Behind the Strings (11 page)

26

I squinted at the sun shining through my windows that next morning. The covers were pulled up tightly to my chin and I lay there with a smile on my face as I thought about the night before. None of it was what I had expected, but I wanted to hold all of it with me as long as I could.

Jesse and I didn’t really confirm what we were or weren’t, but after we went back inside the bar, all my reservations were put at ease. His hand stayed with mine underneath that table for most of the night. When it was time to go he offered to drive me home. I gave some weak objection, but I could see the look on both Jaycie and Logan’s faces. Jaycie’s was “
You go, girl,”
while Logan’s was more of a “
What the…?”
I could tell it again made Jesse uncomfortable because he trailed pretty far behind me as we left the bar.

I rolled away from the light and closed my eyes, once again picturing our ride home. After flipping through a few stations on the radio, he wrapped his hand around mine and I could see a smile cross his face even with his eyes on the road.

A sigh slipped through my lips as I thought about the final red light before my house. No one else was on the road. It was only us waiting there for the go-ahead. I rested my head back on the seat and looked up at him. I could see it in his eyes; he was thinking the same as I. His hand reached out and pulled me toward him. The way his lips wrapped around mine sent the beat of my heart into a whirlwind. I could feel it through my whole body as he pulled back. I squeezed his hand tightly with both of mine as we rolled through that light to the sidewalk in front of my house.

All of my inhibitions had left me by that point and the invitation to come inside was only inches from rolling off my tongue. As I sat there, my head still resting on the seat, I stared into his eyes with a smile, picturing the way I would unlock the door. How I would take his hand and lead him into my bedroom. The way he would pull me into him as I flipped on the light, the way he would taste my lips, my neck, and my shoulders. The sensation between my legs was unyielding as I thought about the way he would run his hands up my sides, taking my shirt with it.

There was so much more I wanted to imagine him doing to me. So much I wanted to do to him…but the words never left my mouth. I said them in my head over and over again, but couldn’t form them out loud. Instead I let him walk me to the door, holding me in his arms while he apologized again. We stood on the porch in the moonlight as the minutes ticked by. I saw it so vividly, the way he kissed my forehead before his final goodbye rested on my lips.

I rolled myself out of bed after my vision of him walking to his car disappeared. I had slept much later than I had planned and the real world was calling my name. I quickly rinsed myself off and after a few splashes of water to my face I came to life. I brushed through the massive curls of humidity and twisted them into a bun before painting my face and throwing on the first outfit I could find.

I sprinted through the double doors of the office with only a few minutes to spare before our weekly meeting would commence. A strong cup of fresh black coffee met me at my desk. I scooped it up and traded my purse and jacket for my notebook and iPad before heading down the hall to the boardroom.

“Good morning, Ms. Westbrooke,” Frankie said sternly as I moved to the final open seat around the table.

I nodded at her nervously and slid deep into my chair, scurrying to get in my place. I winked at Jaycie across the table, tapping the cup of steaming coffee. She knew me so well. Once the meeting started I savored each sip in between my note-taking. We all sat around pitching new stories, and how fitting that Jesse happened to be one of mine. I pulled out the video I had taken of him the night I first followed his voice through the bar. Although impressed, Frankie didn’t see a story unlike any other musician that flooded the streets of Nashville hoping for their big break. Instead she wanted me t0 interview Maiden Voyage, a new female duo that just entered the charts for the first week with a song that had caused a serious wave of backlash in the country world.

“We need to find a hook. Something compelling before the competition does, so I’ll need you to get that interview as soon as possible.”

I made a note to search for their publicist this afternoon and see what I could do. Frankie shot down a few other ideas from those who sat beside me and adjourned the meeting for us to get started. My first stop was the break room to refill my now-empty cup with another jolt of needed caffeine.

“You look positively radiant this morning, Ms. Westbrooke,” Jaycie said.

“Is that a joke?”

