Нора Робертс - Hideaway

“I don’t like the way he did it.”

Lily arched those eyebrows. “Enough to kick him to the curb over it?”

“No.”

“Then go make up—get that done. Then have him get me—and himself—a nice cold Coke. We’ll sit out here while you deal with your daddy. I’ll back you up there,” Lily decided. “Bring me the phone after you’ve gotten things started.”

With no way out, she went back inside where Noah waited. “I don’t like the way you did this.”

“I got that.”

“I need to be able to handle my own life, make my own decisions.”

“This is different. You know it’s different, but you’re still too twisted up about it to admit it.” He walked to her before she could snap back, put his hands on her face. “I can’t stand seeing you twisted up. I can’t not do anything when you are.”

He brushed his lips over hers. “You’re going to be less twisted up now that she knows.”

“Maybe, but now I have to tell my father, and that’s going to be a mess. She said to get some Cokes and go out and sit with her while I call my dad.”

It was messy, and upsetting, and ultimately took that dose of Lily to close it off. But the worst Cate feared didn’t happen. She wasn’t ordered to come back to L.A.—an order she would have refused. And she had yet another chance to live her life.

Before opening night came final dress and a theater filled with the energy of family and friends. Cate had her first experience watching it all full out—lights, music, sets, costumes—in a theater jammed with people who wanted nothing more than the success of their loved one on the stage.

She met Noah’s family, and that felt like another major step in her life.

On the preview night, the one critics attended, she stayed backstage. Critics and press meshed together. She didn’t want to chance taking the spotlight off her grandmother, her boyfriend.

Still, she agonized with the cast in the wait for the early reviews, celebrated with the raves.

With Monday’s dark theater, she took an early dance class with Noah, and he went with her to tour the campus she’d attend at NYU.

“It’s so big,” she said as they walked to the subway. “And that’s just part of it. It feels overwhelming.”

“You’ll do fine. Better than fine.”

Together they walked down the steps to take the train uptown.

“Private school, tutors.”

“Poor rich white girl,” he said, which made her laugh and give him an elbow jab.

“It’s the vastness, I guess.” They moved through the revolving gate. “And so many people. Even summer courses are going to have a lot of students. The advantage to that,” she added, pulling out her MetroCard, “is being able to more or less disappear. Change of Scene ’s coming out in a couple weeks. The rest of the cast is already starting the circuit.”

“We’re going to see it.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She hunched, wiggled her shoulders as if shaking off an itch.

“No way out.”

They waited on the platform with two women, one with a round-cheeked baby in a stroller. They spoke rapid Spanish while the baby gnawed ferociously on an orange teething ring. Nearby a man in a business suit used his thumb to scroll on his phone. Beside him, a short, squat man in baggy basketball shorts polished off a slice while bopping his head to whatever played through his earbuds.

The air smelled of the pizza, baked-in sweat, and someone’s overdone onion rings.

“It ended up being a pretty crap part of my life.”

Noah just trailed a hand down her arm. “Another reason we’re going, so you can see how good you are even through the crap parts. We can catch a matinee.” He took her hand as the thunder of the approaching train swelled through the tunnel.

The doors swooshed open, and people piled out, people piled on. “How about we hit the park?” He tugged her toward seats. “We can do the stroll-in-the-sun thing, grab a couple street dogs.”

And keep his mind off tomorrow night. Opening night.

“I like the sound of that. I can drop the backpack off at the condo, change into stroll-in-the-sun shoes.”

He looked down at his own beat-to-shit Nikes. “I could use some new shoes.”

“We can add shopping to the stroll.”

He shifted his gaze over. “How many shoes have you got?”

“Irrelevant,” she said primly—so primly he grinned and kissed her.

They talked about potential shoes, strolls, maybe hooking up with some friends, maybe just going back to his place, since at least one of his roommates had an afternoon audition, and he thought the other one had a shift at his day job.

Living life, she thought. No ugly calls, no pushy press would stop her.

“We combine,” she decided as they walked from the elevator to the condo. “Your place first, especially if it’s empty, because that just never happens. Then the stroll, shoes to follow so we’re not schlepping bags.”

“Maybe.” He slid his hand down her hair as she got out her key. “Or maybe we’ll never get out of my place.”

“You would think that.”

Laughing, a little starry-eyed, they walked in.

“And here she is!”

Hugh stepped in from the terrace, absolute delight on his face as he opened his arms.

“Grandpa. You were supposed to come tomorrow.”

She dropped her backpack on the floor, hurried forward for the hug.

“We decided to surprise you and Lily, and maybe catch you with some dancing boys.” He gave her a kiss on both cheeks, looked over at Noah. “And we did! The juggler with the very talented feet.”

“Yes, sir, thank you. Noah Tanaka.” He shook Hugh’s hand. “I can get more dancing boys on a couple minutes’ notice.”

Hugh let out a laugh, slapped him on the back.

“It’s fine, Lily. I’ll be fine.”

Cate’s head swiveled at the voice. “Dad.”

She bolted to him, squeezed as tight as she was squeezed when he lifted her off her feet.

“Let me look at you. Pictures and Skype aren’t the same.” He drew her back.

However skillfully he masked it, she knew him too well and saw the worry.

“I’m fine, Dad. More than.”

“I can see that. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you, too. We were all set for tomorrow. Having a late lunch, a fancy one, here before Lily had to go to the theater. Then we’d walk over and slip in the stage door.”

“We’ll do that, too. Dad and I decided we’d take more time, surprise you.”

Lily looked straight at Cate. “Surprise. Aidan, this is Noah, he’s in the chorus.”

“He’s not going to stay there,” Hugh commented. “Boy’s got presence.”

“It’s great meeting you, Mr. Sullivan. Both of you.”

“Nice meeting you. Is this your first time on Broadway?”

“Actually, my third. I only put one in the Playbill because the other shut down after ten days. But … I should … take off.”

“We’re taking our two best girls to lunch,” Hugh put in. “Why don’t you join us?”

“Oh, well, thanks, but—”

Shit, Cate thought, shit. Take the next step.

“Lunch sounds great.” Reaching out, she took Noah’s hand. “Noah and I, we’re together.”

She saw surprise flicker over her father’s face, and maybe a little distress. “I’m going to take a minute. New territory for me. ‘Together’ means…”

“Dad, I’m eighteen.”

“Right. That happened. Well, it seems lunch is now required. I need to spend time grilling Noah.” He made a warning sound, pointed at Cate when she opened her mouth to object. “My job. I’m just figuring out how to do this part of it. Lily, you said your place for lunch is only a few blocks away.”

“That’s right. A very pleasant walk.”