by Carol Wyatt
“Great,” Matt said, walking towards them. “I want to get a few shots of each you separately, if that's okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” Lauren said.
“You can go first,” Hailey said as she gave them some space and Matt directed her, keeping the view of The Manhattan Bridge and The Empire State Building behind her. She watched Matt crouch down, and then move in for a few close ups, before waving Hailey over for her turn.
“So, have you seen Elle since you got back?” Matt asked.
“Yeah...”
“I know she was busy with the launch.”
“I don't want to talk about her,” Hailey said, tousling her hair as she got ready to pose. “Sorry.”
“Why?”
Hailey sighed. “It's almost unbelievable really,” she said with a laugh. “It really is.”
“What happened?”
“I came back from L.A. Sunday night and got up to go to work Monday morning only to find out that someone filed a complaint against me. She got me fired.”
“What?”
“I'm busting my ass now to make next month's rent, giving lessons every day.”
“She did what?” Matt asked, his camera down by his side now.
“Yeah. I didn't even know it was her until I was over at her house. She was so proud of herself for getting rid of the tourists that she said were on her street trying to find that fake building. The one with the blacked-out windows... I mentioned it a few times on my tours.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah so I can't even talk to her right now. I know I should be happy. Everything is happening. I'm writing songs with Christina Clayton, Lauren and I are working together, but instead... I'm worrying about money and the woman I was falling for is the reason for it.”
“She couldn't have known,” Matt said softly, trying to defend his best friend.
“It's too late now... I'm just fed up and I need to focus on all of this.”
Matt nodded. “Okay. I'm sorry about your job and Elle... But you're right. We need to wrap this up before this street is full of people taking selfies.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Elle left the office early today and as soon as she got home, she filled a tumbler with ice and poured herself a generous glass of whiskey. Matt had sent her a text on the way home, asking her if she was free to meet up, so she told him to meet her here. He'd be here any minute, probably wanting to celebrate, but Elle wasn't in the mood.
The launch was a success. Everything ran smoothly yesterday morning when their new software went live, and Elle knew she should be celebrating, but the whiskey in her hand wasn't for that.
If she didn't have so much work to do in the last two weeks, she didn't know how she would've gotten through all these days without hearing back from Hailey. After she left Elle on the rooftop two weeks ago, Hailey never called, and she didn't answer the few texts that Elle had sent her.
The only thing she could think was that she was right.
Something had happened with Christina Clayton, and Hailey couldn't handle ending things with me to my face. She just stopped talking to me instead. So much for being mature...
Elle brought her tumbler to her lips, taking a long drink, when her doorbell rang, and she padded down the hall to answer it.
“Hey,” Elle said, letting Matt in.
“Hi... It's a bit early for that?” Matt asked, looking down at the tumbler in her hand. “Unless we're celebrating?”
“No. It's three o'clock. Since when is that too early?”
“Are you okay?” Matt asked when they went into the living room.
“Yeah. I was going to ask you the same thing though. You look... I don't know. Anxious, or something. What's going on?”
“I saw Hailey yesterday...”
Elle took another drink as she sat down on the couch.
“When was the last time you talked to her?” Matt asked, sitting down beside her.
“Two weeks ago. She won't answer my calls,” Elle said with a shrug. “What am I supposed to do? I guess we're done, although, I thought she'd have the decency to say it to my face.”
“Elle, she's pissed.”
“She is? What about me?”
“You got her fired.”
“Wait, what??”
Elle froze, replaying Matt's words in her head.
Matt nodded. “She got back from L.A. and went into work, but they fired her.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
“You filed a complaint with one of the tour companies in Manhattan? About the tourists wandering around this street?”
Elle nodded.
“That was her. She was a tour guide, and she also happened to be the one who recommended that fake building a few doors down as something interesting to check out.”
“Oh my God,” Elle said, lifting a shaky hand to her face. “No... No wonder she won't talk to me... She has to know that I didn't know it was her...”
“She's fed up and working like crazy to make up for it...”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. I took some photos for Lauren and her yesterday. I could tell something was wrong, but she has all these amazing things going for her too. Writing with Christina Clayton, getting gigs with Lauren... and they've got this show coming up. It's tomorrow night. Their first as City Nights. They're opening for Christina Clayton... She's having a surprise gig. There's only a few hundred tickets available,” Matt said, reaching into his jeans pocket. “And I have one.”
“They're opening for Christina Clayton?”
