"Joshua, enough." The director waved his clipboard in frustration. "Faith, I'm so sorry. Unless I can find a stunt double in the next five minutes, we'll have to redo the whole scene."
"That's your cue." Cade pushed a button and the music started back up.
The director turned around, looking annoyed, then confused as Kyle jogged past him. Holding his nerves in check, he sprang up on the stage in one jump, ignoring the stairs entirely. "Is this where I try out for stunt double?"
The clipboard clattered to the floor. "Who are you? And why are you wearing cleats on my stage?"
Kyle stood tall next to Faith at center stage. "I'm the guy who can lift Laurey over my head."
Faith's mouth was hanging open. "Kyle, what are you doing?"
He winked at her and turned back to the director. "What do you say? Can I audition?"
"I'll restart the music!" Cade called, without waiting for an answer.
Kyle turned to Faith. "I know what two of the lifts are. What's the third?"
"Just lift me straight up by my waist, no turn." She sounded bewildered, but pleased. Good enough. "I'll cue you."
He rolled his shoulders. "Let's do it."
Her eyes sparkled. "Remember, you asked for this."
The music swelled and Faith twirled around, straight into his open arms. "Straight up."
He grabbed her waist and lifted, until his arms were over his head. Faith squealed, and he brought her down.
"That was high. Okay, next move. Over there." She pointed to stage right, whirling away from him. "Lift from last week."
"I'm on it." He trotted over to stage right, ignoring the delighted stares from the chorus girls and the pissy look on Josh's face.
Faith danced all around the stage, her face crumpled in despair. He almost believed it, except for the twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She turned back his direction, spinning so that her back was to him. Her knees bent, and he grabbed her hips. She leaped, and he turned her in a circle as she held that bent-legged pose, just like before. Her form was beautiful, and one of the chorus girls breathed, "Wow."
"Last one," Faith said. "I'll be back."
"I'll be here!"
"No!" The chorus girl next to him pointed at center stage. "There, quick!"
He jumped over just as Faith spun toward him. He caught her waist, then her thigh. "We're going all the way."
"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said as he lifted her from the floor.
He almost dropped her, but pulled it together, and dipped her head like yesterday. Then, to show Josh what a real man looked like, he lifted her straight up, until his arms were fully extended. Tightening his core, he balanced her all the way around as he turned.
"Holy. Shit!" a chorus girl crowed.
"Damn," another agreed. "I want a turn!"
Kyle set Faith down slowly, gently, until her front foot was balanced, and let her go.
She was breathing hard, and her cheeks were red, but her smile stretched ear to ear. "You are the craziest guy in the entire world. And that was amazing."
Kyle turned to the director, bowed at the waist, then ran and jumped off the stage. A couple of girls in the violin section in the orchestra pit cheered. He blew Faith a kiss and ran back up the aisle.
"Wait! Where are you going?" the director was yelling. "You got the job!"
Kyle let out a loud whoop and flung himself through the doors and out of the theater, feeling like himself for the first time in four long years.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Faith
"But he can't sing!" Josh was protesting. "How can he have the part?"
"He doesn't, dummy," Alyssa snapped. "Didn't you hear Mr. Fisk? He's your stunt double for the nightmare scene. That's all."
Samuel, who had the male lead as Curly, nodded in agreement. "Take it like a man, Josh. Sawyer is a natural, and he has arms like a Greek god." He grinned at Faith. "Too bad he's straight."
"Enough, enough!" Mr. Fisk pinched the bridge of his nose. "Faith, would you please ask him if he'll do it? We can teach him his dance steps pretty easily. An athlete with quick feet like that will pick it up just fine. I don't want him lifting you over his head for the performance, though. Too much liability. The fish lift with a dip is enough."
Faith shivered, thinking about it. She'd been so high up, she could see the crowns of every head on stage. It hadn't scared her one bit-Kyle would never drop her. She almost squealed in delight just remembering it. "I'll talk to him about it. If the performances don't conflict with baseball, I think he'll say yes."
