Read Online End Me a Tenor by Joelle Charbonneau - Free Book Online

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    After two hours, the group could execute the lifts without bodily harm and sing the song, which was good. Unfortunately, they were still having problems doing both at the same time. That was bad. I could only hope that after a night of practicing on their own they’d be able to remember both the words and the steps.
    A quick glance at the clock made me sigh. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I needed to audition the solos and make a decision—give Chessie another feature with the hope it would save my paycheck or cast the singer I thought would do the best job.
    “Everyone line up. It’s audition time.”
    My stomach was in knots as I listened to the boys sing first, then the girls. When the auditions were over, I looked at the row of nervous faces in front of me and knew exactly which ones should be cast. Plastering a smile on my face, I said, “I’m going to think it over tonight and let you know tomorrow who the soloists are going to be.”
    Was I stalling? Absolutely. Sue me.
    “Chessie’s parents won’t be angry if you don’t give her one of the solos,” Devlyn said after the last student had vanished out the door.
    “Are you sure?” I wanted to believe him, but I had Christmas gifts to pay for.
    Devlyn shut the door and then walked over to put his arm around me. Larry had left with the students. He hadn’t wanted to be late for Yoga, which meant Devlyn and I had to lock up. “The group looks better than they ever have.”
    “They still can’t sing and execute the final lift.”
    “They will.”
    “If they don’t—”
    My thought was cut off by the brush of Devlyn’s lips. For a second, my mind went a little fuzzy. After his mouth left mine I said, “Can we simplify the ending to make—”
    Okay, maybe I started protesting again because I knew it would get me another kiss. Can you blame me? And Devlyn didn’t disappoint. His mouth met mine again and all choir concerns disappeared. My fingers dug into Devlyn’s shoulders as my knees went weak. His lips brushed mine twice before settling for a longer taste. And wow, did he taste good. Like lemon. I was going to have to start drinking Devlyn’s lemon-flavored water. Yum.
    I went back for more, but Devlyn glanced at the door and eased away. “We should probably take this conversation somewhere else. Just in case.”
    Devlyn was right. A school was no place to be caught kissing. Twenty minutes later, we were wedged into a booth at an Evanston Irish pub. Devlyn had chosen the place based on its tasty food and the slim-to-none chance that Prospect Glen students would make an appearance. If they did, the lighting in our corner was dim enough the students wouldn’t notice either of us. While I appreciated the ambiance, the idea that we needed to hide our relationship put a dent in the romantic mood.
    Still, it was hard to complain when Devlyn’s deep blue eyes were focused on me. “I wanted to come by last night after your aunt called, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want company. Are you really okay?”
    I intended to say yes, but as my lips started to form the word my throat tightened and tears pricked the back of my eyes. When Devlyn took my hands in his and gave them a squeeze, I was a goner. A tear escaped down my cheek. Then another. I sniffled and tried to hold back the tears, but now that they’d started, there was no stopping them. Putting my head down on our joined hands, I gave up fighting and cried.
    I hated crying. It made my eyes puffy, made my nose run, and made me feel like a wimp. Even worse, I was crying on a date and I didn’t have a tissue to mop my face or blow my nose. I was a mess.
    Suddenly grateful for the out-of-the-way dining location, I took a deep breath and sat up. Devlyn didn’t tell me it was all going to be okay or say that things weren’t as bad as they seemed. He just handed me a napkin and pushed his glass of wine across the table to me.
    It’s hard to blow your nose in a discreet manner. Feeling