Playing for Keeps (33 page)

Chrissie put her hand up and then motioned Allie and Jackie to come forward. Jackie held a crown and Allie held a tiara. “The class of two thousand eleven has voted and the overwhelming response was to crown Noah Falcon and Olivia Lawson as prom king and queen!” Jackie placed the crown on Noah’s head and Allie secured the tiara on top of Olivia’s French twist. Wild applause, cheers, whistles, and camera flashes lasted a good ten minutes. Finally Chrissie subdued the crowd and said, “It is only fitting that they have the first dance. And of course after a heated discussion we have chosen the perfect song! Then we will have dinner before the rest of us join Noah and Olivia to dance the night away!” She swept her arm in an arc toward them. “And now may I present our two thousand eleven Cricket Creek High School prom king and queen!”

Olivia’s heart pounded when the room went dark and then with the first line of LeAnn Rimes singing “You Light Up My Life,” the twinkling lights lit up the night. Noah swept her into his arms and Olivia found herself floating across the dance floor feeling like a fairy-tale princess. And as she twirled past her father’s table she saw Myra’s head leaning against his shoulder and they were both crying. She caught a glimpse of Madison and Jason glowing with happiness. And when she spotted spitfire Jessica sitting next to superstar Tyler McKenna, her matchmaking radar went on full alert. Hmm . . .

As she danced past all of the smiling young faces, it occurred to her that they would all have paths to take and choices to make. She suddenly thought of her mother, but instead of anger she felt only sorrow. And in that moment she forgave her. Ah . . . who knew that forgiveness was such an uplifting, liberating feeling? It was as if a rubber band around her heart had been cut free.

“I didn’t know you were such a good dancer,” Noah whispered in her ear.

“Me neither,” Olivia replied. “I feel like I’m in the middle of a dream. If I wake up in a minute, I’m going to be ticked to no end.”

Noah tilted his head back and laughed but then looked into her eyes. “Me too, unless I wake up next to you. I love you, Livie.” His voice was gruff and full of emotion.

“I love you too,” she said in his ear and then kissed his cheek.

When the song ended Noah looked down at her and arched an eyebrow. “Well, we’ve already been upgraded from prince and princess to king and queen. What do you think will happen next?”

Olivia laughed. “I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.” She tilted her head at him. “Oh, and Noah Falcon?”

“Yes, my queen?”

“Welcome home.”

He looked into her eyes and smiled. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”

When he leaned in and gave her a sweet but lingering kiss, the lights and music faded into the background and for a moment Olivia closed her eyes and forgot that they were the center of attention in a crowded room. Wild applause and whistles brought them back to the present and Olivia opened her eyes to a standing ovation. She put her hand over her mouth and then looked up at Noah. “Let’s hope we get this same reaction on opening night.”

“Oh, we will,” Noah assured her with a firm nod. “You can count on it.”

“I
had forgotten how much I hate wearing makeup,” Noah commented as they stood backstage. With a wince he gingerly scratched the tip of his nose. “This goop is even worse than the stuff they used on
Love in the Afternoon
. I look like a goon.”

“Not to the audience,” Olivia assured him with a hand on his arm. “I know it seems excessive, but it all works well with the lighting. I just peeked through the curtains. It’s a packed house and you can just feel the excitement. Have you looked? Ty McKenna is out there. He’s sitting next to Jessica.”

“Let me guess. You orchestrated that little coincidence.”

“Me?” She put a hand to her chest.

“Yeah, you.”

“Okay, yes.”

He shook his head and smiled but then swallowed hard. “Damn, Livie, I think I might throw up.”

Olivia angled her head and almost chuckled, but then she realized that he was serious. When she reached down and took his hand, it was cold and clammy. “Listen, you know your lines inside out. In dress rehearsal you were perfect and didn’t miss a beat.” She squeezed his hand. “You’ll do fine. No, I take that back. You’re going to be amazing.”

He responded with a groan. “I think I have to pee.”

“You just did that.”

“Oh . . . right. I think my entire system is on overload.”

