Lindsey felt someone join the group on her other side, and she glanced over to see Sully, Ian and Mary move in beside her.

“Tonight, we perform for our friend Robbie Vine,” Violet said. “Fear not that you aren’t ready. His spirit will carry you through your scenes.”

Lindsey saw Beth visibly relax beside her. Leave it to Violet to remind them that this was about more than the individual cast and crew members. It was a living memorial to Robbie Vine, and if anyone could elevate their abilities, it was him.

“Now remember,” Violet continued, “this is theater. It is a living organism that lives and breathes as you live and breathe, and it will live whether you flub your entrance or forget your lines. Be flexible, help each other and adjust, but most important, live.”

An air of calm descended over the group. The doors at the back of the theater opened and in stepped Dylan Peet. A collective sigh of relief swept through the assembled cast, and Lindsey saw Violet smile at the young man.

“Dylan, you’re just in time,” Violet said. Her voice was kind and she lifted her right hand and waved him into the group. The others parted so that he could stand beside her.

Violet took his hand in hers and gave him what Lindsey thought was a searching look. He answered with a slight nod and she turned back to the group. Lindsey noted that Dylan appeared a little pale but otherwise fine. Maybe she was crazy to think there was a connection to his lifelong illness and Robbie’s death. Still, she scanned the theater for Joanie but didn’t see her.

“Join hands, please,” Violet instructed. “I’m going to lead you through a centering exercise.”

Lindsey held out one hand to Beth and one to Sully. She felt the spark she always felt when Sully’s callused hand enfolded hers. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t deny that her heart rate had picked up considerably.

“Close your eyes,” Violet said. “Try to clear your mind of all thought and of all emotion. Just be.”

Lindsey had her mind clear for about a nanosecond, but then she felt Sully’s thumb running ever so slightly back and forth over the pulse point in her wrist, which felt as if she was being repeatedly hit with gentle zaps of electricity.

Did he know what he was doing? She lowered her head and opened her left eye to sneak a peek at him. Even in the dim lighting, she could see that his eyes were shut and his face was perfectly composed as if he were taking a nap. Ugh!

She resisted the urge to kick him. After their near kiss yesterday, her immunity to him was nil. Even the faint scent of his aftershave was slowly making her crazy.