Mythe: A Fairy Tale (8 page)

The men in the neighboring suite were persistent, however. Since the first one had struck out, the second was taking a turn at bat.

“Maybe the two of us could come over there and join you then. We could even things up, men to women. You look like you have plenty of room.”

Manda grimaced at Katie before turning back to face the second man. Judging by their pick-up lines, these two might not be bright enough to take a hint.

“No, thank you,” she said, letting her annoyance show clearly. “We’re fine as we are.”

“Oh, well...,” the man began, obviously unsure what approach to take now.

The arena lights dimmed just then and the stage was plunged into darkness. She didn’t have to feign distraction as she dismissed the two men.

“Well, enjoy the concert,” she said absently, and leaned forward on the front railing beside Katie, all thought of the men vanishing.

After a few moments, during which the crowd roared in anticipation, the opening piano chords of a song sounded from the darkness. Drums joined in as a single spotlight illuminated the middle of the empty stage, where a large circular hole darkened its center. As the crowd screamed its approval, a rotating platform rose into the opening, lifting Richard and Josh into view. Richard was seated at a black piano, while Josh stood on the opposite side of the platform. As they became visible, Josh began to sing, his clear voice joining the piano and drums.

Manda was immediately enthralled and the evening sped by too quickly. Richard alternated between piano and guitar, while Josh sang most of the lead vocals and played guitar as well. Their music was an eclectic mix, ranging from slow ballads to aggressive, guitar-driven rock songs, and spanning a wide range in between. The common thread throughout all of the songs, however, was the beautifully written and performed lyrics. While Josh sang most often, Richard lent his voice to a number of songs. Josh’s voice was warm and pure with an amazing range. Richard’s voice, on the other hand, was richer and deeper than his brother’s, and while he lacked Joshua’s vocal range, he was even more expressive. Of the two, Manda preferred Richard’s voice.

Manda was disappointed when, after two hours, the brothers finally left the stage. She and Katie both waited eagerly for an encore and were thrilled when the brothers returned, Richard on piano and Josh on drums, to perform
Resolute
, one of Manda’s favorite songs. They were joined by an extensive complement of musicians, including a sizable strings section. After several bars, Richard began to sing, his voice a moody growl. Josh drove the music forward with a thundering drumbeat, which was echoed by both bass and lead guitars, as well as the strings. Richard’s hands danced across the keys as he sang—the piano weaving a haunting melody around the pulsing beat as the tension built. As the insistent rhythm of the song finally reached a crescendo, his voice soared and a chill raced through Manda. After the music faded away and applause shook the floor under Manda’s feet, Richard and Josh
took a final bow in front of the piano and then disappeared below the stage on the revolving platform, waving as they descended. Manda leaned back in her seat, breathless.

“That was beyond awesome!” Katie bubbled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Josh is so amazing, don’t you think?”

Josh was definitely attractive and talented, but in Manda’s opinion, he was overshadowed by his older brother. She decided to be diplomatic.

“They are both pretty incredible, aren’t they? And they’re both really funny and nice, too.”

“When will I get to meet them? Will they be at your office this week?” Katie asked eagerly.

Manda sighed and glanced back at David, who was smiling smugly. “What do you think, David? Do you think we might be able to arrange for Katie and Stacey to meet them soon?”

David glanced over his shoulder toward the door before shrugging and replying noncommittally, “I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

“I would
love
to meet them!” Stacey giggled enthusiastically. “
That
would have been a great birthday present!”

A firm knock on the door of their suite interrupted their conversation.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt,” Jonathan said from the half-open door. “Mr. Raines—Richard that is—has asked me to escort you backstage whenever you’re ready.”

Stacey beamed at David. “Did you know about this beforehand?”

“Of course. Happy Birthday!” he replied with a self-satisfied smile.

Jonathan took them on a winding course through the departing crowd to the same elevator they had ridden up in. Katie was all but dancing as she skipped along impatiently behind David and Stacey.

“You two are sneaky!” she accused Manda and David. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“It was Richard’s idea. You should thank him,” David informed her as the elevator doors opened and Jonathan ushered them inside. The concierge waved an access card in front of a black panel beside the buttons and then pushed a button marked “S1.” The elevator car descended quickly.

When the door opened again, Jonathan led them out into the unadorned, utilitarian service level of the arena. The floors were plain concrete, the walls brick and white painted cinderblock. People hurried back and forth, busy with their various tasks, and the small party had to dodge wheeled equipment crates several times. After guiding them through a small maze of corridors, Jonathan ushered them into a roomy lounge.

“Richard and Joshua will join you shortly. Make yourself at home and help yourself to refreshments,” he said, indicating a table against one wall that was laden with a variety of beverages and snacks. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“Thank you for everything,” David said, shaking Jonathan’s hand. “We’ve had a fantastic night.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” Jonathan replied with a smile, and left them alone.

David took a soft drink and made himself comfortable in an armchair. Stacey and Katie paced restlessly, both too excited to sit. Manda helped herself to a bottle of water from the table and forced herself to sit down and at least try to
look
cool and collected, though she was anything but. Her heart was racing. Though she’d grown relatively comfortable with Richard and Josh at the office, the thought of seeing them again in full rockstar mode, after they had just performed in front of thousands of fans, was a little intimidating. She sipped her water and concentrated on not fidgeting.

“You look really nice tonight, M,” David said. “New outfit maybe?” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

“Aunt Manda and I went shopping today,” Katie informed him, happily. “She bought me a new outfit, too.” Katie’s face abruptly fell. “Oh, no! I left my jacket in the suite! Aunt Manda! My new jacket!” she wailed.

