…later that evening
Jodi was standing in the wings watching the finale. She hadn’t wanted to be out front with the crowds. Her feet hurt from wearing court shoes all day and she was exhausted from trying to put on a brave face with the councillors. She was content to hide in the shadows and remain invisible. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and her throat was dry and scratchy. She craved a warm drink. Maybe once the show was over. For now, she had no desire to move.
The children finished their ballet routine and received a tumultuous round of applause. They’d looked endearingly cute in their pink tutus, floating around the stage like tiny rose petals. They hadn’t put a foot wrong – not that she could tell. Becca might think otherwise, but she doubted it. Her cousin was standing on the opposite side of the stage, her hands clasped together willing the kids to do well. As they ran offstage, Becca hugged and praised them, before sending them back onstage for a second bow.
Tom appeared next to Jodi in the wings. ‘It’s going well, isn’t it? All that hard work has paid off. You should be proud.’
She shrugged. ‘I guess.’
The house lights dimmed. Murmured voices filtered through from the auditorium.
‘Just as well no one listened to me.’ Tom stepped back to allow the tappers past. ‘I never thought we’d pull it off.’
Five bodies dressed in white shuffled across the dark stage and took up their positions in front of the glitter curtain. ‘It hasn’t exactly been without its issues.’
He glanced at her. ‘None of which was your fault.’
‘Are you serious?’ She lowered her voice. ‘Without me things would’ve run a lot smoother. Vivienne and Petrit would still be employed and Carolyn wouldn’t have returned from rehab to find the police leaving. Today could’ve been a disaster.’
‘But it wasn’t.’
They were interrupted by the start of the tap routine. The lights lifted. The music began and five tappers turned one-by-one to face the audience and lifted their hats.
Tom leant closer so he could whisper in her ear. ‘Vivienne and Petrit were fired because of their own stupidity. You’re the glue that’s kept everyone together. You’ve worked endless hours, overcome obstacles and never given up. You had to endure Vivienne and Petrit giving you abuse and me being a tosser. Most people would’ve quit weeks ago.’
One of the tappers stumbled, but quickly recovered.
Jodi sighed. ‘It’s not like I was inundated with other job offers.’
A few audience members clapped along to the music.
‘Doesn’t make it any less impressive. This place was on the decline. You and Becca halted that. I’m really grateful. Mum is too. Not to mention winning over the council.’
She glanced at him. ‘You don’t have to say that.’
‘Yes, I do. I owe you an apology, Jodi.’
Onstage, the tappers responded to the enthusiastic audience, their nervous smiles turning into beaming grins.
Tom leant closer. ‘When you first started working here, I was judgemental and narrow-minded. My mother saw that you’d changed, but I didn’t. I was a jerk.’
One of the tappers lost her hat. When she bent down to pick it up the male tapper tripped over her foot. Becca gestured from the wings, urging them to keep going.
Jodi adored her cousin. Aunty Ruby too. They’d stuck by her, no matter what. Never judged her, always forgiven her and encouraged her to be a better person, which made what she had to do next a little easier.
She waited for the tap number to reach its crescendo. ‘I appreciate the apology, but there’s something you should know about what happened twelve years ago.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said, one eye on the tappers. ‘Whatever it is, it’s in the past. It’s no longer relevant.’
‘I wish that were true, but it’s the reason there’s still friction between you and Becca.’
Tom stilled.
The tap number ended and the place erupted with applause and whistles. Five happy tappers soaked up the response, bowing and waving as they exited the stage. When the clapping continued, they ran back on and took another bow. It was a while before the audience settled and the lights faded to black, ready for the next number.
Jodi watched her cousin walk onto the darkened stage and take up her starting position. Even motionless she looked elegant, animated and breathtakingly beautiful.
Jodi wasn’t the only one who thought so. Tom’s gaze was fixated on her cousin.
‘Becca never stole from Boots,’ Jodi said in a hushed voice. ‘It was me.’
The music began and the sound of Ed Sheeran filled the auditorium.
Tom dragged his eyes away from Becca, his expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief. ‘What?’
It was time to confess. There was no turning back. ‘She ran after me, hoping to persuade me to return to the shop. When I refused, she tried to take the stuff back herself, but the security guard caught her.’
He blinked a few times, as if processing what he was hearing. A beat later, his focus returned to watching Becca. Jodi was glad. It was easier without him scrutinising her.
Becca’s routine started slowly, her movements fluid and balletic. If her knee was hurting no one would guess. She looked strong, confident and assured.
‘To this day, I don’t understand why Becca didn’t give me up,’ Jodi whispered. ‘Even when the police arrested and cautioned her she kept quiet. Her parents grounded her. Your dad banned you from seeing her. But she still protected me.’
Even in the dim lighting she could see Tom had paled.
As the music built so did the energy in Becca’s moves. Her purple dress hugged her slim body as she twirled, the chiffon trailing behind her like angel wings.
