Real Time (4 page)

Nick spun slowly around to look at her. “I’m not going to fire you, Kate. This kind of stuff happens a lot, only it’s usually with me.”

Kate started to laugh. The relief of telling someone the whole sordid story made her feel relaxed and happy. “Thanks. I feel much better.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I am heading off to bed. We can talk more tomorrow.”

They both reached the door at the same time. Nick went to open it for her but paused for a moment, looking at her. At the exact moment, she looked at him - a litany of unspoken words crossed between them. Without hesitating, Nick moved closer and his lips brushed hers. The kiss was soft, almost asking a question. When they broke apart, Kate smiled at him, but didn’t say anything as she slipped passed him and went to her room.

T
he next morning, as soon as he knew she would be in the office, Nick made a phone call to his secretary in California. He wanted the phone number for the chief executive at the Philharmonic in London – Nick was not going to leave Kate’s ex-husband loose where he could terrorize her for the next two days. Terry, his secretary, said she would get it and call him back. Nick also had Sam find Brock and brought him in to talk. Brock nodded his head in assent when Nick instructed him to stay on Kate like glue. He knew what the ex-husband looked like and could keep Kate safe from what appeared to be a real nut job.

Terry called back about twenty minutes later with all the information Nick needed. The man’s name was Arthur Glademan. Nick didn’t know him but figured he wouldn’t have an issue getting through to talk to him. And Nick was correct – Glademan’s secretary put Nick through immediately and they proceeded to have a short, clipped conversation. Glademan admitted they had some problems with Kevin in the past. He tended to have issues with photographers and had been in some scrapes with the law. Nick outlined what had happened the night before in New York and made it clear he wanted him to pull Kevin back to London. Glademan only had to look at the top money sponsors for the symphony to know Nick was on that list and if he wanted him to stay on it, he would comply. He told Nick he would get Kevin on the first flight back.

Brock reported back after an hour; Kevin had gotten into a taxi and the doorman who hailed it told him he was headed for the airport. Nick was hoping this would be the end of it for Kate. What he really wanted to do was go have a nice talk with the man which ended up with him bloody on the floor, but Nick knew better than that. All his talk about staying out of the press would go down the drain if he was arrested for assault. It didn’t stop him from thinking about how nice it would have felt, though. Kate’s story from the night before gnawed at him. Nick was one of those people who could be really angry and it not show, but this would have taxed all of his patience – this kind of energy would take away from his music. Like he told Kate, this kind of stuff usually happened with him. It wasn’t unusual for some fans to be a little crazed, physically wanting to take a piece of him home. This was why he had around the clock security when he was on tour. And he was angry at himself for letting those protective feelings in – Nick hadn’t had any kind of a physical relationship with a woman in over eight years. He had been willing to concede to himself he was fine the way he was and a woman would only be trouble in his life. He had no idea why he kissed her.

The next six weeks were uneventful. The shows flowed as normal, with no issues with equipment, venue or people. They were about seven weeks from finishing when Nick got a phone call early one morning from his mother. She was crying and he was able to determine his father had passed away earlier in the morning. His mom, Tessa, was crying, begging him to come home to say his goodbyes. Nick calmed her down and promised he would get on the first flight to London. Once he hung up, he sat down on the bed and smoked a cigarette before calling Mickey’s cell phone. It was only three in the morning, which was nine am. London time. Nick told Mickey he was going to have to cancel the remaining two shows during the week and almost all the stuff for the weekend, getting him back on Saturday so they could do the show Sunday night in Chicago. Mickey had been asleep but was wide awake as Nick explained the situation to him. Mickey, having been with Nick for over twenty years as his manager, knew the last thing Nick wanted to do was go anywhere near his family. A funeral was going to make it even worse. Mickey got a private jet for Nick and Sam, one of the two security agents who normally guarded Nick, and they were off from the local airport in Louisville, Kentucky. They would have a connection in New York – first class on a commercial airline and Nick wasn’t looking forward to it either. The whole situation was leaving him with a sour feeling because he knew things would be strained between him and his brothers; if it hadn’t been for his mother begging him on the phone, he wouldn’t have gone. Mickey assured him he would take care of the band and get them to Chicago in time.

