Maxie (Triple X) (17 page)

Maxie rolled one shoulder as if it didn’t matter, but it clearly did. “Oh, it’s one of those small-town feuds. She’s always been nice to me. She’d put aside books for me at the library, but she and my grandmother didn’t get along. They’d battle it out every year here at the talent show.”

“Battle?” Zac tried to get past the image inside his head. Battle of what? Frowns? Arched eyebrows? “Okay, I’m liking the sound of this. What did your grandmother do? Sing? Play an instrument?”

A small smile pulled at Maxie’s lips. “Magic. Every year she’d have a new trick to wow the crowd.”

He set down his lemonade so fast, the ice cubes clunked. “Are you serious?”

The smile widened. “She usually won.”

“I’ll be damned.” The light bulb finally clicked on inside his head. “Is this the first year that she isn’t here?”

Maxie nodded, her expression turning wistful again.

“Well, hell. Do you know any of her tricks?”

Her hair swung around her shoulders as she turned to look at him. “What?”

“You can’t let those two win.” The Shimwells had already worked their way to the entry table, and onlookers were starting to gather. Apparently, this talent show was a main event. It had been important to Maxie’s grandmother. It had to be important to her. “You’ve got to defend her title.”

The statement flustered her, and the straw in her drink kinked as she fiddled with it. “Oh, I couldn’t. I can’t perform in front of people.”

“So you
do
know a trick or two.”

She squirmed. “It’s not an option. I was too shy to be her assistant even when I was little. There’s no way I could get up there…alone.”

The word hung out there like a balloon, but then it was as if the string was cut. Her chin snapped up, and her gaze drilled into the stage. Energy started pumping from her, and her lemonade hit the table with a smack.

Uh-oh. Zac’s warning antennae started vibrating. He recognized that look. He’d seen it in her eyes before, right as she’d jumped nearly butt-naked into the Inndigo’s pool.

She twisted in her seat and flung her legs over the bench. “Excuse me.”

“Hold on. Where are you going?”

She was rushing off towards her sisters. “Don’t let them close the registration table.”

Chapter Nine

What was she doing?

Maxie sat in the audience in front of the stage, her hands clenched in her lap and both heels digging into the ground. Second thoughts assailed her…and then third and fiftieth and thousandth thoughts… She was beginning to learn that she and impulse didn’t go together well, because when she submitted to an urge, she went all out.

Why had she thought this was a good idea?

Because it was, the devil on her shoulder responded. The idea was perfect, a way to honor her grandmother and her new family at the same time.

But it demanded more out of her than she normally was able to give.

She squeezed her hands so tightly, her fingers started going numb. Determinedly, she flexed them open wide, but her nails dug into her thighs when she settled them on her lap. She looked around the crowd. She was seated on a folding chair next to Dan Cramer, owner of Indigo Falls’ only hardware store. Roxie was near the front beside some kids and Lexie sat halfway back on the far side. She watched as her sister shooed Cam away when he tried to take the seat next to her. The look on his face was so comical, Maxie nearly laughed. Somehow, she doubted the man had ever been shooed before, but this would never work if he was seen with Lexie.

After all, the key to magic tricks was diversion.

Her stomach filled with butterflies. She’d been excited about the idea, and Roxie had been over the moon. Lexie had been more reticent, but she’d agreed to play her part. Maxie just didn’t know if she could live up to hers anymore. The longer this took, the louder her nerves were singing. As the final entry in the talent competition, they would be the last to perform.

Perform.

She hadn’t been able to do that when she’d been in the third grade. Her teacher had assigned her the role of second pilgrim from the left for the Thanksgiving play. All she’d had to do was stand quietly as others recited their lines, but when the time came, she hadn’t been able to step out on the stage. What made her think she could do this now?

Because her sisters were here this time. Her support system.

She glanced over her shoulder and found Zac watching quizzically from the back row. She’d been in such a rush, she hadn’t had time to share her plan with him. He looked intrigued but a bit uneasy.

She knew how he felt.

She blew out a breath and tried to stay calm as a juggler dropped his bowling pins, and then Laura’s daughter tap danced. Audrey and Martin were up next. Their voices blended together seamlessly on the gospel hymn. They’d performed together for years and were the ones to beat.

Although it would be a victory for her if she didn’t go running for the trees.

She caught a reassuring wink from Lexie, but her sister didn’t look all that composed either. She was sitting with her legs crossed, but her top foot was bouncing up and down faster than the beat of the music.

At last the emcee came back onstage as the crowd applauded the Shimwells. “Exquisite, weren’t they ladies and gentlemen?” He waited for the clapping to subside as he read his agenda sheet. “We’re down to our last act, and it’s Maxie Miller, who’s here to carry on her grandmother’s tradition. Maxie, please come amaze us with some magic.”

Maxie stopped breathing. Here they went.

The emcee turned towards the curtains at the back of the stage. “Maxie?”

She felt weighted down as she stayed in her seat, her attention focused on the stage. People in the crowd started to turn. Most people knew her, and they’d seen her sitting with them.

Only when heads turned throughout the crowd, they turned in different directions.

That was Roxie’s cue.

She stood in the front row. “Here I am.”

Her posture was straight, and she spoke clearly. Her hair was smooth, and she wore a Park Art T-shirt. It was tucked in, and the sleeves were rolled up in sharp creases. She looked classy and cultured. A perfect imitation of Lexie.

The triplet switch was on.

Maxie’s adrenaline surged. Roxie glided towards the stage with her shoulders pulled back and her chin lifted high. The crowd paid little attention now that “Maxie” had responded to the emcee, except for those people who were seated next to a “Maxie” still in the crowd.

