Waiting in the Wings by Melissa Brayden Page B

the tour? Those were your words, am I right?” Sienna was practically shouting now.
    “First of all, that’s not what this is, and if you took the time to speak with Jenna, you’d see that you’re way off base about her.”
    “If there’s anything I can say about this girl, it’s that she’s drama. We’re arguing right now because of her. You can’t deny that.”
    “I’m sorry if my spending time with her hurts you, Sienna. But it’s not a big deal. You have nothing to be jealous of.”
    My heart slammed to a halt. So there I had it. Time to squelch those feelings and immediately. I heard movement inside the dressing room and made a hasty retreat so as not to be noticed. I felt bad for eavesdropping. It seriously wasn’t my style. However, I had to admit it was a conversation I probably needed to hear. It did mean Sienna was going to be none too happy with me. So what else was new?
    I didn’t see Adrienne before the show but felt relieved when she caught my eye and smiled in the wings prior to the opening number. This was becoming our pre-show ritual, and I liked it. I also reminded myself that she was aware of my exchange with Sienna and she was still smiling at me. All might still be well with the world. The show went by in a whirlwind of high-energy song and dance. As a cast, we were on our game and the crowd ate it up. I put the notes Craig had given me to good use that night and felt much more confident about my performance. As the curtain closed, Lanie wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “I think we’re
    gonna make it after all, kiddo”
    I beamed. “ Laverne and Shirley !” “ Mary Tyler Moore ,” she corrected me. “Oh. Can I still be Laverne?”
    “Cool.”
    I realized Lanie was feeling much of what I was in regards to finding her footing within the show and the cast. She leaned in and spoke quietly in my ear. “FYI, the word on the street is you have more than one reason to be giddy. I expect full details later.”
    My heart sank. “Who else knows about last night?” “More like who doesn’t.”
    Well, so much for keeping things quiet. I promised to fill Lanie in on everything later and with a quick kiss to her cheek, I headed down the hall to get out of costume and makeup. As I passed
    Adrienne’s dressing room, I impulsively stuck my head inside to see how she was. She was sitting on the small couch in the corner of the room staring off into space. I leaned against the doorjamb, intrigued by her pensive expression. “Penny for your thoughts?” I said.
    She turned at the sound of my voice and smiled slightly, sinking further into the couch. She looked tired. But that never seemed to dampen her mood. “You already own most of my thoughts lately, so I’m thinking payment won’t be necessary.”
    My heart skipped a little at that information and I came further into the room and sat on the couch. We simply looked at each other for a moment. Given that the show was physically and emotionally exhausting for me, I could only imagine what it was like for Adrienne, who played a much more demanding role. Not to mention the fact that she’d spent the afternoon doing press. She was surely beyond exhausted. I took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here. I know what you need.”
    “And what is that?” she asked, arching her eyebrow seductively. I couldn’t help but laugh as I sat her down in front of her dressing table. “Behave yourself. It’s not what you might think. But first we both have to change out of these costumes, and I have a stop
    to make. Meet me in my room in an hour?”
    “You’re on. But I have to warn you, I can barely move.” “Luckily, moving won’t be called for,” I called out, slowly
    pulling her door closed as I left.
    It was exactly one hour later when I heard a knock on the door of my hotel room. I glanced around the room one last time before opening the door. Adrienne was dressed in the same designer jeans,