The Carol Wyatt Collection
Page 33
“That's the hardest part... It'll come if you keep writing. It's like anything else. You just have to keep practicing. It'll get easier the more you write.”
“I just hate the fact that people don't take me seriously because I don't write my own songs,” Christina said, bringing her beer to her lips.
“I know what you mean... I get the same thing. I'm just a songwriter.”
“I've heard you play the piano. You're incredibly talented and I bet you can sing too.”
“Thanks, but I won't make you suffer through my singing.”
Christina shrugged. “After a few more of these,” she said glancing down at the beer in her hand. “You never know.”
“It's not happening,” Hailey said with a laugh. “And trust me, that's for the best.”
“Okay. I won't push it... I do think I need a break though. Do you mind if I jump in the pool?”
“Not at all.”
“Feel free to join me,” Christina said as she padded over to the steps. “You can borrow one of my bikinis.”
“I'm good for now. Thanks.”
Hailey watched Christina dive under the water as she took another drink. They'd made a lot of progress, but they still had more work to do. Hailey had always thought Christina had an amazing voice and Hailey remembered her posting a video on social media on National Coming Out Day last year saying that she was bi.
Hailey still found it hard to believe that she'd probably end up calling Christina a friend after this trip. Christina had already mentioned working together again, even though they hadn't finished this song. She said she wanted to write a song about the woman she's interested in, and she wanted to co-write it with Hailey.
Christina was so down to earth and easy to work with that Hailey already agreed to it. The only thing bothering Hailey right now was the fact that Lauren wasn't involved in any of this. They didn't do everything together. Lauren had her own YouTube channel and played her own gigs, but this was a big break, and Hailey wished Lauren could be benefiting from it too.
Hailey's phone buzzed on the lounger beside her leg.
“Hey, Elle.”
“Hi. How's it going?”
“Good. Really well, actually.”
“I'm glad... If you're busy, I can call later.”
“No. It's okay. I'm on a bit of a break, lounging by the pool, so your timing is perfect. How's everything with you?”
“Hectic. When one problem gets solved another seems to pop up, but it's always that way with launches.”
“You'll figure it out,” Hailey said, swallowing the words that she really wanted to say: I miss you.
“Everybody knows what's at stake, so we're all working extra hard to make sure everything's taken care of before the launch... Anyway, enough about work... Will I get to see you this weekend?”
“I don't think so... Sorry. I thought I'd be back Saturday, but Christina wants me to stay another few days... Maybe even until next weekend.”
“Oh okay... It must be going well then?”
“Yeah. Christina's actually really easy to work with, but she's never written her own songs before so we're taking our time.”
“I'll let you get back to it then.”
“Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.”
Hailey hung up as Christina surfaced from a lap, her arms resting on the edge of the pool.
“You sure you don't want to come in? It's so refreshing... I think this is definitely going to help my writer's block.”
“You know what? I will.”
“There's a few bikinis in the second drawer on the left when you're in my walk-in closet. Take whichever one you want. We're probably the same size.”
“Thanks,” Hailey said as she took another drink and slid her feet into her flip flops to head inside.
Chapter Thirty-One
“So, have you heard from Hailey lately?” Matt asked, signalling to the waiter for another round.
“Yeah. I called her yesterday,” Elle said, finishing her glass of wine. “She's staying in L.A. for another week.”
“Really? That's good news. It must be going well with Christina Clayton.”
“Yeah...”
“Do you miss her?”
“Of course... We had this one amazing night... and day... together and then she got on a plane the next day. Yeah. I miss her.”
“It's a great opportunity,” Matt said, turning his attention to the waiter who brought over their drinks. “Thanks.”
“I know it is... I guess... I don't know. I'm nervous.”
“About what? Getting serious with her?”
“No. Christina Clayton is what's worrying me... She came out as bi last year.”
“Elle, not everyone cheats.”
“That's the thing. Hailey would be perfectly entitled to. We're not together. We went on one date and we slept together...”
“So? Hailey's crazy about you.”
Elle took a drink. “Christina Clayton is beautiful. She's Hailey's age. She's a musician... They're spending all day together, making music. What can I say? I'm worried.”
“Don't be. You're staying in touch, right?”
“Mostly texts. We're both busy and I don't want to seem desperate.”
“So, talk when she gets back. I know Hailey really cares about you. Her eyes light up when you're around and I have to say... I think you're equally smitten. You just need to be patient.”
