Page 15 of Knox
So she grinned at him, and across the crowd, winked.
His mouth opened, and she didn’t stay for more, turning back to center stage.
She finished the song, grinning at the Belles, then back out into the darkness as the audience erupted.
Stay safe.
At least he knew she was keeping her promise.
But she couldn’t dislodge the idea of him standing out there in the crowd as she led them through the set. As she told the funny story about how the girls met—in high school, crushing over the same stupid boy, who would end up dissing them all. As she taught the crowd how to sing along to “Let Him Go, Go Go, Bye, Bye” and finally when she got quiet, the spotlight on her alone for her solo song, the one called “One True Heart,” a ballad about young love, waiting for a happy ending, a soldier gone to war.
One of Glo’s best, but she couldn’t sing it without weeping, so Kelsey recorded it, and it had gone viral.
She met him on a night like any other
Dressed in white, the cape of a soldier
He said you’re pretty, but I can’t stay
She said I know, but I could love you anyway…
Kelsey knew how to work the song, her alto turning it husky and raw.
But you don’t know if you don’t start
So wait…for one true heart…one true heart…
She let the last notes linger, just her voice and the quiet auditorium, the sound haunting, the what-ifs lingering in the air.
They ended with their current finale— “Live It Up,” an upbeat song about dancing, letting loose, and living rowdy.
Not that she—or any of them—did any of that, but it cemented the feeling she wanted to leave with the NBR-X audience.
They came back for an encore, their first hit with the banjo screaming, the fiddle burning, and a crazy tumble of lyrics that had her sweating under the lights.
She fell into the arms of Glo and Dixie backstage, breathing hard, part triumph, part exhaustion. Carter ran up and embraced them all.
“Hot, hot, hot! Listen to that crowd!” Indeed, they should probably have another encore, but Kelsey was ready to order room service and drop into a hot bath. Or rather, squeeze into the tiny bus shower and eat some cold pizza from today’s takeout.
But by the look on Carter’s face, they’d landed the gig. At least until, “One of the board members wants to meet you three. I’ll go get him.”
Oh. But she could put on her stage face for the brass if it meant they had regular gigs for the next six months.
Carter led them backstage to a meet and greet green room, then left to get the guest. She fished out a soda from the tub of ice. Pushed it to her forehead. She was drenched in a layer of heat, soggy right through to her bones.
The rest of the band had crowded into the room, and she high-fived Elijah, noticing how his gaze landed on Dixie. Poor guy—Kelsey had a feeling he’d taken the gig to follow his heart…the one not attached to music. But the way Dixie glanced at him, too, maybe he had a chance.
He was certainly cute, with his long hair, pale green eyes, tight, martial arts frame. He reminded her of some ancient dark Viking warrior.
“Hey, Kelsey,” Carter said. She turned and spotted him heading her direction. In front of him bounced a cute dark-haired little girl—maybe the one from the audience—grinning like she’d just seen a Disney princess.
Kelsey crouched to her height and held out her hand. “Oh my, did you know someone stole your front teeth?” She feigned shock.
The girl giggled, nodded. “The toof fairy!”
“Of course. Someone alert the sheriff.” Kelsey winked at her.
“This is Tori Noble,” Carter said. He gestured to a man and a woman standing beside him. “And these are her parents, Rafe and Katherine Noble. Rafe is on the board of NBR-X.”