If Sara thought she was nervous before, she was near insanity now. The band was sitting in the dressing room, waiting for their turn to go on stage. The audience was extremely opinionated; applauding with whistles and catcalls if they liked a band, booing and hissing if they didn’t. She feared she would fall under the last category. If she did, it would reflect on the entire band, and she didn’t want to let them down.
Some of the other bands were good, but they hadn’t been working together as long as Raging Storm, excluding Sara, of course. She was the newbie. The person walking around with jelly for legs. She was so afraid she would forget the lyrics, miss a cue or sing off key, she couldn’t think straight. The rest were trying to cut her some slack, but even Jared was edgy by her constant pacing.
“Could someone get me some ginger ale or something fizzy? I feel like I’m gonna hurl,” she said.
“I will,” Steve said and shot to his feet. “It’ll give me a chance to get my wits together.”
There was a knock. Considering the coke machine was in the front lobby, it couldn’t be Steve. Sara’s fears took over; it was Andrea, clipboard in hand and a broad smile on her face. She looked at Jared. “So, is Raging Storm ready to bring down the house?”
He glanced at Sara. “Will be,” he said. “Steve went to get Sara something to drink. She’s feeling queasy.” He led Andrea out of earshot. “Stage fright.”
“I see,” she whispered back. She put an arm around Sara’s shoulders. “Sweetie, you shouldn’t be upset. You’ll knock them dead.”
Sara smiled, but it never reached her eyes.
“You’ve got about ten minutes - break a leg!” Andrea ducked out the door.
“Break a leg?” she frowned.
“It’s a showbiz term, angel,” Jared laughed.
“I know! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.” Her nerves were getting the best of her. “I know what it means. I didn’t think anyone used it anymore.”
He put an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her temple. “They don’t, but maybe Andrea was getting tired of your pacing too,” he joked. She glared at him.
There was another knock, and Andrea poked her head in again. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. It’s a sell-out – standing room only. Good luck!”
Sara glanced up at Jared with worried eyes and sighed. “She’s beginning to remind me of a jack-in-the-box.”
“It’s alright, angel,” he smiled. “We’re gonna do fine. You’re gonna do fine, trust me.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She wanted to believe him, but if Steve didn’t get back with her ginger ale, there would be a mess to clean up.
~ ~ ~
There was a light tap, and he entered the room. He glanced at Lucy, sighed and turned to Sara. “I’m sorry, honey. The closest thing I could get you was a 7UP. Will that do?”
She nodded and struggled with the lid. Jared came to her rescue. She smiled and guzzled several mouthfuls. She hoped her stomach would settle in the next ten minutes. That’s all the time they had before the band went on stage.
She began pacing again and shaking her hands. Carl’s eyes followed her as she passed him several times. Finally, he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Stop – you’re driving me nuts!” He ushered her to Jared. “Here! Do something with this!” he said, as though she were a child with a dirty diaper.
“Gladly!” Jared wrapped his arms around her, smiled and kissed her. “Better?” She nodded. He pulled her out of earshot, pushed her against the wall and pressed his body against hers. “After this is all over, I think you and I need to work on your stage fright. You could use some more, calming sessions,” he said and kissed her again.
Sara smiled up at him. “I like your calming sessions.”
~ ~ ~
After a light rap on the door, Andrea stuck her head in yet again. “Five minutes before you go on.” She held the door open. “Follow me, please.”
Sara looked up at Jared again. He smiled and took her hand. “Let’s get out there.”
Andrea led them to the waiting area behind the curtain. The last band on stage hurried past them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re proud to present, onstage for the first time in The Louisiana Hayride Reunion, Raging Storm featuring lead vocalists, Jared Thundercloud, and Sara Foster.”
Jared took her hand again and led her onto the stage. She stood off to the left and center, close to his keyboard. He kissed the back of her hand and took his position. Sara moved next to Lucy and waited. Carl played the lead intro; the rest of the band joined in. Sara hoped her tempo was right. She couldn’t tell which was louder; the sound of Steve’s drums or her knocking knees.
They began singing; the audience went wild with applause. Sara glanced off to the side, behind the curtain, where Andrea stood. She gave her two thumbs up. Sara smiled and directed her attention back to the cheering audience. It was exhilarating.
~ ~ ~
When she came back on stage after changing into one of her dresses, and joined Jared, center stage for their duets, she was calm and collected. She felt privileged to be the object of his devotion as they sang of love and heartbreak. The crowd responded accordingly with whoops, catcalls, and applause; the cameras flashed.
Raging Storm played an instrumental; the crowd was absolutely roaring, some people danced in place. Sara savored it like a fine wine. This was what she’d always wanted to do, but Jared’s unwavering support was the only way she’d made it through. He had never left her side and never doubted her talent or courage.
