Rookie (9 page)

Her growing feelings for Rob were the only dark mark on an otherwise spotless page.  She did her best to smother them and keep them locked away in the deep recesses of her heart.  He had quickly become the best friend she’d longed to have during her lonely childhood and she didn’t want to do anything to ruin that.

In the evenings, when the building was pretty much empty, Rob would spend time with her, going over her music, helping her to tighten it up, teaching her his methods.  These precious hours truly tested her resolve to keep things on a friendly level.  Oftentimes, electricity would fill the air, compelling her to lean in closer or him to look at her in a weird way.  Those times were the worst, causing her utter confusion; making her wonder if perhaps he was feeling it, too.

“Well, Rookie,” Rob breathed Thursday night, leaning forward on the piano bench to rest his hands on the piano, “I think we’re pretty set.  I just need to sort out a band for you and we can get started rehearsing.”

An excited smile popped up on her face as she clasped her hands, staring at the new music book in which they’d transferred her edited writing.

“What do you think?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.

“I think, okay.  I’m ready.”

He grinned, dropping a hand to her knee, giving it a squeeze.  “You’ll be amazing, I’m telling you.”

“I hope so,” she said, her brain fogging.  She focused on his face and not his hand.  “I don’t want to screw this up.”

“You won’t,” he said as he edged closer.  “I have extreme confidence in you.”

His face was so close to hers that his breath ruffled the stray hairs lining her cheeks.  Her heart thrummed, her pulse singing, as she, too inched a bit closer.

“I appreciate that,” she said, her voice a near whisper.  “I really do.  I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, Rob.  I don’t want to let you down.”

His smile softened as his eyes gentled.  “I don’t think that could ever happen.  You think I’ve done a lot for you yet you don’t realize what you’ve done for this place.  You’ve stepped up to the plate when I’ve needed you the most and that is something that I truly appreciate.”

His words caused her heart to glow.  Her cheeks hurt from the large smile and for just a second, they said nothing.

This is it.  He’s going to kiss me!  This is the moment.

But it wasn’t the moment.

His phone rang, breaking whatever spell had been cast between them.

“Oh, hell,” he said as he checked the screen.  “I have to take this.”

Standing, he answered his phone, walking away from the piano.

“Sorry.  So sorry!  I know I was supposed to meet you but I got tied up at the studio.”

Heart crashing, she gathered her materials, straining to hear his conversation.

“Oh, I see.  Well, maybe next weekend.”  He glanced in Sidney’s direction as he ran a hand through his hair.  “Of course I’m disappointed.  You said this weekend.”

Brows crunching together, he walked across the room, lowering his voice.  “Look, I can’t talk now.  Let me call you back in a couple of minutes.”

Ending his call, he returned to her side.

“Sorry I have to run,” he said, hand on her shoulder, “but we’ll continue this Monday.  You okay with that?”

“Of course,” she said with a fake smile.  “I’ll clean this up – you go.  We’ll talk about it later.”

Nodding, he lifted his other hand to her free shoulder.  His eyes searched her face as if trying to recapture something.  “Hey, I really am sorry that I have to go.  Um, are you coming by my place Saturday?”

“Oh, yeah, the cookout thing. Lexie mentioned that,” she stammered.  “Um, sure.  I’ll be there.”

“Great,” he said with a wide grin.  “Pack an overnight bag, though.  You know you’ll end up crashing in the guest room.”

“Okay,” she said as he gave her shoulders a squeeze and jogged out of the room. Her smile wilted as she tucked her things under her arm and headed out.  There was no way in hell she’d spend the night at his place – especially if Melanie would be there.

Seven

When Sidney arrived at Rob’s house Saturday morning, it wasn’t without trepidation.  She’d tried to come up with an excuse to miss the little shindig, but couldn’t think of a single thing.  In the end, she figured it would just be best to go, meet Melanie, pretend like everything was great, and get it over with.

