Page 19 of A Certain Step (Midnights at Pemberley #1)

WILLA

T ime often passed strangely when you did the same thing every single day, one gloriously rewarding sold-out show after another.

But some days, they’d all be so exhausted that Willa wasn’t even sure how she was functioning.

Somewhere between it all, she and Sahar managed to schedule their interviews for dual citizenship (on different days, but still).

It’d also been over a month since her run-in with Alden, and now, more than ever, nothing was clearer to Willa than the fact that she was actually falling hard and fast for Ethan.

So much so that at one point last night, when she watched him leave in the car designated for him, a sudden ache pierced her chest because it wasn’t Sunday, and they wouldn’t be hanging out.

Instead, the following morning, Willa woke up to her phone buzzing. A moment of panic swelled through her when she saw Dina on the caller ID. Fuck.

Had she slept through a critical, crack-of-dawn live performance? No . There wasn’t anything on their calendar for that.

“Hello?” she croaked, catching herself and uttering the greeting again.

Dina sounded like she had been running a marathon.

“Willa, hey, I’m sorry to call so early, but Naomi has had a family emergency.

Naturally, that means Lea can’t go on either.

They’re both on a flight to San Diego right now, so you have to go on for Elizabeth.

A swing has already been called in to fill your role in the ensemble. ”

Willa couldn’t process, couldn’t think. Quite frankly, she never in a million years thought she’d actually go on as Elizabeth. The few times Naomi had to take time off, Lea Driver, her sister, and standby went on for her.

The odds of this happening were exceptionally rare. “Jesus, I hope everything is okay,” she said first. Should she text Naomi? Should she reach out to Jeanie? Maybe they had to keep it private for a reason, and she wouldn’t want to overstep.

“I do too. Right now, they aren’t sure whether they’ll be out all week,” Dina replied.

Willa’s heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Did something happen to one of their parents? Their sister? She imagined it must’ve been bad if they had to get on a plane immediately, with no time to disclose specifics. “Good lord,” she managed to reply.

She thanked every molecule in her brain that no matter how bad her memory was, she was great at retaining lines and dance numbers. She knew this production like the back of her hand. Just because she never thought she’d go on, Willa never stopped herself from prepping at random intervals.

“I’d love to rehearse it at least once with Ethan before we go on, though. It’s different being on the coaching side.”

“Yeah, that’s why I called so early. I was going to call Ethan right after I spoke with you. How soon can you get to the theatre?” she asked.

“About an hour, hour-and-a-half max,” Willa replied.

“Excellent. I’ll see you soon,” Dina noted before the line went dead .

“Bloody fucking hell!” she nearly screamed. Ethan.

For a split second, her mind had been so focused on Naomi’s family that she hadn’t even thought about the fact that she’d be performing closely with Ethan.

Willa would be kissing Ethan? As Darcy, no less. It was fun, albeit torturous, to imagine what it’d be like—to think of it back when she was fully convinced it wouldn’t actually happen, but now, it was going to.

Tonight.

In a few hours.

Oh, God.

She had to wake up Sahar. Christ. She’d never been this panicked about a performance before.

She went on as Jane easily in Boston for two days when Sahar was sick.

But the story behind Jane and Bingley wasn’t nearly as sexy as Elizabeth and Darcy’s.

And even if it had been, she wouldn’t have given a damn because it wasn’t Ethan she was sharing the majority of her scenes with.

Willa could scream. She wanted to. She had to be a professional, but she hadn’t had feelings for a coworker before. And this was the big, huge reason why.

He probably had no idea what was going on inside of her, and he certainly wasn’t a bundle of nerves because, on stage, Ethan Everett was one of the most skilled actors she’d ever known.

It was a gift to work with him. Willa knew as much, and now, she’d have the chance to be his partner.

As he always did, she had to give one hundred and ten percent.

She couldn’t screw this up. She couldn’t be a schoolgirl with a crush.

She had to pull herself together and bring the best of her abilities onto the stage.

Willa took a deep breath and nearly bolted to Sahar’s room. “Sahar, wake up; I need your help.”

Sahar grumbled. “What time is it? ”

“Too early, c’mon.”

