouldn’t have even thought of that. I also saw your ideas for working with disgruntled patrons. Very inventive, and certainly having a plan laid with options readily available will help tremendously to ease their minds that the theater still cares about them.”

Julianne sat in shocked silence. Hearing Gavin praise her work like this was the last thing she could have imagined this morning. Her heart swelled with pride and tears stung her eyes.

“Thank you,” was all she was able to whisper through her constricted throat.

“You know, I gave Oliver a script the other night that I think he is right for. I’d really appreciate it if you could run some research on it for me before anything gets set in stone. I could give you a copy at dinner tomorrow night. I'd pay you of course.”

A tear trickled down her cheek then she was bent over with laughter over her earlier hysteria. Gavin sat awkwardly not quite understanding what was happening but suddenly longing to hold her. How had he overlooked her for so long? For the first time he saw how truly beautiful, intelligent, and passionate she was. Deep in thought, he sat beside her and wiped her tears away.

Julianne stopped laughing. Her eyelashes sparkled with droplets of water. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She leaned into him and inhaled his familiar scent. His heartbeat was strong and even against her ear.

“Thank you for taking me seriously Gavin instead of just appeasing me because I am Michael's little sister.”

“You are certainly more than that,” Gavin breathed into her hair. “You’re a force to be reckoned with, Julianne Finnegan, and I think you just hit your stride.” He gently kissed the top of her head sending shivers down her spine.

Julianne felt safe in Gavin's arms. So many nights she had dreamed of this moment and now the reality seemed impossible. She buried her head in his shoulder and basked in his warmth wanting the moment to last forever.

Gavin gently ran his hand down Julianne's hair in a hypnotic motion. He tried to think back to the first time he had met her, but he couldn't. He remembered his first meeting with Michael in college, but Julianne had just appeared. No grand moment, nothing that made an impression on him. She had been quiet and shy, seemingly content in her brother's shadow. Not once had he taken the time really to get to know her.

“Gavin, are you going to answer that?” Julianne pulled away wiping her face with her hands.

“What?” he looked at her distractedly.

“Your cell phone.” She pointed at his jacket pocket where the ringing sound came from.

“Oh, yeah,” he reached in and flipped it open. “Hello?”

“I’m getting ready to head out for lunch and thought I would see if you were interested in joining me.”

“Sure, Michael,” Gavin replied leaning away from Julianne. “Lunch sounds good. How about I meet you in twenty minutes? I’m over at Julianne’s"

“The Downtowner okay with you?”

“Actually, would you mind the Ocean Market? I have been craving their crab cakes.”

“See you there.”

Gavin tucked the phone back in his pocket and rose from the couch. “Michael wants to meet for lunch. Good luck with Cameron. You’ll do great.” His words tumbled out in a hasty torrent. His eyes never leaving the carpet as he spoke, then he turned and left.

Julianne sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around herself and rocked back and forth confused by his sudden change of attitude. Familiar emptiness enveloped her in a cold embrace. Her body trembled, tears building up inside. A moan of despair rumbled in the back of her throat then she was still.

Once the news had come that his father hadn’t had a heart attack, Cameron couldn’t stop thinking about getting home to see Julianne’s presentation. He felt guilty for not paying more attention to his family and swore to make it up to them once the theater was settled.

Cameron had managed the theater for fifteen years and couldn’t imagine his life away from it. When ticket sales had dropped off three years ago, he had thought it was only a bad season, but the following years had shown no improvement. Alone he had searched for ways to increase revenue, unwilling to share his fears with anyone.

Crossing into Alexandria city limits, Cameron decided to go straight to Garner House. His office was dark and cluttered when he arrived. He walked around the small room, his fingers trailing along the shelves leaving lines in the dust. Sheet music, compact discs and books littered every surface, often teetering in unsteady stacks. An eclectic wallpaper of posters and playbills from past shows hid the walls. Cameron thought back to the many long nights spent here blocking shows, putting together each season’s schedule, and looking for new talent.

“If I’m going to turn this place around, I might as well start in here,” he muttered as he scooped up a pile of books.

Four hours and six garbage bags later the room looked like an office again. The bookcases were neatly organized, papers were filed away, and chairs had been unearthed from beneath mounds of old costumes. Cameron was ready for new ideas and a new life for his theater.