by Carla Krae
“This is Beth.”
“I have the finger foods he likes, pizza is ordered, and the bartender is on the way.”
“Maria, you’re amazing. The band is already here, except for Aaron. No one said if he’s coming.”
“I’m about ten minutes out, Miss Beth. See you soon.”
Glancing up, I spotted Jacob at the windows above. He was watching me work. I waved. He walked out of sight.
He wasn’t a bad boss in the scheme of things, but there was just so much to be done with his schedule, it didn’t help when he wanted to play more than work. I missed the old Jacob and I hadn’t even been here a year.
****
Someone knocked on Jacob’s bedroom door.
“Yes?”
“It’s me, bro,” Bob said as he entered.
Jacob turned away from the window. “Hey, mate. Glad you made it.”
“Never waste a day off. Anyway, I’m up here because Beth asked me to talk to you.”
“Oh?” He checked the mirror.
“She’s worried about you.”
Jacob laughed. “What for?”
“Stuff that’s making the press. You know I don’t care about the tabloids, but bad publicity only counts so far. She said the label’s concerned about what you’ve been up to.”
“They exaggerate. Anyone wants to know how I am, they can ask.”
“Look, just take it easy tonight so the spies don’t have much to report. And let her get you to work on time. Beth could stand to loosen a button or two, but she’s a nice girl that’s done a hell of a lot for us.”
Jacob turned to his best friend. “You on her side now?”
Bob rolled his eyes. “There are no sides, man. I’m only concerned with keepin’ the peace around here. It’s good for business.”
“Alright. Fine. I’ll be a good boy.”
Bob nodded and opened the door for them to leave.
“If you hook me up with that cutie that cuts your hair.”
“Ah, no, Deanna’s off limits for you.”
“What for? I’m a nice bloke.”
“Dude, you piss her off, I leave the chair looking like I lost a fight with a buzz saw. No.”
They jogged down the stairs. “I’ll tell Lynn about the Playboy Mansion incident.”
Bob whirled on him. “You wouldn’t dare. Over a chick?”
“Nah. I just like to see that panicked look on your face.”
“Fucker.”
“Not recently enough. That’s where your little hairdresser comes in.”
Bob continued down the staircase. “Answer’s still no, Jake.”
“Aw, come on!”
“Are you two bickering again?” Beth asked. She’d come from the kitchen.
Jacob paused, seeing she’d changed into a skirt. He hadn’t seen her legs since she started working for him.
“You have guests out back, Jacob. Mikey and Dylan have been entertaining in your absence.”
“Thanks, pet. Food arrive, yet?”
“Maria set out the starters. Everything else is on its way. Do you need anything else, sir?”
“Not off the top of my head. Just stay in earshot.”
“Always.” She pivoted on her heel and left the way she came.
Jacob glanced at Bob. “She more stoic than usual?”
He shrugged. “I don’t pay attention. Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Jacob made a mental note to give his assistant a nice bonus when her year came up with them in November, and joined the party.
****
Autumn arrived and Jacob settled into write mode. He spent the mornings locked in his studio, then went to the practice space with the band for the afternoon. When they called it quits for the day, he came home for dinner. Maria made meals that kept warm on the stove or in the oven without overcooking. With her there for supper we were both more at ease.
The third person kept Jacob from prying into my life.
That enormous house was very quiet unless the guys were over or Jacob left the studio door open. I usually kept to my little cottage unless needed, though the backyard was big enough to stroll when I couldn’t sit any longer.
After nearly a year on the job, I knew a lot of other PAs, and which ones gossiped and the others that genuinely cared for their client. Many of them lived on the street and passed by walking their boss’ dogs. Maria had similar relationships with other house staff, too. Still, I was close to no one but my brother, and we couldn’t talk as much as I’d have liked.
I couldn’t get time off for Thanksgiving, but we had the band over the night before, and I went to Maria’s house the night of. Her three boys, the youngest graduating high school this school year, were very welcoming and Maria was definitely in charge. She handled Jacob the same way and she was the only person he didn’t talk back to.
The European tour was kicking off in February, so rehearsals began. We’d already been to Japan and Australia for promo concerts. “Tour Spy” got hounded by the European fans for spoilers after that. What would the set list be? What did the stage look like? Would there be backstage passes for the fan club? I didn’t know, they would have to find out, and there would be contests—thankfully not handled by me.
I was excited to see beyond London, but the foreign tour presented new challenges, too, like language barriers. We had to travel with everything Jacob could want because there was no guarantee we’d find it in country X. The overhead for world tours was huge. Thank God the tour manager was handling the budget and I only got five young rock stars.
Chapter Five
December 2008
The band had been in the studio all fall recording test tracks for the next album. Jacob had two weeks off and was visiting his mother for half of it. I thought I’d finally get some time off.
“Pack up, Bethie. I need you with me,” he said after entering my cottage.
I looked up from my planner. “For what?”
“London, of course. It’s a working vacation, babe.”
“I haven’t heard about any work. What could you possibly be up to?”
