Change in Harmony (A Silver Script Novel Book 4) (11 page)

Nate pushed Katie away, furious with her. “What was that for? I told you I’m not interested.”

Katie pouted, but Nate barely noticed. All he could see was Allison’s dark ponytail bouncing away as she ran from the diner.

“But we had such a good time together. I just thought we could pick up from where we left off.” Katie stuck out her bottom lip. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not a ghost. My girlfriend. And you just upset her. Just … stay away from me.” Nate grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the diner, hoping to catch up.

There was no sight of her on the sidewalk, so he continued on to her apartment, cursing himself for being so stupid. He shouldn’t have even talked to Katie. Nate stopped long enough to grab some roses and ran the last block before ringing the bell. When she didn’t answer, he cursed under his breath. Was she even there? He checked his watch. With only a couple of hours until work, it was likely.

One of Allison’s neighbors came out of the apartment building and smiled at Nate as he walked past. Nate grabbed the door and slipped in. The elevator seemed to be stuck on the fourth floor, so he took the steps two at a time. When Allison didn’t answer with the first knock, he pounded louder, hoping she’d hear him.

After a couple of minutes, it was clear she wasn’t coming. Nate set the dozen roses next to her door, wishing he had a pen to write her a note. Instead of going to dinner like he’d planned to do with Allison, Nate decided to go back to work and bury himself in the new contracts he’d been given.

Two were simple and he had put the layouts together in minutes. They were the same layouts he’d always done, because he couldn’t put his heart into the work. Allison’s face kept coming to mind. He sent the finished layouts to Debra for approval and checked his email one more time. The tech people had sent him the video for the commercial. He hesitated for a moment before clicking on the video.

Scenes from the history of the Irish in the US played in front of Nate, moving from one era to the next. Each time Allison danced through the scene, his stomach twisted in knots. He missed that smile and the way she moved. The commercial had turned out much better than he’d expected, so he sent it on to Mr. Byrne, hoping that he would agree.

Nate forwarded the video to Allison as well, hoping she would get it. She deserved to see how it turned out. Maybe it would convince her to call him. He added a note about how much he enjoyed spending time with her.

Debra knocked at the door. “Hey, got the layouts. I sent you back some suggestions, but I like what you have so far.”

“Thanks.” Nate closed his laptop. “I’ll take a look tonight and get them back to you tomorrow.”

Debra tipped her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Nate shoved his laptop into his backpack.

“Well, I’m headed out for the night. If you want to talk about it, I have about an hour before I have to meet Lance.”

Nate shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Debra narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything as she walked back to her office. They’d worked together long enough that he probably could have told her what was going on, but he just wanted to leave.

The weather had cooled off, but Nate decided to walk home. He needed to clear his head and figure out some way to get her back. This was a whole new area for him. Usually he just moved on to another girl.

Someone bumped into Nate and jerked him out of his thoughts as they swore at him and told him to watch where he was going. Nate looked up, surprised to find himself in front of the bar where Allison worked. He glanced at his watch before going inside.

Eddie stood at the bar filling a glass for a customer. He frowned when Nate sat in front of him. “What did you do to my singer?”

“What do you mean?” Nate folded his arms on the countertop and leaned forward.

“Her eyes were red and swollen when she came in.” Eddie handed him a drink and wiped his hands on a towel that draped over his shoulder.

Nate rubbed his eyes. “She caught me kissing someone else.”

Eddie stared at him in shock. “I thought you liked her.”

“I did. I do. It wasn’t my fault. It was a girl I took out for New Year’s. She won’t leave me alone.” Nate took a drink before continuing. “We were talking at a diner when she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. I pulled away, but not fast enough.”

“I’d love to say I’m sorry, but you kinda brought it on yourself.” Eddie smirked. “I warned you that your dating habits would backfire at some point.”

Nate sighed. “I know. I just wish you weren’t right.”

“She’s an amazing person. I suggest you bend over backwards to apologize to her. But not tonight. I need to ask you to leave so you don’t mess up her performance.”

