The Hot Canary (A Brian Quinn Fanfic)

Part 22: Battle Of The Bitches

The rest of the week flew by pretty quickly and before she knew it, it was Nova's night to preform at The Haunted Star. 

And it was going to be a crazy night! There was some big shot senator sitting in the big house section that Mr. Lucas really wanted to impress so he was pulling out all the stops. Apparently this guy and his party were paying big money to rent that section out and they weren't exactly a dry bunch so money was flowing into the business. 

Mr. Lucas was being pretty snappy to the wait staff and even to some of the entertainment, which was rare considering he usually had such a sweet disposition, but because of that it increased the pressure that everyone was feeling. 

Even Nova, who he asked to sing a few extra songs throughout the night instead of her normal two, he was being short with. She when she arrived for work that day, she came in and went to greet him with her usual kiss and hug, when she saw he was hovering over the kitchens. He was barking out orders and being very particular on how everything was being prepped. He didn't exactly snap at her, but she knew him long enough now to know when the time came to stay clear of him. 

Nova agreed to sing two extra songs which was double than what she normally sang, but Mr. Lucas rarely asked her for favors. Her knee was still in pretty rough shape and it wasn't impossible for her to stand, but after rushing around and only having twenty minutes between her first two sets, it became difficult for her to move around. 

She had been taking piano lessons from her friend ever since she was released from the hospital. She was starting to get pretty decent to where her songs didn't sound as choppy as they did in the beginning so she decided that she was going to finish her last song of the night on piano. She knew that it would mean a lot to Mr. Lucas and she had practiced her song over and over again so she felt confident. Even though she knew it was a bit of a gamble, considering she was still new to it, she felt that it was an easy enough tune that she could pull it off. 

Plus she always had the band ready for back up if she bombed it. 

Jimmy was on stage playing his variation of "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" while Nova sat behind the curtain waiting her turn. She was wearing a short silver dress that lit up like a disco ball when the light hit it, with a pair of matching flats. Heels nowadays were impossible, giving her new restrictions and she gave up on them long ago.

 She still had one more song to go through before she had her big moment behind the piano and she nervously shifted in her seat, adjusting the knee brace she had to wear. It was more packed than usual tonight and she could hear some of the senator's guest starting to get a little rowdy so she was feeling a little uneasy. 

She didn't even notice Mr. Lucas standing off to the side of her, until she smelt the familiar rustic scent of his cigar. She looked up and smiled at him and caught on that he was giving a peculiar look back and forth between her and Jimmy.

Before she could say anything, Mr. Lucas said in his raspy Brooklynn accent "You know, between you and Jim, you guys sure know how to win a crowd."

"Well, Jimmy is pretty talented" Nova said, trying to be polite.

 Mr. Lucas had no clue that she thought Jimmy was a total dog and hopefully he never would. Nova would feel weird telling him that they used to have a thing, if you would even call it that. He was like her grandfather and that was a conversation that was just better left not had. Plus she didn't want him to think bad of her for having relations with what was pretty much a coworker. 

And he was the boss after all. Bless his heart.

"You know, you two have been preforming here for so long now, I know Jim is going on at least seven years, your what...3? 4? Maybe it's time we get you two together on stage, see what you can do....I bet you's would really blow the roof off this place".