that had always been true or if she’d developed that interest after her accident. “When did you first know this was something you wanted to do?”

“In second grade when I got to sing a solo in the holiday pageant at school.” Cass beamed. “People clapped and cheered.”

“The applause is addictive,” Samantha confirmed. “Ever been jeered?”

Cass looked horrified. “Never. Have you?”

Samantha nodded, recalling an off-Broadway production that had been an all-around disaster. “It wasn’t nearly as much fun.”

“Well, whoever did that was just plain rude,” Cass said indignantly.

“True, but critics can be cruel, too. Their reviews can amount to the same thing as jeering and in a much more public forum. Think you’re tough enough to handle that?”

“Sure,” Cass said with bravado, then hesitated. “I guess I couldn’t go punch them, could I?”

Samantha laughed. “It’s frowned on, but I imagine it’s happened once or twice.”

“When you started, were you scared?”

“Sometimes,” Samantha admitted, “but mostly of letting my family down.”

“Did you go to college?”

“I didn’t, but it’s a good choice, a place to keep learning the craft and get some more experience. In the right drama program, you’ll be seen by directors and producers who will be able to help your career along if you have the talent.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“I thought about it, but college can be expensive. I thought some of that money would be better spent by my folks if I went to New York for a year to try to prove myself. In a way, I thought of college as my backup plan, the thing to do if I couldn’t find work. I’m not sure it was the smartest plan, but it worked out okay for me. I wasn’t afraid of hard work, so I juggled a couple of part-time jobs, took some serious acting classes and tried to find an agent. I won’t lie to you, it was a tough year. I thought about giving up more than once.”

“But you stayed and it was worth it, I’ll bet,” Cass said eagerly. “I’m a hard worker. I can handle a tough schedule. I’d do anything to make this happen.” Her expression fell. “But I know there are some people who think I’d be wasting my time.”

“What people?”

“Mrs. Gentry mostly.” She held up her prosthetic arm. “This is why she didn’t cast me in the play at school. She said it would be a distraction, that people would just feel sorry for me.”

Samantha felt the same surge of annoyance that Ethan must have felt. “Sweetie, I can’t deny that your injury could keep you out of some parts, but there are lots of other roles where it wouldn’t matter at all. It might even be a help, something that could be worked into a script. Do you recall the actor who was severely injured while serving in the military, then went on to become a big hit on All My Children, despite his very visible scars? The show worked those into his story line. He even won on Dancing with the Stars because he made people look beyond his burns to see the wonderful, funny, inspirational, talented man he is.”

“That’s J. R. Martinez,” Cass said at once. “He’s awesome. Sexy, too.”

“He really is,” Samantha agreed.

“So you’re saying it’s not impossible for me to succeed?” Cass asked hopefully.

“I’m a big believer that nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough,” Samantha told her. “But you do need the talent to back up that dream.”

“I have that,” Cass said with an unabashed confidence that would have made Ethan proud.

“Want to show me?” Samantha asked.

Cass blinked at that. “What do you mean?”

“We could read a couple of scenes together, maybe try a few with another actor or actress and see how it goes. I know you know Sue Ellen’s role by heart. We could start with that.”

“Really?” Cass asked excitedly. “I wouldn’t be imposing?”

“Not in the least,” Samantha assured her. “But it will need to be one day next week. This wedding is going to be all-consuming for the rest of this week.”

“Next week works for me,” Cass said. “Any time you say.” She hesitated, making a face. “Well, not when we have rehearsals. Sue Ellen’s lost if I’m not there to feed her the lines. It would be irresponsible of me not to show up.”

Samantha nodded approvingly. “It shows a lot of character that you’re willing to put the play first, even though you must have been hurt not to be in the cast.”

Cass shrugged. “Somebody has to try to keep it from being a disaster. Just so you know, though, I’m not as much of a Goody Two-shoes as that probably makes me sound. I figure I’ll end up on stage when Sue Ellen passes out from stage fright or something. I want to be sure I’m ready.”

Samantha laughed. “I love your attitude, actually. Does Dr. Cole know what a natural optimist you are?”

“Nah, because mostly he’s seen me at my worst,” Cass admitted. “Since the accident, not every day has been such a good day. I didn’t show a lot of love for anybody or anything there for a while. He had to really push me to see that maybe my life didn’t totally suck.”

“Understandable,” Samantha said. “The key to living a good life, I think, is to wind up with more good days than bad ones. And you know what? I really do believe we have some control over that.”

“That’s what Dr. Cole says, too,” Cass told her. Her expression turned thoughtful. “Maybe you two should get together sometime. You might hit it off.”

Great, Samantha thought. Just what she needed, yet another meddler! And she could only imagine what Ethan would have to say if he heard about Cass’s theory.

“Maybe you should steer clear of the matchmaking and stick to preparing those readings for me,” Samantha said. She gave Cass a piece of paper. “Write down your phone number and I’ll give you a call on Monday. We’ll set something up.”

Cass gave her the number, then gave

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