the door.
Jack never did make it to the gym. But he did find a bar that was serving tall beers. Buckets of them, fortunately, because he needed a good belt now that he was realizing he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
Six
The next morning, Audrey could hardly open her eyes when Lucas shook her. He was dressed, ready to go to the Qwest Center to oversee the setup for the show.
“Hurry up,” he said with exasperation, shoving her lightly as she burrowed deeper under the covers. “You need to rehearse the ‘Take Me’ number and get through a sound check before three.”
“I’ll be there,” she muttered, her eyes sliding shut again. “Just . . . just take Bruno to Courtney and send a car back.”
“Audrey—”
“Just send a car!” she moaned.
She was exhausted, and it was Lucas’s fault. He’d kept her up until almost two in the morning, trying to persuade her to fly to New York at the end of the month to attend some Hollywood muckety-muck’s birthday bash.
Audrey had never met the guy and didn’t want to go, but Lucas was wearing her down. “Mike Senate is like the biggest director in Hollywood,” he’d said as he dug through his luggage, looking for his black leather pants.
“That’s great. If I were in the movie business, I’m sure I would be interested,” she’d said as she’d gone over the song list.
“You could be in the movie business.”
Audrey had looked up from her songbook.
Lucas had pinned her with a look as he pushed a hand through his golden, highlighted hair. “I’m serious, Audrey. Jessica Simpson made the leap to screen. You could act circles around her.”
Sometimes, she wondered what planet Lucas was from. “I could act circles around her? I don’t even act! I’ve never acted, and what’s more, I don’t want to act. I want to make music, Lucas. Why can’t I just do that?”
“Because sometimes you have to do things to get ahead,” he’d said irritably.
“I am ahead. I’m in a place I never dreamed I would be. How much further ahead do I need to be?”
“Jesus,” he’d said, tossing his leather pants on a chair. “I just wish that you would listen to me—”
“I listen to you all the time—”
“Well, you’re damn sure not hearing me now, Audrey,” he’d snapped. “Here’s what’s wrong with your little fantasy of having made it. Pop stars die a painful death after the age of thirty. You are twenty-eight. You need to think of the future and what you are going to do when this gig ends.”
But it had been more than Audrey could think of last night. She was stressed from all the last-minute preparations for the show, and honestly, seeing Jack Price yesterday had stirred something in her she wanted to pulverize to a powder rather than acknowledge. And Lucas wanted her to fly off and meet some director?
On top of that, on the way out of town yesterday, she’d gotten a call from her sister Gail, who told her that her brother, Allen, had been missing for two days.
“ Missing? ” Audrey had cried as fear clutched at her heart. “What do you mean missing ?”
“I don’t mean he’s been abducted or anything,” Gail had said with a snort. “I think he went out on a bender. But his probation officer is pissed, Audie—she says she is going to have his probation revoked this time.”
Audrey had to ask her to repeat the last part, as the party had already begun in the limo, but whatever Gail said was lost. When they pulled to a stop at the tarmac, she got out so she could hear her sister, oblivious to the sheriff’s deputies, or the paparazzi behind her—they were just part of the normal landscape these days—and was hardly even conscious that she was walking, so intent was she on the conversation.
Her heart was beating wildly as she listened to Gail. Allen would never survive in prison—so why did he have to do this? Why did he sabotage every chance he was granted?
“I don’t know what to do,” Audrey said to Gail.
Jack never did make it to the gym. But he did find a bar that was serving tall beers. Buckets of them, fortunately, because he needed a good belt now that he was realizing he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
Six
The next morning, Audrey could hardly open her eyes when Lucas shook her. He was dressed, ready to go to the Qwest Center to oversee the setup for the show.
“Hurry up,” he said with exasperation, shoving her lightly as she burrowed deeper under the covers. “You need to rehearse the ‘Take Me’ number and get through a sound check before three.”
“I’ll be there,” she muttered, her eyes sliding shut again. “Just . . . just take Bruno to Courtney and send a car back.”
“Audrey—”
“Just send a car!” she moaned.
She was exhausted, and it was Lucas’s fault. He’d kept her up until almost two in the morning, trying to persuade her to fly to New York at the end of the month to attend some Hollywood muckety-muck’s birthday bash.
Audrey had never met the guy and didn’t want to go, but Lucas was wearing her down. “Mike Senate is like the biggest director in Hollywood,” he’d said as he dug through his luggage, looking for his black leather pants.
“That’s great. If I were in the movie business, I’m sure I would be interested,” she’d said as she’d gone over the song list.
“You could be in the movie business.”
Audrey had looked up from her songbook.
Lucas had pinned her with a look as he pushed a hand through his golden, highlighted hair. “I’m serious, Audrey. Jessica Simpson made the leap to screen. You could act circles around her.”
Sometimes, she wondered what planet Lucas was from. “I could act circles around her? I don’t even act! I’ve never acted, and what’s more, I don’t want to act. I want to make music, Lucas. Why can’t I just do that?”
“Because sometimes you have to do things to get ahead,” he’d said irritably.
“I am ahead. I’m in a place I never dreamed I would be. How much further ahead do I need to be?”
“Jesus,” he’d said, tossing his leather pants on a chair. “I just wish that you would listen to me—”
“I listen to you all the time—”
“Well, you’re damn sure not hearing me now, Audrey,” he’d snapped. “Here’s what’s wrong with your little fantasy of having made it. Pop stars die a painful death after the age of thirty. You are twenty-eight. You need to think of the future and what you are going to do when this gig ends.”
But it had been more than Audrey could think of last night. She was stressed from all the last-minute preparations for the show, and honestly, seeing Jack Price yesterday had stirred something in her she wanted to pulverize to a powder rather than acknowledge. And Lucas wanted her to fly off and meet some director?
On top of that, on the way out of town yesterday, she’d gotten a call from her sister Gail, who told her that her brother, Allen, had been missing for two days.
“ Missing? ” Audrey had cried as fear clutched at her heart. “What do you mean missing ?”
“I don’t mean he’s been abducted or anything,” Gail had said with a snort. “I think he went out on a bender. But his probation officer is pissed, Audie—she says she is going to have his probation revoked this time.”
Audrey had to ask her to repeat the last part, as the party had already begun in the limo, but whatever Gail said was lost. When they pulled to a stop at the tarmac, she got out so she could hear her sister, oblivious to the sheriff’s deputies, or the paparazzi behind her—they were just part of the normal landscape these days—and was hardly even conscious that she was walking, so intent was she on the conversation.
Her heart was beating wildly as she listened to Gail. Allen would never survive in prison—so why did he have to do this? Why did he sabotage every chance he was granted?
“I don’t know what to do,” Audrey said to Gail.
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