Page 121 of Keep Me Close

“Thank you,” I blurt. “For letting me know.”

“Wonderful. In the next few days, we’ll send over a packet of information and the contract.”

She reviews a few more details, and I murmur something that sounds vaguely coherent before hanging up.

Even though I wanted this—prayed for it, hoped for it, then tried not to hope too much so I wouldn’t end up disappointed—I never truly believed it would happen.

The women stare at me.

“Well?” Lilah says. “We’re dying over here! Tell us what happened!”

I lower the phone as my hand continues to shake. “I got the part.”

There’s a beat of silence before everyone explodes at once.

“Oh my God!” Kia says.

“Should I tell you to break a leg now or later?” Sloane calls from the counter.

“Congratulations!” Rina cries.

“We’re so proud of you!” Lilah adds.

Callie presses a hand to her chest. “Chey, that’s so amazing! I’m so happy it all worked out.”

Rina is the first out of her chair before throwing her arms around me, with Lilah right behind her. Kia joins in next, and Callie scoots in while Sloane hurries over as soon as the last customer walks out the door.

For a second, I’m completely swallowed up by perfume, excited voices, and the solid weight of women who are becoming true friends. The shock dissolves and emotion rushes in so swiftly it nearly steals the air from my lungs.

“I got the part,” I say again, half laughing, half crying now. “I actually got it.”

“You’re going to be on Broadway,” Rina says, eyes filled with excitement.

Emotion swells within me. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Callie squeezes me tighter. “You did it. You really did it!”

And somehow that comment breaks me all over again. Because she’s right. I did it. Even though I was terrified, I walked into that room and laid it all on the line. I stayed when every part of me wanted to run. And now, for the first time in years, it feels like my life truly belongs to me.

The bell over the door jingles, and heavy footsteps hit the floor as male voices fill the sunny space.

“Hey,” River calls out. “What’s going on?”

Oliver looks around. “Did someone win the lottery?”

Jax snorts. “Or maybe Rina found the clearance rack at Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Knox, Steele, and Laiken walk in, bringing up the rear.

Knox stops the second he spots me standing in the middle of the bakery, surrounded by my new friends with tears streaming down my cheeks.

A grin breaks out across his face. “You heard already?”

I nod, barely able to get the words out. “I got the part.”

He crosses the bakery in a handful of strides before tugging me into his arms and lifting me off the ground.

“I told you,” he says, pressing his mouth against mine. “The second they heard you sing, you were a shoo-in.”