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They set off across a sea of people, dodging servers and scooting in chairs, and Nick thought about sitting across a booth from Kacey with a K. Had it really been more than six months ago?
“Hello!” he announced grandly as they approached. “I’ve been told that …” He went wide-eyed as he gaped at the table. “What?No way!”
Theo the bouncer grinned and offered him a fist bump. “Happy holidays, man.”
“Hi, guys!” Nick took hugs from Stephanie and Alexa. “Who’s minding the bar?”
Elliot turned in his seat to shake Nick’s hand with a grin. “The Friday night crew isn’t the only crew, dude.” He put his arm around Kacey as she took the seat next to him. “I heard you’ve met my girlfriend.”
“I have,” Nick said promptly. “Did she tell you I was a jackass?”
Elliot laughed. “She left that part out.”
“Well, I was, and I’m sorry,” Nick said to Kacey. “Date night’s on me.”
“Seriously?” Elliot said. “Thank you, man.”
“My pleasure.” Nick felt fingertips trail across his back as someone passed behind him. “Who’s your server?”
Stephanie smiled. “Who do you think?”
Nick glanced to his right and saw a glimpse of Hayley’s violet T-shirt through the crowd. “Well, when she gets back here,” he grinned, “make sure and tell her you two are on my tab. Enjoy the show, okay? I’ll come back after.”
Kacey put a hand on his wrist as he turned to go. “You look different,” she said.
“So do you,” he said cheerfully. “I like the haircut.”
“No, I mean …” She seemed a little sheepish. “You’ve got a glow, if that makes sense.”
Nick grinned. “That makes perfect sense, Kacey, and I’m thrilled you’re here.”
Of course he had a glow. He was done working a room to dull his pain; now he did it because he was good at it. He still hit the Squeaky Lion once a month with Gavin, but now most of Nick’s Friday and Saturday nights were spent here, chatting with the cast and bringing lesson plans to the green room, so his weeknights were as free as Hayley’s. He liked sharing this world with her when she was working, and he loved it when she swept by with a fleeting touch, as she had just now in the midst of holiday chaos. Just a whisper of connection, a reminder their dance had never stopped.
He made his way to table A6, and Tom Burke looked like Christmas morning had already arrived. “Should I get the rig?” he asked Nick.
“I think it’d be best for all of us if you did,” Carolyn said drily from beside him.
Nick laughed and nodded at Tom, who dashed off to the back of the room. “I’m reading a book,” he told Carolyn. “Voluntarily.”
“No need to strain yourself on my account,” she said. “You’re already my ideal son-in-law.”
He started to laugh, and then her words sank in. “Carolyn …”
“That’s not a request,” she assured him gently. “But I know you love her, and I know she loves you. So just in case you wereworried, I wanted to give you an early Christmas present and say Tom and I would love nothing more.”
Nick was overwhelmed. “I’m going to hug you later,” he said.
Carolyn laughed. “Go contain Tom.”
The Burkes had been to Vivez several times in the last three months to see their daughter dance; they were here tonight because Nick was going to film it. Nick was now standing a safe distance away as Tom Burke wheeled a large platform against the back wall and locked the casters into place.
“It won’t move on you,” he said. “I promise. And I double-checked the railings earlier.”
Nick stepped forward. “Tom, this is awesome.”
This was the rig. Once word had gotten out that Nick would be regularly filming Vivez shows, Tom Burke and his merry band of handymen had leaped into action to create this. Three concentric squares were stacked on top of one another, like the first layers of a broad pyramid. Two metal stair rails were mounted in one corner, and a waist-high railing ran around the perimeter of the top level. At the top sat a chair in front of a high-quality digital camera on a swivel mount.
Nick could easily leave the walker on the ground, use the stair rails to climb the steps, walk along the railing to the chair, and operate the camera from his perch above the crowd. He could do all this without assistance, just because Mr. and Mrs. Burke had decided to use their time and money to make it happen.
