‘Give the girl a break, man.’ As he planted himself beside Jake Rick’s amiable features creased into a persuasive smile. ‘The band is still set up, so what have we got to lose?’
My sanity, for one thing, thought Jake, with grave misgiving. If Caitlin Ryan looked like a little lost puppy now, before he had even heard her sing a note, God only knew what she was going to look like when he told her Sorry…don’t give up the day job.
Expelling an aggrieved sigh, he dragged his fingers impatiently through his mane of dark hair and stared at her.
‘Okay,’ he drawled, his tone painfully resigned, ‘I’ll give you ten minutes to show me what you can do.’ Or, more to the point, what you can’t. He couldn’t pretend he was expecting very much.
* * *
Caitlin’s heart beat double-time. Okay, I can do this, she told herself. Singing is second nature to me.
But her morale-boosting self-talk didn’t seem to be having a great deal of effect as she nervously made her way across to the stage. The three young men already there ambled casually back to their instruments and she wondered how many singers they’d already auditioned—because frankly they weren’t looking too impressed.
Registering the band’s name on the large bass drum in front of the drum kit, and privately acknowledging that she’d never heard of it, she somehow made her lips shape a smile. The lead guitarist introduced himself first. Telling Caitlin that his name was Mike, he extended his hand to help her as she negotiated the final step of the wooden staircase that led onto the stage. He had an open, friendly face she noted, unlike Captain Ahab down there, who looked as if he’d just as soon as take a bite out of her rather than throw away a smile on someone who was clearly a time-waster.
Why, oh, why had she thought this was a good idea? Just because she loved to sing, it didn’t mean that she had anywhere near enough talent to make it her career…
‘By the way, I’m Rick. The man who told you to come back tomorrow is the head honcho. Aren’t you going to take off your coat?’
At the foot of the stage the fair-haired man who’d persuaded his boss to give her a chance grinned up at her, with a teasing twinkle in his dancing hazel eyes that was in complete contrast to the reception Caitlin had received from his stony-faced colleague.
As his dark, brooding friend stayed ominously at the back of the hall she noticed he was staring back at her, as if to say, Your performance is going to have to be exceptional if you’re going to impress me. He was regarding her as if he fully expected her to disappoint him. Who was he anyway? Caitlin wondered? He might be the man in charge of the auditions, but although he’d asked for her name he hadn’t volunteered his own.
In answer to Rick’s comment about removing her coat, she answered, ‘I’d rather keep it on, if you don’t mind. I’m feeling a little bit chilly.’
Her hand curved round the mike stand as if to anchor her to something solid. Oh, why had she worn this stupid short skirt? Because her friend Lia had told her she should make an effort to ‘look nice’ for the audition, that was why. Caitlin should have stuck to her preference of wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
Raising his voice so that she could hear him clearly, Rick asked, ‘So what are you going to sing for us?’
Caitlin told him. It was a song that was regarded as a classic in the annals of rock culture. Although it had a driving, pulsing beat, there was also great passion and pathos in the lyrics and she loved it.
‘Good song choice.’
She couldn’t help colouring at the approval in his voice and turned her head towards the band so that he wouldn’t see he’d unsettled her. ‘Is that okay with you?’ she asked them.
The blond bearded drummer, who’d introduced himself as Steve Bridges, answered her with a precise drumroll, and to Caitlin’s right the stocky Scottish bass player, whose name was Keith Ferguson, played a couple of chords on his guitar.
‘Let’s rock and roll, then, shall we?’ Rick gave her a mock salute. ‘It’s all yours, honey. Take it away.’
I can do this, Caitlin told herself dry-mouthed as she waited for the band to play her in.