Page 56 of Love Me Steadfast
“November fourth.”
His eyebrows arch up. “Dang. You guys ready?”
“No,” I sigh. “But we’re working on it.”
“Can I come?”
A tendril of heat coils around my insides. I was already nervous, but if William comes, I’ll never get up on that stage. Wait, why would he want to see me play?
“Unless you’re part of the band, you have to be twenty-one to be in the club.”
“What if I was your roadie?” he asks, amusement sparking in his eyes.
“Crosby’s dad already volunteered.”
He frowns. “What’s—” He rubs his chin. “Wait. Crosby’s in the band too?”
“Yeah. He plays guitar and mandolin.”
A look I can’t read plays across William’s face. “Huh. What does Theo think about that?”
From the corner of my eye, I sense Mrs. Hackney’s scowl. So I unpack my laptop and flip open the lid to at least give the appearance that we’re working on school assignments. “What do you mean?”
“He’s cool with you and Crosby?”
I glance over my laptop to meet Will’s serious gaze. His lips are drawn into a tight line, like he’s upset, which makes no sense. “Of course.”
He looks away.
“We’d better get to work.” I tilt my head toward Mrs. Hackney.
“Right,” he sighs.
After schoolthe Thursday of the show, Theo drives Morgan and me to The Limelight for a sound check.
Morgan is practically bouncing in her seat and talking a mile a minute, her cheeks flushed. “I wish we had more than five songs.”
“It’s a miracle we scrambled that many together in time,” I remind her.
“What are you gonna wear?”
Dad said it can get hot up there with the lights and the space filling up with warm bodies. “My jean skirt and my red silk shirt with the fabric buttons, boots.”
She plays with the zipper of her coat. Up, down. Up, down, her eyes glazed. “I’m thinking my ruffly jean skirt and my blue top.”
“The one with spaghetti straps?”
She nods.
It’s pretty on her, and the skirt makes her legs look a mile long. A twinge of nerves shudders inside me. It’s a fine line—dress too slutty and nobody will take us seriously. Dress too conservative and we’ll look like we’re auditioning for an episode of Sunday Hymnals with Pastor Milton.
Theo turns into the alley behind the club, and we’re just climbing out when Dad meets us at the back door.
“Hey, superstars,” he says, ushering us inside. His smile is subdued, but his eyes are bright with a zealous gleam that gives away his excitement.
I wave at Theo, who gives me a wink before cruising down the alley.
“How was school?” Dad asks, closing the door behind us.