“Yeah. It's in this tiny venue. I can't even remember the name of it... Somewhere she played before she got famous. Here,” Matt said, holding out the ticket.
Elle stared at it.
“Take it,” Matt insisted.
“Thanks, but I don't know...”
“Show up tomorrow night and surprise Hailey... Beg for forgiveness. Do whatever you need to do, but there's obviously been a huge misunderstanding.”
Elle took another drink before reaching for the ticket. “Thanks, Matt. I don't know what I'd do without you...”
Matt wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. “Just don't let this go without explaining yourself.”
“I hope it's not too late...”
Elle brought her tumbler to her lips, tears threatening to fall as she tried to figure out how she was going to make this right. Hailey probably thought she was a complete asshole.
Tomorrow night...
Chapter Thirty-Six
Hailey finished sound checking with Lauren, still not quite believing that this room would be full in just a few hours. She stood up and left the piano to stand at the center of the stage where Lauren would be, looking out at the empty room. It was going to be a standing gig, but there was a balcony overlooking the main area with seats and a bar at the very back of the room. She tried to imagine what it would be like when they opened for Christina Clayton.
Christina's team were just announcing the concert now on social media, and there'd be a scramble for tickets with just a few hundred available. The crowd would be excited, and it was Lauren and Hailey's job to entertain them before Christina came on.
Hailey didn't know what was crazier, the fact that Lauren and her were finally playing a gig together and it was going to be here, in this iconic venue, or that she was going to be opening for Christina Clayton, someone she'd been listening to for years. The whole thing was surreal, and Hailey hoped that her nerves didn't get the better of her.
“Hey,” Lauren said, coming up from behind her to put her arm around her shoulder. “This is really happening, isn't it?”
“Yeah...” Hailey turned to face her. “I can't believe it.”
“You guys ready?” Christina said, coming out onto the stage.
“Yes,” they said together.
“You must be Lauren,” Christina said, her hand outstretched. “I'm Christina.”
Hailey smiled as she watched Lau
ren try to keep it together. She was an even bigger fan than Hailey was.
“Nice to meet you,” Lauren said with a smile. “I can't thank you enough for this opportunity.”
“Well, you have Hailey to thank. Not me. She wouldn't stop going on and on about how amazing her friend's voice was and how you wanted to start playing together. So, I said, 'Let's make it happen,' and here we are... Are you guys all set? I'll start my sound check if you are.”
Hailey nodded, and Christina went to talk to one of the sound guys.
Lauren glanced over at Hailey, tears in her eyes and Hailey pulled her into a hug before they left the stage. Hailey was just as emotional as Lauren, the fluttering in her stomach starting again as they went to their dressing room.
The only thing that could make tonight any better would be having Elle here, but then Hailey remembered why that wasn't going to happen, and she quickly pushed those feelings aside. The rational part of her knew that Elle didn't intentionally get her fired, but she didn't seem as eager to see Hailey as she was to see Elle.
Hailey had ignored her texts, and Elle gave up a few days later. Hailey hadn't heard from her since. Maybe, after things slowed down a bit, and Elle's work was quieter, they'd talk, but right now, Hailey knew that she needed to focus on tonight. This was easily the biggest night of her life, and it had to go well. Worrying about what might have been with Elle wasn't going to help.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Elle paid the bartender for her second bottle of beer and weaved her way through the crowd, until she was in the middle of the packed room as the lights dimmed. She cheered along with everyone around her as two women came onto the stage and Elle's heart skipped a beat when she saw Hailey. She was wearing all black, her blond hair swept across one shoulder as she gave the audience a wave on her way over to the piano.
Elle couldn't take her eyes off Hailey. She was stunning and the way her fingers glided across the keys, with such ease and confidence, Elle knew they were going to be amazing. They started with a song that Elle recognized from when they'd played in her living room just a few weeks ago.
So much had happened in those weeks. Back then, she wanted Hailey, but she didn't have the courage to do anything about it. They'd had a moment that night, on the rooftop, when Lauren and Hailey had packed up. Elle remembered how much she'd wanted to kiss her, how close she was to saying something, but then Elle broke the spell, heading back downstairs to the few guests that were still in her house.
Hailey had been the one to make the first move. That kiss was somehow enough to change Elle's mind. Maybe their age gap wasn't a big deal. Maybe this could work... Elle couldn't even let her mind drift back to that amazing night they'd had together... And now, she didn't know if she'd ever get another chance with Hailey.
