Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

FEbrUARY 2011

An all-female cast wasn't exactly what Donna had in mind, but when Nick told her he was assistant directing Steel Magnolias at the Majestic, she decided to audition. Just after Halloween, she found out she'd won the role of Annelle Dupuy, a shy Southern hairdresser turned Bible thumper in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday cast. Rehearsals started in February.

"So, I hear you and Nick used to go out," Amelia said one day while she and Donna waited for their scenes to be run. Amelia was playing the beautiful Shelby Eatenton Latcherie the same nights as Donna.

"For like 5 seconds," Donna said. "I'm surprised he even mentioned it."

"He didn't," Amelia said, giving her a meaningful look.

"Oh," Donna said, knowingly. "The Other Shelby."

"How did you guess," Amelia said drily.

"I'm surprised she remembers that," Donna said. "Actually, I'm surprised she noticed in the first place."

"It's always shocking when Trynn Gentry discovers there are other people in the world," Amelia laughed.

Donna had only known the bubbly brunette for a few weeks, but it already felt like they'd been friends for years. Amelia was the only one Donna had told about her plotting with Nick to make sure Trynn ended up in the other cast. Trynn would assume the role of Shelby for the Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday performances, along with duplicates of Truvy, M'Lynn, Clairee, and Ousier.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you are my Shelby," Donna told Amelia for the millionth time.

"I'm glad too," Amelia said. "But I'd kind of rather be in your shoes."

"You're perfect for Shelby! Shelby is supposed to be effortlessly beautiful."

"You are beautiful."

"I'm cute. There's a difference."

"Agree to disagree," Amelia said. "But it's not the part itself. It just sucks to be playing the same part as a legit tv star on her nights off. I just know half of the audience will be disappointed it's me up there instead of Josie from Drama Club ."

"They'll forget all about it the minute they see you," Donna said encouragingly. "Plus, we got the better Ouiser and the better Truvy. All they got was Trynn."

"And we got Nick too."

"Oh, he made sure of that. Remember, he knows Trynn all too well."

"That's right! She was in Guys and Dolls with you two."

"He was Nathan Detroit to her Miss Adelaide."

"Did she ever try to put the moves on him off stage?"

"Oh no, she was married at the time."

"Like that would stop her."

Donna looked at Amelia curiously, then realized where her questions were really coming from.

"Oh! You like Nick!"

Amelia covered her cheeks with her hands.

"Have I been too obvious?"

"Not enough to get it through my thick skull. I love it! You guys would be great together!"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. We've been just friends for years. Has he figured out you like him yet?"

"I don't think so. And I don't want him to until after the show's over."

"I won't say a word," Donna said.

Then Amelia peppered her with questions about Nick's dating history. Donna assured her that Nick would make a great boyfriend, that he hadn't been serious with anyone at least since they'd started working together at the cafe, that he wasn't a user or a player.

"Not every guy would sign up to work with an all-female cast on a play set in a beauty salon," Amelia said. "I think it's cool."

"And honestly, he's easier to work with than Bellamy," Donna said, referring to the high strung director, who was born and bred in the South and was deeply committed to an authentic portrayal that didn't succumb to stereotypes, which Donna fully supported. But sometimes he got a little testy about it.

"Poor Trynn," Amelia said. "Bellamy is losing patience with her accent."

"More. Drawl. Less. Twang," they recited in unison, clapping once between each word, as they'd seen the director do dozens of times, then dissolved into laughter.

"Trynn can be hard to feel sorry for," Amelia said. "But when I think about what they did to her on Drama Club…"

"Killing off her character you mean?"

"No, the reason why her character was killed off…"Amelia began, executing a seamless topic switch when Trynn herself walked up behind them. "…Oh my gosh, yes I really did try Clairee's Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa recipe. It really was rich. Oh hey, Trynn!"

"Hi-i," Trynn said in her sing-song way. "You mean the cup of flour, cup of sugar, and cup of fruit cocktail recipe?"

