Page 89 of Fake It Till We Fall
I scanned the crowd as best I could, standing on my tiptoes in an effort to see above the throngs of people. I spotted a handful of people I recognized, including Reid, Avery, Brody, and Lauren, gathered in front of Ethan’s beer booth. Grayson had to be around somewhere.
He’d been in charge of building the stage, and there was no doubt in my mind that Tilley had him doing all kinds of otherthings, too. He was always around, fixing something or helping in some way. Of course he’d be there. But every time I caught a glimpse of him, it turned out to be someone else.
I’d worked my way all the way to the edge of the stage, and there was still no sign of him.
“Harper!”
I turned to see Tilley bustling toward me, her clipboard clutched tight to her chest, and sparkly gold star earrings swinging.
“I’ve been looking for Grayson everywhere,” she said. “It’s almost midnight, and I need someone to make the announcements before the countdown.”
My heart twisted. “Sorry, Tilley. I’m looking for him, too.”
“Well, as soon as you?—”
“No.” I stopped her, the words tumbling out before I could second-guess them. “Grayson’s done enough for you. I need him more than you tonight.”
The older woman’s brows shot up, surprise flicking across her face. Then, just as quickly, her expression softened and a smile curved her lips.
“Fine.” She shoved the clipboard toward me. “Then you can make the announcements.”
“Excuse me?” I backed away, shaking my head.
“You heard me.”
“No. I don’t do public speaking. And I need to?—”
“You’ll be fine.” She gave me a gentle push toward the stage. “Besides, just like you said, he’s already done enough for me. It’s about time you helped out, too.” I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off. “Besides, you’ll have a better view of the crowd from up there.”
It was annoying. But she wasn’t wrong.
Besides, it didn’t look like I had much choice.
Tilley was remarkably strong for a woman her age. With another shove, I stumbled halfway onto the stage, catching myself right before interrupting the band.
I glanced backward one more time, but Tilley simply gave me a thumbs-up and grinned.
A moment later, the band finished their song. A roar of appreciation went up from the crowd, and Tilley urged me on from the wings. “Go,” she said. “You don’t have much time.”
I blew out a breath, and with my hands shaking, I stepped out on stage, the lights momentarily blinding me. There were some shouts from the crowd, and I heard my name a few times, but I focused on the microphone that the band leader held out for me.
“Thank you,” I mouthed and gave the singer a nod before turning toward the crowd.
“Uh…hi,” I started, my voice sounding too thin over the speakers, echoing back at me. A ripple of polite laughter moved through the crowd. My eyes focused on the clipboard in front of me. I worked hard to ignore the fact that everyone’s eyes were on me. I preferred to be behind the scenes. I always had. Public speaking had never come easily to me. “Okay…so…um…I have a few things to say.” I blew out a breath that made a loud, obnoxious noise through the microphone.
I squeezed my eyes closed for a second, and when I reopened them, I had fresh determination. “A big thank-you to the band,” I said, reading off Tilley’s list. “They have another set still, right after the New Year countdown, but before we get to that…don’t forget to visit our vendor booths.” I waved in the direction of the booths. “And of course, a big thank-you to all our volunteers who help make these events possible.”
There was another cheer from the crowd.
I stuttered through the rest of my bullet points, my throat dry and my nerves completely shredded. And then I glanced up?—
Grayson.
He stood at the back of the crowd, his dark gaze locked on me like I was the only one there.
Something in me steadied.
My fingers loosened a little on the clipboard, and I let it fall to my side. The rest of the words I was supposed to say evaporated. What came out instead was the truth.