He sat on my desk. “One, Mum needs a present, and two, I can’t go to London without doing radio interviews and a signing or two.”
“Which your management or publicist can arrange. You don’t need me.”
“As your boss, I’m not asking. You didn’t request time off, so I need you to do your job—assist.”
The nerve of him, pulling rank on me. “Fine, sir, but you may want to check clause 10a of my contract.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “And what’s that?”
I pasted on a fake smile. “When you’re on vacation, I’m on vacation, and you can’t change that without at least a week of advance notice and paying me double-time. Two days doesn’t cut. Now, if you’d like help finding a gift, I’ll take you shopping and even wrap it for you, but that’s as far as I go.”
“You really turned into a hard-ass, Bethie.” He jumped off the desk and left my cottage, slamming the door on his way out. His temper definitely hadn’t improved with age. Spoiled brat.
Andrew was expecting me for Christmas Eve and Day. I took the even years to visit him in Virginia. My brother and Darcy married the summer before I started working for Jacob and lived in a nice little house in a nice little town. They were supposedly expecting snow.
The next day, Jacob handed me a credit card and ordered me to get something for his mother as he was “too busy to gallivant all over town to find one”. He wasn’t, of course—it was just a power play. I felt sorry for Vivian having to see him like he’d become.
The house had never been so quiet, the day my boss flew away. I helped Maria shut everything down for the holiday then retreated to my little house to put my feet up and not move for a week.
My Blackberry rang. Lynn said, “Why aren’t you with Jacob?”
“Hi, Lynn. Merry Christmas to you, too.”
“How could you send him off alone, Beth? That’s not y
our job.”
“He’s twenty-six and I’m on vacation. Why are you panicking?” The reason they had problems with so many singers is because they treated them like babies.
“Jake Lindsey doesn’t go anywhere alone. That’s the perk of his status, that he doesn’t have to remember things on his own. Get your butt on a plane right now and catch up to him.”
“Not in my contract, Lynn. I’m not your slave. Good bye.” I hung up. Five minutes of peace, then my cell rang again. “What?”
“Bethie, I can’t find my passport.”
“It’s in the front pocket of your carry-on.”
“Not it’s not.”
“Then what did you do with it?”
“Nothing! You have to bring my back-up. They won’t let me board the plane without it.”
“Jacob, I’m on vacation.”
“Fine, put me on with Maria.”
“She’s gone home. Next time, be more responsible. You’re just gonna have to drive back here and find it yourself.”
“Find it for me or you’re fired.” Click. He hung up on me.
Of all the…
Six more months and your loans are paid off. I repeated the mantra in my head until I was calm enough to find his damn passport and not smash his precious guitars.
He arrived with a screech of tires out front and ran in the house, banging the door against the wall with the force of opening it. “Did you find it?”
“Here. It was on your dresser.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, there’s no reason to be snide, Jacob. Or make threats. I’ve catered to your every whim for over a year, so give me some credit and start treating me with a little respect.”
He got in my face, looking down his nose at me. “Or what?”
“Or I use my escape clause and you’re shit out o’ luck.”
“You need this job.”
“I can get another.”
He snorted. “Not in this town. One word from me can make your life very difficult.”
“God, what happened to you?” I backed away, really looking at him. “Do you hate me that much?”
His brows furrowed in the middle. “What? No.”
“Then why are you such an ass lately?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re going to miss your flight.”
“If you hadn’t missed packing my passport, I wouldn’t’ve needed to come back.”
“Me? Me? It was in the front pocket when I prepped your bag. Do you wanna see my checklist?”
Never his fault no matter what happened. I was done with this argument and stomped off.
He ran after me and grabbed my arm. “I’m not done here, Miss Lawson.”
“Let go of me.”
“Learn your place and stop mouthin’ off.”
I slapped him. My hand had moved before I thought of a response. He stared at me in shock.
“I’m sorry, Jacob. That was out of line, but so are you.”
He exhaled a long breath and paced away from me and back again. “Please come with me to London. I do need your help.”
“I’m flying to my brother’s for Christmas.”
“When?”
“The twenty-third.”
“You can still go. Mum would love seein’ you.”
I missed her, too. “Might give her the wrong idea,” I said softly.
“We all know that ship has long since sailed. Do we have a deal?”
I sighed. “Fine…I’ll lend a hand for a few days, but you have to be nice or I’m bailing.”
“Okay.”
“And I get a bonus.”
He smiled. “Done.”
“Let’s go see what’s available online…” How did he always talk me into things? Was I that much of a sucker?
I got us a flight for tonight while he called his mother to say there was a delay. Then I canceled my flight from LAX to Virginia and booked one from Heathrow for the twenty-third. Four days with Jacob in the city I lost my virginity…
I had to be out of my friggin’ mind.
****
We landed in London around three in the afternoon after flying first class. His mother’s driver was waiting for us, and since it was raining Jacob had the hood of his jacket up and we got out unrecognized.
“Hope it doesn’t rain the whole time,” I muttered.
“Never know, pet. What’s the itinerary?”
I pulled a folder out of my tote bag. “Here.”
