Rookie (5 page)

“Yeah,” she said.  “The foster family didn’t care.  They received a check every month for me so they didn’t report me as a runaway.”

“Didn’t a caseworker or anyone come to check on you?”

Shrugging, she toyed with her empty glass.  Rob slid his glass to her.  Grinning, she sipped his drink.  “I’m sure that they did but the family probably lied to explain why I wasn’t there.”

Awkwardness hovered over them like a storm cloud, waiting to dump torrential rains.  Sidney took another drink.

“Where did you go when you left?” he asked.

“I found places,” she said.  “It was nice outside so I slept where I could, avoiding people and stuff.”

Horrified, he took the glass from her and drained it.  “What did you eat?  How did you take care of yourself?”

“I had a little money that I’d saved up,” she said.  “I had to get a job when I was living with the last family.  Plus, I worked odd jobs here and there when I could.  I managed.”

Speechless, Rob took the empty glasses into the house, giving Sidney a chance to collect her thoughts.  It wasn’t as though she was embarrassed by her past; it was just painful sometimes to think about it. She didn’t like to think about some of the places she’d lived – especially that last house…

She shuddered, wrapping her arms around her body just as Rob returned with the drinks.

“Here,” he said, sitting next to her.  “Um, I’m thinking after all this drinking that it would probably be for the best if you crashed here tonight.”

“Thanks,” she said, staring at the red, frozen concoction in her glass.  “But I can take a cab.”

“If you’re sure,” he said.

She nodded.  After telling her story, she felt a little…weird, and felt the need to be alone with her thoughts.

“So, how did you find out about this internship?” he asked.  “At Colberry?”

“Yes,” she said.  “But you see, I’d landed a job at a music store in Indy.  The owners were this cool, hippie sort of couple.  I guess they figured out that I was homeless because they let me stay in the back room and constantly brought me food.  Once I got into Colberry, I moved to a dorm.  I received aid and scholarships for school since I had no family and I worked at the music store when I could.”

He turned his head, staring out into the darkness as the sound of the gentle waves slapping the beach lulled them into silence.  She sipped her drink, waiting for some sort of response from him.

As if reading her mind, he turned toward her, slipping an arm around her shoulders.  “I have to say, Rookie, that you are an unbelievably strong person to go through that and still be as positive as you are.”

“I…,” she said, ducking her head.  “I don’t want you thinking all that about me.  I cried plenty of times.  I was scared.  I had no clue what I was going to do from day to day.”

“I understand that,” he said.  “But you’re a positive person now.  Some people, well, they’d not come out of that so … Let’s just say that some people would turn to drugs or alcohol or something like that.”

She grinned.  “I could never do that.  I mean, my dad played in a cover band and one of his band mates OD’d.  I remember Mom explaining to me what happened and how dangerous drugs were.  I was only a kid but I still remember that.  It stuck with me.”

“I wish I could have met your parents,” he said.

“Me, too,” she said.  Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him, causing his arm to fall off her shoulders.  “Now tell me something about you – something that I haven’t read about in a tabloid.”

“Me, huh?” he said.  “Hmm.  Well, there’s not much to tell.  I married early – nineteen – and divorced three years later.  Melanie and I are still friends, though.  I have an older sister who has two boys and is pregnant with her third.  My parents are divorced.  Mom lives in Florida and Dad is overseas with his computer company.”

“Yeah, I kind of already know that stuff,” Sidney said, frowning.  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Holding his glass to his lips, he released a breath before drinking.  He set his glass on the table.  “I don’t really talk to my dad, much.  Our relationship isn’t close, although I suppose the only reason why is because he’s so far away.”

She tilted her head.

“Not juicy enough, huh?  Want something to blackmail me with?”

“I wouldn’t blackmail you,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I know,” he laughed.  “How about, this:  My real name is Robert Francis Rosston.”

“Oh,” she said, stifling a giggle.  “Robert Francis.  That’s…nice.”

“Don’t laugh,” he warned.  “I’m named after both of my grandfathers.”

