Real Time

by Jeanine Binder

  “I wanted to tell you in person because you were my salvation six years ago when I really needed it. And I also need your help with getting Jason to finish the remaining keyboard tracks this week.”

  “I’ll help, but I’m not looking forward to the conversation,” Michael agreed. “When is Nick leaving?”

  “Three weeks and I want to have a week free for vacation and things, since I will be six months on the road with him for the first tour. I need to get all my personal stuff in line so I can be gone for such a long stretch.”

  Michael stood up and held his hand out to her. Kate took it, shaking his hand. “I wish you the best, Kate,” Michael said sincerely. “And if things don’t work out with Nick, you are welcome back any time.”

  “I appreciate all you’ve done, Michael,” she said smiling. “Good to know I have other options if this doesn’t work out.”

  Chapter Two

  After two weeks, Kate was getting the hang of being out on the road. Get on the bus – sometimes all night – get to a hotel, stay two or three days and start the cycle anew. In the beginning, she kept track of what city they were in but by the time they got to New York City, at the middle of the tour, Kate had long since given up. It was one city after another, one hotel after another, and the venues were all pretty much the same. Most were large sports arenas which seated over forty-thousand so there were always large crowds on hand. A couple of times an additional show had been added and kept them an extra day which usually meant an all-nighter on the bus going to the next place.

  Kate didn’t mind the all-nighters because the bus was luxurious. It had plush couches in the front with a television, stereo, and six bunk style beds installed in the back. Usually after a long stretch, the beds even started to get comfortable because she was just too tired to care. Kate thought doing studio work had been difficult but she quickly found how out of scope her expectations had been. In spite of the hard work, long hours, and endless stretches of highway, she was enjoying herself. The other band members, Dave, Steve, Andy, and Trent, treated her like one of them instantly – playing practical jokes and including her in some of their escapades. The five of them would go down to the hotel bars after the show sometimes and hang out together, talking and having fun. Nick rarely joined them, as he got recognized easily and didn’t like the crowds which seemed to magically appear. Kate felt like she had found a new home and a new family in the bargain.

  She had been a little wary in the beginning that Nick or one of the guys might come onto her and try to get her into bed, but, surprisingly, they were consistently gentlemen around her. All but Nick and Trent were married. Trent treated her like a kid sister, even though Kate was older, and Nick didn’t talk to her much. He spent most of his time with Mickey going over each coming show and usually shut himself up in his hotel room the rest of the time. So they made it easy for her to fit in, laugh and joke, and she usually beat them playing cards. She was cutthroat, showing no mercy, and they respected her, although they used swear words in interesting combinations when she would win the ante pot. The security guys treated her the same way. Maybe even more protective as this was their main job – to keep the band members safe, especially from over-zealous fans.

  Kate was nervous at the first show but she was professional enough it wasn’t noticeable. Nick was observant enough to come over and make sure she was good. One of the questions he forgot to ask when he auditioned her was whether or not she got stage fright. She told him she was fine and indeed she was. Based on where the keyboards were located, she got a good view of the musician Nick Marshall. Everything about him exuded strength and confidence. He wore black motorcycle boots – she had jokingly asked him before the first show if he even had a motorcycle, to which he had said yes. He did admit he’d had the boots longer than the bike, which made her laugh. Nick wore black pants and a sleeveless button down shirt, usually leaving two or three buttons open. His hair was growing out – it was past shoulder length and she suspected he wore it long during shows for the effect. ‘The effect’ consisted of a whole arena or stadium full of girls screaming his name. Kate had to admit he did provide a nice view, even though she didn’t see him as more than her employer. For the rest of the band, Nick didn’t care what was worn for performances – whatever was most comfortable on stage, as long as it looked nice.