“Yeah,” Elle agreed, sitting back in her chair.
“She'll be back in a week. Things will go back to normal then.”
“I hope so... I can't wait to have this launch behind me too. I don't know why I put myself under so much pressure.”
“Because you love what you do.”
Elle smiled. “And it pays extremely well.”
“That too,” Matt said, smiling back her.
Elle did love what she did. She'd always worked hard, but lately, in the last few days, she found herself thinking about what it would be like to take some time off. She knew it was because of Hailey. She'd never had anything to distract her. Everything revolved around work and building up her businesses, finding a buyer, and starting the cycle all over again. Now, she was thinking about what it would be like to take a few months off and travel.
If anyone had suggested she take time off even just a few months ago, she wouldn't have given it any serious thought. Why take a break? She loved creating software that would help companies build their businesses faster and more efficiently.
This was the first time in her life that taking a break sounded like a good idea, and that was because she knew how she'd spend it. She could wake up with Hailey like she had last weekend, with nowhere to be, with time for long showers, with no interruptions.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hailey walked a little faster, weaving her way through the crowded street on her way to West 59th Street where her tour was supposed to begin in twenty minutes. She'd slept in after her flight last night, but she was glad to be back, even if the first thing she had to do on Monday morning was get to work.
Her phone, vibrating in the pocket of her black skinny jeans. She pulled it out, surprised to see her boss's number coming up.
“Hello.”
“Hailey. Can you stop by the office?”
“Now? I have a tour starting in twenty minutes.”
“Jake's covering it.”
“Okay... Yeah. I'll be there.”
Hailey hung up, wondering why she was needed at the office. She paused and stepped to the side of the street, checking her maps app. She hadn't been to the office since the day she interviewed for this job. She couldn't even remember where it was.
*****
Fifteen minutes later she was knocking on the door of her manager’s office.
“Come in.”
Hailey opened the door to a room that wasn't much bigger than a closet, the door swinging open and banging against a filing cabinet.
“Have a seat.”
“What can I do for you?” Hailey asked with a smile.
“Unfortunately, Hailey, there's nothing you can do. I called you in to formally let you know that you won't be working for us anymore.”
“What? Why?”
“There was a complaint filed.”
“About me?”
“Well, your name wasn't mentioned but by process of elimination... Yes, the complaint was against you.”
Hailey tried to keep her cool.
“What was the complaint?”
“There's been an influx of tourists on Joralemon Street, and apparently, that's because you've been suggesting our customers visit this quiet, residential area in search of a fake building. Is that true?”
“Yes, but I'm just doing my job,” Hailey blurted out. “I like to throw in some interesting facts about the city.”
“Well, a resident on that street wasn't happy and I assured them that our tour company would no longer be recommending the street and that I'd fire the guide responsible.”
“Come on... Surely, I can get a warning or something.”
“I'm afraid not... I didn't need to approve your sudden two-week vacation, but I did. I'm not the bad guy here. I just can't make this one go away.”
“How did this even happen? What proof is there?”
“This woman asked several people who seemed to be wandering her street what they were looking for, thinking they were lost. They all said the same thing. We sent them. Our tour... So, I'm sorry, Hailey. I have to let you go.”
“Okay,” Hailey said with a sigh and she stood up.
“I am sorry.”
“I know... Thanks for giving me those two weeks... It might have opened up a whole other career for me.”
“Good luck.”
Hailey left the tiny office and walked back outside, her day now completely free. She should probably go straight home and make a plan. Luckily, she was pretty frugal with money. She had some cash put away, but her time in L.A. took a chunk out of her savings. She'd just paid rent, so that was one positive. She'd figure it out. She always did. Maybe this would give her the push she needed to put herself out there, to start acting like a full-time song writer.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Elle had taken Matt's advice and tried her best to relax and stop worrying about Hailey and Christina Clayton. Hailey had sent her a text this morning saying she was back, but she called again a few hours later asking if she was free and Elle suggested she come over.
Elle couldn't keep the smile off her face when she opened the door and Hailey was standing in front of her in all black, wearing skinny jeans and a tank top, her hair tied up in a messy bun.
“Hey, so you made it back okay?” Elle asked, stepping aside to let her in.
“Hi... Yes. L.A. was fun but I'm glad to be back home.” Hailey didn't hesitate, her hand moving to Elle's waist as she came in, kissing her softly on the lips. “And I missed you,” she said with a smile as she pulled away.
