Page 53 of Every Star that Shines

Delanie pursed her lips. “But they also know when it’s time to stop pursuing a fruitless effort. That’s probably the harder skill to develop.”

He nodded. “True. But are you at that point? I mean, it’s not like you’ve accomplished nothing in the last decade. These things take time.” No matter what your mom says. “And there are people who believe in you and support you. Like your patrons, right?”

She nodded, wiping away another errant tear. “Yeah, that’s true. Some of them even came back this week after I posted that video.”

“See? It’s not just me who believes in you.”

She tilted her head up at him, her brow furrowed. “Why do you?”

“Why do I what?”

“After all these years, and after what I did to you, why do you still believe in me so much?”

He swallowed, staring into the dark pools of her eyes. “Because of who you are on the stage. You . . . you come alive while you perform, Delanie. I mean, you’re always full of life, but when you’re performing, it’s like you glow with your own light. The first time I saw you huffing at me as an exasperated Marian Paroo, I knew this was what you were meant to do. You’re a natural.”

“Is that why you never tried to stop me from going?”

He stroked her jaw with the back of his fingers, relishing the soft curve. “Did you want me to?”

She glanced down. “No. I would have been furious if you had tried. I was so focused on my plan, I couldn’t imagine doing it another way.”

“That’s why I never tried to stop you. And that’s the determination that’s going to make sure you succeed. This is just a temporary setback.”

She scooted closer to him and he wrapped one arm around her. She leaned into his shoulder. “But what about you? Did you talk to Monica about Emma yet?”

His throat closed. “Uh, no. There hasn’t been a good time.” And he still wasn’t sure what he was going to say. It was no more fair for him to ask Monica to let him take Emma to Vancouver with him than it would be if she left Peace Crossing and wanted to take Emma. He couldn’t do that to her. But what he would do, he still didn’t know.

She nodded. “Well, there’s no rush, I guess. I mean, we’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks. It’s too early to make rash decisions.”

His breath caught. “Are you having second thoughts about us?”

She turned her head to look up at him. “No. Of course not. I just . . . I don’t want to put you in a position where you have to choose between us. Between me and Emma, I mean. I know Emma will always come first, and that’s the way it should be. But you have to know something—my Nan gave up her career to marry Pops and move to Peace Crossing, and I think she always regretted it. I don’t want to live with that same regret.”

He looked at her, his heart breaking with the certainty that she was right—Emma held the primary place in his heart. But it seemed that Delanie’s career held that place in hers. And neither one of them wanted the other to change their priorities.

Or did he? The thought of Delanie going back to Vancouver without him again made his chest ache. But could he bear leaving Emma behind to make sure he and Delanie lived happily ever after?

“I don’t want you to give up your dreams for me, Delanie. You would always resent me for it, and that’s not what I want from you.” He pulled her close to him, tucking her head beneath his chin. “I’ll talk to Monica. We’ll figure something out. I told you, I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Okay.” The only sound was their breathing. Then, “Caleb?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to lose you either.”

She lifted her mouth to his for a kiss. Then she laid her head against his shoulder and they cuddled on the stage until their posteriors ached, while Caleb contemplated if there actually was any way out of the impossible situation they found themselves in.

He was startled by Delanie sitting up suddenly, her attention focused on the small window leading to the sound booth at the back of the hall.

“What is it?” he asked, following her gaze in concern but finding nothing out of the ordinary. He looked back at her to see her eyes sparkling almost as much as when she was performing.

“I just figured out how we’re going to fix our sound board and wiring issues.”

“And how’s that?”

She turned to him, her face alight. “We’re going to make a fundraising video. We’ll get the kids to help us, and I’ll post it on my channel and tell all my patrons about it. Maybe we can even use one of the songs from the play—then the kids won’t have to learn something new.” She looked up at him, her whole body emanating joyful, positive energy. It was as though the conversation with her mother hadn’t even happened. “I just have to talk to the parents. Oh, Caleb, this is going to work, I know it.” She noticed his expression and pulled back, trepidation tainting her joy. “What?”

He shook his head in amazement, then leaned over and kissed her. “That’s my girl,” he said against her lips.

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