Double Act

by Foster Bridget Cassidy

  Sean didn’t say anything for a while. He just let Emerson hold him as he clung tightly to Emerson’s jacket. Emerson pet Sean’s hair and whispered soft words of understanding until finally, Sean pulled away. His face was puffy and splotchy, but he still looked so beautiful.

  “I passed out at the doctor’s office today.” He swallowed loudly, then continued. “She was in the middle of poking at my burn. So when I fell over, her instrument sliced through my skin. I had to get stitches.”

  Emerson pulled Sean back to him and squeezed tight. He knew Sean hated the idea of blood and any sort of medical thing. It had to be very frightening. “I’m sorry that happened. Does it hurt a lot now?”

  Sean gulped, but shook his head. “No, they gave me some painkillers there. But, the added injury to my hand means I can’t play my guitar for at least three weeks, maybe four.” His lower lip quivered.

  Emerson glanced up front, where Macie and Jake sat silently. Neither said anything. Why were they so quiet? From what he knew of Macie, she never wasted a moment when she could be giving her opinion. He looked back down at Sean.

  “So, what about your tour?”

  “We need to decide what to do. I can cancel the first week, or I can find someone to play for me. Neither is ideal.”

  Emerson nodded. He could see the disadvantage of both choices.

  Finally, Jake spoke up. “We’ve had guest backup musicians before, Sean. It seems like it would be the best solution. Your fans would still get to see you, and hear you. That’s a good set up.”

  “We need to get someone quickly, though,” Macie added. “They’ll only have three weeks to learn your songs. Who would you like to work with? If we pick a lesser-known person, it might be easier. On the other hand, teaming up with a bigger name might make it seem like a publicity stunt, which could smooth over some of the upset fans.”

  Sean hiccupped, then said, “Emerson.”

  “I don’t know anyone, Sean. You’re much more aware of your contemporaries than I am. My opinion on the subject shouldn’t count for much.”

  “No, I want you to play with me.”

  The absurdity of the words took a moment to sink into Emerson’s brain. When they did, he laughed. “Sean, this is no time to joke.”

  “I’m not joking,” he said. “I want you to tour with me.”

  His mirth cut off and he glanced up at Jake and Macie. Both seemed absorbed in looking out their windows. Oh my God. They agreed with Sean. They also wanted Emerson to play for the tour. If they didn’t, Macie would be yelling at Sean to grow up by now.

  “But Sean, I’ve never played in front of anyone before.”

  “You have three weeks to learn,” Macie said.

  “But I’ve got a job. I can’t up and leave for three weeks.”

  Jake added, “Ms. Bell is a huge fan of Sean’s. We’re sure she’d be willing to grant you an extended vacation under the circumstances.”

  “I can’t leave Ninotchka like that. She’d be heartbroken.”

  “She can stay at my house,” Macie said. “Pip always does, and my kids love animals.”

  Emerson started at her. He didn’t know she had kids. Of course, now that he thought about it, her handling of Sean made more sense if she were used to children.

  “We’re in a tight spot, Emerson,” Jake told him. “We could easily find someone willing to play with Sean. And honestly, those people will be better musicians than you. But, what they can’t give is the story.”

  Emerson shut his eyes and gripped Sean harder.

  “If Sean can’t play,” Macie said, “who better to play than his boyfriend? The one who saved his life? The person his fans are more than happy to see beside him?”

  “But, I can’t perform. And it’s not just skill. I don’t have Sean’s flair or stage presence.”

  Macie snorted. “Not many people do, Emerson. We don’t want to force you into this. As Jake said, we can find dozens of willing musicians. But we wanted to run this by you first. See if it’s something you’d be willing to consider.”

  “I think we need to talk about this alone,” Emerson said to Sean.

  Sean nodded. “Think about it today and we can talk when you get home.”

  Emerson’s heart beat a bit faster when Sean said that. It implied a shared living space. “How can I go back to work after you’ve unloaded this on me? I won’t be able to function.”

  “Can you take a personal day? Come home with me now?”

