In Your Honor by Heidi Hutchinson Page B

she appreciated the girl's spontaneous and infectious
happiness. Even when Lucy was having a crummy day, her smile was
bright and her laugh was eager. She never let the road weariness
get to her, and her ability to find positivity in all the small
moments was a breath of fresh air.
    Lenny leaned back in her
chair in the sound booth and kicked her feet up on a box. She laced
her fingers together behind her head and closed her eyes, letting
the sound of Lucy's strong vocals tangle deeply into her thoughts.
The girl had talent, no doubt. What Lenny still couldn't figure out
was why she seemed so comfortable being the back-up singer. Never
the main attraction. It wasn't stage fright or lack of confidence,
she was a natural in the spotlight. Still, she was content to be
Taylor Stevens' shadow. The Carter to his Cash. The Jordanaire to
his Presley... Lenny's brow furrowed at that thought. Not a good comparison.
    Taylor was an excellent
performer, but Lenny knew that even he could tell that Lucy was
better than a simple chorus girl. Maybe
she needs to be persuaded .
    It was something that had been on the
minds and lips of the crew as well. She noticed how they would find
pockets in their daily work to listen to Lucy warm up on stage with
Chad and Stuart before Taylor would arrive.
    Today Lucy's song choice
for the band was another classic, Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Don't Ask Me No
Questions.” Lenny peeked an eye open and
felt one side of her mouth pull up as she saw the crew begin to
gravitate to the stage. Lucy was frolicking about and being as
cheesy as possible, but her vocals rang out loud and clear. Soon,
she had the growing audience singing along. That girl could make
anything happen when she was on stage.
    “ Girl can frickin' sing, ” Greg nodded in
admiration as the song bled into another. This time it was Stevie
Nicks' “Stop Dragging My Heart Around.”
    Lenny thought the captivated crew was
going to bust. Lucy had them in the palm of her hand. Taylor had
joined her on stage and was singing Tom Petty's vocals, but the
show was all Lucy. She was positively glowing.
    They were playful with one another on
stage, and as the lyrics registered in Lenny's head she wondered if
this song had any significant meaning to Lucy. Probably. The girl
wore her heart on her sleeve. Everything she did had
significance.
    ***
    Blake took in a deep
breath as he watched Lucy and Taylor share a microphone. She was so
frickin' amazing. He felt an ember of jealousy burn low in his gut
as he watched the chemistry of the two singers before him. He liked
Taylor well enough, he just didn't want him standing that close to
Lucy. Was that so bad? It didn't help that it reminded him of all
the times they had shared duets at Red's . Including this very
song.
    But it wasn't even on the same level
as what he had pulled a week ago with “Here Comes My Girl.” She had
every right to smack him after that performance.
    He had promised Kendra that he would
tone down the crazy, and she had reminded him of that every time he
said something that seemed to indicate he might be heading back
down that path. He had asked Lucy to be his friend. And he was
determined to honor that request to the best of his ability. That
meant losing the jealousy, pride and arrogance that had driven her
away in the first place. Long before things had broken between
them, she had been his very best friend. If he could return to
that, and leave out the crazy... well then maybe... He was too
afraid to finish that thought.
    “ Lurking in the shadows
doesn't make you look like a creeper at all, by the way.” Sway came
up next to him and bumped his shoulder with his fist.
    Blake rubbed his unshaven jaw and
smirked. “I know. I'm still trying to figure out a good middle
ground.”
    “ For what, exactly?” Sway
asked as he pulled his hair into a short ponytail.
    “ I don't know,” Blake
chuckled when Sway nodded sarcastically with overly wide
eyes.
    “ C'mon. Let's get
something to eat.