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Austin later. Right now I wanted to enjoy Travis and Kenzie’s scene.
    When they were finished, the cast stood and applauded.
    Travis laughed and tugged off his wig. “Phew! I don’t know how you girls do it! This hair is hot! I’ll take a buzz cut any day of the week.”
    That was the end of our acting auditions, but since it was still early, we decided we might as well work on some of the songs that involved the whole cast. Luckily, Joey had brought his guitar. I sent Susan inside to get our portable keyboard,and then we were ready to go.
    Austin picked a scene that was actually a flashback, in which Odysseus explains how he managed to get inside the walls of Troy by hiding his army inside a giant hollow stallion. The title of the song: “Gotta See a Man About a Horse.”
    Everyone took a few minutes to go over the lyrics while Austin and Joey played around with the music. A few of the more experienced singers, like Sophia and Nora, began warming up their voices while others experimented with harmonies.
    The cast’s first attempt at “Gotta See a Man About a Horse” wasn’t half bad. The tune was infectious, and the lyrics were clever and catchy. Austin incorporated a few of the keyboard’s special rhythm effects, and enhanced the song even further by adding the reverb option. This, combined with Joey’s acoustic guitar, made for a really great sound. It was almost as if we had an entire orchestra at our disposal!
    And as for the singers—well, nobody held back! They sounded incredible, belting out the hilarious lyrics as if it were actually opening night.
    They did an equally good job with “It’s All Greek to Me,” and I was proud of them. Last time, we’d auditioned with famous Broadway songs everyone already knew or at least had heard before. But everything about The Odd-yssey was brand-new and unfamiliar, which made it more of a challenge. And still, the cast had given it their all.
    I suppose it didn’t hurt that our musical’s songs were “inspired” by well-known titles. But the melodies were altered and the lyrics were completely different. So I was pleased to see them catch on so quickly.
    â€œThat’s all for today,” I said when we finished our rousing rendition of “Some Gods Have All the Luck.”
    â€œDon’t forget, tomorrow we’ll be rehearsing at the community center,” Austin reminded them. “If anyone has transportation issues, shoot Susan an e-mail or a text.”
    We all walked around to the front yard, where the cast said their good-byes and headed home. I was glad no one lingered, since I was anxious to start the casting process with Austin and to express my concerns about the size of the cast versus the number of roles we needed to fill. Plus, during the second verse of “Gotta See a Man,” Becky texted me a picture of herself at the town tennis courts. This was followed by another text inviting me to come to her match later that afternoon. I responded with a simple:
    I’LL B THERE.
    As soon as Austin and I nailed down our cast, I’d go straight to Becky’s match.
    As I was waving good-bye to the actors, I got a third textfrom my athletic bestie. Two words and an emoji:
    BRING AUSTIN.
    I decided not to think too deeply on this addendum to her invitation. She knew we were holding auditions today, so she probably just figured Austin and I would be together anyway, so why not ask him along.
    Right?
    I tucked my phone into my pocket and joined Austin and Susan on the front porch. “Ready to cast the show?”
    Austin held up a pad and pen. “Ready!”

CHAPTER
    7
    As Austin, Susan, and I sat on the front porch, I noticed what a busy place Random Farms Circle was on a sunny afternoon. I saw young mothers with strollers, kids on skateboards, and older couples walking tiny fluffy dogs on leashes.
    â€œI never realized how much foot traffic there is around