Change in Harmony (A Silver Script Novel Book 4)

by Weist, Jaclyn

  Allison stood and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for coming by tonight. I don’t know how things would have gone otherwise.”

  Nate kissed her. “It looked like you had things under control, but you’re welcome.”

  Chapter 12

  Allison tapped her foot to the beat in her head as she watched the city buildings pass by. The commercial shoot was that day and nerves were getting to her. Nate had tried to find someone else to do the dance so she wouldn’t have to, but there wasn’t time for anyone else to learn it. He’d promised not to focus on her face at all, but it wasn’t her face she worried about. The dance was new, and while she could have done it in her sleep, she was still nervous.

  She straightened the green-and-gold dress Nate’s coworker had picked out for her. It was much different from the ball gowns she was used to dancing in, but this was traditional for Irish dance, and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

  The cab pulled up to the Hunger Memorial, and her nerves rose to a whole new level. She paid the driver and went to find Nate before she could change her mind. Video cameras were everywhere, and Allison searched for someone who knew what they were doing. Her heart lifted when she saw Nate talking to an older man. He looked up and smiled when she approached.

  “Erin found the perfect outfit. You look fantastic. Mr. Byrne, this is Allison. She’ll be your dancer.”

  Allison put her hand out for Mr. Byrne to shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I’ve heard wonderful things about your dancing.”

  “Thank you.” Allison took a deep breath to calm down. “Where do I go now?”

  Nate gestured toward a table to the side. “Makeup first. We’re going to do some recording before you come in.”

  “Oh, okay.” Makeup? Maybe she shouldn’t have spent an hour doing it herself. She sat at the table and two women crowded around her, poking and prodding at the braid she’d twisted around her head, and then moved on to the makeup.

  Allison sat in a chair next to Nate and the director. They watched as the actors moved through the set, going through the sequence several times until the director decided it was perfect.

  “Dancer! Where’s the dancer?” the director belted out.

  “Oh, that’s me.” Allison stood and laid her jacket on her chair. She stood where Nate told her to, and took a deep breath.

  Nate stood and lifted her chin so she would look into his eyes. “Listen, I’ve seen you do this dance a million times. I know you can do it. Now, go through the motions and when he yells “cut,” go two more beats, just to make sure we can transition to the next place. Got it?”

  “Got it.” Allison took a deep breath and waited for the director to yell “Action!” It was a little unnerving to dance without the music, but she kept count in her head as she moved about the set just as she’d rehearsed over and over for the last few days. When she finished, there was a stunned silence before the crew and director clapped.

  “That was beautiful. Now, do it again so we can do it from a different angle.” The director leaned forward in his chair and called “Action!” again once Allison was set up.

  By the time they were ready to move to the next location, Allison was exhausted. Seeing the pleased expression on Mr. Byrne’s face kept her pushing through the fatigue.

  Allison dropped onto her couch and groaned. “Remind me to say no the next time I’m asked to do this, please.”

  Sam grabbed a blanket and pillow and threw them at Allison. “You know you love it. I still can’t believe he’s using you.”

  “There wasn’t much choice. His other dancers were awful.” Allison rearranged her blankets and pillow.

  “Where is he, anyway?” Sam sat next to Allison’s feet and handed her a small carton of ice cream.

  Allison pulled off the lid and dug into the rocky road. “Editing the clips. They have to make sure they have enough footage. Otherwise, we have to do it again tomorrow.”

  “Joy. Guess you don’t want to go to a movie with Eddie and me, then?” Sam rested her feet on the coffee table.

  “No, thanks. If he’s done in time, we’re going to have dinner over here.” Allison still needed to figure out what to make and grab the ingredients. Tomorrow. Tonight, she wasn’t going to move.

  Her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She opened one eye, but didn’t budge. The only one who would text this late was Nate, but she couldn’t bring herself to pick it up.

  “I suppose you want me to get that for you?” Sam shifted and dropped the phone on Allison’s lap.

  “Thanks.” Allison fumbled with her phone and checked the message.

  Perfect. We’ll have to redo a different part, but yours is good. Sleep well. Looking forward to our date.

  Me too. See you then! Good night.

  “Hallelujah.” Allison rolled onto her side. “I’m free.”

  Sam laughed. “I take it the shoot looks good?”

  “Yep. Now, what’s on TV? I’m ready for a good chick flick.”

  Allison dropped her bags inside the door and stood on the opposite end of the room from Darren. Hopefully her professor would get the hint and pair her with someone else.

  Unfortunately, her mental pleading had done nothing, because they were stuck together for the fox trot. Maybe she should have told her professor that the purple-and-yellow bruising around Darren’s nose was from her.

  “Allison.” Darren stood next to her. His voice had a nasal quality to it that hadn’t been there before.

  “Darren.” Allison bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Guilt flooded over her from finding the whole thing funny, but she pushed it away. He’d deserved it.

  The music started, and while they went through the motions, Allison’s heart wasn’t in it. She kept going back to the evening before when Nate had kissed her goodbye. The way the light made his eyes sparkle as he leaned in was intoxicating. She jerked back to the present when she missed a step and stumbled into another couple.

