“Go ahead and say what you’re thinking,” Sean told him. “You think the doctor was wrong?”
“No. I think she’s perfectly right. I think you won’t be able to follow her directions.”
“Em, my life depends on my hands. I’m going to do everything she told me.”
Emerson nodded. “Today you will. Tomorrow. The next day. But by the weekend, you be thinking it doesn’t hurt as bad. You need to practice, after all. You have a tour coming up. What harm can it do to play just a little?” His eyes turned sideways and met Sean’s. “Right?”
Jesus, the guy did know Sean well. That sounded exactly how his logic worked. “No, I’ll keep my hand still. I won’t play Tally or Benny. Or even Nichelle; she has light gauge strings.”
“You say that, Sean, but you won’t be able to stop yourself.”
Sean opened his mouth to argue, but closed it. Instead, he said, “What do you suggest I do then?”
“Come to my house, we’ll eat pizza. Stay the night with me. We’ll worry about this in the morning.”
“Once Macie discovers I’m injured, she’ll be breaking down your door to get to me.”
Emerson flinched. “Why don’t you call her now? Invite her over, too? We can talk things out.”
Sean blinked in surprise. “You want to be a part of Macie’s curse-infused lecture?”
“I…I’ll be there for moral support, yes.”
Sean smirked. He knew Emerson had been going to say, “I got you into this.” But, having a second person for Macie to divide her glare to did sound like a good idea.
“If you’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m not afraid of her.”
You will be, Sean thought with a shiver. Emerson didn’t know what was coming to him. Sean dialed her number. She picked up on the first ring.
“Hi Macie.” He tried to keep his voice smooth, and unconcerned. It didn’t work.
“If you’re calling me while you should be with Emerson, only two scenarios come to mind. One, Emerson dumped you in a spectacular way and you’re ready to cry on my shoulder. Two, you’ve done something stupid and need me to clean it up for you.”
Sean swallowed; a large lump seemed to be blocking his throat.
“So,” she continued. “Which one is it?”
“I burned my hand in the oven.”
He could practically see the anger rising on Macie’s face. Sean hoped her husband—Neil—wasn’t in the room. He’d receive a fiery explosion if he looked at her wrong.
After a moment passed, she said, in an overly patient voice, “Are you at the hospital?”
“No, they discharged me. I’m heading to Emerson’s.”
“No, you are going home. I’ll call Jake and we’ll meet you there.”
“Macie, I can’t move my hand. Emerson is driving. But you can meet us at Em’s place, if you want.”
“I see. So that’s how it is. A unified front?”
“I’m trying not to stress out. We need to eat dinner. Going to Em’s was the logical next step. Will you meet us?”
There was a moment of silent consideration. “Yeah. I’ll be there in a few.”
They hung up. Sean turned to Emerson and grimaced. “She said she’ll come. I’m really not sure this was the best idea.”
“Would you rather I drop you at home alone?”
“No.”
“Then let’s think of a way to anticipate Marcie’s arguments.”
“Huh?” Usually Sean just took her beratings. Was there a way to combat her attacks?
“I haven’t met her yet. I don’t know anything about her. You’ll have to tell me how you think she’ll react.”
Luckily, they found a parking spot a block from Emerson’s building, unusual for this time of night. At least something was going in their favor. Sean didn’t want to walk a long distance. He ached, and he needed to get some ibuprofen.
As they started down the sidewalk, Sean slipped his good hand into Emerson’s. It felt nice to have the warmth of his skin so close. Sean knew Emerson was torn with guilt, but he didn’t know how to resolve that. It had been an accident, nothing more. Eventually he would see.
Inside the building, Sean groaned when he realized the elevator was still broken and he’d have to climb up to Emerson’s floor.
Emerson sense his dilemma because he said, “Want me to carry you?”
“I’ll manage.”
They started the ascent, their footfalls echoing off the close walls of the stairwell.
“Now, what about Macie?” Emerson asked.
