Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden Read Free Book Online

option, I let Georgette lead the slow dance, even though I was a good three inches taller than her. Halfway into the second verse, I saw Ben and Adrienne join us, followed shortly by Kyle and Sienna. This was interesting. I wondered how this was going to play out. I certainly didn’t have to wait long to find out, as the next thing I knew, Ben tapped me on the shoulder.
    “Mind if I cut in?” He inclined his head politely toward Georgette.
    “Um. No, go ahead.” I handed Georgette off to Ben, in time to turn around and find myself face-to-face with Adrienne. I couldn’t resist. I know I should have, but those eyes were so captivating they rooted me right to my spot. “Shall we?” I asked.
    “Definitely. I was just left for another and could use a boost to
    my pride.”
    I tried to sound light. “That makes two of us.” I took her hand in mine and wrapped my other arm around her waist. I made sure to leave a little distance between us to be polite. I noticed at that point we were exactly the same height.
    Almost reading my mind, with her lips close to my ear,
    Adrienne said quietly, “We seem to fit.”
    I involuntarily pulled her a little bit closer. “I noticed that too.” As the music played on, the gap between us gradually grew to non-existent and I couldn’t pull my gaze from hers. I was lost. I finally closed my eyes as we swayed to the slow beat of the music, reveling in how wonderful it felt to have my arms around her. As the last notes of the song played out, a feeling of dread washed over me, and I knew that the moment was over. It had been the perfect dance. I opened my eyes, returning to reality. Once the music faded, I became aware of eyes on us. Ben looked concerned, Sienna looked pissed off, and Lanie and Georgette looked triumphant. I’m not sure how Adrienne looked because she abruptly walked away.
    As I headed back to the table, I caught sight of her at the bar talking to Craig.
    “What the hell was that?” Georgette laughed, wide eyed. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. Of course I knew what she was referring to, but it was something I was still unclear on, so how could I possibly explain it to anyone else? So I did what I had to. I played dumb.
    “What? You left me for Ben; I had to dance with someone.”
    She looked to the sky as if she had a secret. “Seemed like more than a dance to me.”
    “Hells yeah, it was,” Lanie said. “Maybe she’s not so straight after all.”
    “Who?” Georgette asked. “Age?”
    Before we could answer, Craig and Adrienne approached the table and sat back down. I knew at some point I should probably try to talk to her, but this didn’t feel like the right environment.
    “So what’d we miss?” Adrienne stirred her second drink.
    “The show,” I blurted out. “We were just talking about the show.”
    “The show?” she asked. “I thought that was one thing you didn’t want to talk about.”
    “Oh, Lanie was talking about the show. Rehearsals for the show,” I stammered weakly. “I told her to shut up.”
    “That’s right. She totally snapped at me.” Lanie was having fun with this. “Craig has been a real ball-buster with the schedule though, haven’t you, Craig? But Madison and Todd are total pros. I owe them my firstborn for getting me ready so quick.”
    “Just doing my job, kid. But we all need a little relaxation now and then,” Craig said. “Speaking of which, we were thinking of hitting a gay club on our last night in town. Straight friends are invited too, of course.”
    “And now that we know you’re family, Jenna, you definitely
    have to come,” Kyle said matter-of-factly.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrienne turn and look at me. She seemed somewhat caught off guard by the comment.
    I nodded at Kyle, but my face felt hot. “Sounds fun. Let me wait and see how I feel after rehearsal.”
    I noticed Adrienne take a last sip of her drink and grab her bag. “It’s late and I better go. I’ll see you