"With the juice," added Donna.

"Isn't that Truvy's recipe?" Trynn asked.

"It's Truvy's recipe in the movie," said Amelia. "But in the play, it's Clairee's. And it really is sweet. I felt like I needed to check my blood sugar afterwards."

"Speaking of blood sugar," Trynn said. "I have an idea for how we can nail our diabetic shock scenes."

Amelia and Donna exchanged a surreptitious look. They hadn't known Trynn to be much of a team player in the past.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Donna said, excusing herself. Maybe Trynn's recent professional disappointment had humbled her a little. And Donna did have to give her credit for getting right back in the saddle. It took guts to return to semi-professional theater so soon after starring in a hit tv show. It didn't exactly qualify as anyone's preferred career move.

But the way Majestic Theater was billing Trynn's presence in the show, with her face splashed all over the promotional materials, had to soften the blow. Not to mention the private dressing room with its engraved nameplate, which read "Trynn Gentry," despite her divorce. But Donna couldn't fault her for that, given her recent discovery that Trynn's given name was Trinity Mae Wegfahrt. Donna would much rather be a Gentry too.

For her day job at the cafe, Donna chose as many Southern-themed roles as she could find, from Daisy Duke to Scarlett O'Hara to Scout Finch, to keep in practice for her accent. She'd even spent a week as the elderly Miss Daisy from Driving Miss Daisy . This week, she was Charlotte La Bouff—in her 1920s flapper dress rather than the giant antebellum gown she was more known for, which is probably why nobody could figure out who she was.

"Charlotte who?" Nick asked.

"Not you too," Donna said. "Nobody's guessing this one right. I'm making this accent as obnoxious as I can. I even tell everyone the kitchen is fresh out of beignets, and they still don't catch on."

"Beignets?"

"Haven't you seen Princess and the Frog? I'm Tiana's best friend, Charlotte La Bouff."

"Of course, Charlotte La Bouff!" he said, smacking his forehead with his palm. "Just kidding, I still have no idea who that is. But you look great."

"Oh, this old thing?" she drawled, swishing her pink mid-calf skirt.

"Would you call that color ‘blush' or ‘bashful'?" he teased, borrowing a line from Steel Magnolias .

"Don't let Shelby hear you making fun of her wedding colors," she replied, and Nick walked right through that opening to ask her a few questions about Amelia, which she suspected he would.

The infatuation was clearly mutual, but they were both determined not to make any moves until after closing night, which Donna appreciated. So far, Donna was the only one who knew about their interest in each other, which she simultaneously loved and loathed. She loved playing cupid and vicariously experiencing the bliss of new infatuation; she hated the creeping loneliness she felt at her own lack of prospects. Given the almost total lack of testosterone in this particular production, Donna had no one to dream about or flirt with at rehearsals. Beside the stage crew, Nick was about it.

Work wasn't yielding any results either. She'd had exactly three customers scribble a name and phone number beneath the tip line on the receipt in recent months, but none of them were even remotely tempting.

And on top of all that, she'd been on two excruciating blind dates in the previous month. The first was a new architect just hired at Gavin's firm, who spent the evening pouting after she beat him at bowling. Then the brother of Elizabeth's college roommate took her to see a movie—a documentary about Chicago gang violence—and tried putting the moves on her immediately after a gut-wrenching funeral scene. Had he absorbed even one second of what had just been on the screen, or was he just looking for a dark place to make out? Needless to say, neither of those two got a second chance.

Not that she had much time to date anyway, since she spent her mornings and afternoons at the cafe and her evenings rehearsing. She was often free during the fun-filled hours of 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., however. Prime senior citizen dining hour!

"How's Amelia feeling about the diabetic scene," Donna asked Nick later on in their shift.

"I think she'll feel a lot better after tonight," Nick said. "Trynn has lined up an expert to come in and coach them."

"That's…surprisingly generous of Trynn."

"That's what I thought," Nick said. "But apparently she's calling in a favor, so I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth."

