The Daughters Take the Stage
Page 22
She made her way to the piano, praying she wouldn’t trip. When she looked out at the room, past the stage, she could see people at the two-top tables. At one of them was Richard Wu, sitting with a colleague. He gave her a little wave, and Hudson smiled at him. This was nothing like the scary darkness of the Pierre Hotel’s ballroom. She had friends here, people who were rooting for her. And as for the people she didn’t know, they were probably here for the two acts that followed her band. In which case Hudson wasn’t going to worry about what they thought.
“Hi, everyone,” she said into the mic. “Thank you so much for coming. We’re the Hudson Jones Trio, and we’re going to start off with a song I wrote called ‘For You.’ ”
She felt her heart flutter and the adrenaline shoot through her arms. But tonight she knew that she was going to be okay. She looked over at Ben. He smiled and nodded to say he was ready when she was.
She smiled back, took a deep breath, and started to sing.
acknowledgments
First off, I would like to thank my agent, Becka Oliver, for her unswerving support and encouragement. She is the best advocate, and friend, a writer could ask for.
I would also like to thank the following people: my wonderful editors at Poppy, Elizabeth Bewley and Kate Sullivan, who gave me valuable advice, suggestions, and feedback; Cindy Eagan, whose enthusiasm for this series makes me so happy; Matt Piedmont and Ethan Goldman, for schooling me in the basics of jazz; Janet Siroto, for her knowledge of Larchmont; JoAnna Kremer, for her impeccable copyediting; and Tracy Shaw, for her eye-catching cover design for this series. I am also indebted to John Lahr and his excellent article on stage fright, “Petrified,” in The New Yorker (August 28, 2006.)
And, of course, endless thanks go to Edie, my family, and to Ido Ostrowsky, the coolest Gemini I know.
Meet Emma Conway, daughter of a powerful New York State senator.
Emma has never fit into the sweater set–wearing world of her conservative family, but when she accidentally lets her father’s presidential plans slip on national television, Emma finds herself thrown into the spotlight. Thankfully, she has her new friends and fellow daughters—Lizzie, Carina, and Hudson—to help her along the way.
Don’t miss the fourth book in Joanna Philbin’s stylish and heartfelt series, starring a new daughter.
Table of Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Acknowledgments
Meet Emma Conway, daughter of a powerful New York State senator
The Daughters Novels by Joanna Philbin:
Copyright
the daughters novels by Joanna Philbin:
the daughters
the daughters break the rules
the daughters take the stage
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Joanna Philbin
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: May 2011
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
ISBN: 978-0-316-12580-2