Proposing to Preston (The Winslow Brothers, #2)(8)

“Well, my partner and I are casting a new show. Part of the Lincoln Center summer series. It’s a revival of Ethan Frome. You know the story?”

Know it? Edith Wharton was Elise’s favorite author all time, bar none.

“I love it,” she croaked, trying not to faint, or hope too hard, or…faint.

“Ah, good. Always nice to find someone familiar with the material,” he said to Mr. Winslow, who hadn’t looked away from Elise since their introduction. As Mr. Durran turned back to her, he explained, “Garrett Hedlund has signed on to play Ethan and Maggie Gyllenhaal is playing Zeena, but the directors specifically wanted a young unknown to play Mattie. You’ll have to audition, of course, but I’m thinking…you.”

“Me?’ she parroted, trying not to hyperventilate. A lead role. In one of her favorite plays. At Lincoln Center? With Hollywood stars?

A small noise of disbelief escaped her throat—a cross between a whimper and a moan—and her heart was beating so fast she was starting to feel dizzy.

Wait, wait, wait, her subconscious intervened, strong-arming its way to the front of her brain. This must be a joke.

“But, He Loves Me Not is the worst play of all time,” she heard herself mumble as she exhaled the breath she was holding.

Horrified by her inadvertent disloyalty, she looked up at Mr. Durran, but was distracted by Green Eyes, who smiled at her—smiled the most sexy, beautiful smile she’d ever seen, and though it didn’t make an ounce of sense, she felt like that smile was suddenly holding her up. She nodded at the hot lawyer gratefully then turned to Mr. Durran, taking a deep breath and composing herself.

“I just mean…it wasn’t my best work.”

Mr. Durran nodded. “The material’s trash. But you weren’t.”

She licked her lips, forcing herself to stay focused on Mr. Durran, though she would have liked to see Green Eyes’ reaction to such praise.

“You were quite good, Ms. Klassan. Quite good. Mr. Winslow and I caught your performance two nights in a row, and not because we found the play the least bit compelling. But, you…well, I’ll be damned if you don’t have something.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “I’ve written the audition time and place on the back. Tuesday afternoon at three. The Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center. You know it?”

“I know it,” she whispered.

He nodded. “Well, that’s fine. Don’t let me down, Ms. Klassan.”

“No, sir,” she said, grinning up at him. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’re welcome.”

She felt like she should say more, so she added, “You’ve just made my dreams come true.”

“I think you did that all yourself,” said Mr. Durran, “doing the best you could with this lemon.”

Elise’s glance flicked to Green Eyes, who still stared at her, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “And thank you, Mr. Winslow.”

“Mr. Winslow,” said Mr. Durran thoughtfully, darting a quick glance back at his associate. “He had much more to do with this than you know, Ms. Klassan. He was…captivated by your performance.”

Elise watched as his cheeks flushed and his smile faded, but he didn’t drop her eyes. He stared into her, through her, like he was captivated by far more than her performance and though some part of her knew she should find such searing attention unnerving, it wasn’t. It was exciting. It was exhilarating. Unchecked it could prove…addictive.

“Well, I’ll leave you two now. Tuesday, Ms. Klassan. At three.”

“I’ll be there,” she murmured, dragging her eyes from Mr. Winslow to smile at Mr. Durran. “And thank you again.”

Mr. Durran winked at her, then turned, exiting her dressing room and leaving her alone with the beautiful, intense Mr. Winslow.





Chapter 3


“Hi,” said Preston, still stunned to find himself suddenly standing in Elise Klassan’s dressing room after thinking about her non-stop for the past twenty-four hours.

It had been thrilling to see Mr. Durran offer her the chance of a lifetime—the way her eyes sparkled with excitement had made every atom of his body gravitate to her, want for her, hope for her. He’d fleetingly wondered what he wouldn’t do to make them sparkle like that again.

“Hi,” she answered, giggling softly as she looked down at the business card in her hands and then back up at Preston.

Her cheeks were pink and smattered with light freckles, but her lips were lush and full. Cute and sexy. A lethal combination.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” he said, wishing he sounded more witty and less stiff. He’d heard of men struck by a lightning bolt by love—or more likely, by a lightning bolt of instant and intense attraction. He’d always regarded such accounts as silly…until now.

Elise Klassan beamed at him before lifting her backpack and hefting it over her shoulders. Her bright eyes twinkled when she looked back up, waggling a finger at him in censure. “Not yet.”

“But you got an audition,” he said, grinning back at her.

She gestured to the open door and he walked through it, waiting in the hallway as she turned out the lights and locked her dressing room.

“Yes, but not the part.”