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She hated them for betraying Lorelei. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to lay into them for hurting the kindest, most real woman she’d ever known. The only reason she kept her mouth shut was to preserve Lorelei’s dignity.
The manager stomped heavily up the stairs, taking in the lot of them. The betrayers squirmed under her evil grin. “Ready?”
“It’s not going to work,” the drummer said.
“Sure, it will.” The manager’s smile broadened. “This is what the boss wants, and this is what she’ll get. Check your contracts if you have any questions about who’s in charge.” She gave them a moment to quiver under her hard stare. “So, I’ll ask again. Are you ready?”
With the phone pressed tightly to her ear, Grace stood just offstage while Brodie tried to hype her up to the audience. “They’re going to leave. They’re going to boo and break out into fights, and then police will swarm and the entire meadow’s going to be cleared out.”
“That’s one possibility,” Romeo said. “Orsince they know all about you and already love you, they’ll chill out and have a good time.”
“And here she is, ladies and gentlemen,” Brodie called. “The Singing Baker!”
She tensed, listening to the response.
“So?” her brother asked.
“It’s mixed. There’s booing, but there’s clapping, too. I just know the Mini Callows are bawling their eyes out.”
“Maybe. But the only way to win them over is to get out there and perform for the ones who’re clapping. Sing your heart out, Grace. You got this.”
“Thank you, Romeo. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” As she disconnected, she thought about Lorelei somewhere out there hurting. Everything the singer believed to be true had been turned upside down.
And so, for her, Grace would deliver the performance of a lifetime. She strutted out onto the stage and grabbed the mic. “Thank you, Brodie, and thank you, Calamity Falls! I might be a poor imitation of the great Lorelei Calloway, but in her honor, I’m going to give you the best I’ve got. Now, let’s bring down the house with my favorite song, ‘Light Up the Dawn.’”
The band launched right into it, and Grace closed her eyes. She’d done this a million times. It might be the largest venue and the only media presence she’d ever had, but she’d block it out and just do her thing.
And then, she did it. She opened her mouth and sang the song, just like she’d done a million times before. Only this time, she put in a little more energy, so she didn’t let Lorelei down.
It didn’t take long to win them over. At no point did she check to see past the lights—it didn’t matter if the meadow had cleared out. She was going to get through this set. She lost herself in lyrics she’d memorized years ago but still resonated with her, and she let herself dance, move, and sway to the melodies.
Maybe they’d turned the cameras off, loaded the vans, and driven back to the airport muttering,Fuck this.Nothing to see here.But she could see bodies in the pit, so she knew she was performing for someone.
And really, when it came right down to it, she was singing for herself. It was the best therapy in the world because she sang with her whole body and used every ounce of stamina and strength to push the words out.
Because tomorrow, she’d have to pack her bags and leave this town she liked so, so much. Leave the man and little girl she’d fallen madly, wildly, thoroughly in love with.
It wasn’t painful.
It was gut-wrenching. It was her soul screaming that she was making the biggest mistake of her life. That she was meant to live here. She was meant to be a mother to Kinny.
Yes.
There. She’d said it.
I’m meant to bake Christmas cookies with her as we shake our butts to holiday songs in the big, warm kitchen. To read her books before bed and wash her hair in the tub. And I’m meant to ease her dad through all the difficult choices that are hard for him to make but are in Kinny’s best interest.
And she was meant to spend her life loving that beautiful, generous, deeply sensitive man who couldn’t live with the consequence of one decision he’d made ten years ago.
She sang and sang, and when she took a break, she looked at the set list to remind herself what came next, and through it all, she decided she couldn’t leave Calamity without giving it one more shot.
She had the money now.It bought her freedom, time, and options.
Tomorrow, she would talk to Jaime.
Because maybe she’d read it all wrong. Maybe he really was preoccupied with onboarding his goalies right before the season started and with Kinny going from a sling to a cast.
Maybe he’d be shocked to hear she was leaving.