“Are you serious?” Nate laughed in disbelief.

“Look, you didn’t see her when she came in. And if she catches sight of you, I’m out a performer. I’m sorry.”

Nate gulped down the last of his drink and pulled out his wallet. “Fair enough.”

Eddie took the cash. “Thank you.”

“I’m doing this for her.” Nate waved and left the bar, knowing that Eddie was right. He made his way to the Irish pub Allison had taken him to a few weeks back. He ordered some dinner and watched the dancers as they went through their routine.

One of the waitresses flirted with him, and he flirted back, but only halfheartedly. It was hard to break old habits, but he wasn’t into it. She dropped her card with her number on it with his bill, but he left it on the table.

Nate stopped by an art supply store on his way home and grabbed some supplies. He knew he wouldn’t be sleeping that night, and figured he might as well do something with his time.

Nate took a drink of his orange juice and studied the painting he’d worked on the night before. The strokes were broad and colorful to match the modern feel he wanted for the apartment. He’d been up until three in the morning trying to get it just right, but he was happy with how it turned out. It had been too long since he’d taken the time to paint, and it felt good to get back into it. His parents had tried to get him to use his eye for art in other ways, which is why he’d gone into advertising. 

He made a note to grab a frame on his way home from work and rinsed out his glass before putting it into the dishwasher. Mr. Byrne had set up a meeting that morning and Nate was worried that it meant he didn’t like the commercial.

The subway probably would have gotten Nate to work faster, but he wanted to avoid the platform where he’d first met Allison. He’d tried texting her a couple of times the night before, but she hadn’t answered.

Debra and Mr. Byrne were already in the conference room when Nate arrived. He set his stuff in his office and hurried to the room. The smiles on their faces eased Nate’s nerves as he sat across from Debra.

“There you are. Mr. Byrne was just telling me how much he loved the commercial.” Debra smiled at Nate.

Nate let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“It captured exactly what I’d been hoping to see. And your dancer did a beautiful job. What was her name again?”

“It’s Allison. She’s amazing.” Nate swallowed hard. “With your approval, we can have it released by April twenty-fourth.”

Mr. Byrne beamed. “That would be wonderful.”

Nate turned to Debra. “Do you have the paperwork for him to sign, or do I need to get it?”

“It’s all signed and ready to go. He just wanted to thank you personally.” Debra slid the papers to Nate for him to look over.

“Oh, and I almost forgot.” Mr. Byrne bent over and grabbed two boxes. “I brought some sandals for you and some dance shoes for your friend. Please give them to her for me. I noticed how worn her others were.”

“Thank you.” Nate took them from Mr. Byrne and opened one of the boxes. “These are my size.”

Mr. Byrne winked. “I know shoes. It was easy enough to find the right size. Now, the style is a whole different story.”

Nate laughed. “They’re perfect. Thank you. And Allison will love the shoes.”

“I hope to do more business with both of you.” Mr. Byrne stood and shook Nate’s hand before leaving the room.

Nate stared down at the boxes and jumped when Debra cleared her throat. “Oh, sorry. I thought you’d left.”

“No, I hadn’t. I wanted to tell you how impressed I am with your work. Keep it up.” Debra picked up the papers and paused as she moved to leave. “I hope you can figure things out with Allison.”

“What are you talking about?” Nate asked in surprise.

Debra laughed. “Anyone could tell how closed off you became once she was mentioned. I don’t know what happened, but I hope you can figure it out. She’s good for you.”

“Thanks.” Nate waited for her to leave before pulling out one of the sandals. He tried it on, amazed at how comfortable they were. He stood and took both boxes to his office. He’d drop Allison’s shoes off, even if she didn’t want to see him.

The rest of the morning was spent on the phone arguing with model agencies and studios, trying to make one of his car ads work. They’d sent the wrong models for the ad, and the studios hadn’t allowed them in, which meant they hadn't met the deadline.

