Limelight by Brooke Gun

Author:Brooke, Gun [Brooke, Gun]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2023-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Wearing a rhinestone catsuit while singing with a big-band orchestra had never entered Libby’s mind until the woman in charge of the Limelight wardrobe suggested she try it. Glad that it wasn’t a dress, at least, Libby had pulled on the heavy, but surprisingly comfortable, elastic garment and then stared at herself in the mirror. It was her, but not. She looked like someone who had stepped out of the screening of a sci-fi movie.

Hair-and-makeup took it one step further, pulling her hair into a cone-shaped, bejeweled bun at the top of her head. After painting glue on her face, they added more rhinestones, creating a pattern that accentuated her features. Neon-blue eye shadow and the mother of all eyeliner wings, plus dark blue lipstick, completed the look.

Now she stood in the wings, entering her mental space where she didn’t allow anyone else to interfere. She went over the first verse of “Crazy World” and hoped she would do Julie Andrews’s song justice. It was as haunting as it was sweet, and it hadn’t escaped Libby how well the lyrics could be applied to how she felt.

Brandon was singing the last chorus of his song and made the most of the crescendo toward the end by adding extra riffs. It was barely noticeable, but perhaps he was rattled for once, as he sounded a tad pitchy. Maybe he’d overreached his range, and Libby could understand that possibility. It was easy to do when you were prepared to take risks to end up on top.

“Time to get in place, Libby,” one of the stagehands said. “You look fantastic.”

“Thanks. Appreciate it.”

“Let’s get you strapped in properly. I won’t be responsible for you taking a nosedive to the floor.” He pulled at some wires attached to the narrow, clear piece of Plexiglas. When she was thoroughly secured, he looked at her quizzically.

Libby nodded and accepted her microphone, which matched her dress with glued-on rhinestones. Then she felt herself rise to the ceiling, well out of sight of the audience. She shifted carefully, leaning against one of the wires as she made sure she had taken the exact pose she’d rehearsed for three days straight.

Brandon was getting his feedback below her, and obviously Libby wasn’t the only one picking up on his out-of-tune notes. He still received well-deserved praise, and once he was walking off the stage, she blocked out everything while the network airing Limelight went to a commercial break.

Humming the song under her breath, Libby used the focus she had developed over the years. Both as a bartender and a performer, she had to keep so many twirling wrenches in the air, it had become second nature. Faintly, she heard her own voice from below when the producers showed her weekly interview about her progress in the competition. Then it was time for Palmer to give her opinion, but Libby refused to let go of her inner attention regarding her performance. She couldn’t allow all her jumbled feelings for Palmer to take up any room right now.

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