Page 67 of Falling for Nicole
“I don’t mean right now, I mean with your life. I love having you running the shack, but you’re meant for much better things. You should be using your talent. You should be singing.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure I’ve got it in me anymore.”
“That’s a lie, and you know it. I saw you on that stage, the passion in your eyes once you conquered your fear. You belong on stage, Nic.”
I shrug at him, because as much as I still love music, I don’t feel the same pull to it like I used to. I used to live and breathe it, but now…I guess I realised there’s more to life than a dream.
“We’ve got a few empty spots coming up for weekend performances. You should do it.”
“No, I can’t.” Panic twists my stomach at the thought of having an audience. Singing for Dec was hard enough, let alone a roomful.
“Of course you can. I’ll be there for you, Lilly too. Promise me you’ll at least think about it.”
I agree, but I really don’t think I’m going to be getting back up on stage any time soon. Just the thought of it has me on the verge of hyperventilating. I’ve no intention of making myself look like an idiot at work when I turn into a fumbling, nervous mess in front of all our customers.
Dec leaves me to think about what he just said while he heads out for a bit. I assume he’s popped into work, but when he reappears just under an hour later with a couple of rolls of chicken wire, some wooden stakes and a mallet, I realise he has bigger plans.
“This should stop the little bugger from sneaking off again.”
“I don’t intend on leaving the door open again.”
“I didn’t think it was intentional before,” he says with a laugh. “Now he knows he can escape, he might try it when you’re here.”
I can’t help but agree, so I sit myself down at my new dining table and look out at Dec as he works his way around my little garden.
I’m struggling to keep my eyes open by the time he’s finished. He instructs me to have a lie down, so I cuddle up with Bailey on the sofa while he goes to shower.
