Read Online Meant To Be by Karen Stivali - Free Book Online Page A

giggles were bubbling out of her.
    “Did you just squeak?” he asked.
    She inhaled a hiccupy giggle and squeaked again, laughing too hard to speak, but nodding her head.
    “The squeaky pirate and the shoeless Prince of Bel Air,” he said. “This production is in serious trouble.”
    ****
    They made it through the rest of the evening with a minimal amount of spilling and managed to get the entire porch painted.
    Daniel cleaned off the paint can rims before hammering on the lids then walked backstage in search of Marienne and his shoe. He stepped carefully, realizing it wasn’t the best idea to be barefoot in a construction area. As he rounded the corner at the back of the theater, he saw Marienne, standing at the deep utility sink.
    Even in the dim green glow of the humming florescent light, she looked adorable, strands of her dark hair coming loose in odd pieces that had worked their way free of the confines of the bandana, the plaid shirt falling slightly off one shoulder. Her arm moved up and down inside the sink basin. As he approached he saw that she was washing one of the paint rollers. Her hand was tightly curled around the roller as she stroked it beneath the rush of water. Her fingers spiraled against the surface of the long tube and grey paint swirled down the drain.
    “Need some help?” he asked, trying to ignore how turned on he was.
    She jumped. “Jesus. You scared me.”
    “Sorry.” He pointed to his bare feet. “Stealth attire.”
    “We may need to put a bell on you or something.”
    “Well, a bell would complete this outfit.” He was pleased to hear her giggle again. “Here, allow me.” He reached over and slid the paint roller out of her hands. “I think you’ve cleaned up enough paint for today.
    “It’ll go quicker if we both do it.” She picked up one of the paint brushes from the sink basin.
    He was grateful there weren’t any rollers left. He wasn’t sure he could handle watching her clean another one of those without staring. “Did you walk again?” he asked.
    “Yeah, but I’m afraid it’s cloudy tonight.”
    “I noticed.” He felt another pang of disappointment, thinking that no star gazing potential probably meant no park.
    “But the swings are still there,” she said. “Unless of course you want to go straight home and wash off all the paint you’ve managed to get on you.”
    “You’re pretty well covered yourself, you know. You’ve got grey freckles.”
    “So do you.” She smiled. “Only yours match the streak in your hair.”
    ****
    “Ha ha,” he said, but she could tell he was amused. She was busy watching his hands as they cleaned the roller. She hadn’t thought about how sexual the process was until she took note of his long fingers caressing the roller, water cascading down around it. She flushed from her own dirty thoughts. Oh God. Stop it before you say something that embarrasses both of you. She took one last look, admiring his grip and shuddering before she stepped aside to start drying the brushes.
    “Does Frank ever volunteer here?” Daniel asked.
    “Frank? Volunteer? Here? There are so many things wrong with those words being strung together I don’t know where to begin.”
    “Okay, so not a theater guy?”
    “No, he thinks plays are boring.” She shrugged. “Plus he likes to get paid for his time. He’d never devote his free time to something like this. What about Justine?”
    “Uh, no, definitely not Justine’s idea of fun. So, I guess you and Frank didn’t meet working on a production.”
    “No, I met Frank at a friend’s law school graduation party. I wasn’t having the best time at the party, because I didn’t know hardly anyone, so I went out on the fire escape to have a cigarette. Frank followed me, and we started talking”
    “You smoked?”
    “Then, yes, all the time. Oral fixation.”
    “Me too.” He laughed. “When did you quit?”
    “When Frank and I got engaged. I knew it was bad for me. What about