That Tuesday night, she went on the same journey with Lauren that they’d gone on together every day in rehearsal. The audience only enriched their story and gave it texture. God, Carly could really get used to this.
When the curtain came down, the audience applauded and cheered loudly. Lauren fell into her arms. It was hands down the best moment of Carly’s life, thus far.
“That was amazing,” Carly whispered.
“You were,” Lauren countered. “You’re so talented, Car. Really. You broke my heart back there.” There were tears in Lauren’s eyes when she said it.
“It was you who stole the show,” she said, as they dashed into the wings, hand in hand.
When the curtain rose again, the audience applauded enthusiastically for their cast members, and when it was Lauren’s turn to bow at curtain call, Carly watched in awe as the audience stood in unison. A standing ovation. Because of her recognizable name, Carly had been given the final bow. As she stepped downstage before the audience, she looked into the faces of each and every person she could see through the bright stage lights. She took in the moment, then finally bowed, as her heart soared. Her year had been full of ups and downs, but this made it all okay again. She joined hands with Kirby and Lauren as they all took their company bow together. She waved to the audience and headed to the wings. The show was complete. She’d made it.
“What the hell just happened?” Carly asked, in the midst of the most intense rush of her life. She placed a hand over her chest. “Do you feel that?” she asked Lauren. “Because I do.”
Lauren laughed, every bit as giddy as Carly. Trip raced down the hallway whooping. TJ put Kirby in a celebratory headlock. Lauren threw her arms around Carly’s neck and hugged her. “That completely just happened, and it was amazing.”
Lauren was in Trip’s arms next as they all took turns hugging each company member. “Lala, my eyes only misted over eight times seeing you up there like a star.” He kissed her cheek with a smack. “Maybe twelve. You dazzled.” Carly couldn’t have agreed more. Lauren had been versatile, charismatic, and lovable tonight, and the audience adored her.
“Cast party at The Argyle in an hour,” Trip announced to the celebrating company.
Once alone, with the door closed behind her, Carly danced around her dressing room in silence, as one did when they’d just conquered a grave fear. She leapt onto the couch wearing her black pants and a bra and played air guitar in her private celebration. She couldn’t wait to see her friends, eat some food, drink some wine, and maybe even dance a little bit more. Yet it felt so different from the partying she would do in LA. She couldn’t get trashed. Didn’t want to. Tomorrow, she needed to be sure she was fresh and ready for show number two.
“Are you coming?” Lauren asked, bag on her shoulder. Somehow, she’d opened the door without Carly hearing her. “Or do you have another guitar solo on the way.” She held up a hand. “Don’t let me stop you. It’s an enjoyable view.”
Carly glanced down at her nearly bare torso and the tops of the breasts she had on display. Never one to feel modest, she hopped off the couch and walked slowly to her clothing rack. “If I’d known my performance was being enjoyed, I’d have worked it a little more.”
“I’m not even sure that’s possible,” Lauren said, with a lazy grin. She wore a tweed jacket with a black belt and black boots that made her appear both smart and sexy.
“Give me ninety seconds and I’m yours.” Carly pulled a red sweater over her head and began to pack her bag. She joined Lauren, and they walked down the hall together, with Carly’s arm around Lauren’s waist.
“Shall I drive or would you like to?” Lauren asked.
“Well, if you’re offering, how can I say no? I never pass up a jaunt in a Mini Cooper.”
“And why would you?”
When they exited the stage door, a series of bright flashes nearly blinded Carly. She only stuttered for a moment. Though she’d been out of LA a couple of months now, she was still used to paparazzi. Yet the photographers weren’t magazine guys at all. These were members of their audience.
“Would you mind?” a woman asked. She thrust a Playbill and pen at Carly.
“Oh, no problem.” She signed her name and handed it back, realizing that there were lots more patrons where that one had come from. In fact, there was quite a crowd waiting for them. She moved down the row, just like any other autograph line, but this one felt a little more personal. They’d all just shared an experience together, and that bonded them.
