Page 194 of Movers and Shakers

“Meet me at my office then. We have a lot of work ahead of us tonight.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Lila

As the clock ticked down before the start of the show, I hoped I wouldn’t disappoint my fans. I hoped that, despite all of the changes that had happened over the last few days, I could put on a good performance.

This wasn’t going to plan, but I would make it work.

I was in position under the stage, about to be lifted up into the lights and the screams of everyone who’d bought a ticket. My heart was pounding, adrenaline coursing through me.

With less than two minutes to go, Malia ran to my lift, ducking under the stage supports.

“I have good news,” she said, out of breath. “You’ll have a guitarist.”

“Barry, right? He’ll be backstage.”

“You’ll have someone onstage, actually.”

“What?” I asked. “And they know the routine?”

“Every note.”

“Are you sure?”

“Surer than I’ll ever be.”

“How did you make this happen?”

“Magic and a few strings being pulled.”

“Barry gets to see the whole show too?”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “He has the best seat in the house.”

I shook my head, trying to understand how she had made the impossible happen.

“Lila!” one of the stagehands said. “You’ve got to go up.”

“Don’t worry about a single thing. Just focus on your performance. You’ve got this.”

I nodded and got back into position.

I only had one second to take a breath. This was all happening so fast. All I knew was that I was going onstage and I was singing.

I wouldn’t let it show that I was meeting my guitarist like this. I tried to channel Barry and all of his calmness. If he were here, he’d tell me I wasLila fucking Wilde. I could do this.

And I would.

The crowd screamed as I appeared, loud even through my inner-ear speaker. I gave them a wave, twirling on the stage as I’d practiced.

The first song was “Goodbye, Good Riddance,” which I stood in the center stage for. It was a guitar-heavy song, but I started it out with only my voice. A few seconds in, the guitar began. I breathed out a sigh of relief. It was definitely live.

My band was in the back on the right. I was too busy singing and interacting with the crowd to get a glimpse of the new person. Soon, I’d be able to spare a glance, but for now, I wanted to find Barry.

I spotted the Murrays in the front row. I’d been looking forward to seeing Barry there, but I’d put away that hope when Mickey was fired. All I wanted to see was that shocked expression he’d worn when I’d shown him the album.

As my eyes drifted over their familiar faces, I recognized Ruth, Tom, Max, Selena, Knox, and Lynn. I even saw Liam and Audrey all cheering at me.

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