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“Yes, Gran,” I answered meekly.
“Okay, now head on up. They’re waiting for you.” Niki smacked me playfully on the butt.
“But Jareth’s not here yet.” I looked at Jess.
“You heard him on the phone. He’ll be here any minute.”
“Okay.” My feet stayed rooted in place. “So I’m doing this.”
Jess pressed her palms against my cheeks. “You’re doing this.”
My chest rose and fell in jerky motions as I tried my best to breathe. “I can’t. I’m not ready.”
“You’re never going to feel ready. For once, you can’t weigh the information and make a logical informed decision. You just have to do it,” Gran encouraged.
“Ah, I think she needs a little help, Lacey,” Jess said, grabbing one arm while Lacey grabbed the other. Between the two of them, there was no way to stop my forward momentum. Even dragging my feet did nothing to help.
Jess waved wildly at the guys spread out around the stage. They were all there: the drummer, Dante; the bass player, Isaiah; and the lead singer and guitarist, Killian.
Killian met my gaze and winked. “Are you ready?” He yelled into the microphone. I couldn’t tell if what he said was for me or the crowd.
The entire room cheered yes. I had to duck my head when an overzealous fan almost clocked me with her fist. “Crap.”
“Well we’ve got a special treat for you all.” The band started playing the first few chords of one of their first songs, Fallen, my favorite.
“I think I’m going to pass out,” I yelled to Jess and Lacey over the noise. I hadn’t had time to warm up, and it was so loud. Sweat beaded my brow and I was afraid it would start to drip in my face and ruin the makeup Jess carefully applied.
“Suck it up, buttercup.” Jess blew me an air kiss.
My mouth dropped open. They were going to just drop kick me into the deep end.
Jess none-to-gently pushed me the last few feet to the stairs of the stage. At the last second Lacey grabbed my coat and peeled it off me.
“Go.” Lacey shooed me forward with her hands.
I glanced near the bar, still waiting to see Jareth. Unless he was mixed up in this crowd then I’d never find him. The spotlight swung toward me, briefly blinding me before I turned my head. I instinctively threw my hand across my eyes.
“Let’s welcome our newest band member for the evening, Hazel Finley!” Killian introduced me, and even though none of them knew who I was, the people milling around us screamed as though they did.
It was overwhelming. The heartbeat I thought was fast earlier now galloped in my chest. With one wrong move, I was afraid it would burst right out of me. My legs shook, and if it wasn’t for Lacey’s hands still on my back, I might have turned and run.
“You can do this,” Lacey yelled loud enough for me to hear. “This is the chance of a lifetime. Pretend it’s the usual crowd, or they’re all in their underwear.”
I snort-laughed. That was the trick we’d tell ourselves for any presentation in school we were scared to do. It didn’t work then, so I didn’t expect it to work now, but the memory made me smile and was enough to unstick my legs. I slowly walked up the three stairs and gave an awkward wave to the crowd.
“Come on, Hazel.” Killian strode over to me, the tap of his boots sounding awfully loud. Then once he was close enough, he tucked his arm around me. My eyes about popped out of my head.
The Killian Hook was touching me.
He stopped by the other mic and let go after another encouraging smile in my direction. “Hazel is new to us, so give us time to get our groove. Let’s give her some encouragement! Do you want to hear Hazel sing?”
The crowd screamed louder, but even above the noise, I could hear my friends shouting my name. It was almost enough to make me want to cry. I needed to freaking pull myself together.
I could do this. I drew a deep breath, let it out, and took another. My breath feathered across the mic and made a sound. “Oops, sorry everyone. I’m a little nervous. Thank you all for showing up here tonight. The Belmont’s have an amazing place.” I needed to stop rambling.
My gaze cut to Killian who stood a few feet away. He covered his mic with one hand. “Jareth said I was going to be blown away by you. Prove to me that he’s not a fucking liar.”
My eyes narrowed and anger replaced some of my nerves. Jareth had set this up for me because he believed in me, and Killian could suck a rotten egg. I’d show him that I deserved to be up here. Confidence in my ability to sing wasn’t in question. It was more how I’d deal with the crowd. Killian wouldn’t know what hit him once I started.
