"I guess I did run. I panicked," Annelie admitted. "You must have seen by now how I live my life. Inviting you to stay at the garage apartment was out of character for me, but I wanted to help. Usually, I'm not this open with someone I hardly know."
"You've treated me very well," Carolyn allowed. "I know about your reputation for keeping a low profile."
"And I told you about my rule never to get involved with curious, married, or straight women."
"You saw me as all of the above, I assume. Until last Saturday." Carolyn speared a mushroom.
"Some of them, I still do." When she saw Carolyn flinch, Annelie regretted her harsh tone of voice. "And I was very angry with you for showing up uninvited and forcing my hand. You left us with no other choice but to allow you to hijack the convention."
"I'm not apologizing for fighting dirty when it comes to the Maddox role…but about what happened later…it certainly wasn't anything I had planned to do."
"And you still fit the description of women I stay away from." Annelie's voice sank.
"I'm aware of my ineptness in making love to another woman," Carolyn murmured. "However, you know by now Jared and I are just friends, and I've never questioned my sexual preference. I always assumed I was heterosexual. Until you."
Feeling bad for the hurt she detected within Carolyn, Annelie sighed. "Ineptness doesn't factor into it. I don't think you're that type of curious either. But you have a reputation for going after what you want—no holds barred."
"Yes, you're right. I have done that. I did that by showing up in Orlando. But ending up in bed with you was not part of my plan!"
Annelie stopped with the fork halfway to her mouth. "But we did."
"Yes. We did." Carolyn's voice became huskier. "We did. And now I don't know what to do."
"What do you mean?"
Carolyn hesitated and then shrugged. "I simply don't know how to proceed. I'm puzzled. I guess I should have second thoughts about what happened and disregard it, but I can't."
Cocking her head, Annelie reached for her wineglass. "That's a very honest reply."
"Coming from someone like me, you mean?" Carolyn made a face. "Will you give me an equally candid answer? Do you regret making love to me?"
Annelie was about to say yes, even knowing it wasn't true. Rolling the wine around in the glass, she stared down at the minivortex forming. "No, Carolyn, how could I?" she whispered. "You were beautiful… wonderful, in my arms."
"I've never experienced anything like it in my entire life," Carolyn confessed. "Nobody's ever made me feel that way. Nobody."
Something in Carolyn's voice gave Annelie courage to meet her gaze. To her surprise, the other woman's eyes shimmered a bright blue. "I couldn't resist you," Annelie admitted hoarsely. "I wanted to. I knew you might be in my arms for all the wrong reasons."
"What reasons are those?"
"You have a reputation for being an opportunist, Carolyn. The last few weeks, I've felt your interest and just didn't know what to make of it."
"My interest?" Carolyn raised her voice. "Your interest in me is just as plain!"
Annelie carefully put her utensils down and leaned back in the chair. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the picture of me, a very young me, on your desk at the house in Florida. I'm talking about the old theater poster of me when I did Little Women that I saw in your office today. It's a little too obvious to be a coincidence."
Annelie felt herself pale. She rubbed her forehead, looking into Carolyn's angry eyes. "Touché."
"You've obviously followed my career." Carolyn sounded calmer. "Want to tell me about it?"
"You'll laugh."
"Maybe, but who cares. It's just the two of us." Carolyn sipped her wine. "Fire away."
"When I was twelve, my mother was holding two jobs to support us. During the summer break, I began watching The Passing of Time. I fell in love with you as Devon. The network aired reruns every weekend and I didn't miss a single episode. I would watch every Sunday morning, five episodes in a row. Whenever you were in a scene, I'd move closer to the TV, watching your every move, every facial expression. When you quit the show, I was devastated and stopped watching it. I kept track of your career from a distance, watched your TV movies and feature films, as well as all the other appearances you made, like talk shows and so on."
"I'm flattered, Annelie. I really am. What's there to laugh about?"
"I was trying to get to know you through the media, even though I realized that image couldn't capture all of you. You're as private as I am, if not more so. There's very little known about your family, other than the basic stuff, which I respect completely. When I said you have a reputation for being an opportunist, I meant it literally—a reputation. I'm aware of how wrong it can be but, then again, it's all I had to go by."
Carolyn frowned. "I went by my agent's and signed the contracts. I don't want you to misunderstand. I'd rather tear them up if signing them somehow means losing your friendship…"
"No, Carolyn, I'm not sure why you think I'd ask you to make such a sacrifice. Don't even consider it."
"Because you left the note the way you did. It suggested you thought I'd seduced you to get the role, and this was your way of saying I'm on to you. The night was so wonderful. Nothing we did or felt gave me reason to think otherwise—but the note did. You say you want nothing but honesty from me, and the truth is, the note was like finding money on the nightstand. It hurt like hell."
"I'm sorry, Carolyn. I should have stayed. I'm normally not such a coward." Annelie pressed her lips together. "The note was a bad idea and certainly not meant to hurt you." Noticing Carolyn had barely touched her meal, she gave up on the idea of eating. "Why don't we put the food away and sit on the couch and talk?"
Carolyn nodded. "Yes, please. It's delicious and deserves more attention."
They put their meals in the refrigerator and then walked into the living room. Annelie motioned toward the big leather couch by the fireplace. "Want a blanket?"
"Yes. I'm cold for some reason." Carolyn nodded.
Annelie took a wool blanket from the armchair next to the couch and spread it across both of their laps as she sat down next to Carolyn.
"Better? Good. Now listen to me. You're perfect for the role. The convention proved it. Everyone in the audience identified you as Diana Maddox. You're a most professional, conscientious actress, and
your reputation in that respect is impeccable. Of course, some of your female colleagues have made catty personal remarks about you, and a few men have made acid comments, probably because you've turned them down. I can't think of anyone else doing a better job with Maddox than you."
Carolyn looked stunned. "And personally? You idolized me for years, and now that you've known me for more than a month, are you disappointed?"
Thinking to herself, In for a penny, in for a pound, Annelie inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. "You're more than I ever thought."
***
Carolyn studied the telltale pink cheeks of her hostess. Annelie looked embarrassed but also strangely relieved after her confession.
"In true Hollywood manner, I have no problem calling perfect strangers darling, sweetheart, and honey." Carolyn smiled ruefully. "And now, when it counts, all I can think of is I called you Annie last Saturday."
"Yes, you did."
"Did you mind?"
"No, not at all, coming from you. You must've realized how… turned on I was by everything you said."
"That was another new thing for me," Carolyn admitted. "I've never been that vocal in bed before."