Page 78 of Jonny’s Redemption

“They love her.”

Penny was still banging on her drums, ending the song when Sean Lovette boomed over the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Penny Cash.”

The song ended, Penny came out from behind the drum set, and joined Sean and Evie center stage.

“Tonight y’all got to be a part of something great,” Evie started. “Remember this girl’s name. Penny Cash, y’all.”

Penny said not a word; she stared out into the crowd and looked like a deer. Not one caught in the headlights but one caught on the business-end of a shotgun.

“Soak it up, girl!” Evie shouted.

Penny jolted and a wide smile tipped her lips right before her arms lifted straight up and she gave the crowd devil horns and they went wild.

Beside me, Chasin busted out laughing. Jonny’s body was rocking with humor and I was on cloud nine. But it was bittersweet.

Tonight was it.

Evie was officially done performing.

I took one last look around. The crowd was hyped, the lights flashed, the sound of the bass still thrumming, the vibe perfect.

And Vivi Rush took her final walk across the stage. Instead of going to her man, she stopped in front of me.

“You know, right?” she asked me.

“I know.”

Evie’s gaze went over my shoulder and she said, “You did that.” Jonny’s arms tightened and his body stilled. “Thank you.”

“Evie,” Jonny rumbled.

“Just say you’re welcome and leave it at that, Jonny,” Evie demanded.

“You’re welcome.”

My friend’s eyes dropped back to mine and she nodded.

“We made it.”

“Yeah, Evie, we made it.”

She wasn’t talking about stardom or money or the stage.

Evie was talking about Jonny and Chasin. She was talking about Macy, Alec, Charleigh, Holden, Silver, Weston, McKenna, Nixon, Kennedy, Jameson, and their families. We always had each other but now we had more. So much more it was almost embarrassing the bounty of blessings was so plentiful.

Two lost women who’d been roaming through life living on a wing and a prayer, clinging to the past, clinging to each other, now had it all.

We’d made it.

25

“I don’t know how you survived,” Jonny muttered and gulped down the last of his lukewarm coffee.

Bobby looked at him from the passenger seat of his truck and smiled.

“What’s wrong, old man, can’t hang with the cool kids?”