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Over a buoyant wave of applause and laughter, one of the stagehands pulled the curtain, and it fell in front of the actors. On the other side, the audience voices rose in a flurry.
“Is it true?” The girl playing Hermia approached Grace worriedly. “You won’t be the drama club advisor next year?”
“Will there even be a drama club?” asked Alissa, the fairy Mustardseed.
Grace held up her hands in a calming gesture. “I don’t yet know what’s going to happen, but—”
Her phone started pinging with notifications. Dozens of emails and texts rolled in from the students’ parents, promising donations and support for next year’s drama club. A swell of gratitude filled her.
She gave the actors a reassuring smile. “I promise, I’m doing everything I can, but right now you should all get changed and head over to the Mousehole for the wrap party. Grant has a ton of food waiting for you. You all did a wonderful job and deserve to celebrate.”
A ripple of excitement went through the group, and the kids all hurried back to the dressing rooms. Grace told the stagehands to go to the party too. She went in search of Hank Spruce and Brooke, but neither was anywhere to be found.
After texting Brooke, she began putting away the smaller props and costumes. She turned off the sound system and opened the curtain back up to the empty auditorium.
“Aren’t you coming, Miss Berry?” called Liam as a group of kids hurried toward the exit.
“I’m going to drop some things at home, but I’ll come over right after. You all have fun.”
“See you at the party!”
“Thanks, Miss Berry!”
Their voices rose with excitement, happiness, and a touch of bittersweet sadness as they gathered up their belongings and left the auditorium.
After locking the dressing rooms, Grace returned to the stage. The auditorium was dark and silent, but onstage the fairy forest twinkled brightly. Lights shone from the painted trees and the greenery extending to the wings. Silk flowers bloomed everywhere in little bursts of color.
She bent to pick up a few flowers that had fallen from one of the trees.
“Writers are always told to avoid clichés because they’re overused,” said a deep male voice from the shadows of the auditorium.
Her heart skipped a beat. She straightened slowly and squinted into the darkness. Lincoln’s tall figure rose from a seat in the back row. He walked down the aisle and into the illumination of the stage lights. The sight of him hit her like a bright, glowing comet.
“But I think people forget that clichés started because they’re the truth,” he continued. “That’s why they become part of our vocabulary. That’s why you’ll always be Amazing Grace.”
He climbed the steps to the stage. Like that morning in her classroom—weeks ago, but it felt like a lifetime—Grace suddenly couldn’t find her voice.
She gripped the flowers and drank in the sight of him—unbearably beautiful in black trousers and a crisp, navy shirt and tie. Everything in her yielded to his presence, as if her very cells sought to shape themselves against him.
“I…I didn’t know you were here,” she managed to squeak out.
“I got in this afternoon. No way was I going to miss the play.” He stopped in front of her, his gaze tracking over her face. His body heat seemed to flow right into her. His closeness weakened her knees.
“I admit that it took me some effort to stay in my seat when Spruce was giving you a hard time,” he continued, “but you were right. You didn’t need my help for anything. I’m so proud of you.”
Grace swallowed past a sudden tightness in her throat. As pleased as she’d been with her students’ performances and the entire production, her happiness had been a bit muted because Lincoln hadn’t been there to share it. And now…
“I missed you,” she whispered.
“I missed you.” He lifted his hand as if he were about to touch her—and her whole body buzzed with anticipation—but then he lowered his arm back to his side.
“You know when Sam told me to come up with three reasons for staying in Bliss Cove?” he said. “I thought at first it was kind of a ridiculous deal, but I wanted to make things right with him so I agreed. I figured I’d come up with a few reasons…the ocean, the artichoke soup, whatever. But it didn’t take long for me to realize there’s only one reason I want to stay here. You’re my reason. My infinite number of reasons.”
“I…” Her voice faded. Though emotions crashed and swept through her, one clear thought shone through, like the eye of a hurricane.
To her bones, she couldn’t imagine being without Lincoln. She still didn’t know how they could untangle the logistics of being together, but she desperately wanted to expand both her life and her heart to welcome him in. Forever.
Love.
