Page 7 of Risk It All

What if you bomb?

I don’t think that I could handle that and it makes me respect Anthony in a way that I would any artist who is brave enough to get up on stage.

As we drive past the Bellagio, he promises to take me to see the fountain show after his set tonight.

I start to think that maybe stopping in Las Vegas won’t be so bad after all.

CHAPTER4

Anthony

I’m strugglingto keep my eyes open.

I promised Emerson that I would be up and ready to go by six a.m., but I underestimated how tired I would be after spending half the night walking around Las Vegas and checking out the sights.

She wants to make it to Denver tonight and that’s an eleven hour drive, closer to twelve and a half with stops for food and gas.

She had let me sleep this morning while she drove and while I’d like to think she was just being nice, I have a feeling that it’s because she’s too much of a control freak to let me have a turn driving her precious car.

I mean, I like Emerson.She’s cool, a little nerdy, but I kind of dig her brand of nerdy.She seems a little tightly wound, a little uptight, but for some reason, I can’t seem to stop checking her out.Usually I go for the more aggressive girls.Women who know that it’s just a one-night stand kind of thing with me.Emerson is not that kind of woman.

So why is she having this effect on me?

I push thoughts of Emerson and me tangled up in bed together from my mind and look out the window.I had caught a few hours of sleep when we first hit the road and woke up when we were somewhere in Utah.I hadn’t loved Emerson’s taste in music but when I woke up and found that she had switched it and was now listening to some romance audiobook, I was wishing that she would put on some of that alternative rock crap that she seems to love so much.

As the narrators drone on over the speakers, my eyes droop and drift shut.My mind flashes back to the open mic last night.I had been on fire, had the crowd roaring with laughter.

I had even seen Emerson laughing.We had sat at a table up front, one of the only ones left in the crowded Las Vegas club.She had seemed nervous when we first walked in, her bright blue eyes wide as she stared around the space.

She had ordered a glass of wine and I’m pretty sure that they had to dig to the back of the storage room to find a bottle.This wasn’t exactly the wine and mimosa crowd.

Emerson hadn’t seemed that impressed with the first few comics who went up.I had been starting to worry that she didn’t have a sense of humor.

I had ordered a beer and nursed it until it was my turn.When they introduced me, Emerson had turned to me with a wide smile, clapping enthusiastically as I climbed to my feet.

Something weird had happened to my heart at the sight of her sitting there, cheering for me.The rest of the room gave me a lukewarm reception but Emerson watched me with wide fascinated eyes as I climbed up onto the tiny stage.

Being on stage has always felt natural to me.I like being the center of attention, the class clown, the one who makes people laugh.It was only a ten-minute set and it flew by.

Every time that I looked over to Emerson, she was laughing or smiling at me.I can’t remember the last time I had someone at my show who looked at me like that.Like they were amazed and proud of me.Like they were always going to be in my corner.

A light tapping starts on the roof and I open my eyes as the rain picks up.Emerson sighs, slowing down as she leans over the steering wheel, trying to see the road better.

“Do you want me to drive?My eyes aren’t as tired,” I offer and I see her bite her bottom lip.

When she doesn’t answer after a minute, I try again.

“Or we could put on something that wasn’t designed to put us to sleep,” I suggest.

“You don’t like audiobooks?”Emerson asks.

“I know, it’s shocking isn’t it,” I deadpan and I watch as she smiles.

I grin.

She really is beautiful.

I push that thought aside, reaching for her phone to put on some music.Emerson doesn’t stop me and I scroll through her music library before I find something that surprises me.

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