“Hope you enjoyed the show,” Carly said to a teenager. “It was certainly a rush for me. Did you know it was my first time in a play? Ever.”
“I had no clue. I cried twice,” the girl said with a wide grin. “Is the other actress who played Mandy coming out?”
“Yeah, she’s right—Wait. Where did she go?” Carly glanced behind her and saw Lauren waiting off to the side, apart from the barricades separating the crowd from the actors exiting. “One minute. I’ll grab her,” Carly told the teenager.
She approached Lauren. “Pstt. What are you doing?” she whispered.
“I didn’t want to leave without you.”
Carly shot her a look. “You’re not going to sign for them?” She hooked a thumb behind her.
“You’re the famous one. They want you.”
Carly scoffed. “They don’t care about that. They just saw this show. That you starred in. In fact, they’re asking for you.” She gave Lauren a nudge. “Get over there and sign, or I’m going to make the crowd chant for you.”
“Carly, I will kill you dead if you do that. Do you hear me?” Lauren appeared even more nervous than when they’d opened the show itself.
“Come on. This part I have down. You talked me off the ledge earlier, and I can help you through this part, in return.”
“Okay,” Lauren said and took a deep breath.
Carly took her hand and walked her to the teenager who lit up. “Oh my God. I loved you in the show. Like loved. Sorry, I’m Avery. Should have said that. Can you sign my Playbill?”
“Of course,” Lauren said, as her cheeks dusted an adorable pink. “I’d love to. Do you come to a lot of shows at The McAllister?”
Avery nodded and gestured to a woman waiting in the background, likely her mother. “We have season tickets. I hope to audition for my school play.” She shrugged. “We’ll see what happens. I probably won’t get it. You guys were amazing, though.”
“Oh, don’t say you won’t get it,” Lauren told Avery and passed the Playbill back. “You might be surprised.”
“And if you do get it, don’t knock the scenery over,” Carly said, and inclined her head to Lauren, who winced and nodded.
“Get out. You didn’t do that! You couldn’t.” Avery looked back at her mother gleefully.
“Oh, I certainly did. My family plays that video every time I have a birthday party. So if I can do it, so can you.”
They moved down the line, and after a few minutes passed, Carly felt Lauren loosen up and come alive. “I can’t believe I’m on this side of things,” Lauren whispered as they departed the crowd and headed for her car. “I’m usually on the other side of things. That’s who I am, an other-side-of-things person.”
“What?” Carly balked. “No, you’re not. You’re definitely a mover and a shaker, no matter what your job is. It’s silly to think otherwise.”
“You can’t call me silly.” But Lauren was laughing.
“I can, too, but only when you’re discrediting yourself, because you are kick-ass and amazing and talented and I really, really like you. You should like you, too, and believe you’re worthy of the nice things people say.”
“I’ll work on that.” Lauren shivered and shoved her hands into the pockets of that tweed jacket and looked adorable and fashion-forward at the same time, a killer combo.
“You talked about pizza earlier and what you would top it with. What’s another favorite of yours in life?” Carly opened the passenger side door
and slid inside.
Lauren joined her. “Total non sequitur.”
“I want to know more about you. As much as I can.”
“Okay, let me think.” She started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, en route to The Argyle. “I like it when it rains, more than most people. It rarely depresses me. In fact, it makes me dive into my day and focus because I’m not being called outside.”
“The rain makes me snuggly.”
“You’re a pleasure monster. It’s…contagious.” Lauren laughed. “I can’t believe we just had one of the most amazing experiences not just one hour ago, and we’re taking about liking rain.”
Carly wasn’t deterred. Maybe it was because of her high that she wanted to be even closer to Lauren. Hearing about what went on her head was part of that. “What else?”
“I color when I’m stressed in those fancy adult coloring books. I also really like yoga when I have the time for it, which is rare.”
“Me, too,” Carly said. “Not the coloring part. I’ve never tried that, but yoga has been amazing for my body and concentration. We should jump into a class together next week.”
“We’d get kicked out.”