“No, I’m being serious. You look like you released a lot of stress from your life last night.”

I could feel her elbow nudging my side, her eyes silently prompting me for the X-rated details she expected to come spilling out of my mouth. It came as quite a surprise to her when I told her that nothing happened. Nothing of that nature anyway. She didn’t believe me at first, but I assured her I would never keep any of those details from her.

“I don’t understand, then,” she said.

“Understand what?”

“Why you’re all giddy then, like a thirteen-year-old at a One Direction concert.”

I laughed, grabbing my coffee from the counter and leading us both back to our desks. I thought about it for a minute. She was right. I remember seeing it while staring exhaustedly into the mirror this morning, and when I brightened my lips in the rear-view mirror. It was still there even now, and I was doing it without even thinking. That smile hadn’t left my face since the moment Jesse told me he wished he could kiss me, and I swear it grew bigger with each kiss he gave me.

“Oh my god, you wanna be his Sunday morning, don’t you?” Jaycie asked.

“His what?”

“You know, like more than just a Saturday-night hook up. You want to be there on Sunday morning when he wakes up.”

I’d never heard that phrase before, but she was on to something. That was a feeling I couldn’t ever remember coming over me until the first night I spent out with Jesse, and it resurfaced again last night. I had to be honest, I liked the way it felt. I liked what he could do to me just by crossing my mind. I never really gave Jaycie an answer to her question, but inside I knew why. It was because I, Celia Westbrooke, whether I was ready for it or not, was completely and utterly smitten.

27

The sun still had about an hour left of sleep before it would be called upon, but not me. It had been almost two hours since the sound of my alarm and I was now at my terminal at Nashville International Airport.in the Nashville airport. When Frankie says make it happen, you do just that. Maiden Voyage was in the middle of a very action-packed radio tour and wouldn’t be back in Nashville into after our next publication was set to go live so I talked the publicist into being able to shadow them for the day in their latest city. Next stop for me? Chicago.

Two hours later, I lugged my carryon through O’Hare following the signs to what this city called the “L,” hoping Nashville had made me enough of a city girl for me to handle public transportation. The girls had an early morning ahead of them and we all agreed to meet for breakfast before it began. I was excited not only because I loved my “Day in the Life” features, but also because I had never been to Chicago. It was definitely on my bucket list and I was looking forward to checking it off.

The chill of the wind off Lake Michigan bit at me hard as I stepped off the L train into downtown Chicago. I searched through my oversized carryon for my notebook. In it I had written up a few questions to be sure to ask the girls, but I also wrote down my itinerary of tourist stops to be sure I didn’t miss any. With time to spare before breakfast I decided to hit the first one on my list.

A selfie in front of Cloud Gate was a must. I could see my reflection in the bean-shaped sculpture through the lens of my phone, making it an even more perfect picture. A nice businessman stopped, post-selfie, to offer to take one for me, so I quickly ran underneath the Bean to pose. Afterwards, I walked around Millennium Park to see what else it had in store, snapping pictures wherever I saw fit until it was time to head to breakfast a couple blocks away.

Maiden Voyage was already nestled into a booth when I walked into the café. We ordered a round of coffee for the table and our breakfasts of choice before as we indulged in friendly conversation.

“Today is all about being yourselves,” I told them. “I love to give artists the opportunity to be real and candid and show their fans the things they can’t see from the stage. We’ll start with the obvious questions and then build from there.”

The girls were eager to get started. I had a whole list of questions prepared for them and when we were done I followed them over to the radio station. I sat over in the corner of the studio while the girls were on the air. In the middle of organizing a few notes my phone lit up. It was Jesse. I snuck quietly out the door to answer.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey, how are ya?”

“Other than ready to take a nap? I’m fine.” I went on to tell him about my trip so far. He hadn’t known I was in Chicago until then. Although we had talked often since the last time we’d seen each other, I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him since I booked the flight last night. It had all happened so fast.

“Bummer, was going to see if I could take you out tonight. How long are you in Chicago for?”

