by JL Paul
Her first session was a complete disaster. Her voice kept cracking, she couldn’t hit notes, and she mixed up lyrics. Rob, believing that music sounded best recorded at once, almost always recorded in what he called ‘concert style’. He liked to have the band in the studio with the singer, the way he thought music should be recorded. It wasn’t exactly a new style, but it was a method he preferred and one that was beginning to catch on at other studios.
After half an hour, Rob called for a break. He released the band for fifteen minutes so he could talk to Sidney.
“What gives, Rookie?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she whined. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
“That’s bullshit, Sid,” he said. “You were spot on when we rehearsed. Is it nerves? The recording?”
“Possibly,” she said, deflating. “I don’t know why, though. It’s not really that much different.”
“No, it’s not,” he said. “Just relax and make yourself believe that it’s just a rehearsal. Close your eyes if you have to. Just lose yourself in the music.”
She released a breath. “I’ll try.”
He smiled. “All right. Why don’t you take a breather? Get a soda or a water or something.”
“Okay,” she said, nearly bounding out of the room. She hurried to the lounge where the rest of the musicians were gathered, and snatched a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Relax, Sidders,” Bruno said, giving her a brief hug. “You’re doing fine. It’s always a little nerve-wracking the first time.”
“Thanks,” she said as she twisted the cap off the bottle. “Hopefully I can stop freaking, or whatever it is I’m doing, and start working.”
“You’ll get it,” Paulie added. “Don’t worry. We have faith in you.”
Their confidence lifted her spirit so that when Rob poked his head inside the room a few minutes later, she felt a little better.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded that she was ready. When the music started, she closed her eyes and sang with her heart, blocking out everything else. She allowed the raw emotion to filter through her voice as the passion for her song filled her heart. When she finished, she opened her eyes and grinned when Rob announced through the intercom that they nailed it.
They managed to get through two more tracks that afternoon before Rob called it a day. When she emerged from the studio, he embraced her in his arms.
“Excellent, Rookie,” he said. “We should be able to finish recording in the next two weeks and then start editing. We’re a little ahead of schedule.”
“Good,” she said, closing her eyes while he held her in his arms. When he released her, she could only smile up at him like an idiot.
“Go home. Get some rest. We’ll start again tomorrow,” he ordered.
Nodding, she trudged to the elevator, more tired than she thought she was. When the car let her off, she jogged to the locker room to collect her bag, smiling at the piece of tape bearing “Rookie” stuck to her locker. It seemed like so long ago when Rob had stuck it there but in all actuality, it had only been about six weeks. How quickly time had passed since her arrival.
***
The next week and a half passed in the same fashion. Rob worked her in his frenzied manner, so eager to get her recording done so he could edit, promote, and release her CD. Every day that she worked with him, her excitement grew. She couldn’t believe that she was going to have a CD for sale in the same music store where she used to work. It seemed as though fate was on her side.
Except for the Rob situation. Her feelings for him were growing as quickly as her excitement about her new CD. Although he hadn’t made mention of Melanie since the Sunday Sidney had spent with him, she knew that he was still in constant contact with her. Quite often he’d walk into a room, cell phone pressed to ear, rambling on and on to someone. Sidney didn’t need to have a genius IQ to figure out just who it was.
Lexie was a constant reminder, too. She’d mope about, upset that her friend was in Paris and hadn’t taken a position in LA yet.
“I don’t get it,” Lexie sighed one afternoon in Rob’s office while Sidney was updating files. “She was so excited to come to LA. She wanted to relocate so that she could reconcile with Rob, but she up and leaves for Paris.”
“Maybe Paris was too good of an opportunity for her to miss,” Sidney offered.
“I guess.”
“And she won’t be there permanently, right?” Sidney asked.
“No,” Lexie said, brightening. “She should be back in a few weeks. And then, hopefully, things will sort out. I really miss the old days when the four of us used to hang out and do stuff together.”
Jealousy twinged Sidney’s heart. “I’m sure you’ll be able to do those things once she gets back.”
“You’ll have to join us,” Lexie added with a smile. “You’ll get along great with Melanie. She’ll love you and you won’t help but to love her, too.”
Sidney highly doubted it but she didn’t want to upset her friend so she agreed. Inside, though, she couldn’t imagine hanging out with the two, happy couples - it would only remind her that she could never, ever have Rob. She was doing the best that she could to remind herself of that on her own – she didn’t need physical proof.
“Whatever happened to that Grant, guy?” Lexie asked. “Does he still call you?”
“Not really,” Sidney frowned. Other than a handful of messages that he’d left a week ago, she hadn’t heard a thing from him. “I think he’s realized that nothing is going to happen between us. I’m hoping he’s given up and moved on to someone else.”
“Good,” Lexie said. “It creeped me out knowing this dude was calling you all the time. And it worried Rob. We didn’t want this guy causing you problems.”
Sidney clucked her tongue and smiled. “Grant is all talk. He’s probably talked himself out and is done with me.”
