Page 11 of Love Rescheduled

I swallowed my heart down and reentered the world I had been so thrilled to leave behind.

“NATALIE. IT’S BEEN TOO LONG. It’s so good to see you.” Mikey wrapped me up in a bear hug as soon as we made it into the lobby. He was a big, burly man who looked more like a lumberjack than a club owner. He was even wearing a flannel shirt. His fuzzy salt-and-pepper beard tickled my cheek.

“How are you?” I asked, muffled against his chest, breathing in his Old Spice scent.

“Business is booming. I can’t ask for more than that.” He let go of me and it was like a switch flipped. All the pleasantries were over. “We better get you to your seats. Hurry.”

I looked at Tara in a What’s his deal? sort of way. Maybe he really hated me. He was probably just pretending a moment ago for Tara and Jolene’s sake.

Tara acted just as weird and grabbed my hand. “Let’s do this.”

What was all the rushing about? “What’s going on?” I said for Tara’s ears only.

She didn’t have time to answer.

“Sorry, ladies, I can’t put you up front tonight,” Mikey lamented while veering us to the left of the stage toward a table that wasn’t too far back, but it wasn’t at the best angle. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be front and center to show Jolene how much I loved and supported her. I expected Tara to get all southern belle on him and make a big fuss, but she said not a word.

My heart started pounding to the beat of “We Will Rock You,” which meant only one thing. I was going to have to step far outside my comfort zone. I seriously hated when that happened. “Uh, Mikey,” I breathed. “Is there any way we could sit closer? Maybe even share a table with another party? This is a big night for Jolene, and we want to do our best to support her.”

Mikey paused and rubbed his meaty neck, giving me an uncomfortable smile. “Aw, kid … the truth is—”

“The truth is that Jolene is super anxious, and she thinks it’s best if she can’t directly see us,” Tara butted in.

I blinked a few times, not sure I’d heard her right. That didn’t sound like Jolene at all. Jolene was normally like a racehorse, begging to get out of the gate, full of excitement and a conquering attitude. She had nerves of steel.

Mikey cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, what she said.”

“Maybe we should go back and reassure her,” I suggested, more worried than ever about my friend.

“No!” Tara screeched.

“Are you okay?” I had to ask. She was acting very odd.

Her shoulders rose and fell dramatically. “I’m fine. It’s just Jolene really doesn’t want us back there. She’s uh … meditating.”

My brow quirked. “Really?” I’d been trying to get her to do it for years with me, but she called it kooky.

“Yep. She finally gave it a try, and who’d have known? She loves it.” Tara tittered nervously.

I eyed my best friend carefully. Something was rotten in the state of Denmark. That I knew. I just didn’t know what.

“Please have a seat,” Mikey directed us. “Order anything. It’s on the house tonight.” He kissed my cheek. “It really is good to see you, kid. Don’t leave without saying goodbye. Good luck.” He dashed off.

“Good luck?” I questioned.

“Well … I’m sure he knows how hard it is for you to be back here.”

He had no idea. Now that my little burst of bravery was wearing off, a tidal wave of emotions and memories were coming at me like a tsunami. I couldn’t help but think of all the time I spent here with Josh. I remembered waiting in the greenroom with him on his favorite chair, an old plaid one that had seen better days. He would pull me onto his lap and whisper things that would make me blush and giggle. He called it his warm-up routine. Once he told me the sound of my lyrical laughter felt like Christmas morning to him. Each time he heard it, it filled him with the same excitement he had as a child running down the stairs to see what Santa had brought him. Then I would stand in the wings and watch him. At the beginning of every show, before he ever said a word, he would look my way and wink. He said that was his way of saying, “I love you.” I would mouth those words back, and seconds later, he magically owned the crowd—owned my heart.

Tara grabbed my arm and forcefully sat me in the chair with the worst view of the stage.

“She doesn’t want to see me at all?”

“Of course she does. I just thought you would appreciate being a bit out of the way. You know, just in case anyone you know is here tonight.” Her eyes darted all over the place as other patrons started piling in.

“Did you see someone?” I hated to ask, feeling as if someone had turned the heat way up. I shrugged out of my jacket.

“Not yet … I mean no.” She sat down and fanned herself.

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