“Until tomorrow morning, but I don’t have much to do later in the afternoon, so maybe if you’re bored, I can call you once I check in to the hotel?”

“Sure,” he said. “I’m not playing anywhere tonight, so I’m pretty much at your beck and call.”

He laughed. I loved that laugh. I think it was because along with it always came that smile that I couldn’t resist. A part of me wished I could be in two places at once right now. Not since the night we met for the interview had the two of us really been alone together. There was so much more I wanted to know about him.

We hung up and I didn’t even make it back to the door into the studio before it began to vibrate again. I answered, hesitant to say “hello,” thinking this time it was a mistake, that I’d hear the car radio in the background as his phone rested on the passenger seat, but to my surprise I heard his voice loud and clear.

“Hey,” Jesse said, “so I had a thought, but I can’t quite tell you what it is yet. I need you to do me a favor.”

“Okay…”

“I need to you check into your hotel, relax a bit, and get yourself ready to paint the town by eight o’clock. Can you do that?”

“Uh, sure, I think I can manage that.,” I said.

“I know, but I need you to trust me.”

The word “trust” wasn’t really in my vocabulary. Jesse was asking a lot of me. Even though I told him I would give him a chance, there was still a part of me that didn’t actually believe I could do it. He asked which hotel I was staying at and told me I didn’t have to be in anything fancy, just dress as I would like any other normal person ready for a night out in Chicago. I laughed, a few different thoughts of what he his plan was ran through my mind, but I promised.

“What do you have up that sleeve of yours?” I asked.

“You’ll see.” Then he hung up.

I had no idea what was going to happen at eight o’clock. Whatever Jesse had up his sleeve was a mystery to me, but one thing I knew for sure, was that when eight o’clock came around, I would be ready.

By four o’clock I felt like an accomplished tourist and one heck of a blogger. I had watched Maiden Voyage in action during their Chicago radio stops and got to tag along as they hit up some of the coolest sights of Chicago, including conquering the 103
rd
floor in the Willis Tower. Looking out the window from that Skydeck was a breathtaking experience. What an amazing view of the city. I kind of blocked out the tour guide as he explained a bit about what we were looking at because in that moment I realized how blessed I truly was. This was my job. I got paid for this trip. It was kind of exhilarating. I know, some adventurer I was, sightseeing in a Midwestern city—kind of pathetic, but I was working on it. I was a small-town girl, from a place with a population less than 2500. Moving to the “big city” was a giant leap for me, and to be here on top of the world with some of country music’s rising stars was a heck of an accomplishment in my book.

Our next stop was a photo shoot in front of Buckingham fountain. And I don’t mean the typical “pull out your cell phone” kind. The girls really had a photo shoot. It took about an hour for the photographer to get all the shots he wanted. I jumped behind him a few times to snap some moments for myself. I was so thrilled with everything I was getting
for this story and the fact that I was having a blast doing it was an added bonus.

We ended our day together with lunch and some shopping down at the Navy Pier before the girls had to jet off to New York for a late show appearance. I thanked them for their time then, still dragging my carryon alongside me, found my way to my hotel to do exactly what Jesse had to told me to.

28

By eight o’clock my hair was curled, makeup set, and my outfit ironed and slipped over my shea-buttered skin. Not even a minute later Jesse was calling my cell phone.

“Well,” he asked, “are you ready?”

“I feel like that depends on what I’m supposed to be ready for.”

“We’re going on a date. I’ve got it all planned out.”

“‘We’ as in you and me?” I asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” He heard me hesitate for a moment, then he said, “Trust me, remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Good. Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” I said.

“That is the answer I was hoping to hear. I’m going to text you an address. It shouldn’t be hard to grab a cab from the hotel. Give it to the driver, okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

“I’ll call you back in about fifteen minutes.”

We both hung up. I threw on my jacket and headed to the lobby. I could see a few cabs already waiting outside. I waved to one, hopped in and read the address aloud.