"That's the weirdest expression," Donna laughed.

"Yeah, imagine getting a horse as a gift," Nick said.

"I'm sure it used to be much more common, back in the day."

"I doubt it. it'd be like giving someone a car today."

"Oh, I've been offered a gift car. Turned it down."

"What's wrong with you?"

"It was from my brother-in-law."

"Was it a POS?"

"No, brand new."

"Again, what is wrong with you?"

"So many things," she laughed. "See you tonight."

As the double Shelbys, Annelles, Truvys, and M'Lynns ran through their lines for the diabetic shock scene, Trynn kept checking her phone. Her makeup looked even more impressive than usual.

"He's here!" she erupted, then ran to open the door to the rehearsal hall, revealing Dr. Jack Gentry on the other side. Donna's heart fell into her shoes.

"Who's this?" murmured Amelia in an appreciative tone.

"Trynn's ex-husband," Donna whispered back.

"He must be a saint," Amelia said.

"For marrying her?"

"For still talking to her after the divorce."

Donna was beginning to suspect there was a story here, and that Amelia was acquainted with the details. She'd have to follow up on that later, because Trynn had slipped her arm through Jack's elbow and was walking him over to the assembled women for introductions.

"Oh, Donna, hi!" he said when his eyes collided with Donna's. He looked surprised, but pleased.

She wanted to tease him for recognizing her for once, but it didn't seem like the right time, with so many women watching them curiously and Trynn's eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Hi Jack," Donna said. "Nice of you to come."

"You're in this scene too?"

"Yes, but Amelia and Trynn are doing all of the heavy lifting. I just get to look concerned."

"As I remember, you're good at that," Jack said with a smile.

"I invited Jack because he knows what real diabetic shock looks like," Trynn said. "And I've run lines with him more times than I can count. He gives good feedback. I always tell him he could have had a career on the stage if he weren't so determined to go save lives and everything."

The women laughed, and Donna took note of the genuine warmth in Trynn's voice, despite the way she looked at him—with a mixture of possessiveness and regret. For his part, he remained friendly but guarded around her. And his eyes strayed frequently to Donna. She wasn't imagining it, was she? She suddenly felt grateful she had showered after her shift at the cafe, and that she'd blown her hair dry rather than pulling it up into a messy bun. It hung in a silken sheet down her back, shiny and straight.

"How do you know Dr. McHottie?" Amelia asked while Jack answered another one of Trynn's overly detailed questions. The poor thing was trying too hard, and to Donna's dismay, she found herself feeling sorry for Trynn. Again.

"Through Trynn originally," Donna said. "But beyond that, it's kind of a long story."

"Do tell."

"I think you have some things to tell too. How about I call you on the way home?"

"Yes please!"

Donna felt Jack's presence like a gravitational pull, even as they moved around the room in their separate orbits. She looked up several times to catch his eyes on her; and he'd done the same.

At the end of the evening, Donna stood at Kermit's door under the glow of a street light, jiggling the key in the lock to catch the perfect angle, since the key fob had long since stopped working. She saw Jack across the parking lot, talking to Trynn next to her silver Saab, on which her old "DRAMAQN" license plate had been affixed.

A few cast mates drove out of the lot, Jack and Trynn were still talking, and Donna had yet to get the door unlocked. Donna knew she was being superstitious, but when this happened, she found it worked best to turn her back on the car for a few minutes. Act like she didn't care. The more eager she appeared, the less cooperative Kermit tended to be. So she leaned against the driver's side door and scrolled through her phone for a few minutes, realizing the car next to her was the same model of hatchback as Kermit, but about a decade newer and light blue in color.

"Hey," Jack said, walking up to her in the space between Kermit and his better-looking twin. "This yours?"

"Meet Kermit," Donna said, patting the hood, then she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He can be stubborn. As soon as he's had a second to relax, I'm going to try the key again."

"Careful, he might hear you," Jack stage-whispered back. "What happened to the Jeep?"

