Restless Heart (21 page)

Seth gave her shoulders a squeeze. “It sure is. And I’ll be right there in the front row.”

“Thanks. It means the world to me to have you there.”

Outside, the sun was dipping lower in the sky and the orange glow glinted off her hair. Seth admired the straight set of her back and her determined step as she headed toward his car.

But he had seen her vulnerable side, and it had touched him deeply. How he wished he could gather her in his arms and show her the love and tenderness he was feeling right now.

Instead, he put her guitar in the back cargo, opened the passenger door, and looked at her. “Ready?”

“I was born ready,” she assured him. “Let’s go.”

 

 

 

“
W
ell, now, don’t you just look amazing!” Amy Dale, Destiny’s A and R rep, breezed into the makeshift room with an airy smile.

“Thanks,” Destiny said, standing before the lone full-length mirror, examining her reflection. Her eyes seemed enormous, and not just because of Mia’s expert makeup application.

She’d snuck a peek outside a few minutes ago, and the town square was jammed. She’d spotted her mother right there in the front row, in special seats reserved for her family—but the seat beside her had been empty.

“Hey, there, Ms. Hart, you need to look like you believe in your very sexy self!” Amy demanded with an arch of one thin eyebrow.

Destiny tossed a cascade of curls over her shoulder, sending a flurry of sprayed-on sparkles—also courtesy of Mia—fluttering to the floor. “Oh, you know I’m bringing sexy back,” she said in a sultry tone and sucked in her cheeks.

“That’s more like it! Now give me a little hip action while you’re at it. Shake it like a salt shaker!”

Destiny gave her hips a good wiggle and tried not to laugh.

“Perfect. Now do just that while you’re out onstage, and we’ll be in business. So listen—”

“Okay, let’s give Destiny a few minutes of quiet time before she goes onstage!” Miranda Shepherd announced, breezing into the room wearing her no-nonsense don’t-argue-with-me expression.

She was trailed by Cassie Cook, who was directing the music video.

“I just want to remind her of a few things for the video footage, Miranda, and then I’ll be out of your hair,” Cassie said, and turned back to Destiny. “Make sure you try to hit your marks on the stage. The cameras are set up to get the best angles from there. ‘Restless Heart’ is the song we’re going to focus on, but we’ll film the whole performance.”

Destiny nodded and tried not to panic.

“Remember what I said about expression, too. We need energy with a sexy edge. Vamp it up, okay?”

“Gotcha.”

“Fantastic. Just forget about the cameras and have fun with it, okay?”

“No problem,” Destiny replied with more conviction than she was feeling.

Forget about the cameras, remember to hit the marks . . .

It all seemed so complicated and contradictory.

And Amy had her share of advice as well.

Finally, Miranda cleared her throat and gave them both a polite but pointed look. “Um, guys?”

“Okay, okay,” Cassie said.

“Break a leg, girlfriend!” Amy called over her shoulder and wiggled her fingers in the air.

The two of them sashayed out the door . . . just as Grace slipped in.

“Destiny, people are going nuts out there. It’s awesome. I just saw Cooper and Annie, and—”

“Grace?”

Her sister blinked and spotted Miranda, who gave her a pointed look. “Oh, sorry I didn’t see you there. Hi, Miranda,” she said briefly, and turned back to Destiny.

“Is Daddy here, Grace?”

Her sister hesitated. “I didn’t see him, but like I said, the place is packed, and—”

“He’s not here.”

Grace met her gaze and said quietly, “No, he’s not.”

Destiny squared her shoulders and shook off her disappointment. Colonel Hart pretty much had the market cornered on stubbornness, and though she knew it was a childish notion, she realized something. One of the reasons she’d hoped so hard for success was to prove her worth to her father. She had him to thank for that—if nothing else.

“It’s okay,” she told Grace. “I didn’t think he’d come.”

“He still could show up.”

“He could,” Destiny said, feeling herself getting choked up, “but he won’t.”

“It’s all about the stubborn Hart pride,” Grace grumbled. “And I’m just as guilty. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that it took me this long to jump on board.”

“You were going to school!”

She lifted one shoulder. “I know, but still . . .”

“You’re here now,” Destiny said, “and that’s all that matters.”

“You know, I really believe that Daddy will come to his senses. Mom might just have to knock it into him, but she’s got a different attitude and I think she’s gonna do just that. Squash that Hart pride. Boom!”

She banged her fist on the wall, and the trailer shook.

Miranda, standing by, narrowed her eyes and exhaled an audible breath.

“I hope you’re right, Grace. I really miss him,” Destiny admitted with a little catch in her voice.

“Me too.” Grace patted Destiny’s hand. “But now that everything is coming together for you, don’t dwell on the hard stuff. You’ve got a show to put on.”

“What if I blow it?”

Grace turned on her stool to face her. “You won’t!”

“You don’t know that . . .”

“Just think, a whole team of experts has been grooming you for this! The creative team knows what they’re doing. All you needed was some spit and polish, and . . . well, a bit of glamour.”

“And
you
, Grace. I needed you. Thanks for all the positive energy.”

“No problem,” Grace said breezily, covering Destiny’s hand with hers and giving it a squeeze.

“Grace, I’m sorry”—Miranda stepped forward and made shooing motions with her hands—“but your sister needs some breathing room.”

“All right, all right.” Grace hugged Destiny. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Sure you have. And it’s just the beginning.”

“She’s a dynamo,” Miranda commented as Grace left. “Must run in the family.”

Destiny smiled and nodded, thinking of her mother—and then of her father, and her smile faded.