  “Sorry! Sorry,” she muttered and went back to the dance.

  Darren spun Allison and she moved off to another partner. Craig’s movements weren’t quite as sure as Darren’s, but at least his smile was sincere.

  By the time class ended, Allison’s nerves were shot. Darren had taken every chance he got to insult her—quietly, but effectively. As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her bag and jacket and ran out of the room. Hopefully, the students she would be tutoring would help her calm down a little.

  Except that it was nearing finals and no one but Leah was ready for their piece. Every missed note or beat grated on her until she found herself snapping at Leah for no reason except that she was a minute late.

  Leah flinched. “I—I’m sorry. My professor held me after class.”

  Allison rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath to calm down. “No, Leah. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. It’s not your fault. Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” Leah set her stuff down and stood in the middle of the room. When she nodded, Allison started the music.

  Leah sang a ballad, and the melody rolled over Allison, taking her stress along with it. She closed her eyes, taking in the notes and the words. She flinched a couple of times when Leah went flat, but it was perfect otherwise. As the last note faded, Allison opened her eyes and smiled.

  “That was amazing. Let’s work on the chorus a couple more times and I think you’ll be ready.”

  Leah grinned. “You think so?”

  “Of course.” Allison started the music and forwarded it to the right spot. “Let’s do it again.”

  Leah went through the chorus, then listened to Allison’s tips during the time it took to got back to the right spot on the CD again. By the end of the hour, Leah had it down. She picked up her bag to leave and turned back. “Oh, I should be getting the results back from my audition this weekend.”

  “That’s great. Text me as soon as you hear.” Allison grabbed her bag and followed Leah out of the room. She had
just enough time to get to the diner where she’d agreed to meet Nate. He’d suggested going out instead of cooking at the apartment, and she was more than happy to change plans.

  The sun beat down on her as she walked to the subway, so she pulled off her jacket and tied it around her waist. It was warm enough that she decided to walk to the diner since it was halfway between his work and the university. The sidewalks were packed, but she still made better time than she would have if she’d had to try to catch the subway.

  The bell rang as she opened the door to the diner, and she looked around to find Nate. She couldn’t wait to talk to him about everything that had happened that day.

  Her heart stopped when she spotted him in the back, kissing a short blonde girl. Not the one she’d seen him with at the bar, which made it worse. He pulled away from her and met Allison’s eyes just as she pushed the door back open.

  Allison ignored him calling her name as she shoved her way through the crowds to run from the diner. How stupid could she have been? He’d dated that girl, and then there was the Katie on the phone—was that her in the diner? Who cared? And now Allison was just one more on his long list of girls. She wiped a tear and went straight back to her apartment. She still had a few hours until she had to get to work, so a long nap sounded good about then.

  Sam was gone when Allison walked into the apartment. Perfect. She just wanted silence. She dropped on her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to get her mind to focus on something else. But how could she forget something like that?

  She rolled over and bumped the desk. The picture frame with a photo of her mom tipped and fell. She picked it up and stared at the woman she’d fought so many times. They were too much alike. Her mom said that included their bad taste in men, but she was wrong. Dad was a good man. She just forgot that after a while.

  It had been months since she’d seen them. Maybe she should go home and check on them. But then she’d have to explain to them what she did for work, and that wasn’t something she wanted to deal with. Besides, that would take money.

  Chapter 13

  Nate pushed Katie away, furious with her. “What was that for? I told you I’m not interested.”

  Katie pouted, but Nate barely noticed. All he could see was Allison’s dark ponytail bouncing away as she ran from the diner.

  “But we had such a good time together. I just thought we could pick up from where we left off.” Katie stuck out her bottom lip. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “Not a ghost. My girlfriend. And you just upset her. Just … stay away from me.” Nate grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the diner, hoping to catch up.

  There was no sight of her on the sidewalk, so he continued on to her apartment, cursing himself for being so stupid. He shouldn’t have even talked to Katie. Nate stopped long enough to grab some roses and ran the last block before ringing the bell. When she didn’t answer, he cursed under his breath. Was she even there? He checked his watch. With only a couple of hours until work, it was likely.

  One of Allison’s neighbors came out of the apartment building and smiled at Nate as he walked past. Nate grabbed the door and slipped in. The elevator seemed to be stuck on the fourth floor, so he took the steps two at a time. When Allison didn’t answer with the first knock, he pounded louder, hoping she’d hear him.

  After a couple of minutes, it was clear she wasn’t coming. Nate set the dozen roses next to her door, wishing he had a pen to write her a note. Instead of going to dinner like he’d planned to do with Allison, Nate decided to go back to work and bury himself in the new contracts he’d been given.

  Two were simple and he had put the layouts together in minutes. They were the same layouts he’d always done, because he couldn’t put his heart into the work. Allison’s face kept coming to mind. He sent the finished layouts to Debra for approval and checked his email one more time. The tech people had sent him the video for the commercial. He hesitated for a moment before clicking on the video.