"It's my brother-in-law's," she said. "Hudson's dad."

"How is Hudson? Nostrils still the same size?"

"Yes, Doc. And no new eyeballs have sprouted in there either."

"Good to hear," he grinned, then leaned back against the blue car.

"Wait, that's yours?" Donna asked.

"Yup."

"I expected you to have a better car."

"Ouch," he said, clutching his chest comically.

"Sorry," she laughed. "I just mean, I've seen Trynn's car. Her other one, I mean. And, well, you're a doctor ."

"Her other car is the reason I still have this one. Or it was, anyway. I just haven't gotten around to upgrading."

"Still busy at the hospital?"

He nodded.

"Sometimes I wonder if they're trying to kill us," he said. "Just have to make it 7 more months."

"And then you can switch to regular stress, not ‘I can't stay awake during a brilliant production of Guys and Dolls stress.'"

"Exactly," he grinned. Okay heart, Donna told the overactive organ in her chest cavity. Slow down. You've seen a man smile before.

"Well, I'll pray for you," Donna said. Wait, where had that come from? What if he wasn't the praying sort? How embarrassing.

"Thank you," he said, simply and sincerely. No sarcasm detected. Nice.

"So it was Guys and Dolls you were in with Trynn," he said.

"Haven't I told you that before?"

"Not that I remember," he said. "But that's not saying much."

"At least you remembered me this time," she joked.

"Oh, I always remember you. I just don't always recognize you."

She tilted her head, not quite understanding.

"I mean," he clarified, boldly. "Each version of you made an impression. I just didn't connect that they all added up to you. "

What a nice way of putting that, Donna thought. They smiled in unison. Zing went Donna's heart. They looked away simultaneously, then made eye contact again. Zing again.

Donna cleared her throat.

"What year is your car, and does she have a name?" Donna asked. It was one of Donna's many quirks that she assumed cars belonging to men were female and cars belonging to women were male.

"2002 and no, I'm not that creative. What name would you suggest?"

"Hmm, let me think about that," she said. Smurfette? No. Dory? No. Then it struck her. "Sally!"

"Sally?"

"Yes, the girlfriend in the Cars movie. She's blue too."

"Sally it is," he said. "How old is…what's his name?"

"Kermit is almost 20. He's a 1992 model."

"He looks good for his age."

"Eh, he's been through a lot. And I really should pass him on to my younger sister, but I hate car shopping."

"Sally's for sale."

"Really?"

"Well, she is now. Seems like she's starting to hurt my reputation."

Donna laughed. More cars pulled out of the parking lot, briefly lighting them with their headlights as they swung past. She waved at Amelia, who gave her a wide-eyed double-take.

"But seriously," he said. "I've already looked at her trade-in value and decided I'd rather sell her directly. To someone who will appreciate her."

"You don't want to hang onto her for just 7 more months?" she asked.

"Wasn't planning to. So seriously, let me know if you're interested."

"I'm interested," she said quickly, not shying away from the double meaning.

He grinned, then shielded his eyes with his hand as another set of headlights lit him up, but didn't swing past quickly like all the others. She glanced over her shoulder. Besides Kermit and Sally, only one car was left in the lot. Trynn's. What was she waiting for?

"If I give you my number again, will you text me this time?" he asked. "About the car?"

What did he mean? She had texted him.

Trynn's car was in motion by now. She pulled up next to their bumpers and rolled down her window.

"Jack," she called out across the passenger seat. "One more question."

Jack walked over and leaned into the window to chat with her, their voices too low to carry. Not that Donna was eavesdropping.

Donna turned and tried her key in the lock again. Kermit had relented, to Donna's relief and her dismay. She no longer had an excuse to linger.

Jack wrapped up his goodbyes with Trynn, and she inched her car away, pausing far too long before pulling onto the street. Could she be any more obvious?

Donna had climbed into her car, but she rolled down the window when Jack walked up. He placed a forearm on the Kermit's roof and leaned under it. She raised her eyes to meet his.

