“Not now,” I warn him.
I push Ginny toward her seat and wave goodbye.
But Logan follows me down the hall and into the dressing room where Mama accosts me as soon as she spots me.
“Where in God’s grace have you been?” She throws her arms in the air. “I’ve been waiting on you for the past forty-five minutes! Let’s get you into your costume—the alterations will have to be skipped. Hi, honey.” She gives Logan a kiss. “So good to see you back on your feet. Get a good seat because my daughter is going to be just fabulous tonight!”
Logan wishes me luck. “I’m sorry about yesterday.”
I shift my head so I can meet his serious gaze with my own. “I’m the one who read it. That entry just made me think.” I give him a light shove. “You better go or Mama will try to drag you on stage, too.”
Mama’s in the first scene, of course, which starts about five minutes after I arrive. She races backstage afterward, flushed and smiling.
“Great energy out there!” she beams at me. “Nothing like opening night.”
When it’s time for my big moment, nearly at the end of the entire script, Mama actually comes up behind me and shoves me onto the stage. I stumble forward and am out in the center of the stage before I can right myself and stand up straight. I look up and out at the audience just as Mama instructed me, and I try to keep my voice clear and steady as I deliver my lines.
“I told you he’d love you anyway. He always has, and it’s not the looks, it’s what’s inside you.”
Logan has always liked me for exactly who I am—a flawed, well-meaning woman who’s trying her best to be happy in this screwed-up world.
But since he got engaged to Gigi, I’ve felt insecure. And that’s not right. I deserve to carry myself with strength and pride. I shouldn’t wither just because Logan chose another woman.
As I stand tall on Darcy’s small-town stage, I vow that starting now, I’m going to have a happy rest of the summer regardless of what Logan and Gigi do.
We all come out for curtain calls at the end, and I bow, feeling sick to my stomach. I never ate dinner, and I’m nauseous from all the adrenaline. Being an actress is hard work, I tell Mama afterward. Don’t I know it, baby, she says as she wipes her brow. Daddy comes backstage with a bouquet of flowers for Mama and one for me, and Riley, Ben, and Free give us each a rose.
And then, I go home and blissfully fall into a deep sleep.
83
Logan
* * *
I’m doing the new normal for me—hanging out alone in my parents’ house—when Luke texts.
How are things going?
Good, I type back. How was your drive back?
Not quite there yet. Will be by tonight.
I watch the dots jump around on my screen before he adds?—
Don’t bend on your plan. You’re nearly there.
Right. Luke may feel like I’m nearly there, but to me, the time spent being fake engaged to Gigi is interminable. My dream career may be taking off, but my personal life is stuck in neutral.
Another text comes in, this one from Blake.
Dude, I’m with Dave, and we’re heading to the lake. Let’s grab the girls and fish. No excuses. And Macey’s coming even if we have to drag her there.
Macey
Just after seven, I get a knock on my door.
When I go see who it is, Logan, Blake, and Dave are standing on my step. They’re dressed in t-shirts and ripped jeans, and all three are grinning.