“What? Why?”
“You in yoga pants? Not good for my reputation around town.”
Carly laughed but loved that Lauren had just confessed to lusting after her. “Moving yoga pants to the front of my wardrobe.”
“Don’t you dare,” Lauren said.
The Argyle was alive and humming when they arrived. Music played from a quartet in the corner, waiters walked past with full glasses of wine on trays, and everyone was smiling. The club, inhabited exclusively by The McAllister staff and the company from Starry Nights, broke into applause for Carly and Lauren as they made their way into the drawing room. Carly turned to Lauren and applauded for her, because her journey truly was an amazing one.
Lauren, in her typical fashion, waved them off and turned a bright shade of red. She finally covered her face. Carly’s chest swelled with affection.
“Will you excuse me for one moment?” Lauren said, eyeing something across the room.
“Of course. I’ll grab us drinks.”
Carly watched as Lauren walked straight into the arms of a woman who simply had to be her mother. Same chestnut brown hair and light eyes, with just a few more lines on her face. The man next to her grinned just the way Lauren did when she was genuinely happy. When the women embraced, there were sentimental tears on both sides. Carly turned away to give them a moment and focused on snagging those drinks. She should have invited more people to the opening, she realized. Her mother likely could have gotten off work at the vineyard and made the trip, if only Carly hadn’t downplayed the whole affair due to a lack of experience. If only she’d anticipated how important the show would feel to her.
Once Carly had their glasses of champagne, she turned to see Lauren beckoning her over.
Balancing the drinks, she maneuvered the crowd, accepting their congratulations on a good show until she arrived next to Lauren.
“Thank you,” Lauren said, accepting the flute of bubbly. “Carly Daniel, I’d like you to meet my parents, John and Karen Prescott.”
“Hi,” Carly said brightly. “It’s so nice—” It was too late. She was already pulled into a hug, very similar to the one she’d just seen bestowed upon Lauren.
“We know exactly who you are. Of course we do. And we’re so excited to meet you in person.” Lauren’s mother released her from the hug but kept both hands on Carly’s shoulders. “You stole our hearts tonight. First you were bristling and buttoned-up—then you were vulnerable and hurting.” Karen pantomimed each of the actions. “We rooted for you.”
“Thank you,” Carly said, feeling all aflutter. She’d received tons of compliments on her work in the past, but this one carried a lot of weight. Karen said it with such unbridled, warm sincerity. Plus, she was an extension of Lauren, so her opinion was weighted heavily in Carly’s book. “I was lucky enough to share the stage with an amazing co-star.”
“I can’t imagine who that could be,” Karen said, in an overexaggerated tone that was so hokey, it looped back around to cute. “Oh, wait. That’s you!” She released Carly and slid an arm around her daughter, who grinned, bashful at too much attention, as always. Lauren was the opposite of an attention hog, Carly realized, which was rare in an actress. Perhaps it was that selfless quality that held her back from success in her earlier acting days. Show business was cutthroat, and Lauren was a giver, not a taker. In Carly’s mind, it was a compliment.
“Listen,” Carly explained to Karen and John, “the minute Lauren stepped into the role, everything about my performance changed. Suddenly, I understood Ashley and what her journey had to be. Without Lauren, I’m not sure it ever would have clicked into place.”
She and Lauren exchanged a private glance.
They’d been through a lot together. She almost couldn’t remember what life was like without Lauren in it. In fact, everything before seemed unimportant, superficial, and so very far away. Her feet felt more firmly planted on the ground now, her self-awareness, though not always easy to swallow, was fully in effect, and she wanted things for herself that she’d never wanted before. Who was she exactly?
Karen latched on to Carly’s wrist. “Seeing little Lauren, our Boop, up there reminded me of when she’d stand on top of her toy box and sing songs from Annie to her stuffed animals. She would even act out the group orphan scenes, playing all the parts.”
Carly raised an eyebrow and faced Lauren. “Well, who knew?”
Lauren covered her face. “No more little Lauren stories, okay? Can I get you guys a drink?”
