didn’t miss her.
She swallowed
around a lump in her throat. She was going to be okay. She could do this. She
was exemplary at this.
And anyway, they
were talking one song. One and a half. His hand tightened
around hers again and he whispered, “Knock ’em dead.”
Then he was gone,
and she got to her spot just as the curtains began to open.
It was go time.
Chapter Five
The curtains parted, revealing Roni at the piano surrounded by the band. Her wrap dress
with its vibrant mix of colors crisscrossing her body pulled all eyes to her.
Instead of
greeting the crowd, the group launched immediately into an intro to “The Twelve
Days of Christmas.” No singing, merely playing. Letting the crowd absorb and
appreciate Roni.
Lucas wanted to
stand in the shadows and watch her. That’s all. Just watch. Wait for her to
finish so he could go to her and make sure she was okay. The audience seemed transfixed.
It was an honor to see her play. Everyone in the room seemed to understand that
fact.
She wasn’t
looking at anyone now. She hadn’t so much as lifted her head.
She was watching
only her own fingers. Yet he could tell that the tension was already
disappearing from her shoulders.
Lucas had been
shocked to feel her shaking in her dressing room. The quieter the crowd had
become, the more her body had quivered.
At first he’d
been egotistical and thought it was his touch.
But he’d quickly
realized that though they may have off-the-charts chemistry, even he wasn’t
that good. The woman had radiated fear.
He’d read
through the schedule the night before and had seen that she would be playing
today. He’d been exuberant at the thought.
Yet as she’d
stood there, vibrating in his hands, it had clicked. Something had made her
walk away from playing. Something that had turned the brown
of her eyes to a bottomless pool of worry.
This woman had
played for packed houses with large symphonies. She’d played solo concerts all
over the world. She’d even once played a special event for the president and
first lady of the United States.
Yet she’d looked
today as if she’d rather run from the building than head out to the stage.
He had to hand it
to her, though. She didn’t shirk her responsibilities. When the time had come,
she’d done what she had to do. She’d tossed her head back and walked right to
the middle of the stage.
And she was
shining out there.
He glanced down
at his partner for the day, Melody Harper, an older lady who stood at his side.
Both of them, along with eleven other contestants and their helpers, were ready
to head out when given their cue. Melody was alternately smiling at him and
then at the band. Or maybe she was smiling at Roni.
It was hard to tell. Especially when he could barely pull his
own gaze from Roni long enough to pay much attention
to anything else.
Kayla Morgan
marched back and forth in front of the line of them, a pencil tapping against
her clipboard as she counted out a silent beat. She was wearing a headset with
a small microphone positioned in front of her mouth. He saw her speak into it, presumably to the person she had on the other side of
the stage lining up the remaining contestants over there.
But at the
center of it all was Roni, her fingers gliding over
the keys and her face settling into a comfortable glow.
His eyes drifted
to her hair. The interesting thing about her today—along with her being almost
too scared to walk out on stage—was that her hair seemed to better fit what he
knew about her. It had lost yesterday’s smooth, contained style, and today it was
literally exploding around her head. Black curls were everywhere. They were
glorious. It felt more like the pianist who played with wild abandon.
The instant Roni’s
fingers had touched the keys, she’d been transported
back in time. She’d been doing this since the age of three, trained by her
father, who’d also been a child prodigy. He’d begun taking her on the road with
him at the tender
She swallowed
around a lump in her throat. She was going to be okay. She could do this. She
was exemplary at this.
And anyway, they
were talking one song. One and a half. His hand tightened
around hers again and he whispered, “Knock ’em dead.”
Then he was gone,
and she got to her spot just as the curtains began to open.
It was go time.
Chapter Five
The curtains parted, revealing Roni at the piano surrounded by the band. Her wrap dress
with its vibrant mix of colors crisscrossing her body pulled all eyes to her.
Instead of
greeting the crowd, the group launched immediately into an intro to “The Twelve
Days of Christmas.” No singing, merely playing. Letting the crowd absorb and
appreciate Roni.
Lucas wanted to
stand in the shadows and watch her. That’s all. Just watch. Wait for her to
finish so he could go to her and make sure she was okay. The audience seemed transfixed.
It was an honor to see her play. Everyone in the room seemed to understand that
fact.
She wasn’t
looking at anyone now. She hadn’t so much as lifted her head.
She was watching
only her own fingers. Yet he could tell that the tension was already
disappearing from her shoulders.
Lucas had been
shocked to feel her shaking in her dressing room. The quieter the crowd had
become, the more her body had quivered.
At first he’d
been egotistical and thought it was his touch.
But he’d quickly
realized that though they may have off-the-charts chemistry, even he wasn’t
that good. The woman had radiated fear.
He’d read
through the schedule the night before and had seen that she would be playing
today. He’d been exuberant at the thought.
Yet as she’d
stood there, vibrating in his hands, it had clicked. Something had made her
walk away from playing. Something that had turned the brown
of her eyes to a bottomless pool of worry.
This woman had
played for packed houses with large symphonies. She’d played solo concerts all
over the world. She’d even once played a special event for the president and
first lady of the United States.
Yet she’d looked
today as if she’d rather run from the building than head out to the stage.
He had to hand it
to her, though. She didn’t shirk her responsibilities. When the time had come,
she’d done what she had to do. She’d tossed her head back and walked right to
the middle of the stage.
And she was
shining out there.
He glanced down
at his partner for the day, Melody Harper, an older lady who stood at his side.
Both of them, along with eleven other contestants and their helpers, were ready
to head out when given their cue. Melody was alternately smiling at him and
then at the band. Or maybe she was smiling at Roni.
It was hard to tell. Especially when he could barely pull his
own gaze from Roni long enough to pay much attention
to anything else.
Kayla Morgan
marched back and forth in front of the line of them, a pencil tapping against
her clipboard as she counted out a silent beat. She was wearing a headset with
a small microphone positioned in front of her mouth. He saw her speak into it, presumably to the person she had on the other side of
the stage lining up the remaining contestants over there.
But at the
center of it all was Roni, her fingers gliding over
the keys and her face settling into a comfortable glow.
His eyes drifted
to her hair. The interesting thing about her today—along with her being almost
too scared to walk out on stage—was that her hair seemed to better fit what he
knew about her. It had lost yesterday’s smooth, contained style, and today it was
literally exploding around her head. Black curls were everywhere. They were
glorious. It felt more like the pianist who played with wild abandon.
The instant Roni’s
fingers had touched the keys, she’d been transported
back in time. She’d been doing this since the age of three, trained by her
father, who’d also been a child prodigy. He’d begun taking her on the road with
him at the tender
Similar Books