“I don’t know. She’ll call me an idiot. She’ll say I’m irresponsible. She’ll complain about the hindrance this will cause to the album and the tour.”
Emerson turned his head to stare at him. “Does she criticize you often?”
Sean laughed. “Don’t go getting the wrong idea about her. She’s not a tyrant. She’s hard on me because I need it. Honestly, she acts the way I wish my older sisters would. She looks out for me. She does scold me, but it’s nice to get such an honest, unfiltered perspective. We’re a good match. I’m super thankful she came into my life.”
“How’d you meet her? Did you contact her through an agency?”
“No. I barely graduated high school. After Mom died, I lacked the motivation. I made it through, but the next day after graduation I moved out of my oldest sister’s house. She was the one who looked after me when Mom passed. I grabbed my suitcase with a few changes of clothes, and my guitar.”
They stopped at the landing for the fifth floor and Emerson held the door open for Sean. He felt out of breath from the climb, but he pressed on with his story.
“I traveled. I played any club that would pay me. I didn’t care about the amount, as long as it was something. I stayed with friends, or the cheapest motel I could find. But I was playing almost every night. It was a dream come true.”
Emerson slipped his key into the lock of his door and pushed it open. Ninotchka came barreling out, jumping at them like she’d been alone for weeks, not a few hours. Emerson shooed her back inside, then flipped on the lights.
“Coffee?” Emerson asked.
“Sure.”
They both went to the kitchen, Ninotchka a step behind. Emerson turned on the coffee pot, then regarded Sean. “Keep going. What happened next?”
“I was playing at a club in Greenwich Village. Late. After most of the other clubs had already shut down. It didn’t matter to me that hardly any people were there to listen. I loved playing. Well, that must have hit a chord with Macie. She approached me afterward and said she liked my passion. She asked me to meet with her the next day, do an interview to see if she could make something out of me. I almost didn’t go. I liked my music to be about me. I didn’t want someone else dictating how I should sing or play. But, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what she had to say.”
Emerson poured coffee into a ceramic mug, then retrieved the milk from the fridge. He added a splash to Sean’s mug and handed it to Sean. Sean sipped it slowly while Emerson fixed his own.
“And you went to meet her and liked her?” Emerson asked.
“It was more than like. She’s a wonderful person, Em. Despite how much I complain about her, I love her dearly. She didn’t want to change me or my music, she wanted it to evolve. It was amazing. Under her guidance, I was booking gigs that paid three times as much. Within two months, she got me a record contract. She knew how to sell my sound.”
“That was how many years ago?”
“Six. With her management, I’ve become a star.”
Emerson leaned his elbow on the countertop. “It’s so hard to believe.”
“That I’m a star? Don’t I look the part?” Sean stuck out his hip and tilted his head coyly.
As hoped, Emerson laughed. “Of course you look it. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It’s so hard to believe it all happened by chance.”
“Fate.”
Surprisingly, Emerson shook his head. �
�I don’t believe in that.”
“Seriously? What about our meeting? You missed the elevator and were there at the right time to save me. It was destiny.”
“That sounds so silly. Life is full of coincidences. Nothing more. If I hadn’t been there to push you out of the way, someone else would have.”
Sean smiled. The sentiment fit into Emerson’s personality. His down-to-earth nature made a lot more sense now. He took everything at face value because that was how he viewed the whole world.
“Didn’t you promise me pizza?” Sean asked. “It’d be best to have some food in our systems when Macie descends upon us.”
Emerson snorted. “Yeah. Let’s get you something to eat. You like anchovies?”
Chapter 15
Emerson stayed seated when the door buzzer sounded into the apartment. It was Sean who jumped up and let Macie into the building. He stood by the door and Ninotchka sat beside his leg, waiting for their new arrival.
The pizza had arrived a few minutes earlier and their plates held half eaten slices. Now, Emerson’s stomach lurched. Despite what he told Sean, he was terrified to meet Macie.
