Page 39 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls (Ivy Falls #3)

PIPER

Small Hiccups

I’d fallen back into one bad pattern. For almost an hour, I paced backstage before the curtain rose on opening night.

Even though I tried to focus my mind elsewhere, I kept coming back to all the ways the show could go wrong.

Scenarios like the lighting not working, the musical score glitching, even how the kids might forget every single one of their lines.

Like she could sense my unraveling, Maisey found me falling to pieces in the wings. She grabbed my hand and tugged me to a quiet corner.

‘Pipe, you’ve got this. You’ve run through the tech half a dozen times.

These kids are prepared. Ford, Silvio and Ferris have a team loading the sets in and out.

The costumes fit everyone perfectly.’ She grinned.

‘Tessa and Manny are on hair and makeup. And to add to all that, the entire town is filling up the seats. It’s a sellout. ’

‘What you’re saying makes sense, but I can’t keep my mind from racing.’

She narrowed her gaze, the corners of her mouth twitching. ‘This is about more than the show, isn’t it?’

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ford and Dex in a huddle. They were talking and doing some handshake with slaps and snaps that looked overly complicated but made both of them laugh.

‘It’s going to be hard to say goodbye,’ Maisey said in a soft voice.

‘Why did I think I could do this? Have an easy fling and be over it?’

Maisey stayed quiet, which was always a bad sign.

‘Say what you want, Maise.’

‘You’re not the same person anymore. These past years you’ve fought so damn hard to build a good life for yourself. To steady your feet on the ground. I don’t think you have it in you to do anything casually anymore.’ Her chin dipped. ‘I’m sorry if my shitty advice led you here.’

‘You were right to push me. To encourage me to take a chance. I don’t regret a moment I’ve spent with him.’

‘You don’t think he’d stay if you asked?’

‘I can’t. He signed a contract. The people on his ship are waiting for him. That’s more important than what’s happening between us.’

‘Don’t you at least want to ask? See what he has to say?’

‘I don’t want to complicate things for him. We agreed to part as friends and that’s what we’re going to do.’

She inched back. ‘I want to argue, but I’m going to be a good best friend and mind my own damn business.’

‘Thank you.’

A few kids called to her from the wings, pointed to their loose suspenders, and she raced to help them. I looked for Ford once more, wanting another glimpse of him, but he’d disappeared into the wings again.

Mary Poppins lost her umbrella. The dry-ice smoke didn’t work in the admiral’s cannon, and during the ‘Step in Time’ dance number a chimney sweep kicked her shoe straight into the audience where Diego quickly caught it before it hit anyone.

Besides those small hiccups, the performance was perfection.

It’d been a huge undertaking, getting the kids to practice, organizing the music, lights, costumes, but this job had also stoked a fire within me. Made me think about what I wanted to do next.

In a quiet moment last week while Ford was snoozing beside me, I pulled out my laptop and did an hour of research.

The local community college offered a few courses on theater direction.

Working on the show had reminded me that I only felt whole when I was being creative.

Going back to take a few classes would be a small start, but a start I desperately wanted.

After the final curtain call, I waited for the cast backstage.

They swarmed me in a massive hug, cheered my name and presented me with the biggest bouquet I’d ever seen.

Dex made a point of telling me he’d picked them out with Ford.

The way his voice scratched said I wasn’t the only one thinking about Ford’s imminent departure.

Kids wandered back to the dressing area to change out of their costumes, and I walked to the front of the stage to make sure nothing was left behind.

A rush of footsteps came from the wings as Miss Cheri raced toward me.

Her bright green-and-purple dress swirled out around her, and before I could say a word, she had me wrapped in the tightest hug.

‘I knew you could do it. You were meant for this work.’

She pulled back and pressed her hands against my cheeks.

‘All those little ad libs you encouraged the kids to do. How you let them lean into the new choreography, making it their own, was genius. And Dex’s performance,’ she said with sunshiny glee.

‘I’m going to guess that was because of your loving support.

When that kid first got here, he wanted nothing to do with this show, but, tonight, he was a consummate pro. I am so proud of you I could burst!’

‘This would have never happened if you hadn’t agreed to let me take this on. I can never thank you enough for trusting me, even when you had every reason not to.’

‘Oh, Piper, sweetie, you’ve had a rough go of it, but I’m happy that you came back to where you belong. That you’ve allowed the people here to witness the hard work you’ve done. To applaud how far you’ve come. You are just one of the many reasons why Ivy Falls is special.’