  The bus was currently stopped at a big hotel in Manhattan. Normally, the routine was for Mickey to hop out, go inside and register, while the bus would pull up to one of the back doors. Once Mickey came back, everyone would pile out, grab a suitcase, and head for their room. Whenever possible, Nick would reserve an entire floor just to maintain privacy and make it easier on security since no one but the maids were allowed up on that particular floor. This hotel had no apparent “back” door, so as soon as Mickey had the registration completed, everyone got off the bus, took a room key from him, and made their way through the gorgeous lobby. Kate was lagging behind, admiring the furnishings and the way it was all laid out when she heard her name called. She turned around, surprised to see her ex-husband, Kevin Miles, standing there.

  “Kevin,” she answered hesitantly, as he walked over to her. Ten years had changed him; his dark brown hair had grayed around the temples and he looked fifty, not the thirty-two she knew he was.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, looking her over. It had been almost ten years since their divorce. She watched him as he looked her over, almost a leer in his eyes.

  She nodded to the security guard who was waiting. “Go ahead, Brock,” she told him. “I’ll be okay.” The security guard walked away but not completely out of sight. “I work for Nick Marshall these days,” she said, turning back to Kevin. “We have three shows at the Garden.” ‘The Garden’ obviously meant Madison Square Garden.

  “That’s a step down for you isn’t it?” he asked, with a snide tone.

  “I don’t think so,” she countered. “It’s a lot of hard work. A lot harder than the studio work I’d been doing.”

  “And I’m sure the nights are hard too.”

  Kate started to see red, picking up his innuendo. Their year of marriage was filled with these types of comments and statements meant to demean her. “You didn’t just insinuate I got the job because I’m sleeping with Nick or the band, did you?”

  He started to laugh. “Well, if the shoe fits.”

  Without another word, Kate reached over and slapped him hard across the face. “How dare you! You have no right to criticize or judge me. I don’t have to sleep around to get any job!”

  She started to walk off but he angrily grabbed her arm. It was apparent a fight was about to ensue as Kevin raised his hand up to return the slap. Before he could connect, a large hand interfered, stopping him.

  “Go on upstairs, Kate,” Brock said quietly, staring Kevin down. Kate walked away toward the elevator. Once the door had closed, Brock released his grip. “I think the lady made herself clear. I advise you to stay away.”

  Brock walked away while Kevin remained standing there, angry at being stopped. He was going to follow him but thought better of it and walked over to the front desk. He asked for Kate’s room number, but when he gave her name, they told him the hotel didn’t have anyone registered by her name. He tried Nick also, but the desk clerk said she couldn’t give him any of Nick’s information, per the contract they had with the musician. She’ll have to come back out this way he thought, moving over to a chair so that he could watch the elevator. We will continue this when she comes back down, Kevin thought, settling down to wait. It had been ten years but he had finally found her.

  * * *

  Up on the eighth floor, Kate’s heart had stopped pounding from her encounter and she found her room easily. It was a suite with a sitting room, bathroom and bedroom – which was standard because Nick usually had one of the security people sleeping in the sitting room. Sometimes there would be two bedrooms attached to one sitting room, but she was glad this one was a single. Kate tossed her suitc
ase in the corner and sat down in one of the chairs, still shaky from the brief exchange with Kevin. She hadn’t seen him since the day he knocked her down the stairs of their apartment – her attorney had kept her from having to face him physically in court when they were going through the divorce. She had hoped after ten years he could at least be civil but it was obvious he was still angry. Kate didn’t understand why the anger was directed at her – he had gotten the scholarship they had been competing over and the job with the London Philharmonic as a featured pianist. Matter of fact, their divorce should have helped as he’d been able to move to London with no strings attached. And he had a fabulous career with them, staying on after the internship.

  Kate waited another thirty minutes to see if Brock, or even Nick, was going to show up pounding on her door for an explanation. But when no one showed, she took some clean clothes out of her suitcase and took a long, relaxing shower. It felt really good under the hot water and she reluctantly got out to dress. Kate glanced at the desk clock and saw she had about fifteen minutes until dinner – Nick would have reserved a large meeting room, or an extra room with a large sitting area, for their use as a place to hang out or eat. It was much easier to have the hotel staffs provide meals than try to go out in the city. The band had no trouble getting out and around but it was usually a nightmare for Nick. And, with a hotel this size, girls would be camping on the sidewalk in hopes of seeing someone famous; Nick definitely didn’t have the patience to deal with it on a constant scale.