When the band members were assembled for breakfast, Mickey came and delivered the bad news, informing them Nick had left earlier with Sam for London. Everyone was saddened by Nick’s loss and no one spoke much at breakfast. Mickey outlined the game plan – he was going to try to get them hotel rooms early in Chicago, so they could just go straight there, but if none were available they might have to stay in St. Louis for the weekend as previously planned. Once he was finished speaking, he walked over to Kate and silently handed her an envelope which was on hotel stationery. She slipped it into her back pocket, without reading it, and continued breakfast with the rest of the guys. Andy was telling everyone what he knew about Nick’s family and to Kate it sounded depressing. And to have a funeral in the middle of such strife, she knew Nick was going to be walking into a virtual hornets nest. Nick was usually pretty good at handling stress but Kate wasn’t sure about this situation.

After breakfast, she went back to her room and pulled the envelope out of her pocket. There was nothing on the front and Kate gently opened the seal, so as not to rip it, and pulled out the single sheet of paper. On it was a note in Nick’s handwriting:

Kate,

Please call me tonight, around seven your time.

Nick

That was it – nothing about what he wanted her to do. Calculating the difference in time, it would be after midnight when she called. This told her he wanted her to call pretty much after the day’s chaos was over. It struck her as odd he would leave her such a note – she thought he would have kept in touch with Mickey, since he was his manager. But, being as he was the boss, she had every intention of calling him as instructed. She was a little unsure about how she felt about Nick. He was her employer and she still saw him that way, but the occasional light kisses were starting to play on her imagination. Ever since New York, there had been a few solitary times when they were alone and it was starting to not be unusual for him to give her a friendly hug or a soft kiss. Was he really interested in her? Or was she just imaging things?

* * *

N
ick arrived in London at eight pm. London time and there was a car waiting at the airport for him and Sam. Nick gave the driver the address to his parent’s house in Islington. His head was pounding – he was dreading this worse than anything else in his life. He had the driver stay once he arrived because he was not spending the night there – Mickey had set up a hotel which was quiet and close to the house. His mom wasted no time wrapping her arms around him, crying, and wouldn’t let go once he came into the house. It had been over five years since he had been home last and that visit had been in and out, so fans didn’t realize he was there. The air was thick with disapproval as Nick looked over her shoulder at his eldest brother, Phillip. It was like looking into the mirror twenty years in the future, because there was a strong resemblance, but Phillip looked every one of his sixty-two years. Nick stayed guarded, not leaving any emotion open which Phillip could take advantage of. Instead he remained calm, a determined look on his face.

After soothing his mom, and assuring her he would be back in the morning, Nick and Sam got in the car, heading to the hotel. It was about ten minutes away and Mickey put the reservation in Sam’s name to help keep things quiet. Nick told Sam he was going to bed and would see him in the morning. His headache was still there and he wasn’t even interested in eating anything. Sam didn’t say anything and gripped Nick’s shoulder as he went into his room. The rooms were adjoining and Nick unlocked his side once he got in. He saw Sam do the same and they left the two doors open. Nick opened the curtains to the window and stared down at the city, trying to let his nerves settle down enough to even try to sleep. When he was stressed, Nick found that sometimes staring down at the city lights, as the busy cities were settling down to sleep, helped him relax. And he hated London – which was only making this worse.

His ringing cell phone brought him back to reality and he saw it was Kate. He smiled as he recognized the phone number, grateful she had gotten the message and called.

“Marshall.”

“Nick, it’s Kate,” she said softly. “How are you doing?”

“I have a bloody headache,” he answered honestly. “I’ve had it all day and it’s only getting worse.”

“Have Sam go down to the gift shop and get you something for it.”

