Rookie (24 page)

“Me?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, chuckling.  “You see, I’ve written a duet – a torturous tune full of anguish and despair.  I’ve just found a young man for the male part.  And I think you would be perfect for the female part.  What do you think?”

“I’m flattered,” Sidney said, her mind spinning.  “But Rob manages me and I suppose I should check with him.”

Peter flashed his handsome grin.  “Rob gives me full reins with his artists.  He likes for me to use them as often as possible.  It helps to promote, you see.  He sends me demos of every artist so I can get to know their sound.”

“Oh,” Sidney said as a thought struck her.  “Who is doing the male part?”

“A new guy,” Peter explained.  “New band Rob just found.  Young man, very good.  His name is Nathan Brennan.”

Sidney’s face lit.  “I just met him, too.  I like their sound.”

“So, do you think you’d like to do this?”

“Yes,” she said with a broad grin.  “It sounds like fun.”

“Great,” he said as the song ended.  He held her hand as they walked toward the bar.  “I have all your contact info –
Lexie sends me that.  Has anything changed?  Your phone numbers the same?”

“All I have at this time is a cell phone,” Sidney said.  “But that’s the same number that
Lexie has.”

“Good.  I will get in touch with you so we can set up a time.”

“Okay,” she said as she reached for the drink in Leslie’s hand.  “Thanks.”

“No, thank you,” he said with a slight bow.  He picked up his drink.  “I think I’ll mingle for a bit.  I’m afraid that I have to cut it short tonight.  Have a late meeting with a director.”

He disappeared into the crowd as Leslie peered over Sidney’s shoulder.  “Isn’t he sexy?”

Laughing, Sidney turned to her friend.  “He is. 
And nice.  He wants me to do a duet.”

“Really?”
Leslie asked.

Sidney told her all about it.  Just as she was finishing, she felt a tap on her shoulder.  Twisting, she smiled as Joey Price stood before her, dressed in a navy suit.

“Hey, Sidney,” he said.

Lighthearted, she stood on her toes to peck his cheek.  “Wow, you clean up nice.  Is this the same suit you wore to prom?”

Over his shoulder, his band mates laughed.

“No, it’s not,” Joey said, humor lighting his eyes.  “I rented a tux for that.”

Sidney greeted the other guys, anxious to get a second to talk to Nathan.

“You look lovely tonight,” Joey said, not to be deterred.

“Thank you,” she said.  “I’d get you a drink but I don’t think they serve kiddie cocktails.”

“Oh, how you jest,” he said, wrapping her in a friendly hug.  He lowered his mouth to her ear.  “You do look stunning.”

“Thanks,” she said as he released her.

As they ordered soft drinks, Sidney introduced them to Leslie.  When Joey decided to try his charms on her, Sidney sidled up to Nathan.

“I spoke with Peter Winthrope earlier,” she said.  “He told me about the duet you’re going to do.”

Nathan’s eyes sparkled.  “Cool, huh?”

She nodded.  “He asked me to do it with you.”

“Yeah?”
Nathan asked, a smile preparing to unleash on his lips.  She nodded.  He gave her a one-armed hug.  “Cool.  We’ll have a blast.”

Dylan stepped closer just as Joey convinced Leslie to dance.  Ethan leaned against the bar, sipping a soda.

“You’re doing the duet with him?”  Dylan asked.

“Yeah,” Sidney said.  “It’s exciting.  I’ve never done a duet before.”

Her happiness fell to her feet as she remembered the birthday gift Rob had given her.  They’d never recorded the duet – hadn’t had the chance.  They’d stopped speaking before they could arrange a time.

Not able to help it, her eyes shifted in Rob’s direction.  He was smiling at Melanie as she placed a hand on his chest.  With a shrug, he took that hand and led her to the dance floor. 

Sidney dropped her eyes as she took a long drink.

Dylan and Nathan watched Rob escort Melanie to the dance floor.

“Hmm,” Dylan said.

