Page 142 of My UnTrue Love
“It’s wonderful!” Clem enthused. “Just how it looks on TV.”
Home on the Rangeremained popular because it was simple. Just a wooden stage and a microphone. It was up to the musicians to keep the audience’s attention. Some could. Some couldn’t. The ones who could were elevated to bigger and better things. The ones who couldn’t made absolute fools of themselves on an international scale.
An uneasy feeling twisted Bill’s gut.
He’d never experienced stage-fright until now. But his music career had never seemed real until now. It left him feeling antsy and exposed. There were a bunch of cameras all pointed at the stage, ready to capture his smallest mistake and amplify it to the world.
“Shit.” Luke muttered from beside him. “Better you than me.”
Bill slanted him a glower.
The kid’s mouth quirked upward.
“Now, as I’m sure Mamie told you, this is a last-minute slot I had open up.” Ranger went on. “The other guests have had all week to practice. We let people perform whatever they want, so long as it’s family-friendly. But the other folks have lighting and costumes and backup musicians to help them with their acts. Bill won’t have any of that.”
“Bill can play anything.” Clementine said confidently. “All he needs is a chance and good acoustics.”
That wasn’t all he needed. Bill glanced down at his wife. Not at all.
She grinned back up at him, brimming with confidence.
When Clem was with him, nothing else mattered. Not even the potential of humiliating himself on live TV. And one surefire way to humiliate himself was to be a guitar player playing with no guitar. His got smashed on Johnny’s dumb ass, so something would have to be done.
Fast.
Bill leaned closer to Luke, as Ranger pontificated at Clem about the lauded history of his television show. “How’d you like to acquire me a new instrument?”
“You mean steal you one?”
“I mean steal me one.”
“Sure.” Luke lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. “Gimme a half hour.”
Bill decided he could get accustomed to having a little brother. They came in real handy. He reached over to ruffle Luke’s hair in appreciation. “That’s my boy! Steal yourself a nice raise in your allowance, while you’re at it.”
Luke swatted him away, but he was trying not to smile. His killer coyote must be taking to Bill, too.
Bill’s own mouth curved. Yeah, he could get used to the kid.
While Luke went off to shop for a new guitar, Bill and Clem were ushered into the “green room,” which wasn’t at all green. It was beige and boxy, with a sofa and no windows.
“The show will start in about forty minutes.” The production assistant told them. “You go on in the second half. Just hang out here, until we take you to makeup. Try and relax.” She shut the door behind her, already rushing off to do something more important.
Huh.
Bill eyed the door. It had a lock on it. While forty minutes wasn’t near enough time to do all the relaxing things that suddenly came to mind, it was the perfect amount of time to do at least one of them.
He settled onto the couch, his gaze on his wife.
Clem looked his way.
Bill watched her with heavy eyes.
Clem blinked.
Bill smiled.
“Absolutely not!” She said breathlessly.
