by Hope Lyda
Jude and Newton stumbled over each other and out the door. I answered the phone. “Hello?” I asked innocently.
“Which hovel do you call your own?” Cecilia barked.
“Who is this?”
“One guess.”
“You’re early.”
“I’m also busy with a million details for the big unveiling. So unless you want to let your new best buddy down big-time, you’d better let the master puppeteer in.”
“Oh, when is he arriving?” I taunted the woman to slow her progress.
“I don’t have long. What number are you in? I promised to check on Hudson.”
“Who’d you promise?” Aha. She basically admitted she wasn’t working alone.
“I’ll ask the little man with the red ear lobes to direct me to your apartment. Don’t bother cleaning. I wouldn’t be impressed either way.”
Click.
I walked into my apartment and saw that Jude was gathering up all the paperwork and files we had that were relevant to Cecilia.
“She’ll be here in a moment,” I said. “Remember, be as grateful as ever and ask lots of questions or she might be suspicious why we aren’t asking for details.”
“Good point. I’m very curious as to what she is going to pitch to us.”
“Throw at us is more like it.”
The place was clear of evidence by the time we heard Cecilia’s heels dragging on the snagged carpet followed by the sound of her tripping. I opened the door.
“This isn’t carpet. It’s a bouclé sweater. Why can’t you live on the lake or downtown like functional people do?”
“Oh, Cecilia…are you offering me a raise?”
She gave me a dirty look but then her eyes and mouth widened into an approving smile when she spotted Jude standing in the apartment. “Well, it certainly wasn’t the overdose of mint tea that had me thinking you were dreamy. Clearly you are.”
My phone rang. It was Angus’ number.
“Don’t answer that,” Cecilia barked.
“I have to. It might be Blaine. He’s always making me work overtime.”
“Yeah. I’ll bet. Fine. Can I have something to drink? Something in its original, identifiable container.”
“Hello?” I answered the phone and pointed toward the kitchen.
“Libby. John Meier believed the story and has left.”
“Meet me outside the church in thirty minutes. If I’m not there, just wait.”
“Got it. See you there. Thanks, Libby. This is pretty awesome.”
“You’re welcome.” I hung up and turned back around.
“Church?” Cecilia laughed. She sounded like my mother. Suddenly a lot of things made sense about my work and family relationships. There’d be time for therapy later.
“I forgot I had Bible study tonight.”
“That explains so much,” she laughed again in a condescending tone and sipped a Sprite without touching her lips to the can. I could see Jude was annoyed with her, so I gave him a fake happy smile and he smiled back.
“Cecilia, have a seat. We’re anxious to hear the plan. I know it’ll be great with you at the helm. That day we met was such a blessing.”
“A blessing? Oh, you poor, sexy, dear man. You’ve been at the convent too long, I can see that. I should’ve saved you sooner. But no matter. Things are in motion.”
“I knew you’d have a good plan. Libby and I are all set for it.”
“Unfortunately, this is where Libby exits the scene and it’s just you and me, kid.”
“How can she not be a part of the plan?” Jude asked, coming to my defense.
“Jude, darling, it’s for her own protection. The less she knows the better. You don’t want her to lose her good standing with her adoring new boss, do you?”
He shook his head.
“You have fifteen minutes until the car service comes back around,” she said as she looked at her watch like a coach with a stopwatch.
“Then what?” he asked.
“You’re coming to my place. It’s senseless for you to punish yourself with another night of this.” Her eyes lit up. “Unless you want another night with Gidget?”
“All my stuff is here, and I’ve been writing music. I’m inspired by being back in this neighborhood. Cecilia, I want to know more about the plan tonight. I’ve been patient, but this is my life we’re talking about. Libby and I both deserve some information.”
Jude’s strength surprised Cecilia. She nodded slightly. “Tomorrow night is fine. At least we’ll have one evening to enjoy each other’s company.” Her finger reached out like an iguana’s tongue and flicked along Jude’s jawline. He looked genuinely repulsed.
“Why, what happens after tomorrow night?” I asked innocently.
I watched her eyes get big as she caught her own slip up. “One evening after another, I meant, until my plan is ready. And then you, Jude, are going to have a fabulous outing. A concert. A big one, with media, fans, and an after party beyond anything you’ve ever seen, and…” Cecilia’s voice faded and she sipped the soda awkwardly. Her lack of even a good pretend plan was so obvious.
When my phone rang again, Cecilia didn’t miss a beat. Instead of complaining, she saw it as her chance to exit. “You’d better take that. It’s probably Blaine again. Okay, Jude, darling, tomorrow you’re with me. We’ll get you back out there.” She wasn’t used to pretending optimism and she certainly wasn’t used to holding a can of soda. “What do I do with this? Do you reuse these or something?”
“I’ll take that,” Jude offered and reached for the can. She held on to it teasingly for a moment and then quickly departed.
I answered the phone. “Pan? Can you still meet us in half an hour?” I stepped back into the apartment and shut the door.
“Yes. What’s going on, Libby? Hudson seemed strange.”
