their director to a place where the faith she so desperately clung to would be evident.
And maybe even something one of her castmates might claim as their own.
Six
THE SHOW WENT BY MORE QUICKLY THAN BAILEY EXPECTED.
One minute she was taking the stage for “Nicest Kids in Town,” and the next they were through with the intermission and headed into “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” Bailey felt like she was running through syrup. The singing, the dancing … the expressions she was required to give for every part of every number when she was on stage — all of it made her feel half a step behind. Even so, she was doing this, she really was — singing and dancing on Broadway!
Far too soon, she was singing “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” with the rest of the cast, giving every move, every note everything she had. And like that … the show was over. Bailey and the other ensemble dancers were first to take their bows, and as they did Bailey felt tears fill her eyes.
Whatever had happened on stage, whatever terrible way Bailey felt about her performance, the audience must’ve felt differently. Because they were on their feet — from the beginning of the curtain call to the end. Bailey hurried off stage right as another set of dancers took a bow, the leads were next, and finally the sweet-natured girl who played Tracy, the show’s star. The actress wasn’t at every rehearsal, so Bailey hadn’t connected with her. But she seemed kind, and she was brilliantly talented.
Breathless and laughing from the exhilaration of the night, Bailey waited with the others until the curtain hit the stage. Then she exited down the stairs toward the green room. As she did, one of the stage hands approached her. He held a bouquet of at least a dozen long-stemmed red roses. A few of the dancers hesitated and stared at the roses, then at her. Two of them whispered something to each other and then looked at her as they walked off. Bailey had no idea what they were thinking. It was her first night, after all.
“What in the world …?” Bailey laughed once, still trying to catch her breath. Had her parents sent these? She took the flowers and thanked the guy, but almost immediately she realized there was no card on the flowers. “I’m sorry.” She touched the man’s elbow. “Do you know … who these are from?”
A grin appeared on the man’s face. “Some guy.” He pointed to the opposite side of the stage. “He’s waiting for you over there. By the back door.”
For half a heartbeat Bailey wondered if it might be Cody, if maybe he’d been silent these past weeks because he was planning a surprise for her opening night. But as she walked behind the backstage, in the aisle between the heavy velvet curtains, she caught a glimpse of someone on the other side, someone working his way into her heart a little more every day.
“Brandon!” She had the flowers in one hand, but she hugged him anyway, holding onto his neck and breathing in the smell of him, the thrill of him. “I can’t believe this.” She was laughing, half breathless, half stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“And miss out on this moment?” He drew back enough to see her face. “You were absolutely amazing tonight. Every minute you were on stage you shone brighter than anyone in the cast.”
“I felt like I was dancing in quicksand,” Bailey frowned.
“Are you kidding?” He held her shoulders and stared at her. “Did you hear that applause? They loved you. They loved the whole show.”
It was true, and her frown didn’t last. It couldn’t. Not when her heart couldn’t stop smiling. “Brandon … you’re really here.”
He laughed out loud. “Like I could stay away.”
Her head was spinning, but she put her finger to her lips, laughing in more of a whisper now. “We have to be quiet. The rest of the cast …”
“Sorry.” He chuckled and dropped his voice. He slid his arms down around her waist, and she eased hers around his neck. “You’re so beautiful, Bailey … from the inside out.” He took a step back, and his expression became almost bewildered. “Seriously, I had no idea you could sing and dance like that.” He leaned his shoulder into the nearest wall, his eyes never leaving hers. “No wonder you don’t want Hollywood. For a ride like that every night, I’d switch to Broadway too.”