“Noah, remember that you’re going to be telling a story with your voice and body. I know it isn’t easy, but try to get rid of the tension. The audience will be able to see it. Feel it.”

“Okay.” He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath. “Damn, I wasn’t this nervous when I pitched in the World Series.”

“And why not?”

He shrugged. “I was confident.”

“You should be confident right now. Remember our affirmation exercises?”

“Yes.” With his eyes still closed he nodded slowly. Last-minute scurrying was going on everywhere, but Olivia stayed focused on Noah. She was having her own case of opening-night jitters, but she didn’t let him see it.

“You can do this.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “Say it.”

Noah opened his eyes. “I can do this.” He nodded slowly and then repeated, “I can do this.”

“Feel better?”

“Yeah.” Noah attempted a smile. “Wait. I can’t remember my first line.” He fisted his hands. “Livie, what is my first line?”

“Hi, Amy.”

“Right.”

“You were teasing, weren’t you?” She gave his shoulder a shove.

“Yeah,” he scoffed.

She eyed him closely.

“Okay, no.”

“You’re going to do fine.”

“I know . . .”

“Say it like you mean it.”

“I know!” He blew out a long sigh and then mustered up a real smile. “I love you.”

Olivia felt her heart swell. Seeing the vulnerable side of this big, strong man made her melt. “I love you too. And love is what Ben and Amy are all about. Listen, forget about the footlights and the black hole and just live the part. Okay?”

He nodded more firmly this time.

“Come on, Noah, let’s kick some . . .” She looked right and left and then whispered, “Ass.”

Noah laughed and Olivia was relieved to see some of the tension leave his shoulders. “I don’t think that particular expression fits our situation.”

“You’re starting to talk like me.”

“And you’re starting to talk like me. What’s up with that?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Spending too much time together?”

He tucked a finger beneath her chin. “Never.”

Olivia looked at him and felt a warm rush of happiness.

“Break a leg,” Madison said as she rushed past Noah and Olivia.

“I always hated that expression,” Noah complained. “Seriously, what does that mean?”

Olivia smiled. “Origins are heavily debated, but basically the superstition in theater is that it’s bad luck to wish good luck, so it’s an antonym theory.”

“Makes sense in a weird way. But then again, baseball players understand superstitions.”

“Places!” Madison shouted.

“Oh . . . God,” Noah muttered and leaned over for a quick kiss. “Now that’s gotta bring me some major good luck.”

Olivia took her place on the park bench and picked up the newspaper she was supposed to be reading. She took a deep, calming breath and waited for the swishing sound of the curtain opening. The bright lights went on, bringing life to the stage as she assumed the role of Amy. She could feel the excitement, the energy from the audience, and when Noah made his entrance there was a round of applause. She glanced up from her paper and her heart pounded as he walked across the stage past the park bench, hesitated, and then backed up.

“Hi, Amy.”

“Ben?” She widened her eyes, lowered the paper, and put a hand to her chest. “Ben Crawford?”

Ben walked over, raised one leg to rest his foot on the park bench, and propped his elbow on his thigh. “None other.”

“What brings you back to town?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

“Business. Just passing through.”

“Oh.” She lifted her chin a notch, but her voice sounded crestfallen. “I’ve heard you’ve done quite well for yourself over the years,” Amy said with false brightness and gave her hair a who-cares flip. But her eyes told a different story to the audience.

Ben shrugged. “I guess you could say that.” He looked away as if the admission made him uncomfortable. “And you? Still making jewelry?”

She nodded shyly. “I recently opened my own shop downtown.”

“Well, congratulations!”

“Oh . . .” Amy waved a dismissive hand. “I barely make ends meet, but I seem to make my customers happy and I love what I’m doing.”

“I’m glad for you. Where are you living?”

“I rent a tiny apartment above my shop. Where are you living these days, Ben?” She tilted her head to the side.

He shrugged again. Looked away. “Here and there.”

“I heard you have houses on both coasts.”

“I live mostly out of a suitcase.”

