Page 116 of To Bring You Back
“I miss you too.” He replied quickly with warm relief, as if he’d been waiting to tell her.
They’d been ending their calls that way ever since, but nothing more had come of it.
Or so she’d thought.
Now he was here.
Olivia’s eyes got wide and worried, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “You didn’t know.”
Adeline’s stomach churned, but it was a little late to be nervous now. He’d already seen her perform. He’d sat through a three-hour, small-town rendition of a Broadway musical to hear her. “Where is he now?”
Olivia lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know where he went for intermission, and he was gone before the lights came back on at the end.”
“But you talked to him? You’re sure it’s him?”
“I didn’t talk to him, but I spent a whole summer stalking him. I’m sure.”
“Okay. Well.” She glanced at the bass. It was safely stored, and nothing kept her except how little she trusted her legs. She linked her arm with Olivia’s, and they left the classroom together.
A rolling bulletin board kept attendees from wandering into the area reserved for musicians, cast, and crew. Gannon would’ve had no qualms about sidestepping such a thing, but the hall was empty and gray, except for an eye-level line of children’s artwork. Voices carried, audience members lingering outside the gymnasium to chat. She and Olivia stepped into the crowd.
“There she is!” Tegan hustled up and threw her arms around her. “Great job! I’m so proud of you!”
Drew moved in behind Tegan, blocking Adeline’s view of the rest of the lobby. “That was excellent.”
As Tegan released her, Drew moved in for a hug too.
Olivia weaved impatiently, scanning for Gannon.
Adeline stepped back from Drew. “Thanks, you two. I appreciate you coming.”
“Of course.” Tegan tweaked her elbow and took a half step toward the door. “Shall we?”
Olivia looked about to burst as she tagged along through the doors and into the night. Cool air washed Adeline’s flushed face and bare arms, welcome relief. The gym had grown too warm toward the end of the show, and Olivia’s news had added a few more degrees of anticipation and nerves.
Olivia made no effort to be discrete about looking to either side of the door and then, when there was no Gannon, along the side of the building. Unless he’d hidden in a recessed alcove, he wasn’t there.
It’d been a little too good to be true, anyway. Adeline gave her a smile. “It’s okay, Olivia.”
“But I’m sure.”
Wishful thinking could go a long way toward a false sighting. Adeline would know. “It’s all right. He’s on tour, and I wasn’t expecting him. Have a good one, okay? Thanks for coming.”
She joined Tegan and Drew on the sidewalk, and they started on foot toward Adeline and Tegan’s house.
Technically, only Adeline owned it, though. Tegan only rented, and she was there less and less in favor of time with Drew. They’d officially call it dating one of these days. If these two got married, Tegan would move out and Adeline would either have to live alone or find a new roommate. Neither option appealed, but even without a roommate, at least she wouldn’t be completely alone. She’d adopted Bruce, and he followed her from room to room. Also, with the job at the university, she could afford the mortgage by herself.
They turned the corner, but the neighbors’ landscaping kept her from seeing her front porch until they were one house away. The tree she’d planted last fall obscured the view of the steps for a moment, but once she’d passed it, she had her answer. No one waited. With a sigh she looked toward the lake.
No good. She wouldn’t be able to see over the pottery studio to the water until she was on the porch, and it was dark, anyway.
The driver’s door on the car across the street opened.
Her body froze. Was that …?
The man who climbed from the car wore a baseball hat. The glow from the streetlight failed to illuminate his features beneath the brim, but she recognized his confident movements. Not to mention the broad shoulders and athletic form.
Gannon. Here to surprise her. Here for her show.
