Carly was delaying their open of show, yet there was nothing she could do about it. She could hear Janie in the hall speaking in a hushed tone into her headset. Carly’s shoulders ached with tension, her skin felt cold and clammy, and her brain wouldn’t slow down for even a moment.
Trip appeared a moment later, his eyes wide. His hair seemed to be spelling out some sort of distress code with its various trajectories. Perhaps: run. “You feeling a little on edge, Car?” he asked, pushing a friendly smile.
Carly nodded. Trip was a nice guy. He might know what to do here, help her find the confidence she’d lost an hour ago. Or even more preferable, he’d just let her leave.
“I don’t actually think I can do this,” she confessed.
“I know it feels like a lot of pressure, but honestly? If you went out on that stage and gave half the performance you turned in on our last rehearsal, those people are going to love it.”
He was flattering her for the sake of the show. She didn’t fault him. Trip was executing his duties as PSM to perfection, dealing with the broken actress, attempting to wind her up and make her go. “How am I supposed to get out of my own head, though?”
“How about we take a few deep breaths?”
“How about I head back to California, and you put Nia onstage in my place?”
Trip’s eyes went wide, which was probably high alert in stage management land. It all seemed so overwhelming now, and she thought back to the time she’d scoffed at Alika for bringing her this project when she felt so far beyond stage work.
“Guys, can I have the room?” The even-keeled voice was instantly familiar. Carly craned her neck around Trip to see Lauren in costume and makeup for act 1. That’s when she found the air again.
“Definitely,” Trip said. He exchanged a look with Lauren, snagged Janie, and was out of there. When the door clicked closed, Lauren turned to Carly.
“What you’re feeling is totally normal.”
Carly nodded, her heart rate easing. “Maybe. I just keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong. We can’t just yell Cut! and start again, you know?”
“We should just go get crazy crust pizza.” Lauren smiled as if the thought alone sent her to heaven. “I’d get extra mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil, and maybe some sliced meatball on top. God, that sounds amazing.” It was the most random of statements, but the way Lauren described the pizza, Carly could almost smell the pies baking. “Should we go?”
Carly took a slow inhale and smiled. “Maybe. I’d love to watch you maneuver all that cheese.”
“Because cheese and I have a sinful love affair I will not apologize for. Give me a minute to get changed, and I’m all yours.”
Apparently talking casually about pizza, of all things, with Lauren was just what Carly needed. She stood. “Let’s do a show first.”
“Or that.” Lauren shrugged nonchalantly, like she could take it or leave it. “Means we get to kiss in just a little while. I guess we could do pizza later.”
“The extra cheesy kind.”
“Strings of cheese for days,” Lauren said. She glanced at the door. “We’re doing this?”
Carly nodded, finding the floor had returned beneath her feet. “Let’s give them the show they came for.” She took a deep, centering breath, as she got her head on straight.
Moments later, she stood in the wings, listening to the recorded preshow announcement, as every part of her shook. She turned to Lauren, met her gaze, and received a squeeze from their joined hands. She smiled and let it all fall away. Lauren made her entrance, and Carly watched her sweetly argue with TJ, the gate attendant, about missing the flight. To her surprise, lines she’d heard spoken a million times were greeted with laughter. Whoa. The audience was actually enjoying their show. She stood a little taller, eager to get out there and participate. Her dresser handed her Ashley’s attaché, and she made her entrance with purpose. When she appeared onstage, the audience applauded. Entrance applause because she was famous. Lauren told her this might happen. She paused until it died down and delivered her first line. Ashley was on a mission and so was she.
For Carly, the performance alternated between racing past, and plodding in slow motion. Lauren had been correct. Carly felt the energy from the audience, and it gave her life. The connection between all