“I’m not laughing,” she said as a giggle escaped.  “Okay, maybe a little.  Sorry!”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, hugging her to his side.  “Let it all out now.”

She laughed fully, her head light from the alcohol and his nearness.  His scent, a mixture of rain and the outdoors, invaded her brain, intoxicating her more than the margaritas.

“Let’s finish our drinks and then we’ll get some sleep,” he said, releasing her from his embrace.  “Don’t call a cab.  I’ll run you home in the morning.”

She agreed, shaking off the disappointment of his withdrawal.  She had to get a grip on these weird feelings – and she had to do it fast.

Four

As Rob and Chad busied themselves with writing, Sidney picked up as much slack as she could.  Lexie, who mostly handled the Human Resources Department, pitched in, helping out when she was able.  Hectic though it was, Sidney returned to her little apartment every night exhausted but satisfied.  She’d always found solace in hard work and never shied away from it.

Thursday evening, after an especially tense day, she sat at the rickety table in her minute kitchen with an open notebook.  She stared at the pages, words and melodies whirring in her mind.  After a few minutes, she started to jot lyrics, the words just flowing through her fingers to her pencil and onto the page.  The words, mere expressions of the jangled emotions clogging her heart, began to sketch scenes of heartbreak and unrequited love.  As she wrote, she envisioned Rob singing the words on a stage and, as another scenario popped into her head, she could see a girl singing alongside him.

Her pencil froze over the paper as she frowned.  “Hmm,” she said.  “A duet.  Yeah.  That could work.”

She rubbed the eraser over two sections and refined the words.  Quickly, she mapped out notes and rhythms, wanting to record them before she lost the sound in her head.  The microwave clock numbers flipped and changed, marking time.  When at last she looked up, it was well past midnight but her new song was pretty much roughed out and just needed a little refining and editing.  Happy, she tucked her notebook back into her bag and headed off to bed.

Just as she’d drifted off to slumber, her landline rang, bringing a groan to her lips as she tossed back the sheet and stumbled to the kitchen.  Seeing an unfamiliar number on the display, she decided to let the call go to voicemail.  She waited until the red light flashed before lifting the handset and punching in her code.

“Sidney, I don’t know why you feel the need to ignore me,” growled a rough voice.  Sidney bit her lip.  “We have things to discuss.  You can’t just take off for California and not talk to me.  That’s no way to treat someone you love.  Call me back at this number so we can talk about this.  I know you’ve been under stress so I’ll forgive you this time – but only if you call me back right away.”

Slightly shaken, she deleted the message before replacing the handset and sinking to a kitchen chair. 

“How did he get this number?” she mumbled, her face in her hands.  She took several long, deep breaths, steadying her strumming pulse.

Of course he’d found her.  He wasn’t an idiot – he knew how to use the Internet.  She’d been the stupid one to not choose to make her number unlisted.  She should have figured that a man like Grant wouldn’t let her slip away that easily.  He was going to grumble and moan and possibly threaten her until he was satisfied that he’d gotten the upper hand.  She could change her number but maybe it was best to let him get it all out on her voice mail.  Once he was satiated, he’d move on to the next unfortunate soul and leave her alone.

Hoping she was right, she stumbled back to bed.

***

“Let’s try it again the other way and see how it sounds,” Rob barked as he situated the sheet music on the stand in front of him.  “I think it will work better.”

“You’re the boss,” Bruno said, shooting a wink at Lexie and Sidney who were sitting on the piano in the rehearsal room, watching the magic unfold.

Lexie’s phone beeped, signaling a text.  Her eyes widened as a laugh escaped her lips.  She’d been texting most of the morning, giggling at messages and snorting while sending a reply.  Sidney hadn’t a clue to who Lexie was conversing and didn’t want to pry.  She figured it was one of Lexie’s many friends.

The band started playing again, attracting Sidney’s attention.  She couldn’t keep her eyes from drifting to Rob, though when she caught herself outright staring, she shifted her gaze to one of the others, hoping that Lexie hadn’t noticed.  Fortunately, Lexie was consumed with her text conversation and barely paid much attention to what was happening around them.  They’d both taken a welcome break to watch Society Lost rehearse their new music.  It was a sort of learning experience for Sidney who hadn’t had much opportunity to watch music develop in this way.  She drank it all in, committing it to memory for future use.

