To Outwit an Angel

6. Coffee at Midnight

(A/N: The chapter's maybe named after a Taylor Swift lyric? Maybe not? I'll never tell.)

Sharlene's POV:

I'd been alone for the past ten minutes, standing numbly in Lori's new 'dressing room.' She'd since departed to God knows where, and I could only hope to see her again tomorrow. I knew what I should have been doing. I had a coffee date with, of all people, Ubaldo Piangi and should be getting ready to leave.

 Still, I needed a minute with my thoughts first. So Lori and I had actually been sucked into a different reality? Better yet, nobody had realized we were frauds yet. Could we really live it up in the Victorian era with no complications? Maybe. Of course, there was the whole murder and kidnapping deal, but we could probably evade those unfortunate details with the power of foresight. In any case, that was Lori's problem, not mine.

 As for me, I envisioned a whole life of stardom ahead. Although unconventionally, my dreams came alive before my very eyes, and I welcomed this change with open arms.

 Right. Coffee date with Piangi. This mental reminder had me stifling giggles. The absurdity of me going on a coffee date with some dorky tenor from the 19th century! He could never have the dreamy physique and dashing charm of Rob. Even then, I'd give the Italian a fair chance. If the real Carlotta could find a reason to keep him around, I surely could as well.

 When that girl came to gather Lori, she had foisted a cloak into my friend's hands. There was another cloak, made of gray velvet and trimmed in ermine, which I naturally assumed was mine. I fastened the Dorset buttons at my neck and allowed the cloak to cover my puffed sleeves. How on earth could I go back to wearing normal clothes after this! That is, if Lori and I ever actually made it back home. But why concern myself with that now? I had a more thrilling discovery: my corset hadn't rearranged my internal organs!

 A muff rested on the sofa beside the cloak, and since Lori didn't take it, I elected to. I paused at the dressing table's mirror, wondering if I dared mess with the greasepaint atop it. A little makeup never hurt anyone, but these products were unknown to me. I'd already begun infringing upon the time slot of "fashionably late" by now, and I'd rather not resemble a clown, so I passed up the makeup and headed for the door.

 In the opulent foyer, Piangi waited for me. He offered his arm, and I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. Sure, his arm wasn't the sculpture chiseled by gods that Rob's was, but it was comfortable in its own way, like hugging a childhood stuffed animal after a bad day.

 "It's good to have you back. You didn't actually intend to leave forever, did you?"

 Good to have me back? Did he know I shouldn't be here? Panic settled into my gut, and speculations grabbed control of my mind. What if this coffee date was all a ploy, a ruse to get me to trust him? Then, he'd accost Lori and me, revealing to all the world that we weren't who we claimed.

 In seconds, I'd transformed some nice man, who appeared genuinely interested in me, into a scheming mastermind. And what was my reasoning? One comment I interpreted poorly?

 And I was quite obviously Carlotta, which I doubted Piangi could see through.

 Suddenly, I felt like an idiot. Of course, I had stormed away from the dress rehearsals earlier that day. At least, the real Carlotta had, and I needed to maintain the illusion.

 "No, not exactly. This old place just keeps dragging me back to it, rather against my will."

 There, that was a rather Carlotta-esque reply, but it wasn't downright mean. It seemed to gratify Piangi, which was all I really cared about.

 "Well, I'm thrilled to have you here again. Do you think you'll get your role back?"

 Thank God I had a marvelous Carlotta impression. I unleashed it with full force now. Shrugging a nonchalant shoulder, I flicked my wrist disdainfully.