  “I’ve got saved vacation time,” Emerson began, “but I don’t think they’d let me leave—”

  “Can I come up and talk to your boss? I’m sure she’d be more lenient if she’s granting me a favor.”

  Emerson hesitated. This whole thing was crazy. He couldn’t go on tour with Sean. His earlier objections rang true. He didn’t have the necessary skills to do something like that. This idea was completely unexpected. He couldn’t process it. Having the afternoon off could help him sort through some things.

  “I’ll go talk to Ms. Bell.”

  “Let me come, too?” Sean asked again.

  “If you really want to.”

  “We’ll be right back.”

  Emerson climbed from the back seat and Sean followed after. No one glanced at them twice as they made their way into the crowded building. Going in at lunchtime was a plus—everyone was too focused on their thirty minutes of freedom to be concerned with what went on around them.

  A few people shared the elevator, but if anyone recognized Sean, they didn’t say anything. Emerson exited on the eleventh floor and Sean followed after. Luckily, Emerson’s friends had already gone down to the corner cafe, so they didn’t see him slip by with Sean Stirling in tow. The next group over likely hadn’t heard the gossip, because they didn’t stop Emerson as he led Sean past their cubicles, deeper into the office.

  Outside Ms. Bell’s office, Michael did a double take at seeing Sean over Emerson’s shoulder.

  “May we speak to Ms. Bell?” Emerson asked.

  Michael’s mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

  Sean saved the man the trouble. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sean.” He stuck out his hand.

  Recovering from his surprise, Michael returned the handshake. “N-nice to meet you. You can go ahead and knock.”

  Emerson went forward and knocked on the door. Ms. Bell called out a welcome, so Emerson pushed the door forward. When they entered, Ms. Bell had her head angled toward the computer screen. Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “Just a moment,” she said distractedly.

  Emerson stood quietly, waiting, but Sean began to wander. He went to the bookshelf and tilted his head to read the spines. He ran his uninjured hand along the shelf and touched the pictures that sat there. When he found the one of him and Ms. Bell, he lifted it.

  Ms. Bell turned his direction and began, “Please don’t touch—” But that was as far as she got. When she actually took in the sight of who held that picture, her mouth fell open and a low noise came out instead.

  “Ms. Bell,” Emerson said, trying to draw her attention, but her eyes never left Sean. “Something very personal has come up and I wanted to ask if I could take the rest of the afternoon off. I apologize for the suddenness and the inconvenience, but this can’t be avoided.”

  Sean carried the picture to her desk and set it down. “Would you like me to sign that for you?”

  She nodded, still unable to string together intelligible words.

  Sean grabbed a permanent marker out of a cup on her desk and opened the frame to extract the photo. He signed his name with a flourish then looked at her. “It’s Margaret, right?”

  “Peg,” she said breathlessly.

  He added her name and wrote, “To my favorite fan, Peg.” Of course, he even added a heart.

  “Sean, why don’t you wait outside for a moment?” Emerson suggested ruefully. He’d never be able to get her to focus if she was starstruck the whole time.

  Sean nodded and began to go, but Ms. Bell stopped
him. “No, please don’t go. I’m sorry. It’s not every day that your idol calmly walks into your office. Forgive me for my lapse in decorum.”

  “Nothing to forgive, Peg,” Sean said with his winning smile. “I get that way around Emerson, too.”

  Ms. Bell smiled at the joke and her body relaxed. “Please, sit down Emerson and Mr. Stirling.”

  “Call me Sean,” he said while he pulled up a chair with his good hand. Emerson grabbed another and settled it next to Sean.

  Ms. Bell’s lips were stretched wide, but she finally tore her eyes away from Sean and glanced at Emerson. “So sorry, Emerson. You were saying you need the afternoon off?”

  “Yes, if it’s possible.”

  She nodded immediately. “Losing one phone rep for a few hours won’t cause any problems.”

  Emerson sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

  Sean leaned forward. “Emerson and I have some things to discuss.”

  Emerson saw the look of restraint on her face to keep from asking what. But she needn’t have bothered. Sean launched into the story anyway.