“All right,” Rob sighed once they’d finished the song and he’d made some notes, “let’s call it a day.  We can pick up tomorrow where we left off.”

“No problem,” Paul said as he set his guitar in a stand.  “Tracy is chomping at the bit to do furniture shopping.”

“Ha!” Bruno said, spinning a drumstick in his fingers.  “Sucks to be all domesticated and shit, huh?”

“Jealous?” Paul asked, lifting a brow.

“Not in the least,” Bruno said as he walked around his drum set, still spinning a stick.  “I am a confirmed bachelor.  Lifelong member of the Bachelor Brotherhood.”

“Is there such a thing?” Chad asked.

“No,” Paul snorted.  “Well, maybe in Bruno World there is.”

“Whatever,” Bruno said.  “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.  Same time?”

“Yeah,” Rob said, slightly distracted.  His phone was beeping, indicating several text messages.  He stared at the screen, reading each one, a crooked smile appearing on his lips.

“I knew it,” Lexie leaned in to whisper to Sidney.  “I just told Mel that the guys were done for the day and she immediately starts texting Rob.”

“Mel?” Sidney asked, her heart sinking.

“Melanie,” Lexie said.  “Rob’s ex-wife.  They may be divorced but they text all the time.  They still have a thing for each other.”

Sidney nodded, not trusting
herself to comment.  Besides, by the moony, glowing expression on Lexie’s face, it was quite obvious that Lexie hoped for reconciliation between her cousin and his ex.

“You’re friends with Melanie?” Sidney asked as she slid off the piano, wanting to get back to work to avoid this conversation but unable to stop from asking.

“Oh, yeah,” Lexie said as she hopped down.  “Me and Mel have been friends since high school.  That’s how Rob and Mel met – through me.  It was all so cool high school back then – me and my cousin’s best friend dating and my cousin and my best friend dating.”

“Oh, I see,” Sidney said, forcing a smile. 

Lexie looped her arm through Sidney’s as they left the rehearsal room and headed for the elevator.  “I can’t wait for you to meet, Mel.  You’ll love her. She’s so fun.”

Sidney’s stomach lurched but she managed to keep her face passive.  “Yeah.  Um, where is Melanie now?”

“San Francisco,” Lexie said.  “She works for a high end department store.  She’s in charge of buying fashion or something like that.”

“Oh,” Sidney said.  “That sounds interesting.”

“Yeah, she was always into clothes and stuff,” Lexie said.  “She’s been with this particular store for years.  I guess now they’re thinking of opening a boutique in LA and she might move back here to run it.”

“That would be wonderful for you,” Sidney said as the elevator doors opened, depositing them on their floor.  Sidney paused in front of Rob’s office, hoping to signal the end of the conversation.  She had
work to do.  Lots of work.  Work that she wanted to focus on and nothing else.

“It would be wonderful,” Lexie said.  “She only comes to town about once a month and then usually, she hangs out with Rob.”

Sidney smiled as she opened the office door.  “I need to get these reports done for Rob.  I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay,” Lexie said with a little wave.  “Let’s do something this weekend.”

“Sure,” Sidney said, slipping into the office and shutting the door.  Leaning against the cool wood, she closed her eyes, gently banging her head.  How had she managed to get herself into such a situation?  She was jealous because her friend, who also happened to be her boss, was texting his ex-wife?  She didn’t want to hear that they still had feelings for each other.  She didn’t want to even think that they might reconcile.

“Stupid idiot,” Sidney said, not entirely sure if she meant herself or Rob.  Moving away from the door, she walked around the desk and sat, turning on the computer.  She brought up the stats she’d been working on and forced her brain to concentrate.  She didn’t want to think about Rob’s private life. She didn’t want to think about how ‘fun’ Melanie was.  She didn’t want to think about Rob and Melanie spending time together.