Rookie (6 page)

Tightening her ponytail, Sidney stared at the screen, compelling her mind to study the stats and process them.  Just as she was about to reach her goal, the door swung open to admit Rob, cell phone pressed to his ear, a weird little smile on his face.

“Yeah, sounds good,” he said, freezing when he spotted Sidney at his desk.  “Um, give me a call that Friday morning and let me know what time you’ll be here.”

After a quick goodbye, he ended his call and tucked his phone into his pocket.  “Sorry, Rookie, I didn’t know you were in here.  I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

“No,” she said, prodding her lips into what she hoped was a reassuring smile.  “Just working on the stats that you wanted.”

“Oh, good,” he said, dropping into the chair in front of the desk.  “What have you got so far?”

Sidney turned the laptop so he could read the numbers on the screen.  She briefly explained them to him while he listened, his eyes following her finger as she pointed.

“Not too bad,” he said as a slight frown of concentration marred his face.  “I was hoping for something better but I wasn’t expecting it to be this promising.”

“This new band already has a following on their website,” Sidney explained.  “I’ve been tracking their followers and the comments.  It’s optimistic.”

“Great. Their first single made it to the top ten and I’m hoping the next single we release will do just as well,” Rob said, leaning back in the chair.  “The CD is set to be released next week.”

“What about that young band that you found?” she asked, ignoring the intensity of his blue eyes.

He grinned.  “Two of them are about to graduate and their parents are insistent that they finish high school before they sign.”

“Wow, that young, huh?”

“Yep,” Rob said.  “The other three are a year or two older and they are willing to wait a month or two.”

“Are you willing to wait for them?” Sidney asked.

“Absolutely,” Rob said, rubbing the side of his face with his hand. “They’re good, Rookie.  I mean really good.  I don’t want someone else to snap them up before we get them to sign.  They’re committed to us as of right now.  I just hope they don’t start shopping labels while we wait.”

“I’m sure you charmed them just fine,” Sidney said.

His left brow rose.  “Charmed them?”

“Yes,” Sidney said, a flush warming her cheeks.  “You can turn on the charm on cue, didn’t you know?”

“Hmm, I guess I didn’t realize,” he said.

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes.  “I’m sure you use it to your advantage.”

He laughed a deep, throaty laugh that sent her heart to her neck.  “Okay, Rookie.  Whatever you say.”

Something inside of her twisted, as though unscrewing the lid off a jar of butterflies, setting them free to flutter inside her chest.  This was not good.  No, not at all.

***

When she let herself into her apartment that night, her head was pounding with every step she took.  She hurried into the kitchen, grabbed a glass out of the dish drainer, and filled it with cold water from the tap.  Sipping the water, she opened a cabinet to retrieve a bottle of pain reliever, popping on into her mouth and chasing it down.  Setting her glass in the sink, her eyes drifted to the phone where the little red light was blinking.

“Wonderful,” she said, lifting the handset to retrieve her messages.

“Sidney, I don’t appreciate your game playing.  I told you before that I don’t chase women.  If you want me, then you’d better call me tonight.  I’m tired of waiting around, trying to figure out what you want.”

She deleted the message before it finished and played the next.

“Sidney, stop being a little bitch.  I know you got all pissed because of that last night we were together but what the hell do you expect?  If a guy and a girl are going to be together, then they’re going to have sex…”

She pressed the delete button with a shaky finger just as his voice grew louder.  The next two messages were more of the same, accusing her of playing games and cheating.

Once every message was erased, she replaced the handset and leaned against the counter, wondering what she should do.  Sure, she could call the police but what would they say?  That he’s a hurt young man who is just expressing his pain in voice messages?  He was still in Indiana while she was across country in California.  Which brought up another point – which police department would she call, anyway?

Comforted by the thought that he was indeed all the way across country and not able to make good on his threats, she ambled to the living room and sank to the sofa.  Yeah, he was so far away and it frustrated him.  She was out of his reach and therefore out of his control.

Resting her head on the back of the sofa, she closed her eyes, recalling the day she’d met Grant Perthe at the Colberry School of Music.  Tall and handsome, he’d caught her eye immediately but her interest hadn’t been perked until he spoke to her in a gentle voice, complimenting her on a piano piece she’d performed in class one day.

After that, they’d met frequently for coffee, discussing class and classmates.  He’d seemed so fun and open and sincere.  He’d finally asked her out one snowy, January day and they’d gone to the Civic Center to hear a local orchestra.  Afterwards, they’d walked the paths around the Center, not mindful of the cold, talking about life.  So hungry had she been for love and romance, she’d opened up to him, explaining about her last foster family and how Hugh Edmund had stumbled into her bedroom on more than one occasion, drunk and feeling amorous.  Grant had been horrified, wanting to know where this Hugh lived so he could “kick his ass.”  Touched, Sidney had assured him that, although Hugh had touched her inappropriately, he’d never escalated to the point of no return.  She’d run off before that could happen.

He’d been so kind and warm, tentatively holding her close to his side.  She had thought, at that moment, that she was falling in love with him.

Things had gone wonderfully.  He’d call her, send her flowers, and take her out.  Then, after a month of dating, she applied for the internship.  That’s when things began to change…

Shaking her head, she wiped out the memories.  She’d left that life behind – no need to relive it.

Her headache still present, she decided to soak in the tub for a bit, hoping to wash away the stress of the day.

As the hot water and the fragrant bubbles covered her body, she closed her eyes, allowing her limbs to relax.  A tiny smile formed on her lips as she let her mind free itself of all worries.  She focused only on scenes from faraway islands with brilliant blue waters and pale, sandy beaches.  She could almost hear the cries from the gulls, diving for fish and circling the ocean.  Her breathing slowed to a calm, easy flow, letting impurities and negativities leave her body.