“It’s okay, don’t worry!” Manda soothed. “We’ll just go back and get it. No big deal.” She stood up and gave Katie a reassuring hug.

“If we go upstairs we won’t be able to get back here unescorted. You guys stay here,” David instructed. “I’ll go. I’ll find someone who can track down Jonathan for me and see if he can’t help us out.”

“Thanks, David,” Katie said gratefully. “I’ll come with you.”

“Sure,” David replied. “You don’t have to though. Wouldn’t you rather wait here?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s my fault. I’ll come.”

“Okay. Let’s hurry then,” David said. “We’ll be right back,” he tossed over his shoulder as he led Katie from the room.

“He’s such a doll,” Stacey said as she perched on the arm of one of the chairs near Manda.

“He really is,” Manda agreed. “You two make a nice couple,” she added sincerely.

“He really loves working with you, you know.” Stacey confided. “He thinks of you like a little sister.”

“
Little
sister? But I’m two months older than he is!” Manda laughed. “We do have a lot of fun at work though.”

“So, what’s it been like, working with
Rain
?” Stacey asked, leaning toward Manda eagerly. “When I ask David he just says it’s ‘okay,’ like it’s just another day at the office.”

“They’re really easy to work with. In a way, David’s right. It
is
kind of like just another day at the office. There hasn’t been any major drama or anything like that. It’s been really nice.” Manda’s answer was casual and light—never mind the butterflies she got every time she saw Richard. It was just a little crush. “Besides, we’ve only had two meetings with them so far.”

“Oh, come on! They’re rich, famous, and
gorgeous
! Definitely
not
just another day at the office,” Stacey said skeptically.

“They don’t act like it, though,” Manda explained. “They’re both really down to earth and nice. You’ll see.”

Stacey smiled in anticipation and began to pace again. “Katie must be in seventh heaven. I’m surprised you didn’t bring Robbie too. Won’t he be jealous?”

“No, I introduced him to some of the Broncos a few months ago when we were doing some work for them. This makes them even.”

“Katie’s really grown up a lot since I saw her last. She’s gotten so tall!”

“She’s taller than me now,” Manda sighed. “My sister, Emily, says the boys are starting to call, too. Andy, my brother-in-law, doesn’t like that at all!” Manda chuckled.

“Well, he’d better get used to it I think,” Stacey grinned. “She’s very pretty. She looks a lot like you.”

Manda blushed and took a drink of water.

Stacey laughed and sat back down on the arm of the chair. “So, why
didn’t
you bring Robbie tonight?”

“Oh, he’s camping. He won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon. He’s been...”

Manda was interrupted by the entrance of Richard and Josh. Both were wearing jeans and t-shirts and their hair was damp. Stacey froze. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

“Hi, Manda!” Josh greeted with a pleased smile.

“Hi, Josh,” Manda said, standing and returning his smile. “This is Stacey Johnson, David’s girlfriend. Stacey, this is Josh Raines.”

Josh offered his hand to Stacey. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Stacey. David told me a lot about you.” Stacey shook his hand timidly, with a stunned look on her face.

Richard, who had entered behind Josh, smiled at Manda and a wave of warmth washed through her. “Richard, this is Stacey. Stacey, this is Richard,” she said a little breathlessly.

Richard turned his smile toward Stacey and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stacey. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” Stacey beamed, recovering her composure. She shook Richard’s hand, taking a step closer to him. Manda noticed that she didn’t release his hand. “And thank you for dinner.”

“You’re quite welcome,” Richard replied. “Just a little something to make up for taking up so much of David’s time lately.”

He extracted his hand smoothly from Stacey’s grasp and took a step closer to Manda. Stacey shadowed him and he glanced down at the blonde woman, amused.

“Where’s David?” Josh asked. He took a bottle of water from the table. “And your date?”

“Well, Katie left her jacket in the suite and she and David went to see about getting it back,” Manda explained. “They should be back soon.”

“Your niece, Katie?” Richard asked, smiling at Manda again.

“Yes. I had to bring her, of course. I couldn’t jeopardize my status as ‘best aunt in the world’ after all. I think you helped me secure a place in the hall of fame tonight.”

“Glad I could help,” Richard chuckled. He looked toward the door then, a fraction of a second before David and Katie walked through. “There they are now.” Josh crossed the room to greet David, and then turned his brilliant smile on Katie as David introduced her. The girl looked star struck. As Manda had suspected, Katie melted in the face of Josh’s charm.

“That’s your niece?” Richard asked, surprised. “How old is she?”

“Thirteen,” Manda answered.

Richard cleared his throat and Josh turned to look at him quizzically before turning back to Katie. “She looks much older than thirteen,” Richard said quietly to Manda. Josh nodded at something David or Katie said that Manda must have missed.

“I know,” Manda sighed. “Thankfully, she’s very level-headed. Smart, too.” Josh, David, and Katie joined the rest of the group, gathered around the coffee table. Richard positioned himself to Manda’s left, while Katie stood to her right.

After introducing Katie to Richard, Manda asked her niece if they had found Jonathan.

“Yes,” Katie replied happily. “David found someone with a radio who called him and he said he’d bring my jacket to us here.”

“Did he take good care of you?” Richard asked, shaking David’s hand.

“The best. Thanks,” David answered. “It’s been a great evening.”

“Did you like the concert?” Josh asked Manda eagerly.

“It was amazing!” Manda told him honestly. “You guys are incredible.”

Katie giggled. “When Richard sang
Resolute
it gave Aunt Manda chills,” she said with a grin.

“Katie!” Manda protested, blushing and elbowing Katie.