She put a hand on his thigh but then quickly withdrew it when their eyes met. “That can’t be easy.”

“You always had a soft heart.” He put his foot down on the ground and straightened up. “Well, it was nice to see you, Amy.”

Amy nodded. “Same here.” She watched Ben walk away with wistful eyes.

Olivia could feel the audience lean in and listen. They knew what was going on. Ben and Amy were long-lost lovers who went their separate ways. They were being given a chance to reconnect and they were blowing it!

Ben walked all the way to the other end of the stage, but then suddenly stopped and turned around. Amy quickly snapped her newspaper back in place and pretended not to notice until Ben was once again in front of the park bench. “Amy, would you like to go and grab some lunch?”

Amy took a moment to look up from her paper. “I thought you were just passing through?”

“I can spare a little time for an old . . . friend.”

Amy let the seconds tick by and then nodded. “Okay—it will be interesting to catch up.”

Olivia could hear the audience breathe a sigh of relief. The curtain closed and the stage crew scurried in to change the set to an outdoor café. Ben and Amy laughed over old times while the sun sank lower in the sky, and by the end of the scene it was quite clear that they still had deep feelings for one another.

The second act of the play involved an inventive split stage showing Ben wheeling and dealing in his office while Amy works quietly in her shop. They talk on the phone, send e-mails, and long to see each other. When they do, sparks fly. Ben envies Amy’s simple lifestyle and she resents his over-the-top financial success. They are worlds apart with neither of them willing to give in or compromise. But as the scene progresses, Ben misses meetings to be with Amy, and she neglects her jewelry to be with him.

Olivia could feel the audience connecting and pulling for them. They get it. For Ben and Amy it becomes less about money or success and more about simply being together. Getting a second chance. But by the third act Ben and Amy are faced with a series of choices that can either bring them together or drive them apart. Madison’s play hammers home the theme that above all else there is just one thing that matters most in this life, and Ben and Amy finally choose it.

Love.

During tough times it was easy to lose faith and focus, and Olivia could sense the audience homing in on and grabbing a renewed sense of hope.

The house lights flashed on, and during the curtain call Olivia and Noah were met with a standing ovation and cheers and whistles that wouldn’t die down. Jason was hugging Madison in the wings. Her father and aunt Myra were brushing tears from their eyes and bouncing with excitement. Olivia hadn’t known her father could bounce, and she laughed with delight. Jessica Robinson dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Ty kept glancing at her and finally pulled her in for a hug.
Yes!

With a huge smile Olivia looked over at Noah. She knew that he could feel the energy, the excitement. As they took another bow she said, “You saved this town, Noah.”

“No, Livie.” He shook his head, then brought her hand to his mouth for a tender kiss. “Cricket Creek saved me.”

Olivia blinked back tears. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Noah smiled. “That’s the fun part, Olivia. We’ve only just begun. . . .”

“
L
ordy, Lordy, Jessica Robinson is forty!” Madison announced in a singsong voice. “So, Mom, how does it feel to be turning the big four-o?”

“It’s just a number, Madison,” Jessica answered evenly and gave her daughter a little flip of her hand for good measure. Of course it was a big, fat lie.

“Well, you certainly don’t look it—that’s for sure.” Madison plopped down on the sofa and patted her mother’s leg.

“Thank you, sweetie.” Jessica smiled but didn’t look up and continued to flip through the
Modern Bride
magazine, knowing that her eyes would give her away. Madison had an uncanny way of reading people, which was one of the reasons her daughter was an amazing writer. Her sweet and poignant play,
Just One Thing
, had been a smash hit at the Cricket Creek local community theater last summer and had landed her a job teaching creative writing at Cooper College, a small but prestigious liberal arts school just outside of town.

“I just hope you’ve passed those good genes along to me,” Madison added, making no mention of the father she never knew or the grandparents who were mortified when Jessica had ended up pregnant at sixteen. But when she had shown up on Aunt Myra’s doorstep in Cricket Creek, Kentucky, her feisty, free-spirited aunt had welcomed her with open arms. “I want to be a cougar just like you.”