Read Online Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee by Janice Hanna - Free Book Online Page A

breakfast. Though exhausted, she also felt more encouraged than the day before. She prayed he would concur with her decisions related to the cast list, one in particular. Would he go along with the idea of playing King Arthur? Hopefully she could convince him to do so. Steve knew how important this was to the town—and to her.
    She entered the diner and was surprised to find Steve seated in a booth across from Gwen. A ripple of jealousy ran through Amy, but she pushed it aside. As she drew near the booth, Gwen looked up. Her expression hardened.
    “Oh, hey, Amy.”
    “Hey.” Amy looked back and forth between Steve and Gwen, trying to decide where to sit.
    “Here, sit by me.” Steve moved over on the bench, making room for her. She slid into place, noticing at once the frown on Gwen’s face.
    “We were just talking about the auditions yesterday.” Gwen laughed. “Honestly, have you ever seen so many talentless people in one room? The whole thing was a joke. Too funny, really…in a not-so-funny sort of way.” She rolled her eyes then took a sip from her cup of coffee.
    “What?” Amy found herself stunned at Gwen’s bluntness. “Actually, I thought a few of our townspeople did a great job. Some better than others.”
    “Surely you don’t actually think we can pull off a professional show, Amy. One people would pay money to see?” Gwen leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “It’s ludicrous. You need to stop this before people get hurt and it destroys the reputation of our town.”
    “What?”
    “Yes.” Gwen gave her a pensive look. “People are going to get their hopes up and then dashed when this thing doesn’t work out. It’s not fair—to them or to the people who are going to pay money to see the show.”
    “But that’s always how it is in theater,” Amy said. “Things are rough at first, but the show must go on. Everything works out in the end.”
    “How would you know?” Gwen leaned back against the booth, crossing her arms. “Exactly how many shows have you been in, again? Since junior high, I mean.”
    “Well…”
    “Exactly. Look, Amy, this was a clever idea, and we all know how you love to come up with clever ideas. But this one’s just a little too much. You need to let it go.”
    Steve shook his head. “Gwen, I disagree. I think it’s one of the most brilliant ideas Amy’s ever come up with. And most everyone agrees. As for ruining the reputation of the town, I don’t think it’s possible. Camelot is such a small place that most folks haven’t even heard of it.”
    He emptied his coffee cup and leaned back against the seat, his shoulder rubbing against Amy’s. She tried not to let his closeness distract her from the conversation at hand, but, man! Being this close to him was getting harder every day. She tried to focus on Gwen, who continued to talk.
    “That’s just it,” Gwen argued. “We want to be known as a respectable town. I don’t want to become the laughingstock of East Tennessee.”
    “That’s not going to happen,” Amy said. “I won’t let it.”
    “We’ll come up with the perfect cast list,” Steve added. “Just watch and see. God will work it all out. Have a little faith.”
    “Hmph.” Gwen rolled her eyes. “Well, at least we know who’s going to play Guinevere.” She rose and gave him a knowing look.
    “We—we do?” Amy looked back and forth between them. “Who?”
    “Isn’t it obvious?” Gwen laughed. “I’ve already got the name. And my audition went great. You might as well give me the part. Everyone expects it. You should have heard Blossom and Annabelle talking about it. Lucy too. They’re all expecting to see me in the role. Some things are just a given.”
    “But…” Amy let her words drift. There was no point in stating her opinion. She and Steve could talk about it later. But if he’d promised Gwen the role because of her name, he could think again. Everything in this show was going to be fair and square. Parts