He scanned the printed e-mails from Lynn. “Ah. We have a few hours before my first interview.”
“Enough time to settle in, catch up with your mother, and have a meal. Is he going to drive you all week?” I nodded to the chauffeur.
“Yep.”
“Then give him that print-out of your appointments.”
“You’re not comin’ with me to anything, are you?”
I shook my head. “My job is to have you out the door on time. The interviews are all you.”
“Well, I did drag you here on your vacation--”
“Exactly.”
The ride took longer than the last time I was here due to the rain and the season. Nice seeing the town decorated for the holidays, though. My stomach tensed when we pulled up to the manor. This reunion could be really awkward.
The chauffeur held a large umbrella over our heads. A butler answered the door. I let Jacob enter first. Mrs. Lindsey waited at the base of the stairs, no less beautiful than six years ago. Jacob handed his coat to a maid, then embraced his mother.
“Happy Christmas, Mum.”
“It’s good to have you home, dear. Hello, Elizabeth.”
“Hi, Mrs. Lindsey. Sorry about the short notice, but he insisted he needs my assistance this week.”
“Jacob, shame on you for pulling her away from her family.”
“She’s still leaving on the twenty-third, Mum. It’s only a few days here instead of California.”
“Well, let’s get your belongings stowed in your rooms. You’re just in time for tea.” She shooed us upstairs while the servants retrieved our luggage from the car.
Aside from a couple different paintings on the walls, the house looked the same. I hoped she didn’t put me in the same room. Too many memories.
“Jacob, your usual room is prepared. You have the room next door, Elizabeth.” She opened a door at the end of the hall.
The room was decorated in a simpler style than the florals that adorned my previous lodging. While still a queen size, the bed was covered with a plain white eyelet duvet that matched the curtains. She opened the door to the bathroom, revealing it adjoined with the room next door. Little accents of pale blue and yellow added life to the space.
“It’s fine. Thank you. I, um…”
“Elizabeth, you don’t need to apologize. I heard about your mother.”
“Oh.”
Vivian touched my shoulder. “I don’t know what exactly happened between you and my son and I’m not going to pry. Thank you for passing on messages the last year. While I was surprised to hear he hired you, I certainly could think of worse assistants to work with him. You do look thinner than before, though.”
“It’s hard to find time for a decent meal. But I’m okay.”
“Are you?”
I nodded. “All grown up.” Not talking about the past, nope…that was a scab I wasn’t scratching.
She smiled and took a step to the door. “Well, hang up your coat and such and join us downstairs.”
Alone, I exhaled and arranged my stuff to dry. Being in this house was surreal. I never thought I’d see it again, let alone step past its threshold. Still didn’t know why I agreed to come.
A proper tea was set up in the parlor. Jacob and his mother were already catching up on the sofa. I picked the armchair and served myself, not wanting to interrupt them. We hadn’t spent time in this room before, so I took the time to observe the details while I ate. With my mind wandering, I missed the fir
st time I was addressed.
“Elizabeth…”
“What? I’m sorry.”
She smiled indulgently. “Jacob was saying the tour will be here in a couple months. I was wondering if you knew the date.”
“Oh. Not off the top of my head. It’s in my planner.”
“No bother. You can look it up later. So, is this a social visit, or does my son have to work?”
“Mum, it’s only a few interviews. There’ll be plenty of time to deck the halls and trim the tree.”
She sighed. “I worry you’re going to burn yourself out, Jacob. It’s the prerogative of a mother. The things they print about you…”
He sat up straighter. “Exaggerations and tall tales, Mum, you know how they are.”
“Photos are open to interpretation, son, but they don’t lie.” She shook her head. “But I don’t want to argue with you. Please, eat before your appointment. Excuse me.” She stood and left the room.
I set my plate down and followed her.
“You okay?”
She sighed, and closed the door to the music room. “It hasn’t been easy since Jacob moved to Los Angeles. At first, I just missed him, but now…I’m grateful for the information you send me, Elizabeth, but it worries me. Is he really so different?”
Seeing the fear for her son in her eyes hurt. “Sometimes. It started after the Grammy’s. He suddenly had all this attention and he hasn’t reacted well. It was better during the fall, though.” I sighed. “Jacob’s just as brilliant on stage as ever, but he likes to have a good time, and there are a lot of people around him now that encourage that. Maybe he’ll grow out of it, I don’t know.”
She nodded, her face lacking any surprise at my words. “Thank you for your honesty. We should return. It’s supposed to be a happy time.” She put on a smile, held her head high, and left the room.
I hoped I’d one day gain such poise.
Jacob stood when we entered. “I should be going. Traffic will be a bitch.”
“Did you get enough to eat?” I asked.
“I’m fine. See you ladies later.” He kissed his mother’s cheek on the way out.
I sat down and sighed. Well, at least it wasn’t another episode of drama.
Vivian and I had a quiet dinner, then she retired for the evening. The rain stopped, so I slipped my coat on and took a walk in the garden. Found my way to Jacob’s old hideout without intending to get there. The door was unlocked.