“It’s all right, love. I’ll probably have it non-stop the next three days anyway,” Nick answered. “I’d only end up downing the whole bottle before it’s all done. How are things there?”

“Mickey was able to change reservations so we’re heading for Chicago in the morning. The plan is to hang out and wait for you to get back. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“You’re doing it. I just wanted to talk to you. Hear a friendly voice.”

“I’m here for you, Nick,” she replied quietly. “The phone works both ways.”

“I know... and I might call you if things get any worse than they already are.”

“How’s your mom doing?”

“She’s a wreck,” he said. “She wrapped her arms around me, crying, and wouldn’t let go. That almost started a fight with Phillip and I.”

“She’s glad to see you. And she’s hurting from the loss of your dad,” Kate said.

“I know, love, I know. I just can’t wait until Trevor shows up. Then the two of them can gang up on me.” Nick answered in a sarcastic tone. “Phillip by himself is trouble enough. Together they take sides and I am usually on the receiving end of their rants.

“Nick,” she said, chiding him gently. “Use that whole impatient-angry tone you’ve perfected. It should definitely back them off.”

Nick started to laugh. “Are you implying I use that tone a bit?”

“When you’re frustrated, yes,” she confirmed. “Reminds me of my dad when he would get angry. You suddenly have the need to go find somewhere else to be.”

Nick couldn’t stop laughing. “Thanks, love. I really needed a laugh.”

“No charge. Now go to bed and try to keep calm. You have a long day ahead.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “Call me again later this evening? Seven your time?”

“I’ll call. Night, Nick.”

“Night.”

Nick felt so much better after the call with Kate. And, unless his senses were off because of the headache, he heard a lot more in Kate’s voice than a worried employee. Or even a worried friend. This would be something to investigate when he got back, although he was still not sure how he felt about her. He liked her – he liked her a lot, actually, but those kinds of feelings in him had been dead since his divorce. He had tried to resurrect them in his previous relationships but he felt like he was only going through the motions. The feelings had stayed dead, leaving him to enjoy their company but there were no solid connections. Even in bed, he felt detached. After hearing Kate’s ordeal, though, he wanted to be there for her and protect her. And him wanting to do something major to the ex-husband wasn’t normally Nick’s style.

The next two days were nothing short of a headache-inducing terror for Nick. Over and over he tried to exercise control so he wouldn’t say what he really felt about his brothers, trying to not upset his mum. Word leaked out Nick was there and, before anyone knew what was happening, there was a small crowd of young girls and a couple of reporters for some tabloid magazines in front of the house. This started the first argument with Phillip over how he brings trouble with him. Before it escalated into a brawl with him, Nick called the London studio and got some of the public relations guys out with pictures and things for a distraction, clearing everyone out. The reporters were harder because they only went as far as their cars – they were going to get pictures and a story no matter what. The two got in each other’s faces but at least no punches were thrown and Sam did his best to back Nick off. The arguing made his mom cry more and they were both apologizing to her, but not to each other. For Nick, the gloves were off. All he looked forward to each day was the call from Kate at night. She had a way of calming his nerves and helping to make his headache recede.

The funeral was graveside. All the family got into waiting cars from the funeral home and went out to the cemetery. There was no formal service inside the chapel, but a funeral carriage was led out from within the main chapel – the wrap-around windows on the carriage showed the casket inside. Four majestic white horses led the carriage to the cemetery. The family, then friends, walked behind it to the gravesite. Nick was good with no other service; he had plans to be on a plane back to the States as soon as it was over. The service was solemn and lasted about an hour, after which everyone went back to the house. Phillip’s wife, Catherine, picked up the two suitcases which were by the door and rushed Tessa out of the house.  The plans were for her to spend some time in Leeds with Phillip’s family, until she got her bearings again. Tessa said goodbye to Nick before following her daughter-in-law out to their car. As soon as Tessa was outside, Phillip and Trevor forcefully shoved Nick up against a wall in the living room.

“Get out of here, Nick,” Phillip said through clenched teeth. “And don’t plan on coming back.”