Chapter Eight #2
His eyes stung but he refused to blink. He didn't want to miss a moment of it.
His heart felt like it swelled in his chest when she looked up and spotted him.
He raised his hand and finally had to blink away the blurriness behind his eyes when her voice rang out louder and clearer now that she'd seen him.
He wasn't surprised when Tanya turned in her seat to check the back of the room.
She knew what her sister's reaction meant.
She waved madly at him, and he waved back, but jerked his chin toward the stage.
He didn't want either of them to miss Alana's performance.
Tanya grinned before turning back around to face the front.
As soon as Alana's solo was over and she left the stage, Tanya turned in her seat again, tapping Harper on her shoulder as she did so.
When Harper turned, he lifted his hand in greeting to her too, and the way she smiled and held her hand up in return made something loosen in his chest. He didn't know why she had that effect on him.
He wouldn't have said he was a tense or stressed kind of guy, but something about her made him.
.. relax, that was the only word he could think of for it.
Tanya beckoned for him to come over, but he shook his head slightly.
The show was almost over, and by the time he sat down with them, it'd be time to leave again.
But more than that, standing up here at the back like this, observing Alana on stage, Tanya sitting watching, and Harper here for both of them, was something he felt like he needed to see from a distance.
Check out how he felt about it before he stepped inside it.
When Tanya beckoned him again, and he shook his head, Harper smiled at him before turning back to his daughter.
From this distance, he had no idea what she said to her, but Tanya nodded happily, gave him a little wave, and then sat back down in her seat.
He watched her rest her head against Harper's shoulder as the two of them began to sing along with the cast and most of the rest of the audience to the final number.
It gave him an answer he didn't know he'd been looking for.
If he stayed on the periphery like this and let Harper build her relationship with the girls separately from him, he wouldn't be doing any of them any favors.
He looked up at the recessed light above his head and murmured to himself, "You might turn out to be right in the end, Em. But I'm not saying I’ll keep that promise, not yet."
~ ~ ~
When the final curtain came down—or tried to, at least—the actual curtain stuck halfway, leaving the cast and crew laughing as they scrambled to fix it. From what Harper could see, that was the only part of the production that was going to need a whole lot more rehearsal.
Tanya watched, laughing for a few moments, then jumped to her feet, and Harper followed.
"Come on, let's go see Dad. I kept my fingers crossed the whole time. I knew he'd make it if he could. He always does, you know. I mean, sometimes he can't, but when he can, he comes. He does his best."
Harper chuckled to herself as she followed Tanya up the steps to where Emmett was waiting at the back of the theater. She stood back as Tanya flung herself at him and then laughed at the way she climbed up him, like a little monkey, until she was sitting on his shoulders. That was a new one.
Emmett laughed and leaned forward, holding her securely as he bent, until Tanya was standing on the floor again, laughing. "You're getting too big for that, Button."
"I might get too big," Tanya replied, "but I'll always be your little girl, right, Dad?"
Harper's heart felt as though it melted in her chest as she watched him ruffle his daughter's hair. "That's right, kiddo."
"Hey, Harper." He turned to her with a smile.
"Hey, I'm glad you made it."
"Yeah, me too. She did great."
"She's fantastic," said Harper. "I'm genuinely impressed."
"She should be the star of the show," Tanya declared.
"I heard Ms. Kendrick telling one of the parent volunteers that Alana should have had the lead, but Kennedy Sinclair got it because her dad sponsored the production.
You know them, Dad, they're the family that built that big fancy house down by the river.
" She frowned. "Wait, sponsored means he pays for it, right? So, like, he bought her the lead part?"
Harper bristled at that and turned to Emmett, but he just shrugged. "Don't get too mad about it; it's the way things have always worked around here. Shall we head outside to find Alana? She might be planning to hang out with her friends, but I want to check in with her before we leave."
Harper was about to tell him that Alana had said she'd be coming straight home with them, but decided there was no need for her to say it. Alana would tell him herself.
"We planned to meet up outside the back door where I usually pick her up," she said. "Why don't you guys go on, I just want to pay a quick visit. I'll meet you out there."
She smiled to herself at the way Tanya grabbed Emmett's hand as they left. Sometimes she seemed older and wiser than her years, but at other times, especially around her dad, it seemed, she slipped back into being just a little girl.
She caught up with Emmett and Tanya just as the kids started spilling out the back door of the theater. Alana spotted them right away and waved, even while she was still talking to her friends. Emmett caught Harper's eye. "She might want to hang out with them to talk about how it went."
"No," Tanya interrupted him. "We're all going to get something to eat."
Harper raised her eyebrows—that was the first she'd heard of it.
"We'll see," said Emmett. "You guys don't always get the chance to hang out with your friends on the weekends. We'll see what she says."
"No, look, she's coming," Tanya insisted, tugging on his hand. "Come on, you'll see."
Harper followed them toward Alana, who was already saying goodbye to her friends. Harper watched curiously as one of the boys touched Alana's arm. "I can give you a ride back afterward if that's what you're worried about."
Harper glanced at Emmett, wondering how he'd feel about that. But his face looked determinedly neutral until he visibly relaxed at Alana's reply.
"That's okay, thanks. I'll catch up with you on Monday at school. We have plans. See ya."
The look she gave him told Harper that the two of them would be hanging out very soon, even if not this afternoon.
Alana came straight to Emmett and hugged him. "I'm so glad you made it, Dad."
Emmett held her close for a moment as he said, "Me too," before stepping back.
"And you, Harper. What did you think?"
"I think you were amazing. In fact, I don't just think it, I know it. You're fantastic. The whole production was good, but you..." She nodded enthusiastically. "You're a very talented young lady."
"Thanks." Alana glanced at Emmett as she added, "It's what I want to do."
Emmett smiled through pursed lips. "And it's a career you can explore once you're done with your education."
Harper relaxed when Alana laughed and said, "I know, I know. We don't need to get into that right now. Me and Tanya were thinking that we could all go to the diner to eat if you guys want to."
"Can we?" asked Tanya, tugging on Emmett's sleeve. "We haven't been for ages, and I'll bet Harper's never been. We could all go together. What do you say, Dad?"
Emmett raised his eyebrows at Harper as he told the girls, "Harper might have other plans."
She tensed for a moment, wondering if he was looking to her for an out or just being considerate. He chuckled, as if reading her mind, and added, "I mean, I'd love to go. The food might not be up to your New York standards, but it's pretty good."
She made a face at him. "Everywhere I've eaten around here so far has been more than pretty good. So yeah, if we're all up to it, I'd love to visit the diner. I'm trying to work my way through every eatery in town. So..."
"Awesome," said Alana. "Let's go. Where's your truck, Dad? We can all ride together, can't we?"
Emmett raised his eyebrows at her again, and Harper chuckled as she said, "That's fine by me. As long as you drop me off back here at my truck later. I'm good."
Tanya sighed. "Aw, I was hoping we could all ride home together later, too. We could have if I'd... No, we couldn't have."
Harper couldn't hide her smile when Emmett said, "Maybe next time."