A burst of voices, the clatter of dishes, broke out from an adjoining table. Dan was rigid beside me.
“You asked her.” Jo grinned, her face full of laughter and apology. “So it’s my turn.”
I took a breath. At least we weren’t talking about my dinner anymore. “Actually, I did. This morning.”
“And...?” Jo asked expectantly.
And... I was afraid. What if he didn’t like it? What if he did? What would I do?
I moved my fork an inch to the left. “He has a show tonight. I’m sure he hasn’t listened to it yet.”
Dan pushed his chair back abruptly. “’Scuse me.”
I watched him go, a piece of me trailing after him.
“He’s going to love it,” Jo predicted.
He?Colt.
“You’re so talented,” Meg said.
Dan crossed the dining room, shoulders braced against the din, and went out the doors to the terrace.
I stood. “I’ll be right back.”
“Beth...”
“I want to hear about Colt.”
I met three pairs of concerned, curious eyes. My sisters. Our mother. “Not now,” I said.
Apparently I had boundaries after all.
I found Dan sitting on the low stone wall overlooking the garden, his profile outlined by the fading light.
“Are you all right?” I asked softly. Hearing the echo of my mother’swords. Not an attempt to control, I realized, but a desire to make things better.
“Yeah.” He stood, stiff as a soldier on parade. “Sorry. I’m not much good in a crowd.”
I took a cautious step closer, like he was something feral I could startle into flight. “My family can be a bit much.”
“They love you.”
“They do.” Another step. “I’m not comfortable with crowds, either.”
He relaxed a fraction of his military posture. “Must be hard to get up onstage every night.”
I smiled. “It is.”
“So why do it?”
“I...” No one ever asked me that before. “Follow your dreams,” Momma urged. “Use your talents,” Daddy preached. “Take your shot,” Jo had said.
I shrugged. “This is what I’m supposed to want.”
He was quiet, letting the words stand in the stillness.Supposed to.
“Why did you come tonight?” I asked.
