Page 115 of Just Ten Seconds

I look out into the audience. Dean is sitting in the middle of the audience. A woman is at his side with a camera in her hand, taking a thousand pictures. I can only assume she is Mama Delgado.

I can’t spy for too long because the show is about to start, and I have a ton of kids to get in order from stage left.

The music plays, and the show starts with a medley of Ariel singing on her rock and Eric aboard his ship—another Dean masterpiece that I wasn’t able to see until now.

The mermaid sisters do an awesome job of hitting their high notes, and Sebastian is hysterical in that red top hat Rita made him. When Ariel comes flying onto the stage on the wheels of her roller-skating shoes, everyone claps. Especially me because right behind her is the cutest Flounder you ever did see. Amanda is dressed in yellow overalls with a light-blue shirt underneath and matching felt fins stitched to her costume. Her face is completely painted in yellow, and the top of her yellow and blue dyed hair is covered in a bathing suit cap with more scales attached.

I wait with bated breath as she says her lines, so nervous that she’ll falter. But she doesn’t. She says every one and doesn’t fall during the dance routines.

By intermission, my eyes are glassy from emotion, and my soul is full. The kids are amazing, and it’s evident through the second act. Ursula kills her performance numbers, and the entire cast hits every single mark.

When the show is over, I watch as the cast takes their bows, and I clap voraciously. Afterward, I wait backstage as each child is picked up by their parents.

After Amanda has changed out of her costume, I pull her to the side where I have a special gift for her.

“These are for me?” she squeals in delight at the large bouquet of flowers.

When I was at the florist, I wasn’t sure what to get, but when I saw these beautiful yellow roses, I asked the woman if she could pair them with something blue. She found these gorgeous aqua-colored gerbera daisies, and paired with the yellow roses, they make a sweet Flounder-inspired bouquet.

“You were brilliant!” I pick her up and spin her around.

“Hi, Mara,” Dean says as he enters the backstage pick-up area.

He looks breathtaking, and all he’s wearing is jeans and a button-down. His hair is a little longer, curling on the ends a touch more than they did before.

“Hi, Dean,” I breathe as I place Amanda back down. I have so much to say and yet nothing at all. “Your set design was gorgeous. It really made the entire show come to life.”

“I’d say I’ll never do it again, but if this one asks me, I won’t be able to say no.”

As her dad rubs her head, Amanda looks up and then over his shoulder. A petite woman with short, dark hair and a kind smile stands behind Dean.

“Mara, did you meet my grandma? Grammy, this is our friend and my acting coach,” Amanda introduces us.

“I’m Ines, Dean’s mother.” Mama Delgado leans forward and gives me a hug.

I glance at Dean to see if this is okay. He doesn’t seem to mind. At least, he’s not saying anything.

“Amanda thinks the world of you, and I haven’t heard my son talk about a woman in a very long time. You’ve made quite an impression on my beautiful family.”

I open my mouth to speak, but really, what do I say to that? Oh, that must have been before he found out I’m a convict with having a not-so-dead husband.

“We’re going out for pizza. Do you want to come with us?” Amanda asks with a wide smile.

“No,” Dean answers before I can. “Mara has plans, I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” I say with a forced smile.

Amanda looks down, disappointed. “Oh. Okay then.”

Ines hits Dean in the arm. “Let the woman answer for herself. Just because you don’t want her to meet your mother doesn’t mean your mother doesn’t want to meet her.”

Dean’s brow deepens as he looks at his daughter. I know he doesn’t want to lie to her. He also doesn’t want to break her little heart.

“Well, maybe—” His words are cut short when someone calls my name loudly.

“Mara!” my mother shouts from the door.

“Mom?” I ask with a bewildered stare as she walks over to us, sidestepping her way through children to where we’re standing.