Every Dog Has His Day by Jenn McKinlay

Author:Jenn McKinlay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2018-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The night of the talent show, Jessie was a hot mess. Zach and the girls hadn’t let her see their performance and even though she knew the song and heard them through the door of the girls’ room rehearsing, she had no idea what to expect.

She was afraid that they hadn’t had enough time to prepare, that the girls would flounder, that irreparable damage would be done to their self-esteem if they failed. Still, Zach had asked her to trust him and the girls had pleaded with their big eyes to be allowed to try.

Jessie knew that failure was critical to a child’s development, and that learning to try again and to shake off defeat were crucial life skills. It didn’t mean that it was easy to watch as a parent.

She sat through a dance number by a bedazzled seven-year-old and her dad, in matching spangles, that included jazz hands. Next there was a magician and daughter team that riveted—okay not really—but they did have a cute bunny in their act. Then there was a dad and daughter acrobat act. It was cute but with every minute that ticked by Jessie felt her anxiety spike.

“Hey, sorry we’re late,” a voice whispered in Jessie’s ear.

She glanced to her right to see Mac and the entire Maine crew filling the seats beside and behind her.

“Oh, hi, I didn’t realize you all were coming,” she whispered back.

“Are you kidding? And miss Zach’s ukulele debut?” Sam said from behind her. “Never.”

Jessie smiled at them all—even Brad and Emma were here—and she felt herself visibly relax. There was something about having friends in attendance that bolstered her spirits. It was a new feeling for her and she liked it.

They sat through two more performances and then Mrs. Abbott, the music teacher, announced the MGZ Trio. Jessie smiled, recognizing that Zach and the girls had used their initials to form the name of the group.

A nervous flutter began in her belly and she felt the smile on her face get tight. As her two girls stepped out on the stage in matching outfits, their favorite bright blue poofy-skirted dresses bought by her mother-in-law, Audrey, for a wedding last year, Jessie felt her heart flip over to see Zach step out with them in a matching blue plaid shirt and a tie. His blonde hair was slicked back, making him look like a grown-up. Jessie felt her heart do a crazy somersault as she took in the sight of him with her girls. She tried not to notice how right they all looked together and it wasn’t just the matching outfits.

Zach sat on a stool, while Gracie stood beside him. They each plucked a couple of strings on their ukuleles, checking one more time to make sure they were in tune. Gracie nodded at Zach and he smiled at her. Maddie took the handheld mic from Mrs. Abbott. She stepped out in front of Gracie and Zach and then turned and nodded at them, letting them know she was ready.

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