The sun sent hot rays down on her head as she exited her car.  The blue sky wasn’t marred by a single cloud.  The temperature was rising, slowly, but wasn’t near sweltering.  A perfect day for a gathering with good friends and good food.  Too bad she wasn’t much in the mood for it.

She’d received a test that morning from Lexie, informing her that the party had been moved to Rob’s.  Curious, she wondered why they’d move things a few houses down the beach.

“Hello, Sidney,” Mrs. B greeted when Sidney entered the kitchen.  “Everyone is out on the deck.  Go on out there.”

“Okay,” Sidney said, taking a deep breath.  But when she walked through the doors and back into the beautiful day, only three people greeted her.

“Hey, Rookie.  It’s about time,” Rob said from his chair, his shoulders slumped, his face dark.  He pointed at the cooler near the door.  “Grab a drink and join us.  We’ll throw some burgers on the grill in a little bit.”

Helping herself to a bottle of water, Sidney joined Rob, Chad, and Lexie near the rail.

Relaxing for the moment, Sidney took a second to admire the smooth ocean.  A pelican floated over the water, scouting a meal while the waves smacked the beach before receding.

“Where is everyone?” Sidney asked, leaning against the rail.  “I thought this was supposed to be a big blowout party.”

“Yeah, well,” Rob said with a careless wave of the hand.

Lexie hopped out of her seat to retrieve another drink.  “We toned things down today.  Melanie got called out of the country to meet with some designers in France.  She won’t be back for about a month.”

That explained Rob’s sullen mood. Although it made her feel a little guilty – she didn’t want to see Rob so hurt – but it certainly brightened her mood to know she wouldn’t have to meet Melanie that day.

“Oh, well, that sucks,” she said, jutting her lip out a touch.  “Now what?”

“We just hang out,” Chad said with a shrug.  “Eat, have some drinks, listen to some music.”

“Okay,” Sidney said, not daring to even glance in Rob’s direction.  She was too afraid that he’d read the joy in her eyes.

They sat around, making small talk about the office until Rob decided to throw some burgers on the grill.

“I think we’ll start rehearsing on Monday, Rookie,” Rob called over his shoulder as the meat sizzled on the grate. 

“But,” she said, crossing the deck to stand next to him.  “I don’t have a band or anything.  I can’t do it acoustic.

“Yeah, I know,” Rob said with a slight grin.  “That’s why Paulie and Bruno are going to back you.  Along with a few other guys that do this sort of work for us when we need them.”

Sidney’s eyes grew.  “Paulie and Bruno?”

Chad nodded, a smirk on his lips.  “Rob and I would, too, but we’ll be in the booth.  We’re producing your stuff.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Rob asked, a bit of a light in his eyes.

“No, not at all,” Sidney said, smiling in spite of herself.  Excitement bubbled in her stomach.  “This is great.  I can’t believe Paulie and Bruno will be playing.”

“They’re more than happy to do it,” Rob said, flipping the burgers.  “Chad and I will probably pop in and play a bit on a couple songs.”

“Wow,” Sidney said, leaning against the rail.

Rob gave her a small smile as his face relaxed for the first time since she’d arrived.

As they ate, the sun began to set, giving them a spectacular light show.  Stomach full, Sidney relaxed in her chair, nursing a bottle of beer.

“Chad, remember back in the early days,” Rob said from his chair next to Sidney.  “Remember how we used to get together with our friends on the beach, build a fire, and just jam?”

“Yeah,” Chad said as Lexie leaned into him.  “Yeah, that was cool.”

“Let’s do that now,” Rob said.  “There’s some wood under the deck.  It’s a private beach.  We’ll grab a couple guitars.  What do you say?”

“Let’s do it.”

While Chad and Rob tended to the fire, Lexie and Sidney went downstairs to Rob’s studio to grab two acoustic guitars.  When they returned, they helped the guys take chairs down to the fire and settled in.