“I missed you too.”
Elle exercised every bit of willpower she had not to back Hailey up against the wall and deepen the kiss. The two weeks she'd been in L.A. had gone by at an agonizingly slow pace. Even though Elle was kept busy with work, she still couldn't wait for Hailey to get back.
“I thought you'd be at work.”
“I should be, but I decided to work from home today.”
“The benefits of having a home office...”
“I'm actually on the rooftop today,” Elle said as she started climbing the stairs.
“I won't stay long then,” Hailey said. “I don't want to distract you”.
Elle smiled to herself. “I can't even pretend that you wouldn't...”
They climbed the three flights of stairs up to the rooftop where Elle was set up at the table with the umbrella up, shading her laptop. Without those stairs, Elle knew she'd be ten pounds heavier, so she didn't mind the workout every time she wanted to get another bottle of water from the fridge in the kitchen or answer the door.
“So, what did I miss while I was gone?” Hailey asked, sitting down on the white sofa beside Elle.
“Well, not a whole lot. I've been working long hours... I still found time to meet up with Matt like we do every week for dinner or a few drinks. Oh... I don't know if you ever noticed, but the last few weeks there's been a lot more people on this street. Tourists... I stopped a few of them thinking they were lost, but they all said the same thing. They were looking for a fake building that was actually a subway ventilation system... I knew it was a few doors down, but it never got this much attention before, so I asked them how they heard about it and apparently the tour they'd been on was suggesting it as a fun thing to do: find this building.”
“Really...”
“Yeah and I get that, but this is a quiet street, and half the time they were in front of my house, looking for this building... Anyway, it won't be a problem anymore.”
“Why's that?”
“I got the name of the tour company and they assured me that it wouldn't be on their list of attractions in the future.”
“I better get going...”
Elle watched Hailey stand up. “So soon?”
“Yeah. I just remembered I have to meet Lauren. I promised her.”
“Okay... Let me know what night you're free this week,” Elle said, following Hailey to the door. “I'll make sure I finish up early that night and maybe we can get together...”
“Sure,” Hailey said as she opened the door. “I'll call you...”
“I'll walk you out.”
“No. It's okay,” she said quickly. “I'll show myself out. I don't want to distract you anymore than I already have.”
“Bye,” Elle called after her, but she was already half way down the stairs.
Elle walked back over to her laptop, her hands on her waist as she stood beside the table.
What was that about? I hope she didn't feel like she had to leave.
Elle sat down and tried to get back to what she'd been working on, but she had an uneasy feeling sitting at the bottom of her stomach.
Chapter Thirty-Four
In the two weeks that Hailey had been back in Brooklyn, she'd been working non-stop. She figured out how to set up a website and social media accounts just for her new venture: piano lessons. She used the photos Matt had taken of her and dove in head first, trying to sign as many people up as possible. She needed money fast and so far, she had three clients who had signed up for a month of lessons to start with.
Hailey wasn't just working on setting up a new income stream. Lauren had suggested taking their idea of becoming a duet seriously. They even had a name now, City Nights, and they'd both gotten up early to meet Matt in Dumbo, a neighborhood a few streets over from their apartment. Dumbo was short for Down Under The Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and Matt suggested having a photo shoot there where their backdrop would be the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building in the distance. It was a popular spot for selfies, so they had to get their early to have a few minutes to themselves.
Lauren had suggested calling Matt, but Hailey wasn't so sure. She hadn't spoken to Elle since she'd left her house two weeks ago, but Hailey didn't mention what had happened to Lauren. It was embarrassing, and she just didn't want to get into it. They had bigger things to focus on, like their duet, and getting some professional shots to use for their band promo. Hailey did point out that they wouldn't be able to afford Matt, but Lauren insisted on asking him.
“Okay,” Matt said, checking the photos he'd just taken. “Lauren, why don't you drape your arm across Hailey's shoulder for the next few shots. Perfect.”
They'd both spent a few extra minutes this morning working on their hair and makeup, knowing that these photos might have to do them for a while. Hailey was wearing ripped black jeans, leather boots and a gray tank top, her eye makeup smokey, and her hair down in l
oose curls. Lauren had a black leather jacket on over her white top and gray pants. Hailey thought they looked good, but it was the photographer who was going to make this really work. Matt had done such an amazing job with the photos he'd taken of her by the piano in Elle's living room that Hailey had no doubt that these were going to be exactly what they were looking for.