Page 24 of Blitzing Emily

“Do you know who that manis, cherie? Jason would be flirting with him, too.”

“He’s a football player—”

“No. He’s anicon.” Tristan let out a sigh. “Do you know how many websites are dedicated to him? You should see his practice photos. He’s beautiful. Imagine how many men would like to lick him dry.”

“And you’re one of them,” she teased.

“Absolutely.”

“Well, then, it’s your lucky day. Have at it.” Emily rummaged through her purse for another ibuprofen. She’d left them at home. Damn.

“What do you mean?”

Emily had known Tristan since she walked out onto a stage and auditioned to get into the conservatory. They’d been friends for almost twenty years now, and she hoped they’d be friends for the rest of their lives. Tristan never wanted to sing. He dressed those who did, and his star continued to rise. She knew he should have been dressing opera companies in New York or Europe. She also knew that she could never, ever lie to him.

“We’re not dating. We’re not engaged.”

Tristan’s mouth dropped open. “So, what was today’s big announcement?”

“A mistake. We’ll correct it in a month.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It works for both of us.” She studied her manicure, or what was left of it. She had to get her nails done. Maybe later.

“You’re sure about this? After all, he may fall madly in love with me, cherie.”

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take.” She stood up from the couch. “I need to get out there and see if I can sing right now. God, my head hurts.”

Tristan laid another armload of costumes over a table. “I want to see how the scene three costume fits one more time before you go.” He pulled it off a rolling rack and advanced on Emily. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“Yeah. Maybe. I have no idea.” It wasn’t just the singing she wasn’t sure of, either.

“Well, let’s try this on first.”

EMILY WALKED ONSTAGEa short time later to a smattering of applause. The practice pianist launched into Lohengrin’s Bridal Chorus.

“That’s enough,” Emily joked.

“When’s the wedding?” a heavily accented voice called out from the audience. That would be Johann, the baritone playing Count Almaviva. Johann had asked Emily out. Even if she were interested, she would never agree to date anyone she worked with again.

“We’re still working on that.”

“Miss Hamilton,” the floor director called out. “How are you feeling?”

“Not great,” Emily said.

He approached the lip of the stage. “Let’s tryCinque, dieci, venti, trentafromThe Marriage of Figaro.”Johann rose from his seat and joined Emily.

“A marriage, is it? That was fast,” Johann muttered to her. “Simply because you didn’t want to date me?” She ignored him. The pianist began playing, and Emily tried to sing. What was typically so effortless for her now brought waves of pain. This wasn’t going to work. She stopped, and everyone on stage was silent.

“I—I don’t think I can do this today. I am so sorry.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and laid a hand on Johann’s arm to brace herself. She wasn’t as dizzy as she’d been yesterday, but she knew she couldn’t practice until the headache subsided.

The floor director was running down the aisle from the seats. “Do you need a doctor?”

“No. I need to sit down. And some water might be nice. Again, I’m sorry.” Emily was helped offstage to a front-row seat. Tristan arrived with a cold bottle of water and a couple of pain relievers. Once she was settled, the group onstage assembled once more. Anna, Emily’s cover, soared into the aria Emily could not finish, and the rehearsal continued.

Other than the typical colds and flu over the past twenty years, this was the first time Emily had been unable to practice. Watching Anna was a special kind of torture. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. If she wasn’t well by next week she would not be singing in the performances, which would be disastrous. She wasn’t sure how quickly anyone recovered from something like this, but it had to happen now. Applause—the love of an audience—was the drug she needed to survive. There was nothing else in her life but music and her career. She had worked for so long to get to where she was now.

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