The Duet (32 page)

Anyway, the party itself wasn’t too bad. Sydney had never been to a wedding before, so she had nothing to compare it to. Her parents had just taken her, Miranda and Uncle Fred out to dinner when they got married. This wasn’t as fancy. The picnic tables were covered in brown paper and set up along the covered porch of Josie’s Restaurant, overlooking the ocean. In a few minutes, all the tables would be covered in lobsters, and all the chins would be happily dripping with butter. Sydney’s mouth watered as she thought about the pasta salad, baked beans with lots of bacon that Josie herself had made, and the bottomless bowls of waffle fries. She planned on eating at least a hundred, maybe more.

The day was warm for April; a little on the windy side, but they had lucked out. If Josie had to fit all these people inside, it could have been a disaster.

It was finally time for the food, and Sydney scrambled out of her seat to be first in line for the buffet of side dishes. After two helpings of fries, she was already full. Izzy got her to taste a little piece of lobster, but she didn’t understand why everyone went all gaga about it. It tasted just like chicken. Chicken with butter.

Once the food was cleared and the brown paper was wadded up and discarded, the party really got underway. A local band was playing all the good music – between Miranda, Izzy and Jay there was little chance of hearing any One Direction on this fine night. In fact, speaking of music, Sydney had a little surprise for Miranda and Uncle Fred. But that would have to wait until later.

Right now, Jay was asking her for a dance, and she was certainly not about to pass that up. She stepped up onto his toes and he took her hands. She tipped back a little so she could look up at him. Way up. He was just too darned tall. Jay seemed to have the same idea as she did, and he swooped her up easily so they were dancing eye to eye.

Sydney had never really missed not having a dad. Izzy, Miranda and Uncle Fred were all the family she ever knew, and she always felt well taken care of. But as far as dads went, Jay was exactly who she would have picked out - both for her and for Izzy - if she had ever given it any thought. He was kind, he was handsome and strong, and he loved them both. Also, he stunk at checkers, and she was pretty sure he let her win every time they played Chutes and Ladders.

Yeah, Jay was okay. In fact, she might even stop calling him Jay and start calling him dad. He would probably like that. And Izzy could be mama again. Maybe. She didn’t want to get carried away.

“You having fun, pumpkin?” Jay asked as they moved smoothly across the dance floor to some Stray Cats. Sydney buried her face in his neck and squeezed him tight, nodding. There was nothing better than dancing with your daddy while wearing a dress that made you feel fancy. He chuckled and spun her around, making her laugh.

They danced for a couple more songs, Sydney talking almost non-stop and Jay laughing at all the right parts. Then the music slowed down – Across the Universe, by the Beatles – and Izzy tapped Sydney on the shoulder. She reluctantly let herself be lowered to the ground, and headed toward the stage. It was almost time for the surprise.

But then the weirdest thing happened. Suddenly Sydney wasn’t sure she could do it. She was… nervous. How could she be nervous when she loved being the center of attention? She shook out her arms by her side, trying to calm down a little. When that didn’t work, she poured herself a big cup of punch, drank it down in two gulps, then grabbed a chocolate dipped pretzel stick off the dessert table and stuck it in her mouth. Her breathing got steadier, and her heart slowed down.

She was ready.

When the song ended, Sydney jumped up on the stage and whispered something to the singer. He nodded and smiled and handed her the microphone. Then he had a quick word with the rest of the band before taking his leave.

“Everyone!” Sydney yelled, not realizing the microphone would make her voice sound like God talking to Moses in that Commander movie. She adjusted to a much quieter voice, thrilled that talking normally would still allow her to be heard across the whole place.

“So, I’m Sydney, and Miranda is my grandma.” Everyone was staring at her now, but she didn’t feel the panic that she felt before taking the stage. Now that she was here, she was enjoying herself very much.

“I don’t have a job yet, so I couldn’t get a good wedding gift.” There were a few chuckles from the crowd. “So instead, I wanted to sing this song for her and Uncle Fred. It reminds me of them, even though it’s actually Izzy’s - I mean Mama’s - favorite song.”

She turned to the band and nodded, signaling that she was ready. She looked out when the music started; Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ – a song she had heard her mother play a dozen times. She bopped her head to the beginning notes, and as she started singing, she noticed that Izzy had turned white, and Jay had a similar look of terror on his face. She grinned at them until finally they looked at each other, shrugged, and started swaying to the music. Sydney sang on. A quick glance at Miranda revealed that her grandmother was thrilled to have a song dedicated to her. She was grinning from ear to ear, and had a look of such pride on her face, it made Sydney belt out the lyrics with even more feeling.

After the last round of na nahs had faded and the stage was quiet, there was a brief moment where the crowd seemed stunned. Then everyone burst into cheers and applause, and Sydney felt herself being lifted off the stage, and passed over to where her parents were standing.

“That was wildly inappropriate, young lady!” Sydney froze at her mother’s words. “And I absolutely loved it. You were amazing, Sydney. Just amazing.”

Izzy hugged her hard, and she thought her heart might explode. “You are definitely your mother’s child,” Jay said, but he said it with a smile and pulled on her ear.

Then came Miranda, who whooped and hollered and spun her around. Uncle Fred stood behind her, giving her a little wink and raising his can of beer as if he were toasting her.

Sydney let it all sink in. She vowed to remember this feeling always. Because even though she knew she was way too young to pick what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was pretty darn sure she was meant to be on stage.

Sydney Delaney Archer was going to be a star.

Thank you for taking time to read The Duet. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

About the Author

Jennifer D’Angelo lives with her husband, her son and two cats in Eastern Pennsylvania. She writes contemporary romance – Happy Ever After with an emotional punch. When she is not writing, she is thinking about writing, procrastinating on housework, or burying her nose in a good novel.

Please visit www.jenniferdangelobooks.com

Also by Jennifer D’Angelo

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The Unfinished Mural

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The Long Growing Season