Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“We would’ve gladly brought them over,” Donny says.
I wait for Callie to say something about her parents not taking our money, but instead, she says, “I know. But it wasn’t a good time for them to leave the ranch, after the fire and all. There’s too much to do. Dad especially would’ve enjoyed it. Jesse and Rory got their musical talent from him.”
After Brock and Donny take care of the check, we all head to our rooms to freshen up before the limo arrives to take us to the concert.
My nerves are jumping inside me.
Watching Jesse… Imagining that he’s singing solely to me.
That won’t happen. He can’t see who’s in the audience from the stage. The lighting is too bright.
But I am nervous. Nervous for him.
I want this to be everything he imagined and more.
Perhaps someone famous will be in the audience. Maybe Sir Elton John, whose music my parents adore. Or maybe Adele or Ed Sheeran.
Emerald Phoenix has a global following and a huge fan base in the UK, so this concert must go well. The UK has to fall in love with Dragonlock.
I close my eyes, sending wishes to the heavens.
“Bree?”
I pop my eyes open. Maddie stands, dressed in dark blue jeans and a Dragonlock T-shirt. I’m holding one just like it.
“Yeah?”
“You had your eyes closed, and you looked so…”
“What?”
“I don’t know, like you were concentrating hard on something. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I take my walking shoes off and replace them with a pair of sienna-colored ostrich cowboy boots.
“You’re always the cowgirl, Bree,” Maddie says, smiling. “You’re going to be the only person at this concert wearing boots like that.”
“You can take the cowgirl off the ranch, but you can’t take the ranch out of the cowgirl.”
I throw my Dragonlock T-shirt on. It’s identical to Maddie’s, but my boobs are a bit bigger. I can’t help but smile about that. The Ts are cut for women, so our shapes are definitely visible.
Good.
We all have backstage passes, so when the concert is over, I want to look good for Jesse.
May as well let him see what he’s missing.
I’m tempted to wear my hair down, as that’s the way I think it looks best, but I know I’ll get hot and sweaty at the concert, and my hair will end up being a bother. So I brush it until it shines and then pull it into a high ponytail. Maddie has hers in one long braid down her back.
She takes a peek at her watch on her left wrist. “We better get down there.”
I shove everything I need into a tiny leather purse that I strap over my shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jesse
When I was a little kid, before we moved to Snow Creek, we went to church every weekend.
Mom and Dad weren’t overly religious or anything, but they had both been raised as churchgoers, so they began raising us that way as well. I learned to pray. I respect other people’s religions, which is why we have a moment of silence and not a moment of prayer before every performance.
But even though I no longer go to church, I have a relationship with God, and I ask for His blessing before each performance.
I also express gratitude for all the good things I’ve received in my life.
Sometimes it’s hard to see them, like right after the fire.
But tonight? Dragonlock is opening for Emerald Phoenix in London.
I have a lot to be grateful for.
So that’s what I do during my moment of silence. I express my gratitude first and foremost, and then I ask for God’s blessing that we may all be in top form. That we don’t let this wonderful chance go to waste.
When I’m done, I open my eyes. Everyone else’s eyes are open except for Rory’s.
A few seconds later, she opens hers.
“We ready?” I ask.
“We are damned ready,” Cage says.
I place my hand forward, and the others place their hands on top of mine.
“On three,” I say. “One, two, three—”
“Dragonlock!” we all yell in unison.
Silly, I know, but it’s been a tradition since we formed the band.
The sound check went well, and now the stadium is filling with spectators. Spectators here to see Emerald Phoenix, and who don’t want to sit through the opening act.
We can’t just be good. We have to be spectacular. We have to make them want more of us.
Talk about pressure.
We can do it. I’ve had Rory and all the guys practicing visualization since we got this gig. Something we’ve never done before, but it was our mother’s idea. She told us how she used to visualize before her pageants when she was younger.
The pageants are a sore spot for her. She always wanted Rory to get into them, but she wasn’t interested. Mom didn’t even bother trying with Callie, who was such a brainiac and felt pageants were degrading, and by the time Maddie came along, she had let it go.