She rotated her ankles, her wrists. From inside the ring, the crowd applauded the Hula-Hoopers. Fresh tension radiated down her back. Almost time.
When was the last time she’d done aerial forfun? With no stakes…no one depending on her to carry a show or make a certain score or impress an audience that grew increasingly harder to impress?
Owen started talking into the microphone again, his announcer voice booming through the tent.
She missed the days when simply performing was enough.
“…with graceful acts defying gravity…”
She missed the days when aerial wasn’t a cage.
“…as she literally flies through the air with the greatest of ease…”
And she missed Cade. What if shecouldstay? Rightnow. Not in the speculative future.
What if she could actually fly again?
“I give you our very own…Rosalyn Dupree!”
Rosalyn sucked in her breath. Pulled back the curtain. Lowered her shoulders.
Here went everything.
* * *
Something was wrong.
Cade stopped mid-chew of popcorn and watched Rosalyn as the spotlight turned her hair golden. The sparkles in her leotard shimmered and danced under the beam, but her normally rosy complexion looked pasty. And it had nothing to do with the canned lights.
He stood from his aisle seat in the first section of risers, almost forgetting to catch the single red rose he’d bought to give her after the show that had been balancing on his lap. Clutching the rose and the popcorn, he watched as Rosalyn approached her red silks, reaching up and giving them a tentative tug. Then she dipped into a curtsy, which he knew from her tech instructions was the cue to start her song. Still in mid-bow, her eyes flitted around the tent, jumping from section to section.
Like she was looking for someone.
His heart stammered.
She stood upright, her smile wobbly, as the first note of music sounded through the speakers.
Cade waved one arm wide through the air. Popcorn scattered onto the row of people sitting below him, and he winced. “Sorry.” But he didn’t take his eyes off Rosalyn, willing her to find him in the crowd. He waved bigger.
Then her searching eyes locked on him, and her smile grew. Her shoulders lowered. Her cheeks flushed.
He held her gaze, knowing there was no way she could see his face clearly or hear his words, but he muttered “You got it, Ace” anyway. He kept standing until she nodded, then with a smile, mounted her silks.
“Down in front,” a voice from behind hissed.
Oops. He sat, scrunching low and resting the rose across his lap. “Sorry.” But not really. Rosalyn Dupree, needing anything fromhim? Made him believe maybe he could fly too.
And with the news he’d figured out late last night, maybe they both could. He’d looked into her financials after the opening dust of Magnolia Days had settled and followed the trails to discover two truths. 1. Rosalyn wasn’t as broke as she seemed to believe, and 2. Blaine had been moving her money into investments that Cade would bet Rosalyn had never approved. Under Rosalyn’s master settings, Cade restricted Blaine’s log-in to keep him out of the accounts until Rosalyn could decide what to do with the information. Even set it to send a notification to his and Rosalyn’s email addresses if Blaine attempted access.
Maybe,maybethis meant she could pay off her loan and not have to go straight back to performing.
Unless she wanted to.
He watched her on the silks, his hopes soaring as high as she balanced. Maybe it’d been selfish not to text her immediately last night with his discovery, but it’d been late, and he wanted to tell her in person. See the relief and joy on her face as she realized the truth.
She had options.
Rosalyn twisted next into the move she’d told him was a hip key rollup, and it was as if she’d transferred all her nervous energy directly to him. She was beauty and grace, while his stomach knotted like a sailor’s practice rope.God, protect her.He prayed as if the fervency of his pleas was the sole thing keeping gravity at bay.
