The messages all said the same. The show was canceled for the night. I responded to each of them and finished my coffee.
Mom held up the keys to the car. “Take it. I’m off work today.”
I raised my eyebrows. Mom always worked. She jangled the keys again.
“Okay,” I said, taking them. “But call me if you need me.”
She nodded. I kissed them both on the cheek then ran out the door. Mom’s car wasn’t fancy, but it was reliable. The drive to the resort didn’t take long.
Amilia met me at the time clock and ushered me toward the banquet hall. The entire room was a disaster area. Tables were scattered and chairs stacked.
“Um,” I said, not really sure where to begin.
“That about sums it up.” Amilia clutched her clipboard tight against her chest. “I have a couple of guys who are going to move the tables and chairs. The rest will be up to us.”
I stared at Amilia. She was tall and athletic with sandy brown hair. Her normally smiling face was scrunched into a nervous frown.
“I’m sorry I called you in,” she said, facing me. “Bella quit last night, and the other girls called in sick. Mr. Reynolds mentioned you probably needed the hours.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug. “Just tell me what we need to do.”
We spent the next two hours cleaning the tables after the guys put them wherever Amilia pointed. I cleaned the chairs and helped maneuver them into place. Once that was done, it was time for the detail work. Amilia and I put the table cloths on, then placed the centerpeices on each of the thirty tables. The wedding party table was arranged in a wide U shape at the front. It had its own style to it. I didn’t get why, but whatever. I just put everything where Amilia told me to put it. It was almost three by the time each table was set up for guests. The entire banquet room was spotless.
Mr. Reynolds strolled in as Amilia and I admired our work. His face was grim.
“Does it look that bad?” Amilia asked, her face falling into a worried frown. She turned and glanced around the room. She spun back, her eyes wide with panic. “It does. I’ll fix it. We’ll take everything down and—”
“The room looks great,” Mr. Reynolds said, holding his hand up. “Spectacular really. You two did a great job getting it in order.”
Amilia’s face lit back up. “Thank you.”
“Can I have a word with Cami?” He smiled at Amilia and glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes.
Amilia nodded and hurried away, checking something on her clipboard.
“Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Is Miranda okay?” The words rushed from me without a filter to slow them down.
“Miranda’s fine.” He rocked back on his heels. “But you’re right. Something’s wrong.”
My body seized, preparing for the worst.
“Hank’s in the hospital.” His face darkened. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but the performances are canceled for the rest of the weekend.”
“Oh,” I whispered. This was not what I was expecting. This was way worse. “I thought he just had a bad night.”
“That’s what we all hoped for.” Mr. Reynolds rubbed his hand over his face. “Dylan took Hank to the hospital this morning. He woke up and couldn’t talk at all. They admitted him this afternoon.”
“Is he going to be okay?” I reached into my pocket and felt for my phone. Maybe I should call him.
“I’m sure he will be.” Mr. Reynolds pressed his eyes closed for a moment. “Amilia could use more help with the wedding this weekend. I’ll have her schedule you for some more hours. Hopefully, we’ll know what’s going on with Hank soon.”
I didn’t really know what to say, so I just nodded. Mr. Reynolds gave me a tight smile and left the room. I didn’t hesitate. My phone was in my hand and the text was sent before I stopped to think Dylan might not want to hear from me.
I got my answer in his silence.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
I worked as much as they would schedule me. Mom hired me to work at the restaurant as a hostess until the show started back. As much as I hated the job, it was kind of cool to see Mom in action. She was good at her job. The staff respected her, and the customers loved her. She drifted around the dining room like she owned the place.
A week went by. Then another.
I was at the restaurant when Crystal and Heath showed up.
“Hey, Cam, long time no see,” Heath said as he strolled through the door. His white short sleeve button down with black tie looked so wrong. Over the pocket was a black name tag and title “Computer Specialist” under “Heath” in white.
I pointed to the outfit. “What’s going on here?”
“Gotta pay bills somehow.” He laughed. “Computers are easy work.”
Crystal shook her head. She smiled sadly. “Can you take a break?”
“Yeah, sure, I guess.” I waved toward Mom.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked when she got to the hostess station. She saw Crystal and Heath, then turned on her managerial charm. “Is there something we can do to make your dining experience the best?”
“Well, now that you mention it—” Heath began, rubbing his chin. Crystal cut him off by elbowing him in the side.
“Mom, this is Crystal and Heath.” I pointed at each of them. When her face showed zero recognition of the names, I added, “From the band.”
“Oh,” Mom said. It still wasn’t dawning on her.
“Hank Walker,” I said, rolling my hand. Mom had only come to the theater once.
“Oh, right.” She smiled. “Cami will seat you shortly. It’s nice to meet you.”
She turned to walk