But the tranquility wasn’t meant to be.  After a short while, Rob snuck back into her thoughts.  Rob with a tall, slim, willowy blonde who Sidney envisioned to be Melanie.  In her mind, the handsome couple held hands while strolling on that faraway beach,
pausing every few steps to kiss as the gulls flew overhead.  Waves slapped gently as their bare feet sank into the bleached sand.

“Son of a bitch,” she groaned.  Holding her breath, she sank further under the bubbles until only the top of her head was visible.  But she could only stay there for so long.  Emerging, she wiped the bubbles off her face and opened her eyes.  “So much for a bath.”

Climbing out of the tub, she wrapped up in a towel and wiped the mist from the mirror.  Staring at her reflection, she wondered what she was going to do about her growing feelings for Rob.

“This has to stop, Sidney,” she said, frowning at the woman in the mirror.  “You have to nip it in the bud.  You cannot allow it to continue.”

Disgusted, she dried her body and slipped into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt.  After draining the tub, she brushed her teeth and retired for the night.  Lying in her bed, she fought thoughts of Rob but gave up eventually.  It was no use – no matter what, he was there.

“I’ll get over it,” she said, rolling to her side.  “It’s just a little crush, that’s all.  Easy.  I’ve gone through worse and got over that.  I can master this.”

With those optimistic thoughts floating in her head, she drifted off to sleep.

Five

“How much longer?” Rob asked, drumming his fingers on the desk while Sidney rechecked her figures.

“Just give me a second,” she said, growing impatient with his dark mood.  A meeting with investors had him on edge.  His claim that he didn’t like to deal with ‘suits’ coupled with the fact that he was desperate to get into the studio to start recording put him on edge and made it near impossible to work with him.

“Okay,” he said as he stood to pace.  He glanced at his watch.  “But they’re supposed to be here in twenty minutes.”

“It won’t take that long,” Sidney said as she began printing reports.  His pacing seemed to increase with every page that the printer spit.

Just as he began collecting the papers, his intercom buzzed.

“What now?” he growled as he jabbed a button.  “What?”

“Is Sidney in your office?” Leslie asked, oblivious to Rob’s barked greeting.

“Yes,” Rob said, shooting a dark look at Sidney.

“She has a long distance call on line two.”

Startled, Sidney picked up the handset and pushed a flashing button, all the while, very aware of Rob’s glowering face.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Sidney,” Grant growled.  “What the hell?  Why haven’t you called me back?”

Sidney’s heart skipped a beat and skidded as she chanced a frightened look at Rob.  “This is not a good time, Grant.  I’m working.”

“I know you’re working,” he said.  “Everyone around here knows you landed that cool job in LA.  Stop gloating.”

“I’m not,” she said, keeping her voice low.  Rob turned away to collect the rest of his report.  “Look, I’ll call you later, okay?  I have to work right now.”

“You won’t call,” Grant said, his voice growing louder.  “You haven’t returned a call since you got there.  You’re screwing around, aren’t you?  Huh?”

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she turned her back on Rob, hoping to quickly end the conversation.  “I’m not doing any such thing.  Listen to me, I’ll call you when I get home and we’ll talk about this, okay?  I can’t right now.  I’m in the middle of something.”

“Lying little bitch,” Grant said.

“I promise, I will,” she said, resigned to the fact that she would have to call him and confront his accusations if she wanted to prevent him from calling the studio again.  “Promise.  Now I have to go.  Talk to you later.”

She hung up before Grant could respond and sent up a little prayer that he wouldn’t call back.

“Boyfriend?” Rob asked as he tapped the stack of papers on the desk.

“No,” Sidney said, returning to the computer screen.  She didn’t dare look at him.

“Sure about that?  Because it sort of sounded like it to me.”

The teasing tone in his voice didn’t escape her notice but still she refused to meet his eye.  “It’s just Grant, that’s all.  He’s not a boyfriend.  He’s just a … an annoying someone from back home.”

“Ah,” Rob said, sitting sideways on the desk.  “Little Sidney left a trail of broken hearts back in Indiana.”

“No,” Sidney said firmly, lifting her eyes to his.  “It’s nothing like that.”

The reckless grin slipped from his face only to be replaced with concern.  “Is this guy bothering you, Sid?”

She shook her head, dropping her eyes to her desk.  “No, not really.  I mean, he thinks that there is something between us but I told him before I left that there wasn’t.  He’s upset, that’s all.  He just wants to talk about it.”

She raised her face, hoping to see belief on his.  But his concerned eyes softened as he studied her.

“Are you sure?  Because if he’s bothering you, we can take care of that,” he said.

Shaking her head again, a nervous smile appeared.  “It’s nothing.  I’ll take care of it tonight and he won’t call here again.”

Slipping off the desk, he continued to look at her, uncertainty lingering in the lines of his face.  “Okay, but if it becomes a problem, just let me know.  All right?”

“Sure,” she said.

With a wink, he waved the papers at her as he headed for the door.  “Thanks.”

Once he left, she collapsed on the desk, resting her head on her arms.  She should have known that Grant would get desperate and call her at work.  It hadn’t been a secret where she’d gone – he was right about that.  The tiny circle of people that they’d run around with had known that she’d accepted an internship with Ross Records.  She could only hope that if she called him tonight, it would all end and he’d leave her alone.

***

Sidney spent the rest of her morning trying to put Grant’s call out of her head.  Every time the phone rang she worried that it was him, stirring up more trouble.  But he must have believed that she would call later for he left her alone for the rest of the day.

Lexie peeked her head into the office around one that afternoon.

“Hey, how about we run to the deli for some food.  I’m starved.”