The knock on the door sounded like it’d been struck with a sledge hammer. Sean opened it immediately.
Ninotchka, lacking the instincts to read Emerson’s dread, launched herself forward and clawed happily at Macie’s legs.
She wasn’t initially intimidating. She was short in stature, with blonde hair hanging just below her ears. Brown eyes—looking down at Ninotchka at the moment—and a casual jeans and blouse combo. He’d half expected her to look like Ms. Bell, stern in her expression. But Macie’s face was soft and a smile framed her red painted lips.
“Who is this?” she cooed to Ninotchka. “What a beautiful little girl!”
Ninotchka jumped higher from the praise. Macie got to her knees and cuddled Ninotchka and made loud smooching noises. Ninotchka was in heaven, wagging her tail faster than a hummingbird beat its wings.
“Ninotchka,” Sean said. “Isn’t she a doll?”
“Yes, she is,” Macie answered in a high-pitched voice. “She is so sweet.”
Ninotchka licked viciously, trying to get Macie’s lips.
This woman was the monster that Sean was terrified of?
Then Macie got to her feet. Her brown eyes, so kindly before, narrowed at the sight of Emerson. The soft features of her face sharpened and her smiled turned into a frown.
“And this must be Emerson.”
She walked forward while Sean got the door closed and locked.
Emerson shot to his feet and met her halfway. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.
She shook it, but her grip was more firm than necessary. “I’m Macie Mendoza. It’s good to finally put a face to the name.” She smiled then, no more than a showing of her teeth.
“Are you hungry?” Emerson asked, gesturing behind him to the pizza. “We have plenty left.”
“No, thank you. Sean, come have a seat. I came all this way to talk, so let’s get to it.”
There wasn’t room at the table—he only had two chairs—so they moved to the living room. Emerson and Sean took the couch and Macie sat in an armchair. Ninotchka leapt onto Macie’s lap, and when Macie began to pet her, Ninotchka went limp with pleasure.
Though Ninotchka loved this woman instantly, Emerson was holding off his judgement. Especially when her cool gaze met his and she said, “So, it seems as if accidents happen more frequently around you, Emerson. Should I be concerned about this?”
“It was my fault, Macie,” Sean said. “I got the food out of the oven and Ninotchka startled me. The pot holder slipped and then I hit the back of my hand on the coil. I held onto the dish so long because I tried to get it to the top of the oven. I was afraid I’d drop it on Ninotchka.”
Emerson closed his eyes tight. That was why Sean didn’t let it drop to the floor initially. He knew it was burning his hand, and he still only thought of the safety of others. Now it was double Emerson’s fault, for having a dog in that house that caused the accident, then needed to be protected when her freak out had a domino effect.
Macie took in the information with a passive face. Did Sean’s selflessness make his predicament more understandable, or was he an idiot for caring about a dog? Considering how much attention Macie lavished on Ninotchka, probably the former.
“Let me see your hand.”
Sean obediently went to her and stuck out his hand. The patches of burned skin were red, and the antibiotic cream made them glisten in the light.
“What did the doctor say?”
“A few weeks of keeping it still. As long as it doesn’t get infected, it’ll be fine.”
“A few weeks,” she repeated. She released Sean’s hand and raised her eyes to look at him. Her stare was just as awful as when it had been directed at Emerson.
“So it won’t interfere with anything,” Emerson added. For reward, her gaze jumped to him. He nearly flinched back.
“Won’t interfere?” She rubbed at her eye with a hand—which caused Ninotchka to look up at Macie with something similar to a glare. You didn’t stop petting the princess until she’s had enough.
“Yeah,” Emerson ventured on. “It’s only two weeks. That’ll leave two extra weeks before the tour.”
Macie turned her death eyes back to Sean. Surprisingly, a small smile touched her lips. “I see why you like him. Very practical.” She looked at Emerson. “I’ll explain since you don’t know how things work. We are in crunch time. Four weeks isn’t as long as you think it is. We should have daily rehearsals from now till we get on the tour bus. We should have interviews, articles, reviews, all to boost attention and hype. With Sean out of commission, none of that is possible.”
