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CHAPTER ONE
CAROLINA INHALED, CLOSED her eyes and poured her heart into the last eight measures of music “Baby, baby, I’m in love with you”
She held the note, riding the vowel Let it crescendo with the piano
Applause thundered through the room People in the back stood
Raising both arms, she finished with a flourish
The adulation washed over her Tonight was her best perfored exactly how she’d iined and practiced
Perfect tie, two record producers at the table with hi her smile
“Good night You’ve been a great audience” She waved and left the stage
In the wings, she grabbed her water, glugging down half the bottle Then she snatched a towel and wiped under her arms Good Lord, she hoped the audience hadn’t noticed the sweat Between the stage lights, August in Nashville and the bar’s half-hearted air-conditioning, she’d worried she would drown in a puddle of perspiration
“Incredible! You got a standing O!” Ella, her accoed her
“I’ht back
“Stars don’t sweat, they glow” Ella pulled away, grinning “Now, say thank you”
“Thank you?”
“I pretended to straighten sheet music so I could eavesdrop on Doofus and the record producers They loved your voice Loved you”
“Don’t call Gar a doofus” Carolina bit her lip to contain her grin and sneaked a peek at the audience through the wings “They really loved it?”
“Oh, honey, yes And Gar is a doofus” Ella pulled a water bottle fro “He’s lucky to have you as his talent”
“He did get the producers here tonight” Carolina headed to the closet that served as her dressing roo room that doubled as a closet “I was nervous Thanks for covering when I missed my cue”
“No problem” Ella settled on a barstool tucked back with the buckets and mops “You have to take me with you when you rocket to the top of the charts”
“If I have anything to say, we’ll do this together” She’d never worked with a pianist as talented as Ella When Carolina first h a roommate ad Now Ella was her best friend
While Carolina wiped off her makeup, she turned on her phone Threethis afternoon, she hadn’t turned her phone back on
Nohat? Her o, but they’d talked since then
She checked the tiht Back ho She opened her voice hed