His Fair Lady by Kimberly Gardner Page A

almost as embarrassed as Josie herself. It had been so quick, she wasn’t even sure who the other girl was. But she needed to know.
    Josie got herself together and hurried to the door. She pushed it open a crack and peered out. Down the hall she saw three figures huddled together outside Kierra Feni’s office. Two of them she didn’t know. The third was Vi Markowitz.

Chapter Eight
    “It wasn’t that bad, Joes.” Mark reached for Josie’s hand as they turned onto the brick path that led away from the Little Theatre following a less than stellar rehearsal.
    “It totally was that bad and then some.” Josie’s tone was morose, but she let him take her hand.
    “Everybody has an off day. It happens. When you’re not concentrating, you miss cues and stuff.”
    “What makes you think I wasn’t concentrating?”
    Uh-oh. Now she was defensive.
    “Nothing. But it was sort of obvious you had something on your mind.” Now if only he could get her to tell him what the something else was.
    “I thought you said it wasn’t that bad.”
    “It wasn’t. You missed a few cues, forgot a line or two. It happens to everybody.”
    Josie stopped, forcing Mark to stop as well. She yanked her hand from his, turned to face him, and enumerated on her fingers.
    “First, I missed four cues. Second, I had to call for a line six times. And third, I nearly fell on my ass when we were doing the tango. It was horrible.”
    She spun on her heel and stalked on without him.
    Grr.
    Mark caught the leash on his temper and reined it in before it could get the better of him. Clearly she was upset and spoiling for fight. It wouldn’t help anything if he gave her one.
    He considered calling after her to wait up, then nixed the idea. In her present mood she’d probably break into a run. He quickened his steps and easily caught up with her.
    “My car’s in the residence center lot.”
    “You don’t have to drive me home. I can walk.”
    “I know I don’t have to. I want to. Don’t argue.” This last was said when he saw she was about to do just that. “Just c’mon.”
    To his surprise, she didn’t argue but followed him to his car and slid into the passenger seat without another word.
    The drive passed in silence, Josie staring out the window and Mark stewing behind the wheel. By the time they turned onto her street, it was obvious she had no intention of sharing what was bothering her.
    Who cared anyway?
    It was nothing to him. He would just drop her off and drive away. See ya. He didn’t need her crap. He had his own crap to deal with. So he’d pull up outside her house, let her out, make sure she got inside okay, and he’d leave.
    Fine. That’s just what he would do.
    Mark cut the wheels sharply in toward the curb and stomped on the brake.
    “Thanks for the ride.” Josie reached for the door handle.
    “Joes, wait.”
    She already had the door open and one leg outside the car. But she paused, half turning. Her face was a question mark, and her eyes were filled with worry.
    If it was only worry, he might have said never mind and let her go. But there was unhappiness there too, and it hurt his heart to see it.
    Mark reached out. He slid his fingers into her hair and cupped her cheek. “What’s wrong, baby?”
    She leaned her cheek into his hand. Her skin felt warm and soft against his palm. She closed her eyes, and her lower lip trembled. When she spoke, her voice was no more than a whisper.
    “Everything.”
    Run, a voice in Mark’s head advised. Weepy woman at three o’clock. So get the hell out of there if you know what’s good for you, pal.
    Mark leaned across the gearshift and pulled Josie into his arms. She didn’t resist but came easily and rested her head on his shoulder, which told him more than any words could that what was bothering her was more than a little female angstiness.
    Her breath, at first even and slow, grew harsh and uneven. When the first sob broke, he tightened his arms around her. He said nothing,