cheek. “There’s fresh bread inside—I made a loaf with cinnamon and raisins this morning— Oof!”
She’d thrown herself into his arms, knocking his glasses askew. “I thought I smelled cinnamon. Oh, man, with butter…hot and fresh from the oven…Jake…I think I’m going to marry you!” she teased, then smacked a kiss on his cheek.
When she would have pulled away, she realized he had her by the arm. “I wish you would,” he said, shocking her to the core.
“Jake, really, I was just kidding,” she said, her stomach dumping to her toes.
“I’m not.” His eyes searched hers. “I told you…I’ve never stopped loving you, Vivien. There’s been no one else—not really, not long enough to matter—for ten years.
“I didn’t realize it until I found you again, but I’ve been waiting for you, waiting for you to come back. I was waiting for you to call me again, to use the number you never deleted from your phone.”
She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Jake…”
He pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead, then ducked to whisper in her ear. “I want you forever, Vivien…and I’ll even take Liv too, ghostly presence and all. As long as she doesn’t critique my technique.”
She looked up at him through damp eyes. “That’s a deal,” she managed, smiling through the sudden tears. “But you have to let me flirt with your pop whenever I want, all right?”
“I think I can handle that.”
He cuddled her close, and she closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest.
The song she couldn’t help but hum was “I Can Hear the Bells.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Six Weeks Later
Vivien looked out from the wings and clasped her hands together, fighting back the rush of happy tears.
We did it, Liv.
We actually did it.
The Olivia Dee Theater was packed on opening night—every brand-new seat filled with an expectant, clapping, cheering audience member—and Maxine and Juanita were taking their final bows.
They’d been adorable and brilliant, as Vivien had hoped and anticipated, and the audience—many of whom knew the old ladies personally—had eaten up their performances, enjoying their sometimes-improvised banter.
Sometimes a little too much improvisation, Vivien thought with a grin, but somehow the ladies knew when enough was enough…at least while onstage.
Roger Hatchard got wild applause and a lengthy run of hoots and cheers, and so did Michael Wold—but the audience saved the standing ovation for Maxine, Juanita, and Baxter, who’d been simply delightful as the discombobulated, earnest Mortimer Brewster.
She felt Jake as he came up behind her, rubbing his hands gently over her shoulders as she waited for her turn to come out from the wings.
“How are you feeling about Vivien Leigh Savage’s return to the stage?” he murmured near her ear.
“It was perfect. Absolutely perfect,” she replied, leaning back against him a little. She’d let Maxine and Juanita bask in their glory a few moments longer.
“Susie Wallaby was also perfect as Elaine Harper,” Jake said. “Good call on that.”
“She was better than I expected,” Vivien said. “And she sold a ton of tickets for this weekend and next weekend to her husband’s dentist friends and her sorority.”
“Everyone thought you’d step in to play Elaine Harper,” he said, nuzzling her a little, and sending delicious shivers down her spine.
“I know, but that would have been just a little too on the nose, you know? My cameo role was perfect—and the best way for me to get back onstage. I had no lines, no makeup, not much of a costume…”
He chuckled in her ear. “You were the best dead body in the window seat anyone’s ever seen.”
When Vivien stepped out onto the stage—wearing the same men’s clothing she’d worn for her “role,” but now with her hair down—she was greeted with thunderous applause and cheers that brought down the house. The rest of the cast moved upstage, leaving her alone at the edge of the stage as the cheering and clapping went on and on.
Her eyes stung and she blinked rapidly, glad she was too far away for anyone to see.
And then she felt Liv, coming to stand next to her. She reached for her twin’s hand and felt solidness as their fingers curled together—just for an instant—and then the sensation was gone.
They were onstage together again.
They were home.
A Note from the Author
I had a particularly fun time writing Sinister Stage because my husband, children, and I are a “theater family.” We’ve acted, sung, played music, and/or directed in and seen a number of musical theater productions over the years in school as well as community theater, and I met my husband, aka MusicMan, while doing Oliver! far too many years ago to count.