Tears pooled in Jodi’s eyes. ‘The worst thing was, I didn’t care. I was so hooked on drugs and booze I let her take the fall. It was only years later when I left prison and got clean that I realised the enormity of what she’d done. By then it was too late. I wanted to confess, but she wouldn’t let me. She said there was no point. You were long gone.’
Tom didn’t say a word. His focus was on Becca, watching the emotion in her pour out through every movement. From the tips of her fingers, to the point of her toes, she oozed class, elegance and passion. The audience were mesmerised. Stunned into silence.
A series of complicated moves saw her seamlessly combine twists, turns and leaps, before landing one-footed and spinning on the spot. It looked effortless. Jodi knew it wasn’t. As the music faded, Becca’s body softened, her limbs retracting as she uncurled from the spin and slowly sank to the floor.
A few seconds of complete silence preceded the place erupting with whistling and shouts for an encore. The audience were on their feet.
‘Maybe now you understand why you don’t owe me anything. Certainly not an apology.’ Jodi picked up the bouquet of roses by her feet. ‘It’s me who’s in the wrong. And you have no idea how sorry I am.’ She handed Tom the flowers. ‘Will you do the honours?’
Without a word, Tom joined Becca onstage and handed her the bouquet.
Her cousin clearly hadn’t expected flowers. She covered her shock with a shy smile, thanking Tom, before resuming curtseying to the crowd.
Tom returned to the wings. ‘No wonder she hates me.’
Jodi caught his arm. ‘She doesn’t hate you. Christ, are you kidding me? But she’d never have told you the truth. She’d see it as a betrayal to me, which is crazy. She owes me nothing.’ She nodded to where Becca was leaving the stage. ‘There’s still a connection between you two, but there’s also a barrier. I figured the only way of enabling you both to move past it was if I came clean.’
The house lights dipped to black. The audience continued to murmur, discussing the routine they’d just witnessed.
Tom sighed. ‘I appreciate you telling me. It can’t have been easy.’
Jodi shrugged. ‘It’s not like I had a future here.’
The thought of walking away from the playhouse filled her with sorrow. But she’d made her bed. She had no one to blame but herself.
‘I wish things were different. But I’ll always be grateful for this opportunity. Thanks for sticking up for me, Tom. You made life hard for yourself by choosing to believe in me. It means a lot.’
Onstage, Leon appeared with his guitar and placed his amp on the floor. Jodi’s heart ached at the sight of him. He looked nervous. Handsome too, wearing his red Starlight T-shirt. She couldn’t believe it when Becca had told her it was Leon who’d orchestrated the plan to distract the police so he could move the money and foil Vivienne’s plan. But then, he was a good man. Too good for her.
Jodi wiped her wet eyes. ‘I’ll spare you the awkwardness of asking me to leave. Once I’ve helped clear up tomorrow, I’ll be gone.’
Tom rubbed the back of his neck. ‘That’s not going to work.’
‘I’ll make sure everything’s in order,’ she assured him. ‘I won’t leave you in the lurch, I promise.’
Pre-recorded music covered Leon tuning his guitar.
Tom shook his head. ‘That’s not what I meant. Mum wants you and Becca to take over management of the Starlight Playhouse.’
Jodi couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d said Petrit had signed up for the weekly tea dances. ‘I’m sorry…she’s what?’
He shrugged. ‘It’s time she took a back seat. The stress of running this place won’t help her recovery. She trusts you and Becca. She knows you’ll take care of the place and give it a fighting chance of success.’
It was hard to separate the multitude of emotions coursing through her. Elation, hope, excitement – all wiped out by crushing disappointment when she realised she couldn’t accept the offer. ‘I’d love to accept, really I would. It’s a dream opportunity. But how can I after what I’ve just told you?’
He frowned. ‘It doesn’t change anything, Jodi. Am I pissed off? Hell, yes. I walked away from the only woman I’ve ever loved believing her to be capable of something she didn’t do. But that was my mistake, not yours. You may have messed up, but so did I. I should’ve believed in her, and I didn’t.’
Was she hearing him correctly? It suddenly occurred to her that she had a golden opportunity to repair her cousin’s broken heart. ‘For what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s too late for you and Becca. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? You’re forgiving me. My cousin needs to forgive you. I’ll be sure to remind her of that.’
He smiled. ‘Good. I need all the help I can get. But you won’t be able to do that if you quit. So, will you please accept the job?’
‘It’s more than I deserve.’
He nudged her. ‘It’s the least you deserve. You’re not the same person you were twelve years ago. What you did then has no bearing on who you are today. Anyone can see that. Will you stay?’
She could hardly believe it. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘Positive. And besides, my mother would kill me if I let you quit.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘Enjoy the rest of the finale. I have some grovelling to do.’
‘Good luck,’ she called after him.
It was down to Becca now. Hopefully her cousin would see sense and forgive him. She deserved a happy ending. And Tom deserved a second chance.
Onstage a spotlight lifted on Leon. He cleared his throat and tapped the mic. ‘Hello, Wembley!’ The audience laughed.
He looked nervous. She’d never seen Leon wrong-footed before. He was always so confident. It only made her want him more.