Nathan looked at him and nodded.  “I know, right?”

“What?” Sidney asked, looking between the two of them.

Clearing his throat, Ethan stepped closer.  “They think that there is something going on between you and Rob.  They think it’s odd that he’s dancing with another woman and not you.”

Sidney’s cheeks burned as she finished her drink and ordered another.

“What, do you guys have some sort of telepathic thing going on?” she asked, hoping to hide her uneasiness.

“No,” Ethan said.  “I think they’re on the right track, though.”

“There’s nothing going on between Rob and me,” Sidney said, gulping her drink.  The vodka was beginning to get to her head, making her a little dizzy.

“Something is,” Nathan said with a tight smile.  “I don’t know what, but there’s something.”

“And it’s none of our business,” Dylan said, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “So just ignore us.”

Not sure what to say, she finished her drink and ordered another.  All hopes of talking to Rob fled as she watched him hold Melanie close.

Joey returned without Leslie, bouncing over to them, full of energy.

“Leslie said to tell you that she’s working on that project,” Joey said, confusion clouding his eyes.

“Huh?” Sidney asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.  “But after our dance, she left me to talk to Peter Winthrope.”

“Oh, I know what project she’s talking about,” Sidney said, wishing she could muster a little more enthusiasm.  She glanced to her left and found Leslie in deep conversation with Peter.  She wished her friend well as she accepted another drink.

Two hours later, Sidney stood outside, soaking up the fresh air in hopes of chasing away her intoxication.

“Hey, Sid,” Nathan said as he held her arm.  “Do you want me to take you home?”

Sidney shook her head and regretted it immediately.

“Where’s Leslie?” Dylan asked.  “Didn’t the two of you come together?”

“She left,” Sidney slurred.  “She texted me.  It’s fine, though.  She’s hooking up, I think.”

All humor had left Joey’s eyes as he leaned against a sign post, watching Sidney though slanted lids.  “We’ll call you a cab.”

“Yeah,” Ethan said.  “One of us can ride with you; make sure you get home all right.”

She opened her mouth to respond but Rob stepped out on the sidewalk, arms folded over his chest, Chad right behind him. 
“Everything all right out here?”

His dark eyes fell on her face and held her gaze.  Tears built up behind her eyes like angry storm clouds, waiting to open.  Taking a deep breath, she stumbled toward him, Nathan catching her elbow.

“It’s fine,” she whispered, her tongue twisting on the words.

“You’re drunk, Sid?” he asked.

She lifted a shoulder.

“We’ll get her a cab, see that she makes it home okay,” Dylan said.  Rob
nodded, his eyes still on Sidney.  Something flashed inside them, making her heart jump.  She stepped toward him, wanting to say all kinds of things but not knowing what to say first.

“Listen, Rob,” she said as the doors opened, spilling
Lexie and Melanie out on the sidewalk.

“What’s going on?”
Lexie asked.  She spotted Sidney and frowned.  “Oh.”

Melanie watched Rob watch Sidney before sliding her eyes to
Lexie.  “What in the hell is going on, huh?  I mean, Lexie’s mad at Rob and Sidney.  Rob and Sidney aren’t speaking.  What happened?”

Sidney’s eyes pleaded with Rob and
Lexie, begging them to keep quiet.  She didn’t want her dirty laundry dumped all over the street for everyone to see.

Lexie
spun on her heel and stomped back inside as Rob tore his eyes from Sidney to smile at Melanie.  He took her hand.

“It’s nothing,” he said.
“Just creative differences.  Let’s get back to the party.”

“Want me to take you home, Sid?” Chad asked
, his concern etched in his face.

Not wanting to add to the drama, she shook her head.

Rob tugged Melanie toward the doors but paused to look over his shoulder.  “Get her home safe, huh guys?”

“No problem,” Nathan said, wrapping a protective arm around Sidney’s waist.

“Be careful, Sid,” Chad said before jogging to the doors.