“You should know something about Hudson,” I said as Jude tried to grab the phone from me. “Hudson is strange. But it’s a good strange. Can you meet us outside the Community Church instead of my apartment?”
“Church? And I’m bringing a camera? You’re making me nervous. I wasn’t kidding before…marrying your cousin is illegal and most undesirable.”
I laughed. “I promise you that I’m not marrying my cousin. The church is empty. We’re just hanging out there. See you in a few.” I hung up the phone and then said, “Jude, could you help Levi start transporting the equipment? And have him call Ray and Trevor so they know things are on for tonight at the church. I’m going to run an errand. I’ll meet you at the church, if that’s okay? Levi will need to let Angus in. He’ll probably get there before Pan does and before I can make it back.”
Jude saluted me and headed out. He didn’t need to ask where I was going.
Forty-Two
I buzzed Blaine’s apartment for the third time. My stomach churned with nerves. Even though he’d been acting strange lately, he was still responsible for Jude having this chance, and I wanted him there with me, with us.
“We don’t give out candy,” Blaine said from behind me. He was approaching the door with a big bag of groceries in his arms.
“More laundry?” I teased.
“Funny girl. Here, my keys are in my right hand.” His cheeks were red from the cold and his eyes were bright.
I let us in. “Can I go on up with you? I have some news.”
“Sure. Follow me.”
“Everything’s going to work out. At least I hope so.”
“I’m glad for you.”
“Be glad for all of us. We made this happen. That’s why I need you there tonight.”
“There?” He stopped walking, turned, and looked over the bag of groceries at me.
“The band is going to record a new song, and it’s going to be documented. You were right about the album idea—they laughed at that—but they did forgive Jude and they like the new stuff he’s been writing. There’s a chance that if the public demand for that one song and the story of the band’s reunion i
s great enough, FreeTime will have to pay attention.” I finished my ramblings and stood breathless and anxious. Blaine nodded a few times. Then I realized he wasn’t nodding; he was motioning toward the door. I had the keys still. “Sorry!” I unlocked the door and Blaine exaggerated the heaviness of the grocery bag by staggering to the kitchen island.
“Libby, you don’t need or want me there. I’m happy that this is working out, but you have much more invested in Jude than I do.”
I walked over to him and stood close. Closer than usual. Even though “we” were not a “we,” I knew “we” were off-kilter. And it made me sad. I wanted it to be right. Blaine was the first boss who ever cared about me and my potential career. I couldn’t stand it if we left things strained and awkward. “You’re wrong.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t want you there as a support for Jude. I want you there with me and for me. You gave me the chance to continue with all of this craziness in spite of your feelings about Jude’s guilt and probably in spite of your feelings about my sanity. I need that kind of support tonight.”
Blaine took a deep breath. I could tell he was preparing another argument against going because he wouldn’t look at me. I knew I had to go the way of personal or I’d always wonder why he stopped supporting me. I asked the big question—“Why do you stand in my apartment lobby and never come up to talk to me?”
He stepped back as though I had pushed him. In a way, I had. “I…” he started to talk and then looked at me with a baffled “how did you know?” expression.
“Did I let you down? I know I messed up, but did I let you down so much that we can’t work together or be friends? I need to know.” Tears were forming in my eyes. This was my cue to step back, not to give him a chance to disengage from the conversation, but to give myself a moment to compose my emotions.
“I reviewed employee files and backgrounds a month before I came to Seattle. I knew before we met that you weren’t going to be my assistant for long. But then Cecilia disappeared and the timeline changed. Ken wanted Cecilia’s transition in place before following my recommendation that you be promoted to creative.”
“Why are you telling me this now? To make my inevitable firing more pathetic?”
“No, Libby. So you won’t think I’m a jerk of a boss who uses his influence or perceived power to manipulate…”
I interrupted him. “I’d perceive you as a jerk for helping my career?”
“No, for still being your boss and doing this…” he stopped talking and the most serious expression I’ve ever seen on his gentle face passed over his features.
Just as I was going to ask “what?” he closed the gap between us.
He kissed me. A beautiful, full, lovely, take-your-breath-away kiss. My head went numb and my arms tingled and my ears grew hot. Is this how these things happen? Can my life be such a mess and still have the gift of a good thing? Was he nuts? Could he even know me and what he was getting into after such a short time?
Blaine pulled away from the kiss but did not step back. I could smell my coffee breath. I could smell his grape soda breath. And it was still a perfect moment.
“Be quiet,” he said in a hushed voice and his finger gently traced the line of my brow to the top of my nose.
He did know me.
I leaned in and kissed him back. This time my mind wasn’t invaded by a litany of reasons why he was mad or why I was daft or why the world was probably going to end tomorrow because I finally found someone. There was only the sound of happy chimes, the kind Aunt Maddie had experienced on the day she finally let herself believe in more.
We held hands the entire way to the church. I kept trying to steal glances at his profile, but his face was turned toward me. It’s a miracle we ever reached the church without getting hit by a bus or a stop sign.