Mr. Fisk nodded. "Good. Now, I've had enough excitement for one evening. That's a wrap. See everyone tomorrow."
Faith took off backstage on wobbly legs to change into her flip-flops. She couldn't believe Kyle had come, and that whole rushing in to save the day when Josh dropped her? She could kiss him until one of them fainted for that.
She had to find him first, though. Where had he gone? He'd taken off, laughing like crazy, and disappeared.
"Gazelle, dahling?" Vi stepped around the curtain. She was carrying a large bouquet. "I have something for you."
"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Faith said, smiling at the roses. They were gorgeous-blood red and just starting to open. The arrangement was perfect, too, with greenery and baby's breath expertly placed inside the bouquet, like the expensive arrangements Dad bought Mom on their anniversary.
"Ha, these aren't from me." Vi held up a single carnation wrapped in crumpled green tissue paper. "This is mine. I was saving it for the performance, but I couldn't let someone else give you flowers first."
Faith laughed. "Okay, you really shouldn't have. But who are the roses from?"
Vi smirked. "Give you one guess. If he hadn't looked like a sad puppy when he asked me for help, I would've trashed the flowers, but he made me promise to give them to you. After all that just now, I'm glad I relented. He really put on a show out there."
Faith's eyes unfocused as she thought about the feel of his hands on her waist. "Yeah, he sure did."
"Hey!" Violet gave her a little shove. "Back to earth now, tiny dancer. Take your flowers."
Faith snorted. "Is there a note?"
Violet handed the bouquet to her. "Yes. Be proud of me-I was good and didn't read it."
"I'm very proud." Chuckling, Faith opened the envelope tucked inside the bouquet. It was too big for a flower arrangement, and heavy. He'd used good stationery. Where did a high school boy find stationery? Her hands shook as she opened the envelope, finding a long note written in Kyle's cramped handwriting, with a few words scratched out:
Faith,
You have every single reason to hate me. But I need to explan explain. I didn't push you away because I wanted to hurt you, but because I was sacred scared. You probably already know I'm a guy with secrets, but what you don't know is just how big they are. For the first time, though, I want someone to know me-the real me. If you're willing to hear me out, meet me in the back parking lot after rehersal rehearsal. We'll go for a drive and I'll tell you everything I was too scared to say before.
Please.
Kyle
She tucked the envelope into her bag. It felt heavy, hanging there with the weight of what he said. Was she ready for this? After everything, was he really going to let her in on his secrets?
"Well?" Vi asked. "Don't leave me on a cliffhanger."
"He wants to see me," she said. "Now."
"I thought he might. Are you going to go?"
Faith smiled. "I think I should, don't you?"
"If you don't," Alyssa said, coming up behind them, "I'll go. Seriously, you don't leave a guy like that waiting."
No, you didn't. She gathered up her things. "Vi, I'm going to tell my mom I'm out with you. Cover for me?"
"You know me-I love a good intrigue." Violet held up a bag. "I already told your mom we were going out tonight and stopped by to grab some extra clothes for you."
"One step ahead, as usual." Faith smiled. "What, you don't think I should go out there in a leotard?"
"I'd go out there naked," Alyssa muttered.
"Thank you for your opinion." Vi jiggled her fingers at her. "Bye now."
Alyssa grumbled, but took off without argument. Faith shook her head. "What's really going on?"
Violet shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. But he's made it into a really big deal, so I wanted you to be prepared. I brought you a maxi dress and a sweater. Not too dressy, not a leotard and a poufy skirt."
"Good point." Faith took the clothes into the dressing room and changed. Her skin tingled with nerves, and she didn't look at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure she could bear to see the hope on her face. She'd been hurt too many times in the last ten days. Proceed with caution-that had to be her new motto.
She came out and found that Violet had left. Rolling her eyes at all the clandestine behavior, she waved good-bye to the stragglers still left and let herself out the stage door to the parking lot.
Kyle stood waiting next to his pickup truck. He must've run home because he'd changed into a button-down, jeans, and his Sperrys. Some things never changed, though: he was hotter than hell, and the way he was looking at her made her legs feel weak.