Seeing her on stage now, accompanying Lauren, just re-enforced her fear of Hailey falling for Christina Clayton. They had so much more in common than Elle and Hailey did.
Matt didn't say anything else about Christina Clayton, and Elle had to wonder why she was doing this gig. She wasn't on tour. She didn't have a new single. She just happened to be in New York and wanted to have a concert? What if she was really here to see Hailey?
Elle cheered as they finished another song. As much as she wanted to enjoy this gig, she couldn't. Her mind was everywhere but here. She wanted a chance to talk to Hailey, to see where they stood, to see if she'd ever forgive her.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Hailey sunk down into the couch in their dressing room, covering her face in her hands. Even though they'd left the stage almost two hours ago, her adrenaline was still pumping, her hands still shaking. That had been the biggest rush of her life. She'd never thought of herself as a performer, and it wasn't something Hailey dreamed of doing, but it had been an amazing experience.
Lauren had been whisked away by Christina's agent, and Hailey wouldn't be surprised if he was talking business. Lauren absolutely killed it tonight. Someone had to notice her soon. The videos she uploaded were getting more and more hits, and hopefully, after tonight, there'd be even more buzz around her name tomorrow.
Hailey stood up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her blue eyes were shining, her hair a little messier than when she'd gone out on stage. She needed to pack up her things and get ready to go over to Christina's hotel. She was having an after party, but all Hailey really wanted to do was go see Elle.
She found her phone in her bag and scrolled through her contacts, her thumb hovering over her name as she debated calling her. What would she even say?
Lauren opened the door, a smile on her face. “Hey... I have some news.”
“What's up?” Hailey asked, putting her phone in her pocket.
“Peter Blake, Christina's agent... He wants to work with me.”
“That's fantastic.”
“I know it doesn't really mean anything... There's no guarantees anyone's going to want to sign me.”
“They will,” Hailey said, pulling her into a hug. “That's amazing news.”
“You're not mad?”
“Why would I be?”
“Well... It's for me, not City Nights.”
Hailey shook her head. “You know this isn't my scene, not really. I want to be writing... I'm so happy for you, Lauren. Something's going to come out of this.”
“I hope so... He wants me to go mingle, take some photos. Do you want to come with me?”
“In a few minutes. I'm going to pack up and get myself organized.”
“Okay. I'll see you later.”
Hailey started gathering her makeup and plugged her phone in to charge. She wanted to call Elle, but she decided not to. She'd probably say something she'd regret the next day. Being this happy, this overwhelmed... She might as well have been drunk.
A gentle knock on the door made Hailey stop what she was doing. She thought she was hearing things, but she heard the knocking again.
“Come in.”
Hailey left her bag down and watched the door open, not quite believing her eyes when Elle came into the room.
“Hi,” Elle said as she closed the door behind her. “I uh... I know things are weird between us right now... But I just wanted to say that you were amazing. Both of you. That was a great show...”
“Thanks.”
Hailey couldn't stop her eyes from traveling the length of Elle's body, taking in her white jeans and teal top that made her eyes sparkle. Her hair was styled, flowing across her shoulders and Hailey desperately wanted to run her hand through it, the way she had that night when she'd made Elle scream her name.
“I also wanted to apologize,” Elle said softly. “Matt told me what happened with your job. I had no idea... I would never have said anything if I'd known it would get you fired.”
“It's okay,” Hailey said honestly. “It might have been for the best anyway. Everyday I'm working on my songs, giving lessons again... My days are full of music. That's what I always wanted... I'm just surprised you didn't fight for me a bit more...”
Elle's eyes dropped, and she nodded. “I know... I should've called... I just... I didn't want to seem desperate.”
“I wrote that last song about you, you know...”
“Really? That was about me?”
Hailey smiled. “I couldn't sleep one-night last week... It's like you were haunting me... I couldn't get you out of my head, so I got up and just started writing...”
“Maybe, the next one could be a little more... flattering...”
“Well, that's just what I was feeling at the time... So, you think I'll write another song about you?” Hailey asked with another smile. “I don't know...”
“What can I do to convince you to?”
Hailey reached for Elle's hand, running her thumb across the back of her hand as she met her gaze. She wanted to say something witty, something flirtatious, but all Hailey could think about was kissing her again.
The door flew open causing them both to jump back. Lauren was halfway int
o the room before she realized that Hailey wasn't alone, her hand covering her mouth.
“Sorry! I thought you were on your own Hailey,” Lauren said in a rush.
“It's okay.”