A touch of doubt lurked in Lexie’s eyes but it finally vanished. Lexie walked around the desk to give Sidney a one-armed hug. “Well, if he starts bothering you again, let me know. Or let Rob know. Or Chad. We’ll help you take care of this guy.”
“Thanks,” Sidney said, her heart warming.
***
With her CD in editing, Sidney began to relax. Rob’s mood brightened – especially since his newest discovery, the young band, was close to finishing school. They were scheduled to come in during the second week of June with their attorney to hammer out the finer points of their contract and then return later that month to begin recording.
Work became fun again since the stress was off her shoulders. Several of the label’s bands were coming in every week to either start on a new CD or make arranges for video shoots and tours. Every day was a busy day, keeping Sidney on her toes and teaching her new things.
A week after Sidney’s CD went to editing, Lexie bounded into the lounge where Sidney was eating her lunch while reading over a file.
“Guess what?” Lexie asked, her pretty eyes sparkling.
“What?” Sidney asked, Lexie’s excitement contagious.
“I just talked to Mel and she’ll be in town Thursday night. Isn’t that great?”
Swallowing, Sidney nodded. “It is.”
“Yeah, so Rob is having a party at his place Saturday. Are you coming?”
Everything inside of Sidney quelled at the idea but she knew that she couldn’t keep putting off the meeting. It was going to happen eventually.
“Sure. I’ll be there. No problem,” Sidney said.
“Great,” Lexie said as she hurried out of the room, eager to spread the good news.
Pushing her lunch away, Sidney shut the file and rested her head on the table.
***
Sidney thought for sure that Rob’s mood would be more exuberant than ever. She was wrong. He wasn’t exactly sullen and pouty, but he wasn’t as excited as Sidney had thought. He didn’t talk much to anyone, just went about his business, shutting himself in his office in the evenings. Sidney
began to wonder if perhaps the two were having problems – maybe they were arguing. She remembered the last time that Melanie was supposed to come to town and how upset Rob had been when she’d gone to Paris instead.
“Oh, well,” Sidney sighed one night while she lounged on her sofa, flipping through the channels. Comfortable in her pajamas, she relaxed with a glass of wine, hoping to rid her body of tension before heading off to bed. When the phone rang, she groaned, not wanting to engage in any type of conversation. She let it go to voicemail, thinking it was probably a solicitor. Her LA friends usually called her on her cellphone.
The ringing stopped as voicemail more than likely picked up, and Sidney drained her glass. She’d set it in the sink, listen to the message, and then go to bed.
Once she stepped into the kitchen, the phone rang again. Frowning, she glanced at the display and groaned.
“Not again,” she said as a familiar number popped up on the screen. Although she had no desire to deal with Grant, she figured it would probably be best to answer and get it over with. If she didn’t, he was likely to keep calling all night.
“Hello?” she said.
“Sidney? Where the hell you been?” he asked.
“Grant, I told you to stop calling me,” she pleaded. “It’s over.”
“So you said,” he growled into the phone. “But I think you should give me another chance.”
Biting her lip, she struggled to come up with something that might change his mind – or at least placate him for a while. Then maybe she could change her number and he wouldn’t be able to call her anymore. That’s what she should have done in the first place but since he hadn’t called her in the past week or two, she’d thought that he’d finally gotten the message.
“We live too far apart,” she said. “You know as well as I do that long-distance relationships rarely work.”
“That’s shit,” he said. “When two people love each other, they can overcome any obstacle to be together. If we try hard enough, we can make it work.”
Flabbergasted, she couldn’t speak. When had they ever declared that they were in love? Not once had she ever uttered those words to him. They’d only dated about a month and it had never been serious – at least not on her side. Once his real personality began to emerge, she’d begun to distance herself until she eventually broke it off.
“Grant,” she said once she gained her bearings. “Grant, I don’t…I’m not in love with you. I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
He snorted. “You’re a tease, did you know that? You strung me along, using me to help you get that job in LA, and now that you’re there, around all those famous people, you’re trying to push me out of the picture.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered, clutching the phone. “You know it’s not.”
“SHUT UP!” he shouted, making her jump. “Just, shut up and stop lying!”
She wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Should she hang up and call someone? And who would she call?
“We just need to talk,” he said. “When are you coming home?”
“I’m not,” she said. “I moved here. Permanently.”
“See? That’s what I mean,” he said, anger tearing at his voice. “You’re getting a big head. You think you’re better than the rest of us. Sidney Roper went to LA and made it big now she doesn’t need anyone from home.”
She considered humoring him by going along with his fantasy but didn’t think it would help. Nothing seemed as if it would help at this point unless she agreed to try a long-distance relationship. And that wasn’t going to happen.
“Grant, just please let me go, okay?” she said. “It’s over between us. It’s time to move on.”
That, evidently, was the wrong thing to say.
“Move on? Is that what this is about?” he asked. “You’ve moved on? Are you sleeping with someone out there? Who is it? Who the hell is this guy?”
“There’s no one,” she said, her anger mixing with her fear. “I’m not sleeping with anyone. I’m just working. Now leave me alone. Stop calling. It’s over.”