  She stepped out of her room and one of the security people, Jake, pointed her in the direction of where everyone was. Dressed in what she would wear during the show, she pulled her damp hair up into a ponytail as she opened the door. Kate hesitated for a moment but everything seemed normal. She was hoping Brock hadn’t said anything to Nick and this could just go away. The nervousness about it was leaving her stomach queasy, so she opted for half a sandwich off the tray and a bottle of water. She sat in a chair the furthest away from Nick as possible watching everyone to gauge the mood. Nothing seemed out of place as everyone was talking and eating as usual. Nick was deep in conversation with Mickey so Kate ate her sandwich quietly, relieved this might disappear with no fanfare. She definitely did not want her past events conflicting with this job.

  When it was time to leave for the show, everyone got up and started heading out the door. Nick lagged back so he had to wait for Kate to pass him. As she got close, Nick’s attention was focused on her. “We need to talk later,” he said to her.

  Kate sighed, knowing it would have been too easy for it to simply disappear. “I guess maybe we do. Please, do me a favor tonight, and I will explain it later?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “When you introduce the band tonight, will you only introduce me as Kate? I have reasons for needing my last name left out and I will explain why later.”

  Nick nodded. “Stay close to us, love. Brock came back and said he is sitting in the lobby waiting for you to come back down.” Kate knew he was talking about Kevin. “We have a diversion ready but you never know.”

  Kate was not happy he knew but she was impressed with his level of confidentiality. Nick could have brought the subject up in front of everyone and she was thankful he hadn’t. It was a bad time in her life and having the nightmare resurface was doing nothing for her nerves. Kate kept focused, staying close to Trent because he was the tallest, next to Nick, and hoped she could blend in with him. She did not want another scene in the lobby, especially with Nick involved. As they got off the elevator, Kate could see security had Kevin’s view obscured and she was already out the door and into a limousine before they moved. As soon as they saw the limo pull away from the curb, Nick’s security people continued out the door. There were still two left on the hotel floor, to keep it secure, and there were two in each of the limousines.

  Once at the Garden, Kate’s nervousness started to ease up as she knew they had gotten away cleanly. She was now able to focus on the show and making sure she was ready. Kate had been afraid she was going to be so shaky it would have shown when she was playing some of the piano solos. She felt relieved her hands were no longer trembling. Kate noticed Brock was staying close by and she had no doubt Nick had instructed him to watch because he knew what Kevin looked like. Brock was imposing on his own – six-foot-six, two-hundred-fifty pounds and always looked like he was scowling. Kate knew it was part of his job persona – she had seen him laugh plenty of times on the bus.

  The show went off without a hitch and security got them out of the building before the fans even knew they had left. It was all about timing, which is why Nick did interviews or fan events before the show. This made it much simpler to walk off the stage and straight into a waiting car. Kate’s nerves were starting to make her stomach queasy again. She was not looking forward to telling this story to Nick, but knew that she didn’t have much choice. If Kevin was going to be a problem, then Nick was going to have to make sure it didn’t interrupt his schedule even if it meant being personally involved.

  * * *

  Because they had ridden on the bus the night before, once at the hotel, the rest of the band headed straight for their rooms and to their beds, instead of hanging out. Kate followed Nick as he walked toward the extra room they had. There was still hot coffee and Nick walked over, pouring them both a cup. Nick put sugar and cream in his and just a little sugar for Kate, clearly knowing how she preferred it. That was one of the many things he didn’t miss about England; he much preferred American coffee over British tea. He set the cup down across the table from him and sat down, motioning for Kate to take the chair. She was being exceptionally quiet – Nick was certain she was a bundle of nerves about this.

