“I want to throw something by you, an opportunity … something we need to act on quickly.”
Beckham frowned and nodded. “Of course. Lay it on me.”
Nate tilted his head to the side, motioning for Beckham to follow. They walked through the doors and into the back halls of the auditorium. To his disappointment, Leo was long gone. He wished he’d thought to invite his family to the San Diego show. It would be the end of the tour before they were back through, but still, it would have been fun to see the little guy again.
Beckham took the lead when they got toward the green room and offered Nate a bottled water once they stepped inside.
Nate took it and launched right into what was on his mind.
“I think you’ve met Donny Carter before, right? Made his career when he signed J. Eliot. I think he might have wanted to manage your family way back when.”
“Name sounds familiar,” Beckham said.
“Well, he just found out he has cancer and is retiring. It’s bad, really bad.” Nate shook his head. “Such a shame. Anyway, he called to see if I’d take over his client.”
Beckham nodded and waited, confused about what that had to do with him.
“His client is Ian Sterling.” Nate leaned back and smiled a slow grin.
Beckham perked up. Ian Sterling was someone he had long admired. He was a true artist—with the pipes, songwriting, and unparalleled guitar skills to back it up. Beckham had seen him play before Ian became well-known, in a little bar in San Francisco, and it had inspired him during a time when he was pretty numb. Earlier this year Ian had taken the Grammy home for Best Album of the Year, and Beckham thought no one deserved it more.
“Bad news for Ian is that Donny completely botched Ian’s tour. I mean really—he screwed up. I don’t know why he didn’t call sooner, but he’s obviously had a lot on his mind.” Nate lifted his eyebrows and let out a deep breath. “He feels awful about it. Ian has been top-notch about the whole thing, but bottom line is, the guy is now free for the next year, when he was supposed to have a huge tour of his own all lined up.”
Beckham and Nate stared at each other, both their minds racing with the possibilities.
“What are we waiting for?” Beckham asked. “Let’s make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Roxie redid her messy bun and then cursed under her breath when the ponytail holder snapped and left her hair hanging in her face. It reached her waist and was so heavy she usually kept it pulled back when she danced. Already sweating from the audition, she wished for the zillionth time that she’d cut it off at the beginning of summer. Her sister, Chloe, had talked her out of it, saying she looked like a giraffe when her hair was short. Roxie had subtly given her the finger, since the one time she’d ever had her hair short, she’d gotten knocked up, and Chloe had teased her mercilessly then too. Also, Leo was in the room at the time and nothing got past him. She’d made the mistake of saying shit in front of him weeks before and he was still giving her grief over that one. The last thing she needed was for him to give the bird to everyone at Northridge Baptist Pre-K, not to mention getting all curious about his dad. He seemed to be fine, for now, without one. Her brother, Joey, had been amazing with Leo, so had her dad. No need to complicate things with another man.
She dug in her bag for another ponytail holder and just as she rounded the corner, she found one and piled her hair back on top of her head. Ah, it helped immediately. She needed to get out of there before she saw anyone up close and personal.
“Over here, Mom!” Leo was hidden away, sitting exactly where she’d left him. It didn’t look like he’d moved an inch.
“Hey, bud. Thanks for being so patient. Where’s Aunt Chloe?”
“Bathroom,” he pointed at the door next to him, “right in there.”
“You should have gone with her.”
“Gross, Mom.”
“You know I don’t like you being by yourself—you-” She laughed in mid-sentence. “Don’t you give me the stink eye. Come on, let’s get out of here. You ready for some ice cream?” She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and helped him put everything in his backpack.
“Can I have three scoops this time?”
“Uh, wow, really? Are you gonna be a hyper mess if I say yes?”
“No?” He looked at her, unsure of what to say.
Roxie laughed and messed up his hair. “You know what? Yes. I can’t believe how long you waited on me. You deserve at least three scoops.”
Leo’s eyes lit up. “Cotton candy, strawberry, and blueberry cheesecake.”
Roxie crinkled up her nose. “Can your belly survive that?”
“It certainly can.”
“Are you absolutely certain, with all certainty, that it certainly can?”
Leo raised his eyebrows. “I’m certain,” he said.
Chloe walked out of the restroom and her eyes widened when she saw Roxie. “I didn’t leave him long, just a few minutes. I told him to yell or bite if anyone came near him.”
Roxie rolled her eyes. “He should have gone in there with you. Someone could have snatched him up. Look how cute he is.”
It was Chloe’s turn to groan at Roxie. She was a little over the top sometimes. “Come on, Rox, there are guards at every door. No one would be able to take him.”
As they pushed the theater doors, an unseasonably hot wind attacked them. They walked to the car and Roxie started it before Leo and Chloe got in, cranking the air conditioner to full blast. The ice cream shop was just around the corner and when they walked in, Leo started humming. The kid lived for ice cream.
When they had their heaping cones, they sat down and started eating it as fast as they could before it melted.
“Did you see him?” Chloe whispered to Roxie when Leo got up to throw away his napkin.
“No, I made it a point to not look for him, actually,” Roxie whispered back. “I didn’t want to screw up my audition, you know?”
Chloe nodded. Her eyes searched Roxie’s, but she didn’t say anything for a long time. When they were on their way back out the door to head home, she spoke again.
“What are you gonna do if they call, Roxie?”
Roxie sighed. It was a waste of time to even think about that. They wouldn’t be calling, and if by some crazy stroke of luck they did, she hadn’t figured out yet how she could actually do it.
“I’m not gonna get the job, Chloe.” She shook her head. “You know I have the worst luck ever…” her voice trailed off quietly.
Roxie got on the highway and crept slowly in the rush-hour traffic. She looked in the rearview mirror at Leo, who was holding the good fight of staying awake, just barely.
“You were there a long time. They must have liked something they saw. Rox, you’re an incredible dancer,” she said quietly. “I think you need to think about what will happen if they call you back.” Chloe poked Roxie in the arm for emphasis.
“There’s no way I can do it!” She softened her tone when she saw the concern in Chloe’s eyes. “I don’t know why I went—I think I just needed to see if I still have what it takes.” She adjusted the air and sighed. “If they do call back, which they won’t, I’ll know to pursue opening the studio. That’s what I’ve always wanted to do anyway. It would make today worth the stress, don’t you think? And Mom and Dad might finally get behind the idea if they hear I was good enough to tour with Beckham Woods.”
“You don’t need to teach yet. Save that for later. People need to be seeing you out there, dancing the way only you know how,” Chloe argued.
“I found out today how long the tour really is, Chloe.” She swallowed hard, needing to have a good cry. “They’re going pretty much non-stop for almost a year, not to mention the months of rehearsals in L.A. I’m sure there are breaks here and there, but … a year. ”
Chloe groaned and stared out her window for a long time. Both of them had one person on their minds: Leo. When they turned onto their street, she looked at Roxie again.
“Rox … I’m ready for you to start living for you again. I hoped this was the start of that.”