Free Blitzing Emily by Julie Brannagh Page A

wasn’t as dizzy as she’d been yesterday, but she knew she couldn’t practice until the headache subsided.
    The floor director was running down the aisle from the seats. “Do you need a doctor?”
    “No. I need to sit down. And some water might be nice. Again, I’m sorry.” Emily was helped offstage to a front-row seat. Tristan arrived with a cold bottle of water and a couple of pain relievers. Once she was settled, the group onstage assembled once more. Anna, Emily’s cover, soared into the aria Emily could not finish, and the rehearsal continued.
    Other than the typical colds and flu over the past twenty years, this was the first time Emily had been unable to practice. Watching Anna was a special kind of torture. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. If she wasn’t well by next week she would not be singing in the performances, which would be disastrous. She wasn’t sure how quickly anyone recovered from something like this, but it had to happen now. Applause—the love of an audience—was the drug she needed to survive. There was nothing else in her life but music and her career. She had worked for so long to get to where she was now.
    A large, clean-smelling body sat down in the seat next to her. “Hey, sugar. Taking a little break?”
    She opened her eyes. “You’re here?”
    “Where did you think I’d be?” Brandon wrapped one arm around the back of her seat. “Had to come back here and pick you up.”
    “Thanks.” She folded her hands in her lap.
    “So,” he continued in a stage whisper, “let me guess. You tried to sing, and it didn’t work.”
    “No, it didn’t.” She stared at the floor in front of them. “What if I don’t get better?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.
    He leaned closer. “Now you’re being silly. You bumped your head. It’s going to hurt for a couple of days. The doctor didn’t see anything that indicated permanent damage, or he never would have let you out of the hospital.”
    Emily’s stomach was a cold knot of fear, but as Brandon talked the knot loosened a bit. “I’ve worked so hard. I really need to sing this role. I can’t take a week off to recover.”
    He caught her chin in his fingertips. “You will be fine. I promise.”
    B RANDON INSTALLED E MILY in his Land Rover a few minutes later, swung himself into the driver’s seat, and pulled out into traffic. “We’ll get you some lunch, and then it’s back home. You need some rest.”
    Emily was about to respond, but her phone was ringing again. At least she’d be able to find out where her parents had been last night.
    “Hi, Mom.”
    “Emily Anne Hamilton, what have you done?” her mother cried.
    “Mom?”
    “You’re engaged? My phone’s ringing off the wall. Reporters are calling. They want to know when the wedding is. When did you meet this Brandon? Your father says that he’s . . . What have you done!?”
    She saw Brandon glance over out of the corner of her eye, grin a little, and focus on the road again.
    “Mom, it’s fine. Really.” Emily swallowed hard. “He’s a nice guy, and I—”
    “This is not Las Vegas, young lady.” She heard the catch of tears in her mother’s voice. “I can’t believe that you would take marriage so lightly. Didn’t I teach you better than this? You’re going to marry a man Daddy and I had no idea you were even dating. When did this happen ?”
    “Mom. Please don’t cry. We’ll have dinner together and you can meet him. Everything is fine. We just sped things up a little, that’s all.” Emily was surely going to Hell for lying to her mother, but just thinking how she was going to explain this one away made her wonder if her head would explode.
    Brandon glanced over at Emily. “Sugar. What’s happening?” She held up one hand to signal she’d talk with him in a moment. He reached out for the phone. “Let me talk to your mama.” She turned slightly so he couldn’t grab it out of her