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Without looking away, Denise picked up the phone behind the counter and pressed a button.
“I’ve got Nick Freeman out here for Kevin,” she said. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. I’ll see.”
She hung up. “You’ve got about five minutes until the preshow meeting,” she said. “And he’s not coming out here.”
Nick smiled. “Care to lead the way?” he asked.
Denise led him into the theater, her high heels clicking on the polished marble floor. The whole place was a little too sleek, but the theater itself wasn’t a huge departure from where he’d spent the summer in Columbus. Sturdy chairs, big tables, bigger stage.
Denise reached the entryway to the floor seats and stood aside. Kevin was leaning with one arm on the edge of the stage, watching him approach.
Once he’d reached him, Nick said, “Can we talk?”
Kevin shrugged. “Go ahead.”
Nick glanced around. There were at least a dozen people in the room.
“Talk now,” Kevin said, “or not at all.”
Nick cleared his throat. “Hayley didn’t cheat on you,” he said. “I kissed her once when you were still together. I was drunk, she was trying to help me, and I responded by disrespecting you both. I’m sorry I did that, and I’m sorry I led you to believe she ever did anything inappropriate. She never even looked at me that way before you left.”
Satisfied that he’d said what he needed to, Nick turned around and started back toward the hallway.
“You came all this way,” Kevin called, “and you’re not going to apologize for hitting me?”
Nick kept walking. “You called her a bitch, Kevin.”
“You just came here to be a dick, then.”
Nick turned back. “I came here because I needed to talk to you in person. I’m not going to be the reason you two don’t work out.”
Kevin shook his head, started toward him. “You know she’s not coming back,” he said. “You just wanted to rub my face in it in front of everybody.”
“You wanted the audience, not me.” Nick kept his voice level.
“Andyou’rethe reason she’s not here.”
They were standing nearly toe to toe now.
“Tell you what, Kev.” There was ice in Nick’s voice. “If you tell me what I did, I’ll let you deck me.”
“You know I can’t hit you,” Kevin muttered.
“Sure you can. I’m giving him permission,” Nick told their spectators. “He can punch me in the face if he can tell me what I did to keep Hayley Burke from being in this room right now, because I honestly don’t have a clue.”
The room got very quiet, and Kevin stopped glaring at Nick long enough to take in the crowd. His castmates obviously had no idea what was coming next, but they sure as hell weren’t going to miss it.
“You had her talking like she didn’t want to dance,” Kevin said.
“Bullshit,” Nick said. “How the hell could I do that?”
“Same way you got her to leave me for you.”
“What?”Nick was speechless. “How could I … She’s not …” He wished he could shake Kevin by the shoulders. “She was withyou, Kevin. She was with you for years, right here, and you werethe only thing she took with her when she left.” He looked around him. “I mean, my God, she must’ve pouredallof herself into this place.”
Nick caught sight of the empty stage and imagined Kevin and Hayley under a Saturday-night spotlight before the glow had started to fade for her.
“I could get on stage with my man and feel it all melt away for a couple shows a night.”
