“Good God.” Carly fell back against the couch. “How am I supposed to deal with that?”

Lauren laughed. “There you go, being dramatic again.”

“What if I told you that I sleep nude?”

Lauren threw herself against the back of the couch silently, mirroring Carly’s exact movements. Her face was perfectly red.

Carly laughed this time and turned her face to Lauren’s. “See?”

Lauren sighed. “I do now. I really, really do.”

“Do you wanna have a quickie in the coat closet?”

“What?” Lauren’s jaw dropped. “No way. That’s a scandal, right there. You Hollywood types, such a bad influence on the innocent theater folks.” But Lauren was looking at Carly’s lips with intent and gave herself the hell away.

“Hey, you two,” Ethan said, as he strolled to the fridge. He pointed at Carly’s ankle that still lay across Lauren’s lap. “How’s it feeling?”

“I’ll live.” She pulled her leg back and sat up, remembering Lauren’s advice about working on her professional side. “Just need to take it easy for the next day or so.”

“We can make that happen.”

Sally, the assistant to the costume designer, stuck her head into the room. “Lauren, can I borrow you for adjustments to your act two dress?”

“On my way.” She gave Carly’s knee a slight touch as she departed, which gave Carly an uptick in energy. Everything about Lauren did. She watched her leave the room with appreciation. Lauren had amazing legs, and the slim black pants she wore in the show made that point over and over.

“You’ve come alive on those boards. You know that, right?” Ethan said.

She turned to him and refocused. “It’s starting to feel really good. If I can just avoid slamming into furniture, you know. Gonna practice at home.”

“I think you should be proud of the work. Your portrayal is deep as hell.” Ethan turned a chair from the table backward and took a seat. She received feedback from him in their notes sessions, and during scene work, but they hadn’t touched base one-on-one in a while. She was interested in his take.

“I feel it,” she told him, leaning forward on the couch, her elbows on her knees. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s as if I’ve really bonded with this character. I get her, Ethan, in such a crazy way.” She sat back and scratched her head absently as she sorted out her thoughts, reveling in the exhilaration of this rehearsal process. She’d never been so fulfilled creatively. “I understand what drives Ashley forward, and I love everything about her, as different as we are.”

He nodded. “That’s all coming through. I knew we’d get there. It’s why I wanted you for the part.”

“Thank you for giving me a chance. Not writing me off because I was an out of control brat.”