Three Girls And A Leading Man by Rachel Schurig

the business entirely.”
    “No way,” Nate said, shaking his
head. “You’re way too talented. I bet you get that part in Jenner Collins’
show. Then everything will be different.”
    I smiled at him, feeling
unexpectedly touched. He seemed so sure of his words, so confident in my
ability. I felt my stomach clench. I still hadn’t heard back from the theater
about my callback. A friend of mine from college was dating a lighting designer
who had heard a rumor that Jenner Collins was holding a final round of
auditions that night. The rumor, even coming third- hand, made me incredibly
nervous. If they were holding more auditions that must mean that they didn’t
find what they were looking for at my callback.
    “Hey,” Nate said softly, grabbing
my hand. I looked up at him. “It’s going to be okay, Annie.” It was like he had
read my mind. The sincerity in his face made my breath catch.
    “Let’s get out of here,” he
continued. “We can go back to my place for another drink.”
    For once, I didn’t argue with him.
I was dying to see his apartment. Plus, the idea of being alone when I was
feeling so unsure about things was not appealing. Something about Nate’s
company made me feel calmer, less anxious. I had no desire to leave it so soon.
    Nate drove the short distance to
Birmingham in his Ford Focus. As I settled into the passenger seat, I realized
for the first time that his car was less flashy than I would have expected.
When I mentioned this, he laughed.
    “I work for Ford, Annie. What did
you expect me to drive, a jag?”
    We pulled up in front of a modest,
clean-looking apartment building. Also not quite what I had expected. When he
had told me he lived in Birmingham I had pictured one of the rambling old
houses that line the streets around the downtown area, or one of the
ridiculously expensive lofts that marketed itself as being ‘urban’. This
building looked like it could happily exist in any small city in the area.
    He led me up the stairs to a second
floor apartment, unlocking the door and allowing me to enter first into the
foyer. It opened directly into a spacious living room. Nate had furnished it
better than most guys I knew: he actually had things like end tables and framed
art on the walls. There was even a nice potted spider plant on the counter. Not
a cheesy movie poster in sight.
    “So this is how an engineer lives,
huh?” I asked, looking around the room.
    “Yup,” Nate said, throwing his keys
down on the side table. “There’s a special store we shop at and everything.”
    “Hmm,” I said, walking around the
room to get a better look. “It’s much cleaner than I expected.”
    He laughed. “Do I strike you as a
messy person?”
    “Most guys are,” I said, picking up
a picture frame and peering down at it. “Who’s this?”
    “Wow, you are nosey, aren’t you?”
    “I’m just trying to get a feel for
it,” I told him. “How does a young bachelor live on the other side of the
poverty line.”
    He burst out laughing. “You really
do think I’m a snob, don’t you?”
    “Nate, you wear a tie to work
everyday,” I pointed out. “I mean, come on.”
    He came over to me, wrapping his
arms around me and pulling me tight. “You like my ties,” he said, resting his
forehead against mine. “Admit it.”
    “Never,” I murmured, raising my
face for a kiss.
    “Nuh-uh,” he said. “No kisses until
you admit it. You like me in a suit.”
    “Fine,” I conceded as he pulled me
even closer. “I like you in a suit.”
    “Thought so,” he murmured, his
mouth inches from mine. Then he was kissing me, and any objection I may have
had toward his ties was long gone.
    We were interrupted by the sound of
Nate’s cell phone. He groaned against my mouth before releasing me. “I should
get that,” he said. “I’m expecting to hear from one of my coworkers.”
    As he rummaged through his jacket
pockets for his phone, I continued my exploration of his apartment. It was