"I texted you last time," she began, at the exact moment he started reciting his phone number.

"You first," they said simultaneously, and Donna slumped back in her seat, grinning up at him, noticing the attractive crinkles in the corners of his eyes. He hadn't made the best first impression on Donna, but he improved upon acquaintance.

He pantomimed zipping his lips together, then swept one hand toward her, palm up, indicating that she had the floor.

"Okay," she laughed. "What I said was that I did text you when you gave me your number."

She scrolled through her phone to locate the text in question and handed it to him to read.

"See? You didn't respond," she replied.

"Because that's not my number."

"I triple checked it!"

"It's 4327, not 4321."

"I'll show you the note. There's no way that was a 7."

"You kept it," he said, with a half smirk.

She blushed, then decided to just lean into it.

"Framed it, actually. As an example of the worst handwriting I've ever seen."

"Well I obviously wrote 9 of the 10 numbers legibly," he said, glancing down at the screen to check the number again. "90% isn't bad."

"When it comes to phone numbers, 100% accuracy is kind of important…"

"So what's this you texted me?" he said, then read aloud from the screen. "What do you mean ‘alleged kiss'? Are you accusing me of telling but not kissing?"

"I still stand by statement," she said.

"I am certain I would remember."

"How certain?"

"Certain enough to make a wager."

"Name your terms."

"Loser buys dinner."

"I warn you. I'm not a cheap date."

"Neither am I."

"Isn't this a he said/she said situation though?" Donna said. "How do you propose we determine who is right?"

"I have thoughts," he grinned.

"Care to share them?"

"Not at present."

"Okay, but you should know I have proof."

"What kind of proof?"

"Photographic. But I don't have it with me."

"Naturally."

"Fine, don't believe me," she said, reaching out a hand to shake his to seal the deal. "But prepare to go down."

"Bring your evidence to dinner. If I'm not convinced, you pick up the tab."

"Hold on, why do you get to be the judge?"

"Because there's no way for me to prove a negative. The onus is on you to make a convincing case."

"Who uses words like ‘onus'?" she teased.

"People who originally planned to be a lawyer."

"What might change such a person's mind?"

"Other lawyers."

She laughed.

"Well in this case, counselor," she said, pulling in words she'd heard on Law & Order . "I don't think I can trust you to be objective."

"Oh, you definitely can't. In fact, I'm already inclined to rule in your favor."

"And why would you want to do that?"

"Well, the way I see it. I'm a winner either way. So I'm not all that invested in the outcome."

"How so?"

"The worst-case scenario for me is that I turn out to be wrong, but I've spent a couple of hours with you. If it costs me a dinner, so be it."

Warmth spread through Donna's solar plexus.

"Oh, it'll cost you," she challenged. "Just name the time and place."

"Do you like sushi?" he asked.

On her way home, Donna was so caught up in her own thoughts she forgot to call Amelia back.

The next day at rehearsal, Trynn was unusually attentive, in a "keep your enemies closer" kind of way. Donna tried to remain friendly without being drawn in.

"I see The Other Shelby is horning in on my territory," Amelia said during a break. "Do I need to tell her to back off? She has her own Annelle."

"You're the only Shelby for me," Donna said.

"Aww," Amelia said. "But seriously, why the sudden change of heart?"

"My guess is that she didn't like me talking to Dr. Gentry in the parking lot last night."

"I knew there was a vibe between you two!" Amelia said. "Let's hear this long story."

Donna shared the abbreviated version of her history with Jack—if an intermittent series of random encounters could be called "history"—from the electric kiss on the cheek and the pantomimed tug-of-war for the photographer to the dance at her sister's wedding, the sprained ankle, and the eyeball up her nephew's nose.

"Fate certainly has a way of bringing you two together," Amelia said.

"I don't think fate has had as big of a hand in this as Trinity Mae Wegfahrt does," Donna said. She had recently learned Trynn's real last name, and now she couldn't stop using it.