Rob began playing one of his older songs.  When Chad chimed in, Rob began belting out the lyrics, causing a warm, safe feeling to wash over Sidney.  She recalled her high school days, when these old songs first came out, and how she’d let music soothe her worries and troubles.  So many times she’d locked herself into whatever bedroom she’d had at the time and listened to her favorite bands – Society Lost among them.  One of the things she’d taken with her when she’d ran away was the cheap little MP3 player she’d bought herself. The comfort it had given her during those long, lonely nights was immeasurable.

After their third song, Chad handed his guitar to Sidney.

“Your turn.”

Sidney took it, her jaw falling.

“I don’t think so,” she said.

“Come on, Sid,” Lexie pleaded.  “I haven’t heard you sing yet.”

“Let’s do the one we worked on Friday,” Rob said.  “I think I remember it.”

With a sigh, Sidney plucked the strings to a song she’d written after living on the streets for a few weeks.  She’d met a girl not much older than herself who was so strung out on cocaine and booze that she’d turned to prostitution in order to feed her habits.  Sidney had often wondered what the girl – she’d never given Sidney her name – would have been like had she turned her life around and sought help.

Then, she wrote a song about it.

When she finished, Lexie erupted into a round of applause.

“Wow, Sid, you really
are
good!” Lexie said.

“Well, yeah,” Rob said, balancing his guitar on his lap.  “I only sign the best.”

Sidney rolled her eyes although no one really noticed.  She hoped that if anyone did notice her face, they’d think the red cheeks was from the warmth of the fire.

“I can’t wait to get her in a studio,” Chad said.

“Yeah, me either,” Rob said.  “We’re going to have to work her in this week and get started.  I want to get a single released around the end of summer, early fall.”

“That’s rather ambitious,” Sidney said, those butterflies going wild in her stomach again.  “I mean, you still have your CD to edit and that new band to get started.”

“It’s only May,” Rob reminded her.  “Two of those boys won’t finish school until the end of this month.  We have a little time.”

She wasn’t exactly sure why she was stalling.  She’d already resigned herself to the fact that she was going to do this.  Why not get to work right away?  Why not put her heart and soul into it?  Then, perhaps, she’d have something else to focus on besides Rob.

With that thought in mind, she nodded.  “Well, all right.  As long as it won’t interfere with anything else, we should get to work.”

“That’s my girl,” Rob grinned, picking up his guitar again.  “Let’s do some cover songs, just for fun, huh?”

As the party broke up, Rob once again insisted that she stay the night.  He didn’t want her driving after consuming a few beers and she was inclined to agree.

The guest room was becoming so familiar to her.  Comfortable with a queen-sized bed, soft mattress, and the silkiest sheets, it never took her long to fall asleep.  And waking in the morning, the sunlight streaming through the pale beige curtains, was like waking up in a fancy hotel.

When she went downstairs to the kitchen, Rob was already there, pouring a cup of coffee.

“Morning, Rookie,” he said, pulling another mug from the cabinet.  He filled it and handed it to her.  “Sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks,” she said as she doctored her coffee.

Mrs. B slid two plates heaping with biscuits and gravy onto the breakfast bar, pointing at the empty chairs.  “Eat while it’s hot.”

Sidney’s stomach rumbled at the sight of the food.  Mrs. B was an excellent cook and even though Sidney wasn’t extremely hungry, she couldn’t help but to eat when Mrs. B stuck food in front of her face.

“What are you going to do today?” Rob asked between mouthfuls.

“Go home and shower,” Sidney said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.  “And then probably just take it easy.”

Nodding, Rob speared a chunk of biscuit and crammed it into his mouth.  “Me, too.  Unless, do you want to hang out with me?  We could go downtown, check out the sights, grab some lunch – maybe check out a movie?  What do you think?”

Sidney’s heart was demanding that she agree – that it wanted nothing more than to be with Rob for the entire day without the distractions of the office.  But her head was warning her that it would be torture – being so close to him but not having the right to touch him.

She was an idiot, for sure.  She agreed.