She pulled me into another embrace as Old Mrs V appeared and said, ‘Let the rest of us show our appreciation too!’

Miss Cheri gave a flippant wave at her friend and backed up so Old Mrs V and Silvio could give me their own hugs.

Mrs V’s skin was still too pale for my liking, but Ford did say it would take time for her to feel better.

Tessa and Manny and the girls were next in line.

They handed me another bouquet and gushed about the show.

Lou even mentioned she might try out for the next one, which made Manny beam.

Beck and Torran waited eagerly behind them.

‘That was seriously the best children’s performance this town has ever had!’ Beck crowed.

Torran gave me a smile but she still looked a little green. According to Beck, the morning sickness was now afternoon and evening sickness too.

‘Pipe, you never cease to amaze me. What you did with that show. With the kids. Pure brilliance.’ The way my brother beamed at me with pride shook the last of my fears away.

For years I’d wanted him to give me that kind of look.

The one that said I’d made him proud. Achieved something that made him want to tell everyone I was his sister.

As if he could sense my emotion, he plopped a kiss on the top of my head and whispered, ‘Mom and Dad would be thrilled.’

That did it. The tears streaked down my cheeks and Torran playfully swiped at his shoulder. ‘This is her big night. Don’t make her cry.’

‘They’re good tears,’ I said through a choked laugh.

A line built up behind them, and they reminded me I’d agreed to come to the house next week for dinner. Once they were gone, Barb and Susan gushed about how Autumn was the perfect Mary Poppins. How her voice was angelic. The rest of the town filtered through until a single person was left waiting.

Ford looked at me with such awe that I almost burst into tears again. He stalked straight for me, lifting me up and spinning in a circle.

‘That show was pure fucking magic. The kids were having so much fun… and Dex.’ He shook his head. ‘That kid is going places.’

‘I hope he keeps pursuing theater. He really does have stage presence.’ I waited a beat, too afraid to ask my question but I had to. ‘Did his father show up?’

‘No.’ He couldn’t hide the steel in his voice. ‘I sat with Rachel. Before the curtain fell, she was texting him. He made an excuse about not having money for gas to get here. Told her to pass along a message to Dex that he was sorry.’

‘Dammit,’ I bit out. ‘That kid deserves better.’

Ford linked his fingers with mine. ‘He does but taking on this role boosted his confidence. We’ve talked a lot about him doing the thing he loves. That his father’s choices should not affect how he lives his life. Which is a subject I know something about.’

I gave him a sad smile and he shrugged.

Near the bottom of the stage stairs stood a group of preteen girls, whispering and staring into the wings.

‘Wonder what that’s about?’ I said.

‘They’re waiting for Dex. I overheard them saying how cute he was.’

I pressed a hand to my mouth, stifling a laugh. ‘He’s going to love that.’

‘Yeah, he is.’ Ford lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to my skin. ‘What else is there to do besides clean up?’

‘Maisey probably needs help with the costumes.’

He pulled me in for a hug and his woody scent washed over me. I wanted to hold on to this moment, knowing we wouldn’t have many more.

As we clung to each other, a person in the audience cleared their throat.

Ford spun around and took a step back. ‘Mom? What are you doing here?’

In a silky white blouse and navy-blue pantsuit, Mrs Foster was dressed more for a power lunch than a children’s theater performance.

‘Your friend here said she was directing a show. Thought I’d come and watch.’

His gaze darted around the theater. ‘Is Dad with you?’

‘No. It’s poker night at the club,’ she said with a snip.

She took two bold strides forward and stopped below the stage.

‘Miss Townsend, I’ve seen theater in New York, London, Montreal, even in Paris.

’ She sniffed. ‘Tonight, I expected to be wholly underwhelmed, but those children…’ She pressed her lips thin as if suppressing a smile.

‘They were magnificent, and I would assume that’s a credit to you. ’

‘Thank you, ma’am.’

‘I was wondering if I could steal my son away for a minute?’

‘Oh, sure,’ I replied, still stunned she’d offered me a genuine compliment. ‘I need to go backstage and help with the costumes. Ford, I’ll see you in the square later?’

‘Yes, you will.’ He kissed my cheek and made his way down the side stairs.

I had no idea why Mrs Foster was here, but the way she walked with the posture of a military commander said it wasn’t for a reason that could be good.