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surprise
her at the end of the second set. Here’s what we want to do…”
    * * * * *
    Mandy slunk back to her seat just as the house lights went
down and the band returned to the stage. She pulled her skirt down and pressed
it against her legs. It felt so bizarre to sit here bare under her skirt. She
shifted on the chair, fighting the blush in her cheeks. Finally, she forced
herself to look up at the band members. Joe rubbed the pocket of his jacket and
winked. He looked happy and carefree as he started playing the first song of
the second set.
    As the music continued, she relaxed and returned to her
camera work. She loved listening to the band play and she always had. They had
a good mix of covers and original songs so that it was never a hardship to
attend a concert. Whenever her parents came to town, they asked her to do band
portraits and take concert shots for their web site.
    She couldn’t stop watching Joe, distracted by how he moved.
The timbre of his voice. He was incredible. For the first time in years, she
could actually imagine climbing on stage just so she could sing with him.
Duets. Solos. Whatever. With him at her side, she was sure the crippling stage
fright would ease. Her throat would open and she’d be able to let her voice
fill the place. Mandy shook her head slightly and forced herself to get back to
work, even though Joe continued to tease her during each and every song.
    Thank God her parents and the Whitewolfs were oblivious to
the flirtation. None of them seemed to even notice Joe seducing her from the
stage. She licked her lips as he threw himself into a guitar solo. He was so
amazing that she wanted him…again.
    Why hadn’t she told him the truth while she had the chance?
She had to get to him the minute the set was over. If she didn’t explain to him
and he found out from her parents…oh there would be hell to pay. Hell for both
of them.
    As the set headed for the conclusion, Zach joined her at her
table. Joe frowned, his eyes narrowing. Zach grinned and lifted a glass to Joe.
Damn, this could turn ugly quick. She liked both of these guys for different reasons,
but she knew Joe was special. God, why hadn’t she told him the truth? What had
she done?
    “Okay, this is our last song of the second set and we wanted
to dedicate it to someone special.” Mandy had a really bad feeling about this.
“Our daughter Mandy is in the audience tonight. She has a new mate and we
wanted to sing this for them so they can dance. Come on, you two!”
    Mandy wanted to throw up as a spotlight hit her and Zach.
Her eyes flew to Joe and he looked as sick as she did. He hadn’t known. He knew
they were doing this but he hadn’t known who Mandy was until just now. Oh God.
She fought the desire to burst into tears. She shook her head.
    “Sweetie. I know you’re shy, but we want you to celebrate.
Everyone give Mandy and Zach a round of applause.”
    Mandy looked at Zach. His face was white as a sheet and he
appeared to be in serious danger of fainting as the clapping and cheering
erupted around them. Could this get any worse? No, she couldn’t do this. She
wouldn’t. She looked back at Joe, and the sick look was gone. In its place was
a painful combination of rage, betrayal and disgust.
    People grabbed her and pushed her at Zach then the music
started. She asked how it could get worse. She quickly found out as Joe played
the opening bars of Wonderful Tonight . Talk about ruining one of her
favorite songs.
    Zach clutched her, forcing a strained smile to his face.
Mandy couldn’t do anything but stare at Joe, wincing as he stepped up to the
mike. His voice quavered on the first words. He cleared his throat and
continued on. He stared at his guitar as he sang. She blinked away tears. This
wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t fair.
    Throughout the rest of the song, he wouldn’t look at her.
Carly and Eddie beamed happily, like this had been a great idea. The song seemed
to last forever, the spotlight