Bailey in the Corner: A Women's Fiction Novel by Lindsay Hiller

Author:Lindsay Hiller [Hiller, Lindsay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Jacket Publishing
Published: 2023-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

IN THE GYM, preparations for the final round of auditions were in full swing, the noises and clangs ridiculously loud. Hoping to help, I made Green Fizz for the auditioners, but Lyneeka interrupted me.

“That’s my job today.” She pulled the cold water bottles out of my hands. “If you’re in the show, we need to practice without you backstage.”

I didn’t bother explaining I’d already given my spot to Daisy. I just let her hand me a bottle of liquid energy, plus another one for Stella, who anxiously paced the warehouse, wringing her hands.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Stella rubbed her arms, fidgeted with the hem of her shorts, then chugged her Green Fizz. “What if I screw up? Daisy won’t go easy on me.”

I took her empty bottle. “We both know you’ll rock this. As soon as your muscles get a pump, you’ll coast right through.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

Stella gave a shaky laugh, then we distributed earpieces to everyone auditioning. Even Lauren took one, pressing the little plastic and metal bud inside her ear, saying she was curious as to who followed my cues. I hooked a headset around my ear with a tiny microphone poking across my cheek, so light and small I almost couldn’t feel it.

Nerves grew high as the giant countdown reached one minute. We all took our spots on the stage. Nineteen people bounced with energy, ready to audition.

Except Jared never arrived.

Neither did Daisy.

“Anyone seen them?” Lauren asked.

“I was with Jared in his office an hour ago,” I said.

“Go see if he’s still in there.” Lauren double-checked her watch. “Maybe he lost track of the time.”

The light was off in Jared’s office, the room silent. I checked the fabrication room, where a few focused tailors continued to sew. After yelling into the men’s bathroom, I checked the parking lot where his blue Audi still sat. Drizzling rain pierced my skin, and I rubbed my arms. If he hadn’t left the building, where else could he be?

Laughter came from the alley around back. I jogged around the corner and froze, too stunned to interrupt. Not three feet away stood Jared, in all his shirtless glory, with his arms wrapped tightly around a woman, their lips locked in the kind of kiss I definitely didn’t want to witness.

Neither of them noticed me, even when I scuffed my feet to get their attention.

“Hey, Jared?”

The woman jumped back with a yelp, wiping her mouth on her sleeve, face as red as her curls.

“Daisy?” The word slipped out before I could stop it. “You’re kissing Jared? What about Marco?”

“I can kiss whoever I want,” she said.

“You can’t claim them both!”

“Watch me.”

But Jared whirled around, pulling his shirt from under his arm and sliding it back over his head. “Bailey!” He closed the space between us in two broad steps, his shoes crunching on the gravel. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

“It’s exactly what it looks like.”

“It’s not. There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Sure there is,” Daisy said with a wicked grin.

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