~ ~ ~
They finished their last number and Jared prepared to close the show, but the crowd wouldn’t let them off that easy. After their encore, Andrea asked Jared if they would do an autograph and photo session with the local papers. Sara looked at him; he smiled and squeezed her hand. “Give us time to get changed, and we’ll meet you out front.”
“Great!” Andrea handed Jared a stack of photos and permanent markers. “Just so you know, your CDs and souvenirs were sold out – gone - thirty minutes before the show started!”
Sara’s lips parted. “All of them?”
She patted her shoulder and smiled. “Yes, Sara - all of them.”
------------
Sara had signed her picture and their CD until her hand hurt. She was seeing spots from all the camera flashes. There was a quick interview with the entire band before they singled Jared and Sara out, asking questions about how serious their relationship was, and what were their plans for the future. Would they be staying together or was it a staged act?
He put an arm around Sara’s waist, pulled her close and presented her left hand. “She’s all mine!” he said seriously. He kissed her for a close-up. When fans realized he was taken, the screaming girls turned their attention to other guys in the band who were unattached. Steve and Carl got a lot of attention too, especially Carl. Steve adored the fans, but it was clear something was bothering him.
A handsome man asked Lucy if she would have her picture taken with him. She nervously glanced at Steve, smiled and posed. Steve sighed and turned away. Sara sensed something was wrong between them, but she wasn’t sure how to ask without sounding nosey.
------------
Raging Storm finished the publicity part of the gig and headed back to their dressing rooms. Jared watched Sara moping around. She kept staring at the door, as though willing someone to walk through it. He put an arm around her shoulders. “Waiting for your mother?”
“I can’t fool you, can I?”
“No, and I can’t fool you either,” he smiled. “Looks like we’re doomed.”
She looked up at him. “If this is doom, show me the guillotine.”
There was a knock. Sara held her breath. Andrea stuck her head in. Sara’s shoulders sagged. “Um, Sara, there’s someone here to see you,” she said and stepped aside.
James grinned from ear to ear and held out his arms. Sara ran to him. “Dad!”
He hugged her. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Where’s Mother?” she prompted and anxiously peered over his shoulder.
James sighed, remorseful. “She wouldn’t come, precious. She’s being difficult.” He stepped next to Jared and offered a hand. “But Kaye’s always difficult. Jared, I wanted to congratulate you and Sara and the rest of the band on a remarkable performance.”
He glanced at Sara and read the pain in her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”
“Dad, I thought both of you were coming.”
“I’m sorry, Sara. Kaye said you would know why she wasn’t here, and that you were the only one who could do anything about it.”
She blinked to clear her vision. “Fine, if that’s how she wants it. I guess it’s settled.” Jared glanced at her sympathetically. “You’re coming out to celebrate with us, aren’t you?”
“Honey, I’m sorry, I can’t. I’d love to, but your mother’s waiting for me to get back to the hotel.”
“What? You’re leaving tonight?”
James frowned and exhaled. “Give her some time, Sara. You know how stubborn she can be. I’ll see you when I can. Again, congratulations on your successful performance and your engagement. I love you.” He kissed her cheek, shook everyone’s hand and left.
Sara swallowed the lump in her throat; silent tears slid down her cheeks. “Jared, I don’t feel like celebrating.”
He held her. “Let me tell the others.”
“I’ll wait in the hall.”
~ ~ ~
“If you guys wanna go on without us, feel free. Sara’s pretty upset that her mother didn’t come, so we’re going home.”
Lucy glanced at Steve and shook her head. “Kaye’s so unreasonable when it comes to Sara. Sometimes I’d love to shake some sense into her before it’s too late. Eventually, Sara’s gonna get enough, and Kaye’s the one who’ll suffer.”
“I know, Luce, but what more could I do? I like James, he’s a nice man. But Kaye – I don’t know if we’ll ever get along. I can’t stand the way she treats Sara, and she doesn’t particularly like me either.”
Lucy glanced at Steve again and swallowed hard. “I for one don’t feel like celebrating.”
Steve held her gaze for a few seconds and looked away. “I don’t feel like partying either.”
Carl frowned and glanced curiously at Steve and Lucy. This ends tonight! “Take Sara home. We’ll celebrate when everyone’s in a better mood.” He glared at Steve.
------------
Sara leaned her back against the wall and tried to catch her breath. She felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her. She couldn’t believe her mother had been so cruel. Especially with this being her first public appearance since high school. The only reason Kaye went to that had been because James had entered one of his prize bulls in the rodeo.
James and Sara were close. She was afraid her mother would use him to get to her. What would happen to that relationship now? What about Jared? He’d said it wouldn’t happen, but what if Kaye found a way to get to him? What began as one of the happiest nights of Sara’s life had fallen apart before her eyes, and there hadn’t been a damned thing she could’ve do to stop it.