People actually started to point, and she fought not to sink in her chair. If she couldn’t stand the attention here, how was she ever going to get up on that stage? She felt Dan’s confusion as he sat next to her, and she did her best to keep her expression serene and composed.

She assessed Roxie, trying to take pointers, because her sister was
good
. There was only poise, no flounce. Roxie was all about the flounce, but the way she’d committed to her role was impressive. If Maxie hadn’t known better, even she might have been confused. At last, her sister stood next to the emcee with her hands clenched behind her back and a pleasant smile on her face.

People in the crowd started to grumble. Dan finally turned outright to stare. It made Maxie feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Okay, Maxie,” the emcee said. “What kind of a trick are you going to show us today?”

Lexie hesitantly rose from her seat across the way. “But I’m Maxie Miller,” she called, her voice barely lifting above the noise.

As one, the crowd turned and gasped.

A thrill went through Maxie. It was working.

She peeked back at Zac, and he was grinning. Beside him, Cam looked poleaxed.

Oh yeah, this was going to be good.

She watched Lexie closely, almost a bit fearful. Roxie had gotten so into her part, and she’d captured Lexie’s essence down to a T. How would Lexie play her? Could she trick people into thinking she was the town florist they saw every day?

More so, Maxie wondered how other people saw her. Was this going to be complimentary? Or just painful?

Murmurs started throughout the crowd as Lexie made her way to the aisle. She apologized to everyone she bothered and smiled shyly at people who caught her eye. Maxie inhaled and exhaled in a slow, determined rhythm. Even she couldn’t tell if her sister’s introversion was real or not. Lexie hid behind her hair as she hurried up the steps. She wore the same T-shirt as Roxie. They’d grabbed them at the last moment from a vendor, but wearing it, she looked like more of an all-American girl. She folded her hands nervously.

Okay, that was weird. Maxie often felt like she was looking into a mirror when she watched her sisters, but this time it was as if she was seeing herself.

She was so enthralled, she forgot her nervousness.

It all slammed back into her when Dan poked her in the shoulder.

“Maxie?” he said, his tone baffled.

Oh crap. It was down to her.

“Well, this is befuddling.” The emcee gestured to the crowd. “Does anyone know how she’s doing this?”

He gave his best Bob Barker smile and winked at the two matching women onstage. “Will the real Maxie Miller please come on down?” he joked.

He didn’t realize there was another waiting in the wings.

Now. It was time.

Only Maxie was frozen.

There was no way she could do this. It was too big. She couldn’t even stand up, much less pull off her act. The only sister left to play was Roxie. Lexie had refused to participate if she’d had to pretend to be her, so that left the task to Maxie.

And it was monumental.

She couldn’t do it. It took too much moxie, and she was a timid sort. She couldn’t imagine having Roxie’s confidence or flare. She didn’t even know how to flounce.

Dan poked her in the shoulder again. What, did he think she wasn’t real?

Come on,
she begged herself. She wanted to do this. She only had one shot for it to work. Her grandfather had been the original magician in the family, and her grandmother had carried on the tradition. It was time for her to pick up the torch, at least this one time. It was a way she could show her love for her family, the only one she’d truly known. She’d be so disappointed if she let nerves or shyness waste this opportunity.
Move!

Everyone was watching her now, both in the crowd and from the stage. For a moment, time seemed to stall. It went one count beyond what was comfortable, and that invisible hand began circling her, pulling her back. But then she felt a different kind of energy. It came from behind her, warm and encouraging. Zac.

Was she going to defend her grandmother’s title or not?

She surged to her feet. “Hold on one second.
I’m
Maxie Miller.”

She turned towards Dan. “Excuse me, hammer man. Can I get by?”

“Hammer man?” The hardware store owner wasn’t staring at her now; he was gaping.

When he didn’t move, she shrugged and wiggled by him suggestively. The murmur in the crowd lifted to a dull roar as she started up the aisle. In that second, though, she almost lost it. She was wearing Roxie’s ankle boots, and she nearly tripped into a face plant. She had to concentrate hard on the placement of her feet. The crowd’s attention was so heavy, she thought she’d never make it to the stage, but then the most amazing thing happened.

Laughter bubbled up inside her.

When it came out, she felt the most incredible sense of freedom. With a smile on her face, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and began to strut.

Onstage, Lexie’s eyes bugged out, and Roxie clapped a hand over her mouth.

Maxie took that as a positive sign. She let her hips swivel, and Martin Shimwell’s jaw went slack as he returned to his seat in the crowd. Good, that was the reaction she’d seen men have all day long around Roxie. Her confidence soared, even though her T-shirt was knotted high around her waist and a good amount of skin was showing. She waved at Becky along the aisle and blew a kiss to a middle-schooler whose eyes were the size of saucers.

A wolf-whistle pierced the air, and she stopped on the steps up to the stage. She looked back at the crowd and found Zac teasing her once again. She met his challenge dead-on and gave him a flounce and curtsy.

Cam burst out in laughter at Zac’s side.

Once onstage, she moved to stand by the other Maxie Millers. By now, the crowd was atwitter and the emcee was flummoxed. He considered them one by one and shook his head.

“I’ve got to admit, folks, I went to school with Maxie, and I don’t know which is which.” He faced the crowd. “So you’re going to have to tell me. Which one is she?”

Idiot Ronnie Nealson. She’d sat behind him for an entire year in biology class.

He pointed at Roxie, who was still in character as Lexie. “Maxie number one?”

Roxie lifted her hand and gave a ladylike wave. Applause rang out.

“Maxie number two?” This time it was Lexie’s turn. She smiled shyly and cocked her foot back on its heel. She nodded before disappearing at Roxie’s side. Applause rang out again, this time more loudly.