Chapter Five #2
Rhonda waved a handful of acrylic nails at the clipboard. “Check my references. They’re airtight.”
Eve flipped to Rhonda’s résumé and scanned. “Your most recent job experience is from nineteen ninety-one.”
Rhonda’s expression lost all trace of amusement. “Eve, right?”
“Yes.”
“Trust me, Eve. I can put butts in these seats.”
What did Eve have to lose at this point? Fine, she had four more auditions today. And fine, Rhonda wasn’t who she’d expected
to walk through the door. Well, maybe that was a good thing. What Eve had done so far hadn’t worked. And despite Rhonda’s
lack of recent work in the industry, Eve refused to let age factor into her decision whether or not to give Rhonda a chance
with some stage time. Burlesque was about creativity and humor, not what society deemed perfection.
“Can we get a quick preview?” Eve asked.
Rhonda squinted. “I don’t take my clothes off, unless I’m getting paid, but I’ll give you a little taste.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Rhonda took out her phone, following Eve’s instructions for connecting to the Bluetooth.
“I Wanna Be Loved by You” by Marilyn Monroe filled the performance space a second later and the music did nothing short of inhabit Rhonda’s body.
She shimmied around the tables, granting eyelash flutters to the empty seats, stopping every few feet to twirl her pasties in time with Marilyn’s breathy croon.
Hip bump, hip bump, she strutted down the center of the floor like she was coming to take somebody’s man.
“All right, Full Bush Rhonda,” Eve called, smiling. “I’ll give you a shot.”
Rhonda, visibly pleased, approached Eve and Veda while sweeping her cape back over one shoulder. “You won’t be sorry.”
“I have your phone number here—I’ll text you with call times. Please bring your own performance music. Or at least know what
you’d like us to play.”
“‘Thriller’ by the king of pop, please. Slowed-down version.”
“Wow. Sexy. Okay.” Eve massaged her eye sockets as hard as possible. By the time she dropped her hands, Rhonda had left the
building.
“That was incredible,” Veda breathed.
“Oh, look at that,” Eve said, making a note on her clipboard. “You’re still here.”
“As I was saying about the open land in back—”
Eve’s phone rang. The school again. “Hi?”
“Ms. Keller. Can you come get Landon? He threw up.”
Alarm jolted her in the seat. “He did? Like, for real?”
“Watched it happen.”
“Shit. I’m coming.” She found herself unable to move. “Wait, where do I take him? Home or . . . the hospital?”
“I think urgent care might be best?” the nurse answered patiently. “Get him tested for the flu. His temperature is running
a little high.”
“Okay. Okay, thank you.” Eve hung up the phone, unsure of what to do first. She had four more people coming to audition.
Then she had to open the club at eight. If Landon had the flu, would the babysitter want to be exposed?
And one huge, ugly detail was pressing in on her from all sides.
What was it going to cost to take Landon to urgent care?
Lark would probably come down with the bug, as well, right? Double whammy.
“Uh . . .” Eve held the clipboard to her chest and stood, feeling far too wobbly to have an audience, even of one. Oh, and
it was so telling and terrible the way she suddenly ached to have Madden there. His blue eyes would steady her nerves and
she’d stop shaking. He wouldn’t overstep, he’d just wait there like a giant safety net, which was exactly what she needed
right now. To know things were going to be okay, even if they would never be perfect. “We’ll have to do this another time.
My nephew is sick at school. I have to go get him.”
Veda stood and pushed in her chair, but she was focused on Eve. “Do you need help?”
“With what?” Eve bit off, trying not to regret her tone.
“Anything. I’m an unemployed musician. I have a lot of free time.” Veda gestured to the clipboard. “Maybe I could audition
these folks?”
“I’m way too much of a control freak for that.” Eve laughed, high-pitched and without humor. She speed walked to the door,
while Veda jogged to keep up with her. “Look, unless you know anything about sick kids, I don’t think you can help me.”
“I have two little brothers, actually. Or, they were little.” She shivered. “One of them has a soul patch now.”
Outside the club, Eve quickly locked the door. “I don’t think it would be responsible of me to leave two kids with someone
I just met.” Desperate. You’re desperate. One night of the club being closed and she’d have no chance of paying this year’s property taxes. “Do you have references?”
Veda visibly thought for a second. “You know that real estate agent lady whose face is all over the benches in town? Alexis
Asimov?”
Of course Eve had seen those benches with the angelic, smiling blonde in a power suit. “I do, actually.”
“That’s my sister,” Veda said. “You can call her.”
They stopped in front of Eve’s car bumper. “Wow. You look nothing alike.”
“Thank you.”
No time to analyze that response. Eve scanned the parking lot. “Where is your car?”
“I took the bus.”
Eve hit the button on her key fob. “Get in. We’ll call your sister on the way to the school.”
They’d driven for a full minute before Veda turned in her seat and said, “I’ll watch your kids for free tonight if you listen
to my proposal for the outdoor space behind the club. You know, when the sky isn’t falling?”
Did it ever stop falling these days? “Done.”