‘This is a song by Bob Dylan,’ he said, glancing over. ‘It’s called ‘Masters of War’. It’s for my warrior princess.’
Her breath hitched when he smiled at her.
For the next fifteen minutes, she indulged in her own private concert. Tucked away in the shadows of the darkened wings she watched Leon perform. Nerves got the better of him to start with and he hit a few wrong notes, but he gradually relaxed as the audience warmed to his playing.
She’d never heard the song before, but it instantly became her new favourite. He followed the song with two he’d written himself, which she loved, and two further covers. His voice was warm and enticing, and by the time he’d finished she was his biggest fan. She clapped and cheered from the wings, along with the audience.
He exited the stage and disappeared. She hadn’t expected anything less. It didn’t stop disappointment welling up inside her.
The finale was over. Only the tea dance remained. She waited until the audience had filed out of the theatre and the backstage crew had cleared the stage before gearing herself up for the next challenge. But before she could move, Leon appeared next to her in the wings.
‘I’m guessing you haven’t drunk anything all day?’ he said, handing her a steaming mug of coffee. ‘Sorry I rushed off. Nerves had played havoc with my bladder.’
Is that why he hadn’t come over? ‘I enjoyed your performance.’
‘Thanks. It went okay. A bit shaky.’ He leant against the wall. ‘The cappuccino has extra sugar, by the way. I figured you’d need the energy.’
She was touched by his kindness, but emotion still constricted her throat.
As if sensing this, he nodded to the mug. ‘Drink up. It’ll help.’
She took a sip. She hadn’t realised how shaky she was until her tremors started to subside. She’d been running on neat adrenaline all day.
He smiled. ‘See? Not so hard.’
It was like the Leon of old had returned. Gone was the cool reserve, replaced by chattiness and smiles. Not that she was complaining.
He waited until she’d drunk most of her coffee, before he said, ‘Can we talk about today?’
She paused. ‘I guess so.’ Not that she wanted to relive the events of earlier. The humiliation was still raw. But that was her problem, not his. ‘I haven’t had a chance to thank you. I’d be facing charges if you hadn’t proved I didn’t take the money. It was lucky you caught Vivienne and Petrit on film.’
He frowned. ‘Luck had nothing to do with it. I suspected they were behind it. I just couldn’t prove it. That’s why I backed off. I figured I stood a better chance of catching them off-guard if they thought I’d lost interest in you. It worked. They went from stopping talking when I was around to being indiscreet. It enabled me to overhear conversations. I knew they were up to something. I just needed proof.’
It took her mind a moment to compute what he was saying. ‘I don’t understand. You knew it wasn’t me? But what about when you found out about my past? You must’ve suspected me then?’
He shook his head. ‘It made no difference. I knew you hadn’t done it. It was obvious you’d had a rough time. When we went to the pub that time, and you told me about your childhood, I could tell from your body language there was more to the story. The way you shied away from a compliment as though you didn’t deserve it. The way you allowed Petrit and Vivienne to abuse you, like their punishment was justified. I knew something had happened to make you that way. I just didn’t know what.’
‘I had no idea it was that obvious.’
‘Maybe I was looking closer than anyone else.’
She felt herself blush.
‘Only someone trying to turn their life around would’ve worked so hard or put up with so much crap. And confronting Carolyn over her drinking? That was really brave. I think that might’ve been when I fell in love with you.’
Jodi jolted so quickly she almost dropped the mug. ‘Wh…what?’
He scrutinised her. ‘Is it so hard to believe?’
‘But…you backed off, you stopped…you know?’
‘Flirting?’ He smiled. ‘I told you, I only did that to throw Vivienne and Petrit off the scent.’ He took the mug from her and squeezed her hand. ‘I just told you I’m falling in love with you, and you look close to tears. That’s not great for my confidence.’
She hadn’t answered because she was still too fixated on the feel of his warm hand holding hers. ‘Even though you know I went to prison?’
‘Jodi, I don’t care what happened in your past. I’m only interested in being a part of your future.’
She almost had to pick her jaw up off the floor. ‘You are?’
His expression turned rueful. ‘You’re killing me here. Can you please put me out of my misery? Do you like me?’
Like him? Christ! ‘I do.’
He closed his eyes. ‘You had me worried there.’
‘Sorry, I’m still trying to get my head around everything. I thought you’d stumbled across Vivienne’s and Petrit’s plan by accident. I had no idea you’d been working undercover.’
He laughed. ‘James Bond eat your heart out.’
It was her turn to laugh.
His fingers laced into hers. ‘You were innocent. It was up to me to prove that.’
‘It wasn’t, but thank you anyway. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. How can I ever repay you?’
He considered that. ‘A dance would be good?’
She smiled. ‘I hear they’re holding a tea dance here tonight.’
He slid his arm around her. ‘What are the odds?’
And as they headed for the ballroom, Jodi felt the tightness inside her melt away. She’d ridden the storm and emerged the other side. She’d been offered her dream job. She’d made amends for her past. And she’d found a man who knew the worst about her, but still wanted to be with her.
For the first time in her life, she felt like she could finally move on.