Page 126 of Ghost Note

Gina had promised me she wouldn’t go over there and lay down the law, and she’d clearly failed to keep that promise, but if the end result was Mum and Dad granting me permission to finally go out and seek some fun, then I was going to take it—not that I needed anybody’s permission but my own now. I was, and always had been, the biggest roadblock to my own happiness.

Forty-Three

Halo found me hiding away with my back pressed against a wall. He strode over, dressed in casual grey jeans and a loose, black T-shirt, his eyes scanning my attire for the performance.

I was in tight black jeans, black heels, and a white vest that gave a sneak peek of my boobs, thanks to my push-up bra. Julia had helped me curl my hair, and I’d borrowed her red lipstick, too. I felt like a modern-day version of Sandy fromGreaseabout to reveal a grand makeover, only without the sultry pout and cigarette in hand.

“Whoosh, wildcat. You’re looking fine,” Halo said, reaching for my arm and grabbing my elbow. “Ready?”

“No,” I said, my breathing picking up pace. “I feel faint. Should I feel faint?”

“That’s the adrenaline. You don’t think you’re gonna puke or anything do you?”

“Maybe. I don’t know.”

Halo wrinkled his nose and leaned in closer, his eyes searching mine. “Nah. Your eyes are fine. You’re just shitting yourself, that’s all.”

“That’sall?How the hell do you guys do this for a living?”

“It’s soundcheck.” He frowned.

“Exactly. There’s not even a crowd, and I’m scared.”

Halo blew the air out of his cheeks. “I didn’t know you were a yellow belly.”

“I’m serious, Halo. Help me.”

“Okay. Stay with me. You with me? Good.” He brought his fingers to his eyes, demanding my focus on them. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. Don’t think about the after. Think about the now. Think about how you’re going to feel during it. When you think about the after before anything has even happened, you’re essentially tripping over your own damn feet to get there.”

“What?” I wrinkled my nose back at him.

“You need to enjoy the experience, Daisy. Do you know how many people would give up a limb to sing in an arena like this?”

“That means nothing if I’m not one of them.”

“Become one of thembecause if you pull this off, Danny is going to blow in his trousers before he can even get to you.” Halo’s eyes trailed down me again. “You wouldn’t even have to sing, and he’d still blo—”

“Okay, okay, Halo, thank you for that.” I batted his hand, only for him to wink and gesture down the hall.

“Come on, wildcat. Let’s get this show on the road.”

I dug my heels in one final time. “Halo?”

“Yeah?”

“If I choke, will you cover me?”

A slow smile crept on his face. “I’ll cover you even if you don’t.”

“Thank you.”

“Have you been practising the song enough? You definitely know the lyrics, the timing, and everything else?”

I nodded, licking my lips. “This was one of Danny’s favourites when we were together. I already knew it pretty well, but I’ve done everything you said since we tried it out over the phone on Monday night.”

“You’ve got a banging voice, Daisy. Almost as banging as your body.”

I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes, but Halo just laughed.

---