Page 73 of Reckless Curves
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aweek later and here she was ready for her big audition, but all she could think about was Tom. They’d had dinner together with Connor last night at her house. He’d made such a big deal out of how she would slay everyone with the song she’d written. The boost to her confidence was just what she’d needed, but she also heard the faith and pride he felt for her in his words.
She loved him and her whole body lit up with love when he looked at her. He loved her too. She knew that now. She’d stayed the night with him since her infectious stage was likely over.
As she sat down at the keyboard in the studio, she thought Fate was very cruel indeed since the song she had to play was a heartbreaker. Hard to sing when she was so happy. Not only would she have to play the piano track for it, but then she was supposed to go back and lay down the backup track.
She’d run through it a couple of times yesterday and hadn’t made it through the first time because she’d broken down. That’s when she’d realized she was being an ass not trusting in Tom.
“Bryce, I will go through it twice,” she said. “Let me know when the big-shots get here and are ready to hear me, okay?”
Bryce Scoggins nodded at her from the control booth. “You bet, sweetheart,” he said over the speaker system.
Kendra gave him a tight smile and stretched her fingers a little before poising them over the keys. Then she began playing and just concentrated on the instrument instead of hearing the lyrics in her head.
When she finished, Bryce said, “That was good, honey, but seemed a little stiff. Cold. Needs more emotion if you want to impress them.”
Kendra sighed. She trusted Bryce’s expert opinion. “Okay. I will sing along this time and see if it makes a difference.”
“Good idea.”
She began the intro and came in at the correct cue. As she sang the sad lyrics, Kendra let the pain come through, remembering how she’d felt about Tom when she’d had Connor on her own. She swayed to the beat as her hands moved gracefully over the keyboard. By the time the song was over, tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Jesus, Kendra,” Bryce said. “You got me almost bawling in here.”
Kendra wiped away her tears and gave a shaky laugh to cover her inner turmoil. “Is that a good thing?”
“Hell, yeah. You do it that way for Shaina Collins and you’re going to nail it,” Bryce said. “They’ll be here soon. You want to do it again?”
Kendra needed a little time before she played or sang it again. “No. I’m good.”
Bryce picked up his cellphone and said something that Kendra couldn’t hear through the glass separating them. When he hung up, he turned on the speaker system. “They’re here and on their way to the studio.”
Kendra felt like a thousand birds had nested in her stomach and they were fighting to get free. She put a hand to her midsection and took a deep breath. Standing up, she went to join Bryce in the control booth. She made sure that her sparkly, flowy black miniskirt, purple mid-drift shirt, and black leather jacket were in place.
“Don’t worry, Kendra. You look hot,” Bryce said, waggling his eyebrows.
She laughed into his blue eyes. “Shut up. I’ll tell your wife you said that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he scoffed.
The door opened and Kendra felt faint with nerves as Shaina Collins and her entourage entered the sound booth. The studio manager, Russ Stark, made the introductions and Kendra worked hard not to go all fangirl on Shaina. Shaina had a golden voice that matched the rest of the gorgeous, statuesque blonde.
Russ smiled at Kendra. “Ready to show them your stuff, kid?”
Kendra put a confident smile on her face, even though fear made her heart race. “Definitely.”
She left the control booth and entered the studio. Sitting down at the keyboard, she thought of the man she’d almost lost by being so silly, the one who would always hold her heart, and started to play.
A few hours later, she drove home on a high. Shaina had loved her song. She was so excited. This could be her big break.
The only person she wanted to tell was Tom.
She dialed her hands free.
“How’d it go?”
She smiled at the eagerness in his voice. “It was incredible. They loved the song. I wanted you to be the first to know because your pep talk last night and faith in me really helped. I love you, Tom.”
