As she stood on the stage taking a final bow, Vanessa scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face. She spotted a few people she knew in the audience, including her step-daughters, but there was no sign of the people she was looking for.
She was disappointed that Amanda and her parents hadn't had a change of heart, but she wasn't surprised. She thought, at her age, she had learned to take disappointments well, but part of her still felt like a little girl standing on that stage.
She forced herself to smile, still acting even though the play was over, as she retreated back to her dressing room.
As he made the rounds, checking on the refreshments and welcoming the audience members into the dining room as they left the theater, Justin spotted Lucy across the room chatting with a group of her friends. For an instant she looked up, made eye contact with him, and smiled. He waited, expecting her to come over and say hello, but instead, as the group's conversation ended, she turned to her friend Chloe and they walked outside together without acknowledging him.
He let out the breath he'd been holding unconsciously and turned away, feeling like a complete fool. Being around her always left him feeling that way. He tried to shake the feeling off and returned to his duties.
After changing out of her costume, Vanessa went into the lobby to join the lingering crowd outside of the theatre.
"You were wonderful," Zara congratulated her.
"Thanks, hun. I'm glad you both could make it. Are you going to stay for refreshments?"
"I don't think so," Cassie replied, already edging towards the door.
"I think we're going to go out to one of the clubs instead," Zara replied. Cassie turned to her with surprise. "Do you want to come with us?"
"Oh no, you kids go ahead. I think I'm going to stay here for awhile. Have fun."
"Have a seat," Elyse said nervously as she backed into the room, nearly bumping into the furniture as she moved. She glanced at Reese several times, but never held eye contact for long. "I can I, um, get you something to drink? Coffee?"
Blaine exchanged a look with Reese and then answered for both of them. "No, thank you."
Elyse was hoping for the distraction, a moment in the kitchen to collect her thoughts, but since they declined the offer, she sat down in one of the living room chairs while Blaine and Reese took the sofa.
"Mrs. Hudson, you're probably wondering who we are and why we're here," Reese said quickly. "My name is Reese Burroughs and - and I was left in an orphanage when I was an infant . . ."
"Yes, I know," Elyse said quietly.
"You do?" Reese asked eagerly as she sat up straighter in her seat.
"Yes, I recognized you outside . . . You look so much like your father."
"Do I?" She laughed nervously. "Well, I guess I would."
Elyse shook her head in disbelief, the shock of Reese's sudden appearance just beginning to sink in. "I can't believe it. I thought about you often and wondered how you were doing . . . I always wondered if we would meet someday. I just never expected you to show up on my front door out of the blue. How did you find me?"
"I'm sorry I didn't call first, but I have been searching for my past for so long with no leads at all. Finally when we looked at the records at the orphanage and found my parents' names and looked up the address, I just couldn't wait."
"The orphanage records . . ." Elyse said slowly, as her mind went back to the past. "They listed my name and my husband's as your parents?"
"Yes . . ." Reese replied, suddenly doubtful. "Aren't you my parents?"
"Oh, dear . . . you don't know the whole story, do you? You think I'm your mother?"
"Well, yes."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not who you're looking for."
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