Page 45 of A Certain Step
Ethan poked his head through the door. “How could you?” he added, using his Darcy voice and the British accent he’d surprisingly gotten very good at since training thoroughly with a dialect coach. “This is why you’re Wickham,” he taunted, pretending to storm off from the frame.
Everyone burst into laughter. Declan lost his shit simultaneously at the remark. “I was going to dramatically strip out of it, but you know what? You get nothing now,” he hollered, hands above his head, supposed fury in his eyes.
Goodness, she adored this cast with everything in her.
Sahar came up the stairs from PT. “I see we’ve all collectively lost it.”
“Declan won’t give the people what they want.”
Sahar whistled on the dot; Willa was envious she couldn’t. “Show us what you’ve got, Dec. It’s what the people deserve,” she shouted.
A roar ruptured throughout the hallway, and the whole ensemble made their way out in no time. It was during moments like this that Willa stood back for a beat and counted her blessings. She had been part of a few West End productions in her lifetime, nothing likeMidnights at Pemberley,but work she was proud of nevertheless.
They weren’t just co-workers; they were a family, people she’d love and cherish for the rest of her life, even if there would come a time when they wouldn’t see each other every day. None of this was for show; it wasn’t for the Instagram lives or the behind-the-scenes footage.
It was real and wild, and it made New York City feel like a forever home.
Their distinct personalities blended in a way that only happened once, maybe twice, if you’re one of the lucky ones. Declan took off his shirt, threw it on the floor with jokingly deliberate force, and ran to the toilets.
He provided an exaggerated bow. “Duty calls, my friends.”
The laughter engulfing the room was infectious, glorious, and warm. Goodness, her period was making her a little sappy. She’d let it anyway.
14
WILLA
Time often passed strangely when you did the same thing every single day, one gloriously rewarding sold-out show after another. But some days, they’d all be so exhausted that Willa wasn’t even sure how she was functioning. Somewhere between it all, she and Sahar managed to schedule their interviews for dual citizenship (on different days, but still).
It’d also been over a month since her run-in with Alden, and now, more than ever, nothing was clearer to Willa than the fact that she was actually falling hard and fast for Ethan. So much so that at one point last night, when she watched him leave in the car designated for him, a sudden ache pierced her chest because it wasn’t Sunday, and they wouldn’t be hanging out.
Instead, the following morning, Willa woke up to her phone buzzing. A moment of panic swelled through her when she saw Dina on the caller ID.Fuck.
Had she slept through a critical, crack-of-dawn live performance?No. There wasn’t anything on their calendar for that.
“Hello?” she croaked, catching herself and uttering the greeting again.
Dina sounded like she had been running a marathon. “Willa, hey, I’m sorryto call so early, but Naomi has had a family emergency. Naturally, that means Lea can’t go on either. They’re both on a flight to San Diego right now, so you have to go on for Elizabeth. A swing has already been called in to fill your role in the ensemble.”
Willa couldn’t process, couldn’t think. Quite frankly, sheneverin a million years thought she’d actually go on as Elizabeth. The few times Naomi had to take time off, Lea Driver, her sister, and standby went on for her.
The odds of this happening were exceptionally rare. “Jesus, I hope everything is okay,” she said first. Should she text Naomi? Should she reach out to Jeanie? Maybe they had to keep it private for a reason, and she wouldn’t want to overstep.
“I do too. Right now, they aren’t sure whether they’ll be out all week,” Dina replied.
Willa’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Did something happen to one of their parents? Their sister? She imagined it must’ve been bad if they had to get on a plane immediately, with no time to disclose specifics. “Good lord,” she managed to reply.
She thanked every molecule in her brain that no matter how bad her memory was, she was great at retaining lines and dance numbers. She knew this production like the back of her hand. Just because she never thought she’d go on, Willa never stopped herself from prepping at random intervals.
“I’d love to rehearse it at least once with Ethan before we go on, though. It’s different being on the coaching side.”
“Yeah, that’s why I called so early. I was going to call Ethan right after I spoke with you. How soon can you get to the theatre?” she asked.
“About an hour, hour-and-a-half max,” Willa replied.
“Excellent. I’ll see you soon,” Dina noted before the line went dead.
“Bloody fucking hell!” she nearly screamed.Ethan.