Nate glanced down at the shoe boxes sitting on the desk next to him. He had time right then to run over to her apartment. Except that it was Thursday, which meant she had classes all day. Maybe that was better. Maybe he should just drop them off and leave again. Sam would be there.

Of course, there was really no point to go by if he didn’t have the chance to talk with her. He cursed Katie for the hundredth time that day. If only he’d just avoided her in the diner. But then, she was the one who had found him.

“Hey, Nate? Jake wanted to know what you thought of the commercial he was in.” Erin stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“They were great. He was perfect for the part.” Nate had been right to cast Jake, even if he was the one who took Erin away.

Erin’s face lit up. “He’ll be happy to hear that. He’s auditioning for a part on Broadway and he’s nervous about it.”

“He’ll do just fine.” Nate stood. “I’m headed to lunch. Want me to grab you something?”

“No, I have a lunch meeting, but thank you.” Erin glanced behind her. “Debra might want something, though. She’s been on the phone all morning.”

“I can do that. Good luck in your meeting.”

Nate left the office and headed for the diner across the street. His hand was on the door when he realized that Katie was inside. He backed up and went for the deli a few stores down instead. She was the last person he wanted to run into right then, and he had a feeling that’s exactly why she was there. Her job was several blocks away, so there was only one reason she was around.

He grabbed some soup for himself and a salad for Debra, then checked to make sure that Katie wasn’t outside before leaving the diner to go back to work. It was sad, really. He was a grown man, and had broken up with plenty of women, so he shouldn’t be this bothered by her. But she’d gone too far and made him lose someone he cared a lot about.

Debra’s door was still closed when Nate got back to the office. He set his food down on his desk and knocked softly on her door before opening it slowly. He waved and set the salad down before going back to his own office. She could thank him later.

Allison stared at the shoes that had been sitting on her bed when she got back from school. Supposedly Nate had brought them by. But why? The card had a “thank you” from Mr. Byrne, but this was the second time he’d been to her house in the last couple of days.

He had been kissing another girl. That wasn’t okay, no matter how many shoes he brought her. Sam insisted that Allison should give him a chance to explain himself, but what was to explain?

Thoughts of Darren trying to kiss her ran through her mind, but she pushed them away. That was beside the point. Both she and Nate knew that Darren was a jerk. Allison shoved the shoes into her closet, knowing she’d get them out again later. They were beautiful, and something she definitely needed.

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and wandered out to the kitchen for breakfast. She put her bread into the toaster and sat at the table to sort through the mail. Most of it was bills, but one caught her eye. It was from the dance competition she was supposed to be participating in. With all of the commercial stuff that had been going on, she’d forgotten to cancel her audition. She scanned through all of the instructions before dropping the papers onto the table. Maybe she could just do a solo instead. She needed the money, and it wasn’t worth dropping just because Darren was a jerk.

Her mind instantly jumped into planning her dance. The one she’d used for the commercial was fun and original, but after the filming, she decided it needed more of a flair.

The knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts, and she went to answer it. Nate stood there with a dozen roses. The pleading his eyes nearly melted her. Nearly. But her mind went back to that kiss in the diner and she swung the door shut.

Nate stopped the door with his hand. “Please, Allison, let me explain.”

“What’s to explain? You were kissing her. That’s pretty obvious.” Anger bubbled, mixing with the feeling of betrayal. “I just thought . . . Never mind.”

“No, that’s not what happened. I mean, it is. But it wasn’t me. Katie went out with me for New Year’s and won’t leave me alone. I’d already told her to stop calling and that I wasn’t interested. But she found me waiting for you at the diner and kissed me before I knew what was happening.”

Allison raised an eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“Well, it’s what happened, so yes.” Nate looked down at the flowers and held them out to her. “I’m sorry.”

“Do you know why I don’t believe you? Even though I’d really like to?” Allison leaned against the doorway.

Nate’s eyes clouded. “No. Why is that?”

“Because you just keep disappointing me. You left me in the diner, I’ve seen you with at least two different girls since I met you, and then the kiss.” Allison ticked the points off on her fingers. She knew she was being unfair. He’d already apologized for leaving her.

