“No, nothing so cruel.” I grinned. “After Christmas, do you think you’ll be moving here to the city?”
Clara took a long drink, downing half in one go. “This might sound crazy, but I don’t know. It seems like a no-brainer, right? Things back home aren’t going great. So, do I want to move into my parents’ basement, unemployed and pathetic, or move here and work with one of the brightest lights working on Broadway today?”
I smiled at her. “Well, when you put it like that, the answer does seem obvious.”
She nodded. “It’s what I’ve dreamed of for so long, and now that everything is lining up for me, I’m scared shitless.”
“Change is always difficult.” I squeezed her hand. “But you’ve been through plenty of change in the last couple of years. You built a career and a life out in LA. Then you had to start over back in Harrison City. And this would be like starting over again. It’s okay to be scared.”
To my surprise, she rolled her eyes at me. “Like you’re ever scared,” she said.
“I used to throw up before every game in college,” I said. “The pressure was insane.”
“You never looked like you were scared out on the field,” she said.
“Oh, hold on. Did you watch my games, Clara Snow?”
Her cheeks went red and she looked away with a guilty smile. “I might have caught some highlights here and there.”
“Uh huh. Well, just between us, I was just really good at faking it out there. Everyone feels that way when the stakes are so high.”
She sighed. “Broadway is the dream, but talk about high stakes. What if I blow it? What if all my ideas are dumb?”
I leaned over to bump her shoulder with mine gently. “Mistakes will happen. You use it as a lesson and try to be better next time. That’s my approach anyway.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.” She finished off her wine and we ordered another round. “I just think it’s easier said than done.”
I nodded. “That’s for sure. But nothing is over until it’s over. Like when I got hurt.”
Clara’s eyes softened with concern. “Right, your knee injury.”
“My whole life had been football growing up, and once I went pro, I figured that was it for me. That was who I would be until I retired and opened up a car dealership or something.” I sipped my fresh cocktail. “Then it all came crashing down. I thought my life was over. Then I dusted myself off and pivoted.”
She nodded. “That’s because you’re talented.”
“And so are you,” I said. “And don’t take my word for it. Take Ganymede Raye’s opinion.”
“She’s just being nice because I’m friends with Kerri,” Clara said, looking glum.
“You’re wrong about that, and I’ll tell you how I know. Raye might compliment your work to be nice but she wouldn’t give you her number. She wouldn’t have come out from backstage to find you.”
Clara smiled softly. “Well, that makes sense. It’s just crazy. Like I’m living in the upside-down world.”
“Success can be overwhelming,” I said. “Rise to meet the challenge and you could live happily ever after.”
“Let’s hope.” She lifted her wine glass. “To meeting the challenge.”
I clinked my glass against hers. “Cheers to that.”
When we left Hill’s, I was feeling warm from the alcohol and from Clara at my side. Every time our bodies made contact, I burned for her. And it wasn’t just physical. I loved watching her gush about the show. She was such a nerd but it was cute to see her so passionate about theater. I could walk beside her and listen to her chatter away all day.
But it was freezing out, so Lenny picked us up and dropped us off in front of my building. I thanked him and took Clara upstairs. The first thing she did when we got into my place was take off her heels.
She sighed like she’d been freed from a torture device. “Now the night is perfect.”
I laughed. “Not yet.”
Clara looked at me curiously. “Oh, yeah? What’s missing?”