“Come on,” Nathan whispered as tears flooded Sidney’s eyes.  “Let’s get you a cab.”
 

Nineteen

Sidney sobbed on Nathan’s shoulder all the way back to the cottage while Joey shot furtive glances at her from the front seat.  Dylan and Ethan whispered to each other, things Sidney couldn’t hear over her misery.

Once they were safely inside, Sidney bolted for the bathroom and made it just in time to expel the liquor she’d consumed.

“Oh, Sid,” Dylan said from the doorway.  “You okay now?”

Flushing, Sidney stood and rinsed her mouth in the sink.  “I’m sorry you guys.  Thanks for looking out for me.  I’m sorry you had to see me this way.”

Dylan pushed from the door frame to embrace her.  “I know we don’t know each other well, but I think it’s safe to say that we’re friends.  And friends take care of each other.”

Another torrent of tears threatened but she held them back.  She didn’t want to fall apart again.  She heard the other guys rattling around in the kitchen and decided at that moment that what she really needed was a strong cup of coffee.

“Come on,” Dylan said, seeming to read her mind.

They gathered in the kitchen where Ethan had started the coffee pot.  Once the coffee was ready, he found five cups in the cupboard and poured some for everyone.

“Do you want to tell us what’s going on?” Nathan asked.

Clutching the mug with both hands, she shook her head as she stared at the dark liquid.  “I’m sorry.  I know I owe you an explanation, but I’ve already opened my mouth too much.  That’s part of the problem.”

“Rob said that you guys had creative differences,” Ethan said.  “I think that’s bullshit.”

Jerking her head up, she stared at him, slack-jawed.  With a sigh, she took a sip and set her cup on the table.  “You’re right.”

“He usually is,” Joey said.  “Were you and Rob romantically involved?”

“No,” Sidney said.  “No. But we were really close.  We were best friends.  And then I said some things to Lexie that I shouldn’t have – things Rob didn’t want Melanie to know.”

“Melanie was the chick with Rob?” Joey asked.

“Yeah.  She’s his ex-wife.  They’re trying to work things out,” Sidney said, trying to explain without giving away too much information.  “And Lexie is Melanie’s best friend.”

“Let’s see if I got this right,” Ethan said as he leaned over the table.  “You told
Lexie stuff about Rob.  Lexie got mad at both of you because it probably had something to do with Melanie.  Then, Rob found out that you told Lexie and now he’s mad.”

Sidney gave him a rueful grin.  “That’s about the gist of it.”

“Wow,” Ethan said, returning the grin.  “I thought I was through with drama after I graduated.”

Slipping her hand in his, Nathan bumped her shoulder.  “Well, whatever all this bullshit is, I still think he cares about you.  He’s texted me a hundred times, making sure that we got you home safely.”

Sidney nodded, not sure what to do with that information.

Ethan finished his coffee and stood as a horn sounded.  “That’s our cab. Sid, if you’re all right, we need to get going.  You should get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Nathan said, giving her hand a squeeze before releasing it.  He, too, stood.  “I got your number from your phone.  I’ll give you a call tomorrow to see how you’re doing.”

“Thanks, guys,” she said, following them to the kitchen door.  “I appreciate it.”

They walked out the door, Joey pausing to point at the alarm.  “Be sure to set that.”

“I will.”

Grinning, he bent to place a kiss on her cheek.  “He’s an idiot if he doesn’t see what he could have,” he whispered before dashing outside to climb into the cab.  She waved once more before shutting the door and activating the alarm.

Once the cab was gone, she headed to bed, hoping to put the whole night behind her.

***

As June melted into July, work became a nightmare.  One worse than what had haunted her dreams in the past.  The job she’d once loved had turned into torture seemingly overnight.

Sidney refused to hide.  She refused to avoid.  She decided to just go in and go about her business.

Unfortunately,
Lexie decided that Sidney simply didn’t exist.

And Rob, he spoke to her only when necessary.  Chad took over her career, mapping out things that needed to be done, but not with any warmth or kindness.