Page 146 of Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia 1)

I gripped the microphone so tightly in my hand that my knuckles turned white.

I took a deep breath and sang. “’Sometimes it feels like, I’m gonna break. Sometimes this world, gives more than I can take. Sometimes, sunshine gets lost in the rain, and it keeps pouring down. It just keeps coming down.’”

It didn’t escape my attention that Trace had chosen a duet that was mostly sang by a female.

His voice mingled with mine on the chorus, and I was, once again, amazed by how well our voices blended together. My eyes never left his as we sang the chorus. “’This life would kill me if I didn’t have you. I couldn’t live without you, baby, I wouldn’t want to. If you didn’t love me so much I’d never make it through ‘cause this life would kill me. This life would kill me if I didn’t have you.’”

The more I sang, the more confident I became. So, before the song was over, I found myself singing less to Trace and more to the crowd. I still gripped his hand for support, but I didn’t feel as scared as I did at the beginning of the song.

When the song ended, and the coffee shop erupted into applause, I found myself looking at the floor of the makeshift wood stage.

Trace stood, pulling me up beside him.

“Thank you,” Trace waved to the crowd.

“Thank you,” I mumbled bashfully, my earlier confidence completely drained.

Trace handed his microphone to the next performer and I handed mine to a coffee shop worker.

We hopped off the stage, hand in hand. Instead of returning straight to the table, Trace dragged me to the counter of the coffee shop.

Trace waved at the older guy working behind the counter. It was the same man who had handed me the microphone. “Hey, Trace,” the man said in a gravely voice, rolling up the sleeves of his flannel shirt.

“Griff, this is my girlfriend, Olivia. Olivia, meet Griff, the owner,” Trace introduced us.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I smiled shyly at the older man. His gray hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and his light brown eyes were kind.

“Nice to meet you too, doll,” he chuckled. He leaned his elbows on the counter and eyed Trace. “I haven’t seen you here in

a while…a long while.”

Trace cleared his throat. “I haven’t done much singing since high school. The place looks amazing,” Trace looked around. “You certainly didn’t have a stage when I performed here.”

“Didn’t need one,” Griff shrugged. “But more and more people kept showing up every week, so something had to be done.” Smiling at me, he pointed to the open area. “There used to be a wall there, but I took it down to make room for the stage, and give more room for eating.”

“So, you have more than coffee?” I asked.

Griff nodded. “It started out with only coffee and grew from there,” he shrugged his wide shoulders. “I’ve gotta get back to work but let me know if y’all want anything.”

“Thanks, Griff,” Trace waved and we melted back into the crowd.

I had hardly taken my seat beside Avery when she tackled me into a hug. I was surprised we didn’t fall to the ground.

“Girl,” she pulled away excitedly, “you were incredible!”

“Thanks,” I played with the end of my braid.

“Livie! Seriously! You have to start singing more! Your voice is so beautiful!” She flapped her arms excitedly.

“Thank you,” I repeated, “but as sick as that made me feel, it won’t be happening again, anytime soon…it was fun though.”

“Ugh! Olivia!” Avery exclaimed. “There’s no reason for you to get sick! You’re incredible!”

I stared down at the table; uncomfortable with the attention I was receiving, not just from Avery, but also from the other people in the coffee shop. I felt their stares and my skin crawled.

I glanced up and my eyes connected with Trace’s. He saw that I was uncomfortable and I pleaded with him to come to my rescue.

He scooted his chair back and stood. “Sorry guys,” he said to Luca and Avery. “I just realized that I’ve got to get to work early in the morning.” Avery frowned at Trace’s words. “This guy needs his car by eleven. So, um, Olivia, I’ll drop you off at your dorm.”

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