  “So, let’s have the story. He’s obviously someone you know, unless you go around slapping strange men in hotel lobbies,” he started, trying to put a little levity in it to ease her nervousness.

  Kate gave a little laugh. “No, it isn’t one of my hobbies. His name is Kevin Miles and he’s my ex-husband.”

  Nick’s eyebrows rose, surprised, as if he wasn’t expecting that relationship. “Ex-husband? You must have been a child when you married him.”

  “Not a child, but a dumb twenty-one.” She paused for a moment. “How much of this do you really want, Nick?” she asked. “The bottom line is he insulted me as usual and I slapped him for being rude.”

  “I’m here for the long haul, love. Let’s have the whole thing.”

  Kate took a deep breath and exhaled. “I met him at Julliard. We were juniors and we had a lot of the same classes. He was training for the same career – to be a concert pianist. He sat down across from me at a coffee shop one day and started being friendly.” She took a sip of the coffee. “I was pretty naïve at twenty-one; I hadn’t dated much in high school and had never had sex. So when he started paying attention to me, it went to my head. It was like one of those chick flicks, where everyone lives in a happy world - walks through the village, kissing on street corners, that kind of thing. But I think it frustrated him some I wouldn’t sleep with him. I figured if I had waited this long, I might as well take it with me to my wedding bed. Naïve, I know.”

  “Honorable, but rare,” Nick agreed. “Girls are getting pregnant in high school now. The whole taboo about sex is gone.”

  “So just before school let out in May, he proposed. Still being in what I thought was love with the guy, I accepted and we were married just after Memorial Day. And the summer was good. We took summer classes together, walked around Central Park, and enjoyed each day with the other. Then senior year classes started in the fall. This meant more on-hands piano classes and more chances for being seen by the concert industry. This is when Kevin started to change. The time we used to spend together at lunch or traveling to school was gone. When we were together at home, the smallest things would set him off into a fury of anger. At first I thought he was seeing someone – I thought he was trying to make me angry enough to walk out.

  “So
, I had him followed, but he didn’t go anywhere other than school. My detective found him at the piano almost every waking moment and definitely not with another woman. Christmas was a nightmare. We got in a big argument on Christmas Eve and I went to midnight mass alone at St. Joseph’s. I’m not Catholic but I was looking for the serenity to figure out what was going wrong. When I got back, he was sound asleep and we didn’t talk all day on Christmas. I took the tree down in the morning, just to be rid of the whole holiday feeling. And it seemed to get worse after the New Year.

  “In March, we both entered a contest. It was based on grades and an audition with the folks from the London Philharmonic. The prize was an internship of sorts; they paid all your expenses for two years in London and you got to play with them as they helped you come out as a featured pianist. Obviously it worked for Kevin, because, the last I heard, he’s still with the London people.”

  “How were you going to handle a marriage across the ocean?” Nick asked. “In light of everything going on, I can’t see where this would have been beneficial.”

  “I wasn’t going to enter the contest. I was going to let him win, if he could, and we could make decisions if he won. I was in love enough that I’d have been willing to put my career on hold for his. But one of the arguments we got into when the notice to apply went out included his comments about how sloppy I was and how I was only going to be a minor musician. Those stung so I entered the contest out of spite. I knew my marriage was about over – I thought this would be a good way to make a new start and I began talking to an attorney about getting papers drawn up. I had the money to move out but something was keeping me there. Some kind of mental thought we could still work things out.

  “The day before the audition, we got into a fight because I didn’t go to the dry cleaners and pick up his shirts. He never asked me to go and I had no idea he had dropped any off in the first place. To get out of his way and defuse the situation, I walked out of the bedroom. He ran out of the room and pushed me down the stairs. We had a townhouse apartment and there were about twelve stairs from top to bottom. I passed out for a minute when I hit the floor and I awoke with my left arm dangling at a strange angle. Kevin walked up to me and I remember his words like they were yesterday, ‘This should take care of the problem’, and he took the heel of his boot and slammed it onto my left hand. I remember screaming before I blacked out.”