59
Bella finds us just before the curtain goes up, and her smile is infectious. "That was so much fun," she tells me, breathlessly. "Mrs. Cope asked me if I'd be interested in helping with future shows, and I told her I'm just a call away."
I put my arm across the back of her chair and try to ignore the silky softness of her hair brushing against my skin.
"I'm glad you had a good time."
Jasper tells us to be quiet, and we watch as Alice takes center stage.
She's been in drama classes since she was five, and I'll never get over how talented my daughter is. She manages to captivate the audience from her first line to the final one, and her face flushes at the standing ovation the troupe receives after the curtain falls.
Bella is leaning into me, whispering about what a great job our girl did, and I love the domestic aspect of tonight. To an outsider looking in, we probably look like a family, and it makes me sad that we aren't.
The auditorium lights come on, and we rush the stage to find Alice. While we wait for her, Bella leans in and whispers in my ear. "Mrs. Cope told me that one of the parents is hosting an after party for the cast and friends, so we'll have the house to ourselves." Her cool breath causes goosebumps to break out across my skin. "I need to run by V.C. for my supply, but then I thought we could take advantage of the alone time and actually talk."
"Sounds perfect."
Jasper whistles as the cast makes their exit. He cups his hands over his mouth and yells for anyone who's listening that that's his girl.
Alice giggles and joins us, carrying a massive bouquet of bright red roses, and Bella frowns.
"Oh, no."
"What?"
She looks down at the bouquet we picked up. "These don't hold a candle to those." She glares at Jasper and begrudgingly hands them to Alice, kissing her cheek. "You were wonderful, Ali. I've already got us tickets for tomorrow night."
"You don't have to come again if you don't want to, but I'm so glad you guys were here tonight." She smiles and hands Jasper her flowers so I can give her a big hug. "Thank you."
"I'm so proud of you," I whisper into her hair when it's my turn.
Angela and Ben join us, and Alice tells them about the party before turning to me. "Do you mind if we go?"
"No. I was going to insist. You deserve to celebrate tonight's success."
She grins wryly. "Did I do a great enough job to deserve a later curfew?"
"Nice try." Bella laughs.
"Eh, it was worth it. We'll see you guys at midnight."
"Alice," I warn, and she just giggles.
"I'm kidding. Eleven on the dot."
Bella grabs my hand and leads me out to the car. "Do you mind stopping by V.C. with me or do you want me to drop you off at home?"
I check my phone. "I'm in my four-day window to donate, so I might as well get that done and over with."