  He held up his bandaged hand and Ms. Bell’s eyes bulged. “I burned my hand last week. Nothing major, but when I saw the doctor this morning, complications arose and now I have stitches.”

  “But you have your tour coming up!”

  He spread his arms out as if they say, “What can you do?”

  Emerson wondered why he was being so open with her. Maybe he saw in her what Emerson has seen last week—a person who truly cherished Sean.

  Ms. Bell shook her head. “What a terrible thing to happen. Stitches this morning? Are you feeling okay? Let me have Michael grab you a coffee.”

  Sean laughed. “I’m fine. That’s why Emerson is willing to take the afternoon off. He wants to give me moral support.”

  “Of course! It’s understandable. You must be very shaken right now.”

  “Very.”

  Ms. Bell reached for her phone and buzzed Michael outside. “Please bring me a leave form?” She hung up before he could answer. Then to Emerson, she said, “Really, it’s no problem.”

  Michael entered quickly, and deposited a paper onto her desk. He scurried out the door, but not before a stream of chatter came from the other side. Apparently, Sean’s visit was now common knowledge. Ms. Bell realized this, too, because her brow furrowed and she glared at the closed door.

  “Emerson, fill this out, then you two should go. You’ll have employees blocking your way out.”

  “I don’t mind,” Sean said heartily. “Why don’t I head out there now and you can finish up in here, Em.”

  He stood and went to Ms. Bell’s side of the desk. He held out his hands to her and she got to her feet and embraced him.

  “So lovely to see you again,” he said. “Thank you for all your support.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Sean,” she gushed, sounding fifteen years younger than she was. “Thank you for signing my picture.”

  He pulled back and winked at her. As he walked past, he patted Emerson’s shoulder. When he was outside, Emerson and Ms. Bell both sighed.

  Emerson said, “He likes interacting with fans.” That was an understatement. In fact, it was more that he liked to be adored. Much like Ninotchka in that regard.

  “He’s so down-to-earth,” she answered with a shake of her head. Her tone held a hint of wonder, as if she’d come face to face with her creator. “What a marvelous man.”

  “I agree.” Emerson reached for the paper and a pen on her desk, and filled it out in a hurry. He had to extract Sean from this place or else he’d be signing things until it was time to close for the night.

  Chapter 18

  Macie and Jake dropped them off at Emerson’s house. The ride there was quiet, as everyone stayed focused on their own thoughts.

  “You can have three days, Emerson,” Macie said out the car window before Jake drove off. “We don’t mean to rush you, but we do need to make plans, whatever your decision is.”

  Emerson and Sean both waved, then Emerson led the way into his apartment. The dogs barked and wiggled when they walked in. Sean offered to run them outside for a potty break so Emerson could just sit and think. And think he did.

  Could he really go on tour with Sean? Despite the terror of being in front of so many people, being beside Sean while he sang would be the best thing imaginable. Emerson could contribute to Sean’s life, see a side of Sean that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. It sounded like a dream come true.

  And yet, that also put so much pressure on Emerson. What if he agreed, but he cracked under the weight of all this? Would Sean be disappointed? Would Sean start hating Emerson for not living up to Sean’s standards?

  They always said you shouldn’t work with your lover. Was this what they meant?

  Emerson was still sitting on the couch when Sean returned with the dogs.

  “You hungry?” he asked, settling next to Emerson. “We made you skip your lunch break.”

  “I’m too nervous to eat.”

  “Why are you nervous?”

  “Because I’m scared by the idea of doing something that might ruin your perception of me.”

  Sean sighed, then used his good hand to take ahold of Emerson’s hand. He entwined their fingers. “I don’t want to stress you out, Em. And maybe I’m doing something selfish by even asking you. Whenever you’ve played for me this week, I’ve been amazed by your skill. It’s unrefined, unpolished, but it’s there. With a solid three weeks of practice, you could be even better than me.

  “But more than that,” he pushed on, “is the fact that I want to stay close to you. I’ve wanted you to come on the tour since the beginning. You asked me not to tempt you, so I didn’t, but I’ve wanted this so bad. Ever since you’ve tumbled into my life, I’ve felt soothed, like you’re a balm on my heart. I’ve been hurt so many times, but I know with you I am safe.”