“What’s the matter?” Miranda asked, watching her. “Stage fright?” she guessed, sparing Destiny an explanation about her father.

“I’m used to being onstage, but not in front of a hometown crowd.”

“That’s okay. Make those nerves work to your advantage. Harness them into energy.”

“I’ll try. I just—” Destiny broke off as Miranda’s cell phone rang.

She pulled it out and examined the caller ID window. “I have to take this,” she told Destiny. “I’ll be right back.”

Miranda left the room, and Destiny sighed. As always, she couldn’t quite shake the sadness that came with thoughts of her father.

“You look like a star, Destiny Hart.” At the sound of Seth’s voice, Destiny spun around and her breath caught in her throat. He looked incredibly handsome in a light blue polo shirt and khaki pants.

He held out a simple bouquet of wildflowers tied with a pink silk ribbon. “They’re hard to come by this time of year,” he said softly, “but nothing else would do. Wildflowers remind me of you. Untamed and beautiful.”

“Thank you, Seth.” She swallowed hard. “They’re perfect.”

Seth nodded his head toward the door. “There’s lots of excitement in the air out there. “Your band’s been warming up. They’re kick-ass. And the place is packed.”

Destiny put a hand to her stomach. “Everyone keeps telling me that.”

“You’re gonna go out there and kick some butt tonight.”

“Well said, Coach.” She tried to laugh, but it came out husky.

Seth took a step closer and lifted a lock of her hair. “I want to hug you, but I don’t want to mess anything up.” Instead he leaned in and brushed his lips ever so lightly against hers. It was a barely there kiss, but it rocked her to the core.

“I’m so proud of you,” he whispered softly, “and I want you to know that I l—”

“Destiny, I have—” Back, with her cell phone in hand, Miranda stopped short in the doorway.

Shaken, Destiny longed to beam her away so that she could hear whatever it was that Seth wanted her to know.

“I’m Miranda Shepherd, Destiny’s manager. And you must be her boyfriend.”

“Seth Caldwell,” he said, and shook her hand as Destiny stood by mutely.

“It’s good to meet you, and I’m sorry to do this, but it’s time for Destiny to take the stage.”

“It’s okay.” Seth turned and took both of Destiny’s hands in his, giving them a hard squeeze. “Get on out there and knock ’em dead. I’ll see you after the show.”

She couldn’t quite keep the catch out of her voice. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

Destiny watched him walk away and then turned to Miranda. “Okay, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get this party started.”

Miranda grinned. “You got it!”

Destiny’s heart pounded hard and fast as she followed Miranda outside. The lights in the square had been turned down low and her band played in the background.

Destiny inhaled deeply. The anticipation in the room felt like a living, breathing thing. Trembling with excitement, she smiled at the familiar faces of friends and family scattered in the crowd as she made her way to the stage, where WKCX’s Rex Miller was waiting for her. He caught her eye, winked, and addressed the audience.

“Some of you might remember our Kentucky Idol contest four summers ago right here on the town square. A special little lady brought down the house with her a cappella performance of ‘America the Beautiful
.’
She headed to Nashville shortly thereafter and the rest is history. Allow me to introduce singer-songwriter extraordinaire . . .
Destiny Hart
!”

A
s she stepped up onto the stage, the thunder of applause sent Destiny’s pulse racing. She thought she had her nerves under control, but when she faced the spotlights’ glare, she forgot everything.
Everything
—including which song was first on her set list and where to stand.

Stage fright had once again reared its ugly head.

“The set list is taped to the floor and the X is where you stand,” the rational side of her brain said, but the words didn’t make sense. The cameras seemed to loom beyond the stage like big monsters eager to capture her fright for all to see.

Flight seemed her best option by far. Her eyes flicked to the exit sign but luckily her legs refused to budge.

Seth’s words ran through her head. She looked out into the audience, thinking that if she could just see him, she’d feel better. But the lights were blinding.

And then, by some miracle, she heard Seth’s voice hollering her name. She couldn’t see him, but he was there, right up front.

Determination took over. Destiny looked at the microphone and a surge of white-hot adrenaline shot through her from her red high heels to her hair. She wouldn’t have been surprised if her sprayed-on sparkles suddenly started shooting up in the air like fireworks.

With a pounding heart, Destiny grabbed the microphone and shouted, “How y’all doin’ tonight?”

She waited for the loud response to die down and then waved her hand toward her band.

“Give a warm welcome to my amazing band, Hart Rockers!” She waited for the big round of applause to dwindle. “Okay, let’s get things started with a cut from my album called ‘Kiss Me in the Moonlight
.
’ It’s a song I wrote about love and loss.” She put a hand to her chest and sighed but then arched one eyebrow. “Or in other words, getting dumped. Raise your hand if you’ve been there.”

She could hear Grace’s distinctive two-fingered whistle reverberating from the front row, and grinned. She’d written the song for her sister.

“Thought so.” Her fear melting away, Destiny shaded her eyes as she looked out over the audience. “Well, then, listen up because although the title sounds sappy, it’s about
not
drowning in your sorrows. It’s about picking up the pieces and moving on with your life. Y’all know what I’m talkin’ about! Don’t be that girl and for pity’s sake do not send him one more text message! Put on that red dress and move on, girlfriend!” Destiny grinned at the female cheers. “Oh, I knew you’d be with me on that one!”

Finding her mark, she smiled at the camera and gave the band the hand signal to begin.

Low and throaty, sweet and sorrowful, Destiny crooned into the microphone, keeping her eyes closed as she tapped into the emotion of the beginning, letting the pain of love lost pour from her soul.