“Here we are, Libby,” he said and smiled broadly.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, noticing for the first time that he had longer lashes than I did. It was too late to hate him.
“It felt really good to say your name like that.”
I cocked my head to the side, bewildered. “You always call me by my first name.”
“Not like that.”
I replayed his comment in my head. “You’re right. Never like that. Everything’s different.”
“Everything’s better. I may even start to like Jude and his music.”
I teasingly poked his arm and then kissed him on the cheek. He tried to open the door to the church, but it was locked. We could hear someone playing the drums, but that was it. I knocked loudly.
Levi first opened the door a crack and then fully. “Blaine? Come in.”
“Hi, Pastor Levi,” Blaine said warmly.
“How do you know each other?” Levi, Blaine, and I all said at the same time.
“We work together,” I said, explaining Blaine and me.
“And we’re together,” Blaine added proudly.
“Levi is a neighbor in my apartment building. And he’s Jude’s mentor,” I explained to Blaine, who raised his eyebrows with a “what do ya know” look.
Levi shook Blaine’s hand and asked, “Do you remember the first time you came to church, Blaine, and we talked about how hard it was to move to a new city and how hard it was to get connected?”
“Yes, I remember it well. You told me that God had set things in motion for my life here, and that I needed to trust that.”
“That’s it. And see how connected we all are in such a short time?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Well, I actually thought of Libby right away for you. I’d seen her stand outside the church numerous times, and I knew that as soon as she stepped foot in this church, I’d introduce you. And here you are, Libby, but this is even better.”
A knock interrupted our conversation. Puzzled, Levi inched back over to the door and opened it a crack. “Angus?”
“Oh, let him in. He’s late, but so are we,” I said looking shyly at Blaine. He returned the glance.
Angus came bustling in, full of apologies as usual. Levi stared at him and then at me. “You two know each other? Libby, I’m starting to think you are the new Kevin Bacon.”
“We do.” I kept the explanation light out of respect for Blaine.
Angus seemed to catch my tone. “We’ve been friends for some time.” He reached out and shook hands with Blaine. They nodded respectfully to one another.
“I saw you briefly at that art show,” Blaine said.
I finished this long round of connect-the-dots for Blaine’s benefit, though I don’t think he cared. “Angus knows Levi through…” I was about to say the music industry but Levi completed my sentence with a twist.
“Bible study.”
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, man… I never ‘out’ people like this. My apologies, Angus. This is a crazy day.”
Angus turned up his hands and shrugged. “It happens.”
I gave him a halfhearted slug in the arm. “That’s great, Angus.”
“Quite the Oprah moment,” Blaine said.
“It is,” Levi agreed. “And I’m afraid we have a more extreme Oprah moment in process. There’s been a bit of an incident.”
“Incident?” I tried to calm the negative thoughts in my mind—the thoughts of “if one thing is good, the next thing will be bad.”
“Nothing serious. Don’t worry. Libby, you’re probably the one who can help. Follow me to the reception room.”
Blaine, Angus, and I formed a line behind Levi and made our way down the very short hall to a separate room filled with folding tables and chairs. A gathering of several older ladies with vintage hats hovered over something. I could smell the rose-scented perfume they seemed to share. “What happened?” I asked.
“Your friend…she passed out.”
As the group of women shifted, and their matching blue silk dresses with polka dots swayed to one side, I spotted Jude leaning over Pan. He was gently patting her face, which was very pale.
“What happened? Is she sick?”
“I told her,” he said and then emphasized, “everything.”
“Yes, I figured. What did she say?”
“She said something about killing you and then she fell backward. Thank goodness May and Adele were right there to ease her fall.”
“May and Adele?” I looked up into the concerned, orange-cheeked faces of the women around us. Two of the ladies raised their hands slightly to claim their names.
Jude continued touching Pan’s face. “These ladies are the church choir. Levi forgot they were having their photo taken tonight for the church directory.”
I looked again at the faces. None of them would know the band. We were safe.
Pan started to mumble. Quick on the draw, four of the women pulled paper fans from their purses and began to whisk their wrists back and forth. In the forthcoming breeze, Pan’s hair extended from her face as though she had placed her hand on an electric sphere in science class. I kneeled down next to her opposite Jude.
All of a sudden a tug on the neckline of my shirt brought me down to Pan’s face. My eyeball was merely two inches away from hers. She had a hold of me and would not let go. “You’ve never been good at secrets. Why start now?”
I raised my hand in to the air and motioned the okay sign with my fingers. I tried to say, “She’s fine,” but I could barely breathe.
“Pan. I’m so sorry about all of this,” Jude said, fanning her with his hand.
My friend released her hold on me and focused all her energies on staring into Jude’s eyes.
“She’s fine, she’s fine!” I called out.
Adele turned to the others. “Ladies, we should sing a song for this young lady.”
“That is a splendid idea,” May said, clasping her hands together and looking heavenward. “Let’s go, girls.” She and the rest of the choir headed out the door to the main sanctuary.
In a few minutes the ladies, accompanied by the musical talents of Ray and Trevor, started to sing.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