“No, no,” John said, taking Karen’s hand. “We’re getting out of your hair. Let the show people celebrate without the parents. So proud of you, Laur.”
Karen beamed. “Just wanted to stop by and tell you what a star you were tonight, my tiny baby Boop.”
Lauren laughed. “Mother, you cannot call me that right now.” She softened. “But thank you. Means the world that you were here tonight.”
Carly’s heart squeezed, and she felt like she’d wandered onto the set of a Hallmark movie where the parents were amazing and later, they’d light a Christmas tree in the town square. “Fantastic meeting you.”
Karen squealed and cupped Carly’s cheeks. “Come visit us someday, you famous person. We’re just a couple hours by car. I’ll make you chicken and waffles and a mimosa.”
Carly laughed at the specificity. “How can one pass that up?”
“They can’t,” Karen said, triumphantly.
“Come on now,” John said, with a gotta-get-her-outta-here look. “Past our power-down time.”
Lauren walked her parents to the car, and Carly worked the room, feeling happy, warm, and connected to each person.
“You were amazing tonight,” Kirby gushed.
“You were, too,” Carly said, feeling the love.
“And I love your hair.” Kirby touched a strand. “What did you do to it?”
“Thanks, Kirby. Just a few curls.”
“I’m going to try that.” Kirby stepped in closer. “So, are you nervous?”
“About tomorrow? No, I feel good.”
“I mean about the reviews. They’ll be out in just a few hours. I imagine people will be watching to see how you did, right? All eyes on you.”
Carly went still. She didn’t realize the feedback would be so imminent. A few hours? But Kirby was right. She’d come to Minneapolis to prove herself as a reliable, serious actress, but if the reviews hated her, what then? “Trying not to dwell on that part,” she confessed.
Kirby looked extra serious. “Oh. I bet it will be fine.”
“Of course,” Carly said, blowing off her concern. “Plus, tonight is a celebration.”
“Everything okay?” Lauren asked, touching the small of her back.
“Of course,” Carly said. But she wanted to be out of there before those rev
iews hit. She didn’t want anything to ruin her celebration. “Your parents are not real. You know that, right?”
“I’m a lucky person to have them. But the fact that she just impersonated my rendition of ‘Tomorrow’ from the running board of my dad’s truck just as Ethan, of all people, walked past on his way into the club, tells me that they are very much real and embarrassing as hell.”
“Stop complaining about your amazing life and drink this expensive private club wine.” She handed Lauren back her drink that she’d taken custody of. They locked eyes and touched their glasses. Carly saw Kirby’s eyes grow wide in her peripheral vision. Apparently, the intimate look they’d just shared had spoken to Kirby, who dashed off like she’d left the oven on. Everyone would know the nature of their relationship in just under six minutes. Carly was fairly confident.
They stayed through the toasts, standing next to each other. Lauren touched her pinkie to Carly’s. They stayed through a second drink. Carly loved the little lip prints Lauren’s lipstick left on her glass. She imagined herself kissing those lips later, tasting the remnants of that drink. They stayed through the quartet packing up and the party shifting into full gear when the loud recorded music began. She danced subtly with Lauren, who pressed her hips in close, behind Carly’s.
“Wanna get out of here?” Carly whispered as she turned in Lauren’s arms. Lots of eyes were on them, and she craved alone time in the worst way.
“Lead the way.”
They didn’t make a big deal of their departure. After all, they’d see everyone the very next day. Lauren quietly said good-bye to Trip, and with the formality of the gathering out of the way, all they’d miss was an abundance of dancing…and the reviews. They’d be there in the morning, Carly reminded herself.
“Take me home with you,” Carly said, circling her arm through Lauren’s in the parking lot on that chilly autumn evening. She stared up at the moon, the stars, and the dark expanse of sky in between. She felt intimately connected to everything in the cosmos, super aware of how all the events in her life had lined up to bring her to this very important day. It was already a night she’d never forget, and stealing away with Lauren was the perfect way to end it.
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