Nate pushed past her, set the roses on the counter, and started searching her cupboards. When he found one of Sam’s vases, he filled it with water.

“What are you doing?”

“The roses will die if they’re not in water.” Nate found some scissors in a drawer and cut the bottoms of the stems at angle.

“I know that. But what are you doing here? I didn’t say I was going to accept them.” Allison leaned against the counter and watched as he arranged them in the vase.

Nate didn’t say anything as he rinsed off the scissors.

Allison took them from him and dried them before putting them back in the drawer. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead before going back to the door. “I’m sorry. I just hope you believe me someday.”

As the door closed, Allison flopped onto the couch. Why did he have to do that? She was all ready to push him away and never see him again, and he had to go do something like bring her flowers. The roses were gorgeous, and by the look of it, he’d arranged flowers before. Probably for old girlfriends. She put a pillow over face and screamed in frustration.

“What happened to you?” Sam shut the door and moved toward the kitchen. A few seconds later the pillow was yanked off Allison’s face. “Who are the flowers from?”

“Nate.”

“Ah. And did you thank him for them?” Sam threw the pillow onto the couch.

Allison nodded and rolled over.

“And did you forgive him?” Sam sat on the couch next to her.

“No.”

Sam sighed. “He’s trying. Eddie told me Nate’s been moping ever since the ‘incident.’”

“Yeah, well, maybe he shouldn’t have let her kiss him.” Allison felt for the pillow and shoved it on her face again.

Sam stood and left the room without saying anything. Allison followed her into her room and dropped on the bed.

“You think I’m being childish?”

“No, I know you are.” Sam glared at her. “This isn’t high school anymore. I’m not saying you have to date the guy. I just think you need to forgive and move on with life. If it includes him, fine. If not, you’ll find someone else.”

Allison glanced at the clock and jumped up. It was later than she’d thought, and if she was going to have time to practice at the school, she needed to go in the next few minutes.

She threw on her tights, dress, and shoes, then shoved her dance shoes and a towel into her bag.

“Hey, I’m sorry—” Sam stood in the doorway.

“No you’re not. You were right. Gotta go.” Allison ran down the stairs and out onto the streets. It was chilly, but the run would warm her up. She darted in and out of the crowds, apologizing whenever she ran into someone.

The bell rang out as she ran onto campus. Students poured out onto the sidewalk, and Allison ran faster. She had one hour to practice before her class, and if she could get to the studio before anyone else, she’d have a chance to practice.

The small room was empty, so she closed the door and locked it. People would be able to see that it was occupied, but she didn’t want anyone coming in while she practiced.

She ran through her playlist before finding a song to warm up to, and hooked it up to the stereo. After making sure she had a pen and paper to write her moves on, she ran through the steps she’d choreographed. The movements eased her mind as she allowed the music to consume her. She spun and leapt through the air, concentrating on keeping her toes pointed and legs straight.

When the song ended, she leaned over, trying to catch her breath. She wiped the sweat from her face and smiled. It was exactly what she needed to burn away her stress. She picked another song that was close to the one she’d used before, but with a faster beat.

By the time the hour was up, she was exhausted, but thrilled with the dance she’d come up with. She shoved her towel and music into her bag and left the room. Darren smirked when she walked into the classroom, but she just smiled back and went to the other side of the room. He wasn’t going to ruin her good mood.

This time the professor got the hint and partnered her with someone else. After working on the waltz and Charleston, they changed partners and worked on a few other dances.

Allison was relieved that she didn’t have any tutoring for the day, because she was ready to collapse. She walked to the subway and dropped onto a seat on the train. She closed her eyes, enjoying some downtime. The voice announcing the stops blended in with her dreams as she scooted down further into her seat and leaned her head against the window.

“Allison?” Nate’s voice jerked Allison out of sleep.

She looked around wildly. Where was she? She glanced up at the sign and her eyes widened. She was clear on the other side of the city.