  Scenes from the history of the Irish in the US played in front of Nate, moving from one era to the next. Each time Allison danced through the scene, his stomach twisted in knots. He missed that smile and the way she moved. The commercial had turned out much better than he’d expected, so he sent it on to Mr. Byrne, hoping that he would agree.

  Nate forwarded the video to Allison as well, hoping she would get it. She deserved to see how it turned out. Maybe it would convince her to call him. He added a note about how much he enjoyed spending time with her.

  Debra knocked at the door. “Hey, got the layouts. I sent you back some suggestions, but I like what you have so far.”

  “Thanks.” Nate closed his laptop. “I’ll take a look tonight and get them back to you tomorrow.”

  Debra tipped her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Nate shoved his laptop into his backpack.

  “Well, I’m headed out for the night. If you want to talk about it, I have about an hour before I have to meet Lance.”

  Nate shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Debra narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything as she walked back to her office. They’d worked together long enough that he probably could have told her what was going on, but he just wanted to leave.

  The weather had cooled off, but Nate decided to walk home. He needed to clear his head and figure out some way to get her back. This was a whole new area for him. Usually he just moved on to another girl.

  Someone bumped into Nate and jerked him out of his thoughts as they swore at him and told him to watch where he was going. Nate looked up, surprised to find himself in front of the bar where Allison worked. He glanced at his watch before going inside.

  Eddie stood at the bar filling a glass for a customer. He frowned when Nate sat in front of him. “What did you do to my singer?”

  “What do you mean?” Nate folded his arms on the countertop and leaned forward.

  “Her eyes were red and swollen when she came in.” Eddie handed him a drink and wiped his hands on a towel that draped over his shoulder.

  Nate rubbed his eyes. “She caught me kissing someone else.”

  Eddie stared at him in shock. “I thought you liked her.”

  “I did. I do. It wasn’t my fault. It was a girl I took out for New Year’s. She won’t leave me alone.” Nate took a drink before continuing. “We were talking at a diner when she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. I pulled away, but not fast enough.”

  “I’d love to say I’m sorry, but you kinda brought it on yourself.” Eddie smirked. “I warned you that your dating habits would backfire at some point.”

  Nate sighed. “I know. I just wish you weren’t right.”

  “She’s an amazing person. I suggest you bend over backwards to apologize to her. But not tonight. I need to ask you to leave so you don’t mess up her performance.”

  “Are you serious?” Nate laughed in disbelief.

  “Look, you didn’t see her when she came in. And if she catches sight of you, I’m out a performer. I’m sorry.”

  Nate gulped down the last of his drink and pulled out his wallet. “Fair enough.”

  Eddie took the cash. “Thank you.”

  “I’m doing this for her.” Nate waved and left the bar, knowing that Eddie was right. He made his way to the Irish pub Allison had taken him to a few weeks back. He ordered some dinner and watched the dancers as they went through their routine.

  One of the waitresses flirted with him, and he flirted back, but only halfheartedly. It was hard to break old habits, but he wasn’t into it. She dropped her card with her number on it with his bill, but he left it on the table.

  Nate stopped by an art supply store on his way home and grabbed some supplies. He knew he wouldn’t be sleeping that night, and figured he might as well do something with his time.

  Nate took a drink of his orange juice and studied the painting he’d worked on the night
before. The strokes were broad and colorful to match the modern feel he wanted for the apartment. He’d been up until three in the morning trying to get it just right, but he was happy with how it turned out. It had been too long since he’d taken the time to paint, and it felt good to get back into it. His parents had tried to get him to use his eye for art in other ways, which is why he’d gone into advertising.

  He made a note to grab a frame on his way home from work and rinsed out his glass before putting it into the dishwasher. Mr. Byrne had set up a meeting that morning and Nate was worried that it meant he didn’t like the commercial.

  The subway probably would have gotten Nate to work faster, but he wanted to avoid the platform where he’d first met Allison. He’d tried texting her a couple of times the night before, but she hadn’t answered.

  Debra and Mr. Byrne were already in the conference room when Nate arrived. He set his stuff in his office and hurried to the room. The smiles on their faces eased Nate’s nerves as he sat across from Debra.

  “There you are. Mr. Byrne was just telling me how much he loved the commercial.” Debra smiled at Nate.

  Nate let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “It captured exactly what I’d been hoping to see. And your dancer did a beautiful job. What was her name again?”

  “It’s Allison. She’s amazing.” Nate swallowed hard. “With your approval, we can have it released by April twenty-fourth.”

  Mr. Byrne beamed. “That would be wonderful.”

  Nate turned to Debra. “Do you have the paperwork for him to sign, or do I need to get it?”

  “It’s all signed and ready to go. He just wanted to thank you personally.” Debra slid the papers to Nate for him to look over.

  “Oh, and I almost forgot.” Mr. Byrne bent over and grabbed two boxes. “I brought some sandals for you and some dance shoes for your friend. Please give them to her for me. I noticed how worn her others were.”