  Emerson knew some parts of Sean’s past—he hadn’t gone out of his way to dig up the dirt on Sean’s ex’s—but apparently, he wasn’t aware of the worst of it. He wasn’t going to hurt Sean; Emerson cared for him deeply. But if they entangled their lives in this way, maybe Emerson couldn’t keep from harming him in some way. This was a new and different world, with lots of rules Emerson didn’t understand.

  “Just tell me what you’re thinking,” Sean said.

  “I’m flattered that you even think I can do this. But I’m really not sure I can. There is the issue of work. Ms. Bell might not grant me an extended vacation.”

  Sean nodded. “A reasonable issue. What else?”

  “Besides you, I’ve never played in front of another soul. I can’t perform in front of thousands of people.”

  “That can be intimidating. Go on.”

  “What if I mess up in the middle of a song?”

  Sean’s grip tightened, almost painfully, and Emerson met his gaze. “You think I don’t mess up during songs? I once sang the third verse to ‘Southbound Train’ during the first and second verses. It was just that verse and the chorus, till I ended the song. Even if you made a mistake, it’s not a big deal. It won’t change the fact that I love you.”

  Emerson lowered his chin. Two weeks he’d known Sean. Was that enough time to feel the depth of emotions that swirled within him? Apparently so for Sean. But could Emerson say that back?

  Maybe Sean didn’t see the conflict that warred within Emerson, because he pressed on. “I want you to do this with me. That’s me being honest. I think it would be fun. But if you don’t want to, I accept that, Em. You won’t hurt my feelings if you say no.”

  Emerson raised his head again. “Sean, what kid doesn’t dream of being an entertainer up on stage? Of course I’d love to do it. But I’m afraid. I don’t think I can make such a huge leap.”

  “Macie said you have some time. Let me call in an order for the deli on the corner and I’ll pick us up some lunch. You stay with the dogs and think on it.”

  “Sure,” Emerson said.

  Se
an phoned in their order, then kissed Emerson on the lips before leaving. Ninotchka curled up beside him on the couch, and Pip plopped down in the armchair. How quickly Pip—and Sean for that matter—settled into life here. If Emerson agreed to this crazy scheme, he’d have to begin practicing all day, every day. He’d probably have to move into Sean’s apartment. The extra space wouldn’t be a bad thing, but he didn’t want to leave his own place.

  He sighed heavily and ran his hand along Ninotchka’s back. In the end, he couldn’t turn his back on this opportunity. No matter how scary it might be, you didn’t say no to touring with a pop star.

  When Sean came back, Emerson said, “I’ll do it.”

  The smile of absolute delight on Sean’s face made all Emerson’s fears and misgivings vanish.

  * * * *

  Around seven that evening, some of Sean’s entourage showed up. It was Macie, Jake, and another man Emerson hadn’t met before. He was introduced as Matthew Crosby, the lawyer. He was tall, with gray hair and sharp eyes. Sean seemed even more subdued around Matthew than Macie. But he smiled when he shook Emerson’s hand.

  The five of them crowded into Emerson’s living room with difficulty. Macie, Jake, and Matthew squeezed onto the couch, while Sean forced Emerson into the armchair. Sean himself lounged casually by Emerson, sitting on the arm. Though his posture suggested calmness, Emerson could see the underlying tension in Sean’s limbs. He was likely afraid Macie would suddenly take back her offer to let Emerson play.

  Macie sipped her coffee; the other two hadn’t touched their drinks.

  Matthew cleared his throat. “Okay, we need to evaluate our options. I know Macie and Jake have already explained the basics. We can bring in a backup musician or cancel the first week or so of shows.”

  He said all this to Emerson, who nodded in understanding. Then he looked to Sean.

  “It’s been suggested that Emerson can possibly fill this role. Of course, there are pros and cons associated with bringing Emerson into this endeavor.

  “The pros being he’s already familiar with us, and he’s trusted. The cons are he’s not a professional. We need to weigh both sides and see what works best for all involved.”