The Proposition 1: The Ferro Family by H. M. Ward

Author:H. M. Ward [Ward, H. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laree Bailey Press
Published: 2013-11-29T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Heart pounding hard, I smooth my hair and fuss with the skirt on my gown. It’s modest, to the ankle, with a little flare at the hem. My bodice isn’t revealing. Nothing about me screams vixen, except the book I’ve written. The press has had a fun time taking pictures of me from my Facebook page and sticking them next to my book. One title read: Good girl writes heartfelt story about naughty nights. Yeah, they left out the part about death, but that doesn’t sell as well.

The way my stomach churns is making me queasy. A few moments ago, I thought I could do this. I thought that I could walk out onto the stage with my shy little smile and read the prompter. But now, I’m worried that my voice will warble and that I’ll trip and fall flat on my face. All the women here look so calm and graceful, but I’m close to hyperventilating. I don’t belong here.

Neil notices the way I’m twisting the little ring on my finger and staring blankly at the crowd from the side of the stage. I wait in darkness for them to call my name. Neil reaches for my hand and smiles kindly at me. “How are you still nervous? We’ve been over this. It’s all in your head.”

Flicking my gaze up fast makes me feel like I’m going to hurl. As sweet as Neil is, he doesn’t get it. Every announcement, every word of every presentation that’s about me makes my heart race for one reason and one reason alone. I’m a liar. It’s not about the public speaking part. Okay, it’s about that a little bit, but I’m a bad liar. What if something comes up and they find out it’s Bryan? What if someone knows?

Nodding, I agree with him. “I know.”

“We could talk it through. Maybe there’s a deeper issue at play?” Neil studies me, but my gaze remains locked on the microphone that’s standing in the center of the stage. Neil Scortz is attending graduate school to be a shrink, so that’s what he does with everything. He rarely offers comfort, rather, he wants to know what makes me feel the way I do in the first place. Well, I don’t need a psychoanalysis for that. I already know. I’m terrified that I’m going to be caught, that people will find out that I’m a fraud, especially Neil.

I tried to tell him before we came, but I couldn’t say it. Not when those big brown eyes met mine with such excitement. It’d be like kicking a puppy, so I kept the secret, and now I’m going to hurl on stage…and probably slip in it and land on my butt. That sounds like me.

I’m saved from answering him. The stage hand calls my name. Sucking in a deep breath, I straighten my shoulders, and walk out onto the stage with a plastic smile on my face. The crowd applauds as soon as they see me. Nerves shoot through my body as I focus on the podium.

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