"With a name like that, I'd remain Trynn Gentry for life, too," Amelia laughed.

"Same," Donna said. "Anyway, besides making him coming to see her in Guys and Dolls , Trynn also dragged him to my sister's wedding. She made him dance with me so she could proposition my brother-in-law."

"Financially," Donna quickly clarified when she saw the look on Amelia's face. "And then she insisted he come see her speak to my college class, where he ended up helping with my sprained ankle."

"Don't forget she also roped him into coming last night," Amelia said. "So really, the stars in your eyes could be considered her fault, too."

"I do not have stars in my eyes."

"Oh, yes you do," said Amelia.

"Okay, fine," sighed Donna. "Maybe I do. But I'm trying not to."

"Why? He seems great."

"Because it doesn't make sense. Why me? He could get anyone."

"I say why not you? You're not just anyone. You're Donna Freaking Gable! And if you ask me, you blow his ex out of the water in every possible way."

"Where have you been all my life?" Donna asked. "Can I just carry you around in my pocket for an instant pep talk anytime I need one?"

"You already do," Amelia said, pointing at the phone in Donna's hand. "I'm also available for secret keeping, accent coaching, and salacious gossip."

"Wait," Donna said, remembering all their interrupted conversations over the last couple of days. "You know what happened with the divorce, don't you?"

"I'm friends with the Drama Club costume designer," Amelia said with a knowing nod.

"You know Camila?" Trynn broke in, appearing out of nowhere again. Donna jumped. She sure hoped Trynn had only heard Amelia's response and not the question that came before it.

"Cam's the best. She always made me look amazing," Trynn said.

"She really is," Amelia said. "And she's a big fan…"

"How sweet," Trynn broke in prematurely.

"…of yours, Donna," Amelia finished awkwardly. Trynn pretended she hadn't heard.

"Mine?"

"She reads your column. She's been following Lavinia's blog for years. She knew exactly who you were when I mentioned you."

"You mentioned me?" Donna asked, batting her eyelashes with exaggerated delight.

"It's not every day that you meet a new bestie," Amelia said warmly, and Donna could see even this was making Trynn jealous, not that she'd ever been all that interested in either one of them individually. Something about their instant friendship seemed to threaten Trynn's sense of self.

"I could totally get her featured on the blog," Donna said. "What other shows has she worked on?"

Amelia rattled off an impressive list of television and movie credits.

"How do you know all of this?" Trynn asked.

"You'd be surprised what people will tell you if you just ask them," Amelia said, not unkindly. "Some might say I'm nosy, but I prefer to call it ‘curiosity.'"

"I'd love to meet her sometime," Donna said. "I helped with costuming for Into the Woods at UCI and loved it."

"She's always looking for good talent," Amelia said. "And by the way, she's worked on two shows that were nominated for Emmys for Outstanding Costuming."

"Eh, nobody watches that part of the Emmys," Trynn said dismissively.

"I do," said Amelia and Donna simultaneously.

"But don't you think it's hilarious to see the crew in tuxes and gowns?" Trynn laughed. "They remind me of kids who got into grandma's costume box. There's a reason they usually stay behind the scenes, you know?"

She did not get the solidarity she expected.

"Oh my gosh, that's so mean," Amelia said in that upbeat, perky way of hers. She had a genius for calling people out without actually offending them.

"I know," Trynn said. "But you have to admit it's true."

Donna didn't have to admit it. She knew not everyone secretly longed for the spotlight. Some people (ahem, Betty) would rather die than have a whole theater full of eyes on them. Some people chose to work backstage, not because they weren't attractive enough to be on camera, but because that's where their creativity best shined.

Donna had gotten a taste of that world on Into the Woods , and she'd jump at the chance to work for a professional costumer someday. Not only would it be a perfect blend of her interests and talents, but she would also get out of the grind of auditioning. The thought of no longer subjecting herself to that level of scrutiny and rejection had its appeal.