Although I did some theatrical shows in high school, my debut on the community theater stage (just after college) was as the dead body in Arsenic and Old Lace, and so it was fun to have Vivien make her return to the stage in a similar way. I probably have a picture of me dressed as the dead guy somewhere in my stuff—if I find it, I’ll send it out with my newsletter (are you a subscriber? You should be! Go here to subscribe: http://cgbks.com/news).
I also wanted to mention that I knew a family who lived in a house with an actual tree growing in the middle of it—just as described in Jake’s house. They recently sold the house, and I’m not gonna lie—I’m trying to figure out a way to meet the new neighbors so I can see if the tree is still there.
I also wanted to mention that I’m working on recording all of the Wicks Hollow books, making them available as audiobooks with me as the narrator. I’m not a professional actor (so don’t compare me to Jim Dale or Jayne Entwistle, who, by the way, does an amazing job narrating my Stoker and Holmes series), but I’m told the books are quite listenable. You can find me reading Sinister Summer (with more to come) anywhere audiobooks are available.
Finally, I want to thank my son and Erin Wolfe in particular for helping me with some of the musical theater references. It was nice to have two more heads thinking about other-than-the-obvious songs I could use. I’ve created a playlist with all of the songs mentioned in the book, and I’ll be making the list public on Spotify and Apple Music for anyone to listen to—in case you’re curious or want a backdrop while you’re reading. I’ll be posting the information about how to find the playlists on my website and social media accounts soon.
Thank you for reading the Wicks Hollow series. I have so much fun writing it, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that so many readers are enjoying my particular blend of ghosts, murder, and romance.
— Colleen Gleason
August 2020
Prefer not to get messages in your email?
Sign up for SMS/Text messages and help keep your inbox clear!
Just type in 38470 for the phone number,
and then type COLLEEN in the message space!
Also by Colleen Gleason
The Gardella Vampire Hunters
Victoria
The Rest Falls Away
Rises the Night
The Bleeding Dusk
When Twilight Burns
As Shadows Fade
Macey/Max Denton
Roaring Midnight
Raging Dawn
Roaring Shadows
Raging Winter
Roaring Dawn
The Draculia Vampires
Dark Rogue: The Vampire Voss
Dark Saint: The Vampire Dimitri
Dark Vixen: The Vampire Narcise
Vampire at Sea: Tales from the Draculia Vampires
Wicks Hollow Series
Ghost Story Romance & Mystery
Sinister Summer
Sinister Secrets
Sinister Shadows
Sinister Sanctuary
Sinister Stage
Stoker & Holmes Books
(for ages 12-adult)
The Clockwork Scarab
The Spiritglass Charade
The Chess Queen Enigma
The Carnelian Crow
The Zeppelin Deception
The Castle Garden Series
Lavender Vows
A Whisper of Rosemary
Sanctuary of Roses
A Lily on the Heath
The Heroes of New Vegas
Beyond the Night
Embrace the Night
Abandon the Night
Night Beckons
Night Forbidden
Night Resurrected
Tempted by the Night (only available to newsletter subscribers; sign up here: http://cgbks.com/news)
The Lincoln’s White House Mystery Series
(writing as C. M. Gleason)
Murder in the Lincoln White House
Murder in the Oval Library
Murder at the Capitol
The Marina Alexander Adventure Novels
(writing as C. M. Gleason)
Siberian Treasure
Amazon Roulette
Writing as Alex Mandon
The Belle-Époque Mystery series
Murder on the Champs-Élysées
About the Author
Colleen Gleason is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She’s written more than forty novels in a variety of genres—truly, something for everyone!
She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to find her online.
Get SMS/Text alerts for any
New Releases or Promotions!
Text: COLLEEN to 38470
(You will only receive a single message when Colleen has a new release or title on sale. We promise.)
If you would like SMS/Text alerts for any Events or book signings Colleen is attending,
Text: MEET to 38470
Subscribe to Colleen’s non-spam newsletter for other updates, news, sneak peeks, and special offers!
Connect with Colleen online: