Shy and successful Broadway singer, Carmen, is finally at the point in her career where she is auditioning for her dream role. After meeting Owen at the local coffee shop, it seems like everything is perfectly lining up for Carmen's future. When fac...
Carmen had to look through several rooms before finally locating Amy sitting by herself in the library.
"Come on!" Carmen grabbed Amy's hand and led her out of the room, "We have to go before John and Phil figure out what I did."
"What did you do?" Amy asked as she stumbled along behind Carmen.
"Well, first, I listened to Mrs. Galloway call them Paul and George."
"Oh, my God! She did?"
"Yes," Carmen blurted, "but that's not the point. The point is, she asked me if I thought her money would be in good hands if she donated it to us and I said no."
"You what?" Amy practically shouted as she stopped dead in her tracks and threw her hands in the air.
Carmen grabbed Amy by the wrist and led her to the front door where they waited for the butler to come back with their coats.
"I told her it was a bad idea to give them money," Carmen whispered. "And she listened to me."
Amy's eyes widened, "You know this means you're in trouble, right? Like 'no lead and maybe no job' trouble?"
"Not if they never find out," Carmen smiled as she took her coat from the butler and put it on.
"You don't think she'll tell them?" Amy asked as she put her own coat on.
Carmen pulled out the business card and handed it to Amy, "She told me to call her if my situation ever changed. So I don't think she'll tell anyone."
"You're gonna be famous!" Amy giggled as she handed the card back to Carmen.
"Not if I don't get out of here," Carmen dragged Amy through the door before thanking the man who held it open.
Amy was dragging behind, so Carmen pulled her arm harder as she rushed into the garden to wait for their car to arrive.
Carmen was so focused on getting Amy away from the house that she didn't notice a small step surrounding a fountain. She managed to catch her balance as she tripped on it, but when she got to the other side, the step down was too much to handle and she stumbled off the step and plummeted towards the ground.
Everything happened all at once. The ground was approaching, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. Carmen closed her eyes and braced for an impact that never came.
When she opened her eyes, Carmen could not see the face of the man in the suit who had rescued her from her fall.
But by the time she was standing upright, she could tell that she was looking straight into the eyes of her maybe-boyfriend, Owen.
"Why are you here?" Carmen asked, confused, "Do you have two jobs or something?"
"You all right?" Owen asked.
"I'm fine, yeah," Carmen answered him, "But what are you doing here? I thought you were busy tonight?"
"I was, yeah, but now it's midnight and I'm not anymore."
Carmen noticed Amy slipping away back towards the house. I guess she thinks this is going to get awkward.
"Why are you avoiding my question?" Carmen asked once she was standing on her own again.
"Because I don't want to answer it," he huffed.
"Fine," Carmen said and stomped away from him. The effect was dampened by the fact that one of her shoes fell off in the stumble, so stomping was not going to work.
"Stop, Carmen," he gently held her arm as she turned away. "Can you just come inside and I'll explain?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to."
His eyes narrowed as she repeated his answer from before. "I'll tell if you will," he held out his hand for her to join him and then walked towards a bench in the nearby trees.
Carmen sat down before speaking, "I can't go back in there because I just told Siobhan Galloway not to give money to my company and when they find out about it, I'm as good as dead. So I hope you like very poor women, because that's what I will be."
He laughed, "I'm not dating you for your money, trust me."
What's that supposed to mean?Wait! Did he say dating?
All of a sudden, Carmen's brain caught up with why Owen was there and why Amy had left when she saw him.
"Your last name," Carmen breathed out.
"My last name?" he seemed confused until he looked at her face.
"Oh, yeah. As to why I'm here. . ." he trails off.
"Is your last name Galloway?"
He just nods.
"Oh, my God," Carmen got up to go find Amy.
"Where are you going? Do I get to explain?" he asked, chasing after her.
"No," she replied without looking at him, "I don't think you get to explain right now. I just need to get out of here."
"Wait, listen!" he called as she continued walking away, "I didn't know you knew my parents! If I had, I would have told you a long time ago."
"I don't want to hear it right now, Owen," Carmen slid off her shoes so she could walk faster. "I just want to find Amy and go home before I blow up any other parts of my life, okay?"
As if by magic, Amy rounded the corner.
"Let's go, Amy," Carmen picked up her pace even more as she made her way back towards the car.
As Carmen and Amy slid into the car and drove away, Owen stood staring at the window. He was saying something Carmen couldn't make out, so she turned around to face the front of the car.
"So, that's Owen then, is it?"
"Yup."
"I'm guessing that's not a good thing?"
"That Owen who works at the coffee shop is actually Owen Galloway? No, that's not a good thing."
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