“Let’s do it.”
Inclining my head, I turned to follow Luke out the door.
I ended up staying in Seattle for one night longer than I planned.
****
Grace
I checked my phone once again to see I had no missed calls and no new text messages. My heart sank.
“Hey, Grace, you ready?” Jackson questioned as he entered the back changing room where I’d been warming my voice up and getting ready to hit the stage.
Nodding, I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a second.”
“’Kay. See ya out there.”
I pushed out the breath I’d just been holding once Jackson left, and stared at my black phone screen. Jacob was supposed to come back the day before but late the previous night I received a text saying he’d be back in town today. And to make matters worse, he still hadn’t even told me where he was. Or why he left. Our last real conversation was the one that took place in his office. Where he got upset for reasons I still didn’t quite understand.
Maybe I did overstep,I thought. I couldn’t help it. I always went above and beyond for the people I cared about. And for the people I loved? There was no limit to what I would do to help. Maybe that was the problem. I had stepped on his pride while trying to help.
I stood from the chair I was sitting in and fluffed my curls, checking over the half up-half down hairstyle I wore, mainly because I’d hoped Jacob would be here to see me sing. He loved when I wore my hair down and I enjoyed the way he always ran his fingers through my curls whenever we kissed and made love.
Sighing, I smoothed down the puffy black skirt I wore and strutted down the hall toward the front of the lounge where the stage was. I smiled at the band and waved at the audience members as they clapped for me.
“Hey, everyone.” I did my best to sound cheery as I looked over the crowd. I couldn’t quite make out everyone’s face but I knew Jacob wasn’t among them. I could always feel his presence whenever he was near. “I, uh, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been here and I was going to start off with something fast-paced but I’ve changed my mind.”
Again, I scanned the audience with my gaze.
“This song is kind of reflective of how I’m feeling tonight, so here goes.” I stepped away from the microphone and gave the band the name of the song I planned to sing. Thankfully, they knew it well.
Moving back to the microphone, I inhaled before parting my lips and beginning the words to Nao’s “Another Lifetime”.
Once I was halfway through the first line of the song, the soft sounds of the keyboard started playing.
I sang the song with my entire heart because right then it was how I felt. Like a lover who had found the love of her life but for whatever reason it wouldn’t work out.
The words of the song seemed to float from my mouth, surrounding me and holding me up as I sang about waiting for the love of my life in the next lifetime to see if it would work out then.
By the time I completed the song, I felt spent.
“Thank you.” I bowed to the audience and headed to the back room even though I had more time in my set. I needed to get off the stage to gather myself before going out again.
I took a seat in front of the bureau and dug through my purse, searching for my phone yet again.
“Hey, Grace, you know you still have more time,” Jackson entered, reminding me.
Turning, I nodded. “Yeah, I just need a minute.”
“Okay. Hey, um, me and some of the guys are going out to another lounge tonight to scope it out and have a few drinks. Would you like to come?”
“She’s taken.”
My breath hitched when my eyes moved over Jackson’s shoulder to see Jacob drilling holes into the back of Jackson’s head.
“Jacob.”
My calling his name brought those grey irises to me. I watched as the stormy look cleared and they seemed to sparkle, that stare he always gave me. He didn’t say a word as he stepped around Jackson, and none too graciously, pulled the door closed in Jackson’s face, leaving just he and I.