“Why can’t he do interviews?”
“Do you think we want the public to know he’s injured? They will think—no matter how small its seriousness—that it will affect Sean’s playing. People will not want to see a musician who can’t perform at full capacity.”
Emerson’s mind boggled. So many different factors to this. So many sides. How was anyone supposed to remain sane in this business?
“He could keep quiet about the injury during interviews. Just keep the topic on the music.”
Macie raised her eyebrow. “Until a news anchor or host sees the red patches on Sean’s skin. You think they won’t ask questions?”
She was right. Of course she was. She likely ran through scenarios everyday of how Sean could hurt himself and planned for them. Emerson had to admit defeat. Sean was correct in his attitude of keeping his mouth shut and letting her evaluate the situation.
“I’m sorry,” Emerson told her. “I don’t know what all goes into this. I shouldn’t have tried to argue.”
“At least one of you has sense,” Macie said, but her tone was much kinder now. When Emerson glanced at her, she looked less rigid. Perhaps she was used to Sean’s boyfriends trying to counter her. Her daily scenarios had to have Emerson factored in now, too.
“How can we fix this?” Emerson asked.
She sighed. “Finally, the right question. What did the doctor say about at home care?”
Finally, Sean leapt back into the conversation. He still stood by Macie like a wayward child. “She told me to see Dr. Warner in a week. I also got a prescription for an antibiotic cream.”
“Tomorrow, I’ll call and schedule your appointment. I can drop off and pick up your prescription as well. I think you need to keep away from the media till we see Dr. Warner. I don’t want any speculation that you’ve suffered a hand injury.”
“I can stay the week with Em,” Sean suggested, his voice suddenly hopeful. “The paparazzi won’t find me here. No one would think to look for me in a studio apartment in Midtown.”
Macie shook her head. “Your name is already connected to Emerson’s, and it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to get his information and find you holed up here.”
“I know not to answer th
e door to strangers,” he said wryly. “Resting here will do wonders for me. I’ll be relaxed, with no pressure. Like a vacation. Please, Macie?”
“Shouldn’t you be asking Emerson that, not me?”
Sean’s eyes went wide and he turned to Emerson. “I’m sorry, Em. I did invite myself over.”
“You’re always welcome here, Sean. I’d be happy to have you stay for the week, as long as you can tolerate the cramped space.”
Macie relented. “All right. You have a few online interviews this week, you could just as easily do them on your laptop here. Keep up to date with your tweets, okay? At least six a day.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“If you let it slip that you’re spending time with your new boyfriend, it might not seem so strange for you to be staying indoors. But try to get the word out circumspectly. Don’t be obvious.”
Sean nodded, a grin on his face. “I won’t.”
“I’ll bring you a travel bag with your prescription tomorrow morning.”
“Can you bring my juicer, too?”
“Sure.” She glanced at Emerson. “Any other requests?”
Emerson shrugged. “Do you want Pip to come, too?”
Sean’s face lit up. “You let us both stay?”
“Of course. I’m sure you’d miss him.”
“I have to leave him all the time when I do tours, but I would love to have him here.”
“Ninotchka would be fine having another dog in the house.”
Sean turned to Macie. “Please bring Pip.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll let you two get back to dinner. See you tomorrow.” Before she could stand up, she had to set Ninotchka on the ground. The little dog pouted at being so casually dismissed.
Emerson walked Macie to the door. “Thank you, Macie. I really appreciate your help.”
“It’s my job, Emerson. It was nice to meet you.”
She swung her purse over her shoulder and left. When Emerson shut the door and locked it behind her, he felt like collapsing. That had been intense. She was a strong woman, and it had been difficult keeping his cool in her presence.
“You sure it’s okay?” Sean asked, drawing Emerson out of his thoughts.
Double Act Page 11