“Oh, this is not over, Sidney,” he warned, his voice low. “This is not over at all.”
He hung up, leaving her shaking and afraid.
What was he planning and how was she going to stop him?
***
Grant’s phone call weighed on her mind the entire next day. She didn’t mention it to anyone as she didn’t want to bother them. What would they do, anyway? The fact of the matter was that no one could do anything as Grant hadn’t even threatened her. The only thing she could do was to change her number. She’d already called the phone company that morning to request a new number but had been informed that it could take a couple of days.
Feeling as though she’d taken a step in the right direction, she relaxed a little. She’d just have to ignore the landline until the new number kicked in.
The problem was explaining to Lexie why she’d changed her number. She needed to update her file but didn’t want to admit to anyone that Grant had started calling again. No need to worry anyone as the number that had popped up on her phone was an Indiana number. It wasn’t like he was in LA stalking her. Menacing words, while scary, wouldn’t hurt her and soon, he wouldn’t be able to contact her at all.
Her mood lifted, causing her to wander to Lexie’s office in order to let her know she’d have a new phone number.
“Hey, Sid,” Lexie said, setting her cell phone on the desk. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much,” Sidney said, trying to keep her voice casual. “Just wanted to let you know that my landline number is going to change in a couple of days.”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed as a frown pulled at her lips. She scooted forward, leaning across her desk. “Is that guy bothering you again?”
“No,” Sidney said with a wave of the hand. “I mean, he’s left a message here or there so I decided to just change it. That way, I won’t get so mad when I listen to my voicemail.”
“Sidney,” Lexie sighed as she got up and crossed the room. “You need to do something. He might get mad when he figures out that you’ve changed your number. He could resort to other means.”
Shaking her head with a smile, Sidney laughed. “Grant doesn’t work that way. He’s all big and mean with his words but he’s not the type to do anything about it.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lexie said, doubt in her voice.
“I am,” Sidney said, switching topics. “So, what’s going on with this party this weekend?”
Lexie’s voice lifted as her face lit up. “It’s going to be so fun! Melanie will be there. So will Paulie and Tracy. And Bruno. I don’t know if Bruno is bringing a date – you never know with him. That’s all that will be there, though. I mean, besides you and me and Chad and Rob. I don’t know that it qualifies as a party.”
Sidney laughed. “Take a breath, Lex. And it sounds like a party to me.”
“The real party will be later this summer,” Lexie said. “Rob always throws a party for all the people signed with the label. It’s a dressy sort of thing – good food, booze, music. Rob thinks it’s a good way for everyone to get to know each other.”
“That sounds like fun,” Sidney said. “When does that happen?”
“Oh, July, I think. Maybe early August,” Lexie said. “Rob hasn’t nailed down a definite date yet. But he should. He always makes me help with the arrangements and now that I think of it, I need to get going with the planning.”
“Well, I’ll help in any way I can,” Sidney said. “But right now, I need to get back to work. I’ll give you the new number once I get it.”
“Sure,” Lexie said. “And be sure to let me know if you have any problems with Grant.”
“Will do,” Sidney said, hurrying out of the office before Lexie could probe deeper.
Nine
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, something Sidney was rapidly getting used to. Rarely did the clouds gather in the morning, leaving gray, l
istless skies in its wake. Late May in Indiana could be warm and sunny one moment and cool and rainy the next. She didn’t miss that.
As she showered and prepared for the morning, she realized that she’d been in California for two months. How the time had flown! She was already feeling like it was home, although she was guessing that, come December, she would miss the snow.
Laughing at that thought, she padded to her bedroom to dress in cropped denim pants and a pale pink top. She jammed her feet into flip flops before returning to the bathroom to throw her still damp hair into a ponytail.
She paid a few bills, tidied up the apartment, and then gathered the ingredients for an Italian salad recipe she’d found online. Although Mrs. B was an excellent cook and would likely prepare more than enough food for the gathering that afternoon, Sidney still felt the need to show up with something. She wasn’t an accomplished chef but she did enjoy cooking once in awhile.
When she deemed it time to go, she grabbed her bag and keys, retrieved the Italian salad from the fridge, and left. She conveniently forgot to pack an overnight bag as she had no intention whatsoever of staying at Rob’s house. She had a feeling that Melanie would staying, too, though most likely not in a guest room. Sidney didn’t want to have a front row seat to that.
Instead of an overnight bag, she packed a small cooler with water bottles and diet soda. She’d have a few drinks early, eat a big meal, and then switch to water or soda. She’d have no reason to have to stay.
Smiling at her clever plan, she got into her new car and headed to Woodridge Beach.
***
“Sidney, why did you bring something?” Mrs. B admonished when Sidney set her dish on the counter. “I have everything covered.”
“I wanted to,” Sidney said, giving the other woman a hug. “Sorry.”
“You’re not the least bit sorry,” Mrs. B said, pecking the other woman on the cheek. “Thank you. I’m sure it’s delicious.”