If You Want Me by Kayla Perrin

play house and plant flowers and pretend to the world that all was okay. She was here to help her mother while she got well. Then she would go back to Los Angeles and continue with her life.
    She looked to where the script from her agent lay on the small desk she’d used as a child. When she’d opened the package last night, she’d planned to skim through it, but from the first page she was hooked and she’d stayed up late reading it. It had taken her longer to get through it than she’d anticipated because she’d read, then stop, and imagine herself in the lead role of Tina playing opposite Ryan Gray, one of America’s best-loved heartthrobs. It was a suspense thriller about a cop turned serial killer in Los Angeles. If she accepted the role, she and Ryan would play FBI agents who worked together to solve the crime. God, what this part could mean for her career.
    The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. “I’llget it,” she called out, hoping her mother wouldn’t exert any effort to reach for the phone. It rang a second time as she made it to the hallway. Alice snatched up the receiver. “Hello?”
    “Hello, Desirée.”
    “Who is this?”
    “It’s Tanisha Quinn.”
    Tanisha Quinn. Good Lord, was she still using Marcus’s name?
    And if she was, why should she care? It wasn’t like she still had feelings for Marcus. She’d gotten over him years ago.
    “I didn’t expect to hear from you,” Alice said.
    “I’ve left several messages for Willie and haven’t heard back from him, so I’m hoping you’ll reconsider my offer that you teach the class.”
    “Really?” Alice shook her head with chagrin. One minute Tanisha wanted her, the next she didn’t. Now she wanted her again. “What about my reputation? ”
    “Actually, I spoke with some of the parents, and they don’t seem to mind at all if you take over the class—despite that nasty story. But you have to understand I’d be concerned.”
    Alice doubted Tanisha had spoken with anybody. Except perhaps Marcus. And she was more than tempted to say no. In fact, she would have, if it weren’t for Mia.
    “Look, I need someone, and if you’re willing to do the job…You are, aren’t you?”
    Tanisha sounded almost desperate. “All right, Tanisha. I’ll do it.”
    “Great. Can you come to the theater and see me today so we can talk details?”
    “Sure. What time?”
    “Say, in an hour?”
    “All right.”
    An hour later, Alice pulled into the parking lot of the Bartlett Theater. She had made sure her mother was okay, then assured her she wouldn’t be gone long.
    There were two cars in the parking lot. The Sun-bird belonged to Tanisha, she knew from the past Saturday. As she climbed out of her car, she wondered who owned the Honda.
    It looked like it might rain any minute, but Alice still wore sunglasses. And a baseball cap. It was the best she could do to keep a low profile after that tabloid report.
    Unlike Saturday, when she’d brought Mia here for her class, the theater was well lit when Alice stepped inside. Tanisha, however, was nowhere to be seen as she scanned the vast area. Alice took a few steps toward the left aisle, then remembered that Mia had led her to the right of the stage when she’d been bringing her to meet the director. When Alice had taken classes here years ago, the offices had been to the left of the stage while an off-limits storage area had been to the right. She hadn’t noticed yesterday but obviously there had been renovations to the theater.
    Crossing the back of the theater to the far right aisle, Alice made her way to the front in search of Tanisha. The back of her neck tingled with apprehension. It wasn’t that she was afraid, but she had never dealt with Tanisha in a civil, one-on-one capacity, and the fact that she was about to spend some time alone with her now made her uneasy. She knew they’d never be friends.
    When she got to the front of the theater, she saw double doors that led behind the stage, no