Sahar’s eyes flung open. “What?” she whined.

“Naomi and Lea had a family emergency. I’m going on as Elizabeth,” Willa blurted.

Sahar propped herself up so quickly that Willa was concerned her head would spin. “Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuk,” she elongated.

Willa sat on the bed. “Sahar. I can’t breathe. I’m so. I’m— Ethan,” she emphasized.

Sahar released a giant exhale. “Mate, I’m so sorry. Jesus Christ, it’s one thing to know in advance, but like this? When you feel...all of that?” she gestured a clunky circle with her hands.

“And you know I don’t have a problem with last-minute performances. Frankly, I think I killed it as you. But Sam isn’t Ethan.”

“Oh, I know you did,” Sahar agreed, blinking rapidly. “Okay, let’s go. We gotta get you to the theatre.”

“I have to shower,” she contested.

Sahar nodded. “Have you spoken to Ethan?”

“No, I ran here. Crap, my phone...” Willa didn’t even finish her sentence before she sprinted back to her room. She would have to apologize to their downstairs neighbors for the early morning disturbance her feet were causing.

She picked her phone up from her bed and saw a missed call from Ethan.

Fuck fuck fuck! she stressed to no one in particular.

“Willa Catherine Davidian, get your shit together,” she whispered aloud.

She called him back, the ringing making her heart rate blow speedily.

“Hey, Wills,” he drawled, his voice low and hoarse .

She took a soundless breath. “Hey, I’m guessing Dina called you already.”

“Yeah, she did. I’m skipping the gym today. When are you heading to the theatre?”

“I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Cool. I’ll see you there.”

Willa hung up the phone and sat on the bed for a moment. She could do this. She was a grown adult, for crying out loud.

It didn’t matter if these were technically uncharted waters.

She’d danced with Ethan before. Hell, she’d rehearsed the “Midnights at Pemberley” number with him multiple times when he’d been nervous.

She’d used him as a partner when she had a choreography in her mind that she wanted to nail down.

Yet, as hot as those moments might have been, none ended with a kiss.

None had the heat and fire that “Marry Me” contained.

Sahar ambled into her bedroom. “You’ve got this, babe. Pretend he’s the most hideous person on the planet.”

Tilting her head to the side, Willa narrowed her eyes.

Like that was possible with Ethan. Chestnut-brown wavy hair falling in his face, the most alluring smile she’d ever seen, eyes so uniquely blue.

..It was unreasonable to pretend with that man.

And knowing what a gentle, brilliant person he was on the inside, too? She was shit out of luck.

“Okay, right, yeah, that’s not the best advice. But you’ve danced with him before.”

She sighed. “Not ‘Marry Me’—the intensity of that choreography isn’t one I’ve actively rehearsed with him.

And, hi, yes, I haven’t kissed him. He’s never had his damn perfect lips on my neck?

I realize we’re changing during that number, but you’ve got to remember what it entails.

Plus, how many bloody times do he and Naomi have to kiss during ‘All For You’? ”

Sahar’s face fell, her teeth baring. “Oh shit. Yeah…”

“Yup,” Willa said, popping the p .

Sahar shook her head. “I don’t have any good advice I can give you.

Frankly, even with all my initial crushes, I haven’t been in your shoes.

But the most important thing I can say is that it’s Ethan.

Everything aside, it’ll be a great show day because you two are both excellent performers.

Everything else? His mouth? Yours? Leave it to the end of the show.

Right now, just force your mind to focus on the dances, the music, everything but the kiss.

I know it’s easier said than done, but you’ve got to try. ”

She nodded in agreement. Sahar was right. Willa had no other choice right now.

“Okay, I’m showering. I’ll try to talk myself out of a full-fledged breakdown in there.”

“Do you need me to come early, too?”

Willa paused for a beat, thinking it over. “Our numbers are easier, but I’d love for you to be there. Just so I have someone with me who knows how I feel? But if you’re too tired, I absolutely get you wanting to stay behind until your call time.”

Sahar nodded. “I’ll come. I’ll nap during breaks.”

“You’re the best,” Willa emphasized.

Sahar smiled. “You’d do the same for me.”