Jesse had impeccable timing. I hadn’t even fully exited the cab yet when I heard the ringing coming from my purse.

“Hey,” I said once I answered, “I think I’m here.”

“What do you see?”

I looked around for a bit at everything around me. In the middle of all the hustle I spotted a large red awning on the street corner. I read the sign above it.

“Pizza,” I said confidently.

“You got it.”

I stayed on the phone with him as I went inside and seated myself at a table for two in the corner. The waitress handed me a menu and Jesse paused for a moment, switching his phone to video. Once he came into view I nodded my head and laughed. He too seemed to be sitting by himself in a restaurant in Nashville. He held up a menu in front of him with a vast selection of deep-dish options.

“What should we order?” he asked.

I understood it now. Jesse really heard me when I told him my fear of the crazy music world and the way it pulled people in all different directions. This was his way of proving to me that even with hundreds of miles between us, it was possible to make this work. That maybe we might have to try a bit harder, but if we wanted it bad enough, nothing could stand in our way. Jesse was taking me out to dinner tonight. He was sharing in the Chicago experience with me. I was in a state of complete bliss. Here we were, sharing my first Chicago experience together. We were making memories.

“Can I tell you something?”

“You can tell me anything,” he said.

“This is pretty much the cutest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Good. Now, let’s order.”

I thought the waitress was going to think we were nuts when she came over with a glass of water. I looked up at her and briefly explained. Her heart melted with every word I said and she jokingly asked if she could borrow him, even just temporarily. I ordered what she recommended and Jesse ordered the same on his end. Our conversation was lively the entire time we sat there. I could see people looking at me, but I tuned them out. I wanted to focus on the two of us. I wanted to find out more about the man who, with the slightest touch, could ignite this fire inside of me, a fire so hot it singed every doubt that had been thrown at.

“So tell me a little about Austin,” I said. “Do you visit often?”

“I do. Most of my family still lives there. My sister had her first kid, a little girl named Haven, last winter. I went down for a while then.”

“Haven…I like it,” I said.

“Ha, yeah. My sister is pretty eccentric. She likes to go against the grain. Traditional isn’t really her thing.”

“Do you have any other siblings?”

“Nope, just the one. She’s three years old than me. Turned the big 3-0 this summer. I still haven’t let her live it down.”

We both laughed. I hadn’t actually realized until then that Jesse was older than me. It wasn’t really by much, but the three years kind of made it more alluring, the thought of an older man.

Not even half of my pizza was gone before I held my stomach and I groaned. Jesse, being a guy, cleared his plate in its entirety before he gave me another address in Chicago.

“Wait, there’s more?” I asked.

“Of course there’s more. We have the whole night of fun ahead of us.”

I asked him if he was going to call me back in any specified amount of time, but this time that wasn’t the case. He told me I was pretty much stuck with him for as long as our batteries would last. I was incredibly thankful to myself for remembering to charge my phone while I was getting ready so I could spend as much time with him as possible.

The streets of Chicago may have been even livelier leaving the pizza place than when I entered. I tried not to run into anything as I led Jesse through them. He hopped in his car to the next destination, but mine didn’t seem to be that far, so I opted to walk. He talked to me the whole way there and stopped mid-sentence a few times to comment first on my hair, then my eyes and my smile. I’d never felt more confident in myself or more beautiful than tonight. Even though I knew this was the very beginning of something between the two of us, and I wasn’t sure where it would end up, Jesse made me feel beautiful, appreciated and wanted. I felt a closeness to him tonight, unlike any of the other times I’d spent with him. It was more than wanting to rip his clothes off or feel his hands all over me. His genuine desire to show me happiness and the effort he put into this night allowed me to look past all of that. It showed me that he really did see something in the two of us. He was all of the things I was afraid of before. But with Jesse, it was all so different. He had found a loophole through the walls around my heart and was very slowly, yet successfully knocking them down.