“Have you talked to Robbie about all of this?” she asked. She was pleased that her voice sounded perfectly casual.

“Actually, I stopped by because I heard he was here, but I must have missed him.”

“Oh, is he already gone?” Lindsey asked. She refused to acknowledge even a flicker of disappointment that he hadn’t stopped by her office.

“Beth said he was meeting his understudy on the pier to run over some lines,” Charlene said.

Lindsey thought about how unhappy Dylan’s mother would be to hear this. She had made it very clear that she didn’t like Dylan spending time with the theater people. Then she realized that this was probably why Dylan and Robbie were meeting at the pier. It would be very hard to be seen out there, especially if they practiced on one of the lower docks.

“Well, maybe you can catch him out there,” Lindsey said. “He and your mother seem close enough that she would tell him if she was worried about your father messing with the production.”

“True,” Charlene said. “Mom and Robbie are very close.”

“And if not Robbie, then maybe Nancy knows,” Lindsey said.

“I thought of that, but since Nancy is Mom’s best friend, I didn’t want to put her in an awkward spot,” Charlene said.

“Oh, well, than definitely ask Robbie,” Lindsey said. “He seems to thrive on awkward spots.”

Charlene tipped her head and studied Lindsey. “He likes you, doesn’t he?”

Lindsey glanced down at the top of her desk. “I have no idea what you mean.”

Charlene laughed. “Yes, you do. Robbie likes you and he’s got you all flustered, doesn’t he?”

“Ugh.” Lindsey thumped her head down on her desk. “I feel like such an idiot. He probably does this to every woman he meets, and let’s not forget that he’s married.”

Charlene reached across the desk and brushed back the long, curly strands of Lindsey’s blonde hair in a comforting mother-to-a-child sort of way.

“Robbie’s marriage has been over forever,” she said. “Just not legally.”

Lindsey turned her head to the side and gave Charlene a baleful look. “And he has a girlfriend.”

“Oh, no, they broke up months ago,” Charlene said. “Lola is just sort of a barnacle. She’ll keep clinging to Robbie until she finds someone else to attach herself to.”

Lindsey sighed and pushed herself back into a seated position. “Still, it’s too complicated for me.”

“Maybe,” Charlene said. She stood and crossed to the door. “But maybe you don’t need to get involved with Robbie. Maybe having him interested in you will motivate a certain boat captain we know to get his act together.”

Lindsey clapped her hands over her face. “Oh, horror. That scenario requires entirely too much drama.”

“Well, it is theater season,” Charlene said with a laugh. “Thanks for listening, Lindsey.”

“Anytime,” she said. “Let me know what happens.”

“I will,” Charlene promised.