“Did I miss the Ghost of Christmas Present?”
“I think that part’s next.” I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go grab a drink.”
Luke perked up. “We can drink at the theater during halftime?”
“It’s called intermission, but yes. Art is always better when you’re not sober.”
“I’ll drink to that,” he said, pulling me out of the box and into the crowd.
As soon as we got our drinks, I spotted someone I assumed I would never see again. And she was coming right for us.
Ganymede Raye swept through the awestruck crowd like a force of nature. Everyone here knew who she was. This was her production ofA Christmas Carol.
“Clara Snow!” she said.
“Oh, my God, you remember my name,” I said, unable to believe it. She had lots of nice things to say when we’d first met, but I had just assumed she was being kind because I was Kerri’s friend.
“Why haven’t you called me yet?” she asked, shaking her head at me. “Did someone else already hire you away from me?”
I smiled and tried not to choke on my own tongue. “I’m so sorry. I haven’t had a chance yet.”
Ganymede gave Luke an appraising look and she nodded. “Young and in love. I get it. But don’t you dare lose my number.”
I swallowed hard. “I won’t.”
“Excellent. Now why don’t you two come backstage to watch the rest of the show?” Ganymede looked back and forth between us.
“We don’t want to be any trouble,” I said.
“Don’t be silly,” Ganymede said. “It’s my show. It’s no trouble at all.”
“You’re doing this,” Luke told me. “You’re not passing up this opportunity.”
Ganymede nodded. “See? Your man’s being supportive. Come on. Follow me.”
She led us through a door and a hall, and suddenly we were in a different world, a shadow world with props and people running around chaotically. For me, it was magic.
I turned to look at Luke. “Did you set this up with Ganymede?”
He shook his head. “I just called Kerri for the tickets. She must have told Ganymede we were here. Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to win some romance points by arranging this meeting, but I think this lady just really likes your style.”
“I’m dying. She’s a legend.”
He chuckled and gave me a hug. “Don’t die on me yet. The night’s just getting started.”
I loved everything about that moment, about being there with him to experience something special like this. For years, I wasn’t sure anyone would ever see me like this. Most people wouldn’t understand why this was so exciting and moving for me. Watching the backstage team move like they were creating a whole world, bringing an old tale to life. I was on cloud nine.
Luke’s warm hand in the small of my back was the cherry on top.
CHAPTER 25
LUKE
The actors performed on stage and the others worked like army ants behind the curtain, but for me, Clara was the real show. Every smile, every quirk of an eyebrow, every gasp. My world began and ended with her.
When she laughed or something delighted her, she leaned in to me, like she wanted to share the moment together. I was starting to think I wanted to share a lot more moments with her. Clara just felt right. I wanted to gather her in my arms and hold her, letting her light fill me.
Our night at the theater had ended up working out a hell of a lot better than I had planned. Just watching the show would have been a treat, but now we were where she really wanted to be. Kerri had taken a real shine to Clara—although who could blame her? I was falling for her fast.