“Are you okay?” Nate sat next to her.

“I’m fine. I just fell asleep.” Allison rubbed her eyes and stood. “Guess I better get on the other train.”

He jumped up. “Let me come with you.”

“Don’t you think your girlfriend will be upset?” Allison waited for the next exit and pushed the button.

“She already is. And I’ve tried to apologize a million times, but she won’t listen.” Nate’s eyes searched her face. “That girl means nothing to me. She kissed me. I just wish you would believe me.”

Allison searched the subway map to find the right train and headed for the next ramp. She had to work that night and she didn’t have much time to eat and get ready. When she noticed that Nate still followed her, she turned.

“Look, I know that’s what you say, but it doesn’t stop the hurt.” She kept walking and stood on the platform, waiting for her train to show up.

“I know. And I wish I could take that away.” Nate climbed on the train behind her and sat down.

Allison sighed and watched out the window. She couldn’t exactly tell him he had to get off. After all, his apartment was this direction as well. It was several stops before Nate spoke again.

“Are you still doing the competition?”

She looked at him in surprise. “I punched Darren in the nose, remember?”

“Yes, but . . . never mind.” His face reddened and he looked the other way.

“But what?” Allison shifted in her seat so she faced him.

Nate gestured toward the dance shoes that she’d tied to her bag. “You don’t normally wear those shoes for your classes. So I thought maybe you’d decided to compete.”

Allison blinked. “How do you know I don’t wear these for classes?”

He laughed. “Because I’ve picked you up from class, remember? Usually your wear your worn-out shoes.”

“Oh, right.” Allison couldn’t help feeling touched that he would notice such a small detail. It wasn’t something they’d ever talked about. Her mind drifted back to the shoes in her closet that he’d given her. Such a small, but meaningful gift and she hadn’t even noticed it. “I decided to do a solo instead. I rearranged the dance I used for the ad. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t. It was beautiful.” Nate tried to take her hand, but she pulled it away. “And I’m glad you’re competing.”

The voice announced Allison’s stop and she stood to climb off the train. She paused and looked down at him. “It was good to see you. And thanks again for the shoes.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. And good luck with the dance. Not that you’ll need it.”

“Thank you.” Allison climbed off and weaved through the crowd toward her apartment. Spending time with Nate sent her mind and heart through a rush of emotions. It was good to see him, but it only made the hurt cut deeper. She couldn’t get the vision of him kissing the girl out of her head.

Sam sat at the table and looked up when Allison dropped her stuff by the door. “Where have you been?”

“On the train.” She grabbed a fork and plate and dished out some Chinese food. “I fell asleep and missed the stop.”

“Again?” Sam laughed. “You have got to stop doing that.”

Allison glared at her, but then joined in. “Hey, it was only twice. Or maybe three times. Anyway, what are you doing home? I thought you had another shift.”

“Cindy filled in for me. I have a date with Eddie tonight, and she told me she’d switch if I dished out all the details tomorrow.”

“Sounds like Cindy.” Allison popped a dumpling into her mouth. With Eddie not being there that night, she would have to get there early. The other bartender wasn’t as pleasant to work with, and she’d been chewed out once or twice for being a minute late.

Sam nodded toward the door. “So, you for sure decided to compete?”

“Yes. But how’d you know that?”

“The shoes.” Sam stacked the empty boxes together and dumped them in the garbage before taking her plate to the sink.

“You’re the second person who said that to me today. Am I that obvious?”

Sam cocked her head to the side. “Yes. But who else said something? No one else knows you as well as I do. Oh, don’t tell me you’re dancing with Darren again.”

“No. Definitely not. I’m going solo. And it was Nate. Apparently I only wear these shoes when I’m serious about dancing or something.”

“You saw Nate? Please tell me you forgave him.”

Allison shook her head. “I don’t know. He apologized again. But every time I see him, I see that girl in the diner.”

“He already explained what happened. You need to give him another chance.” Sam patted her hand. “Now, tell me about this dance of yours.”