by Milly Taiden
“He’s pretty amazing,” Charley admitted. Reeves nodded, letting her ramble on about Adrian. She’d always felt sorry for herself and Reeves, both of them single and work obsessed. At least she went on a date occasionally. Reeves, on the other hand, stayed to himself. She thought Reeves didn’t like girls at all—at least he’d never talked about any. He was the only man in her life, besides those in her family that didn’t hit on her.
“Well, I wish you a lot of luck then,” he said, setting the flowers on the table in the center of her office. He couldn’t imagine a better pick. This man was pulling out all the stops, he thought.
“Thanks, Reeves. I’ll see you tomorrow night for drinks?” she asked him. They had their routine night at the bar next to work. They’d sip on martinis and vent about life, mostly about work.
“I think I need a rain check,” he said. “By the way, your little brother called for you a couple times. I knew you were busy so I told him you’d call back.”
Charley nodded, shooting an evil glare at the pile of papers on her desk. Busy didn’t even cover what she’d be to get caught up with all this paperwork. She stared at her calendar, trying to figure out how she could manage to take a couple days off. She wanted to spend all the time she could with Adrian when he was in town.
Adrian
Adrian waited patiently at the prison, sitting in the cheap plastic chair. His father, Sam, dressed in a bright orange prison garb, legs in shackles, walked slowly toward him. Sam was mid-forties, a man of great wealth and power, and was of Irish and Spanish descent. Prison was the last place he would have ever imagined himself to be.
“Glad you could make it,” he said in his thick brogue. He was proud of his heritage but not so much of his accent. His wife had always compared his accent to that of Ricky Ricardo.
“Of course, I figured I’d come once more before I went out of town again,” Adrian said, staring at his dad on the other side of the glass. He held the phone tightly in his grip. His father looked a lot calmer than he had on other visits.
“Where are you heading?” Sam asked, concerned he wasn’t keeping up on the family business.
“Oh, just to see a friend,” he said. He hoped he wouldn’t offer to put in his two cents worth like he usually did.
“And is this a female?” Sam asked. He knew his son. He had a way of letting the wrong things get in the way of work.
“Yeah, it is. So I talked to the lawyers. They are going to try their best to push up your hearing. They’ve got something up their sleeves, but, of course, they never let us know,” Adrian explained. His family had used the same defense team all his life—two Jewish lawyers who could make the vilest man look innocent
“Yeah, nothing you need to worry about. I just want you to keep up your end of the deal. Make sure you do what I asked of you. And keep an eye on your mother,” Sam ordered.
Adrian nodded his head, knowing what that meant.
“I’m serious, Adrian. This is not the time to go falling in love. You see where that got me.” He was growing angrier by the second. His son was free to pursue what he wanted while he sat behind bars.
“You’re innocent, Dad. They can’t put a man like you behind bars for something you didn’t do,” he insisted.
Sam leaned back in his chair, the phone cord barely stretching so far and slowly nodded his head. He knew there were a lot of dirty people out there who wanted to take what he had worked so hard to build. He wasn’t the monster they were making him out to be.
“You just be careful and keep me updated,” he told his son, hanging the phone up. He gave him one more glance before he was escorted away.
Dad
Ned stared at his son, at a loss for words.
“Dad,” Ethan said, trying for the millionth time to get him to understand. He’d been explaining his theory to his dad for an hour now, and Ned was like a brick wall. He didn’t want to discuss it—none of it.
“Ethan, you must stop this gibberish. They know what they’re doing. Leave it to the police,” he said once more.
“The man in prison, if he’s innocent, why can’t we say anything?” Ethan asked.
“That’s the man. They know what they’re doing,” he insisted. He wasn’t about to confess to his son that he knew the wrong guy was in prison. He just hoped the trial would be enough to keep him in there, and then this whole nightmare would be over.
“Dad...” Ethan tried again, only to be shushed by his father.
“Let’s get you back to school. You still going on that hike?” he asked his son, nearly pushing him out the door.
“Yeah,” was all Ethan could say.
Ned knew there’d been something awful going on. He was certain someone had been making his wife’s life a living hell for quite some time before her death. He feared his wife had been killed for knowing too much, and he wanted to stay as far away from it as he could. That’s where he wanted his kid as well.
Charley and Adrian
Charley slipped into her SUV to go pick Adrian up at the airport. She didn’t have time to change into something more stunning. She stared down at her blue jeans, tight black shirt, and brown suede boots. She also wore her big gray sweater that was so comfortable. She looked nothing like she had on her first date with Adrian, but when she’d gotten dressed this morning, comfort was first and foremost in her mind. She pulled down her sunglasses and studied her necklace in the rear-view mirror.
“I really need a new wardrobe,” she muttered to herself. She looked at her hair styled in a bun. “A new hairstyle would be nice too,” she sighed.
Adrian pulled his small suitcase from the conveyor, smiling to himself as he casually made his way through the airport. He remembered how he’d decided to purposely get in her way, and how he’d been drawn to the tall blonde, pecking away at her phone, almost immediately. She had no idea, but it had turned out just the way he’d wanted it to.
Adrian checked his own phone. He’d been waiting to hear something—anything—about his dad’s upcoming trial. He really hoped things would stay quiet on the Ohio front for the three days he planned to be with Charley. He was filled with nervous excitement in anticipation of seeing Charley.
“Excuse me, do you have change?” a girl a little younger than he asked. She pushed her hair off her shoulders and gave him a smile.
“Uh, let me see, usually I just carry credit cards,” he said, setting his suitcase down, hoping this small act of kindness wouldn’t delay him too long. He didn’t want to miss Charley.
“Where you coming from?” she asked as he fumbled in his pants pockets. He was beginning to think this brunette was flirting, rather than in need.
“From Ohio. Here you go,” he said, handing over about two dollars in quarters. She offered him a dollar, and he just waved his hand in refusal, interested in looking for Charley.
“Ohio? Really? I had a couple friends from there. I’m from Arizona,” she said, not taking the hint. Adrian sighed, nodding his head in agitation.
“Never been there. Well, I’ll see you,” he said, yanking the handle on his suitcase.
“Well, thanks,” she said, as he tried pulling his handle. He cursed knowing it had failed him.
“Are you here for work?” she asked, taking hold of the bottom of his suitcase. Adrian held his breath as the handle finally released. She smiled, pleased she could help him, and stood back up.
“I’m here to see my girlfriend,” he said.
“Oh, I see. I would have pegged you for a bachelor,” she said, holding on.
“Looks can be deceiving. You have a nice day,” he said, hurrying off. He made his way just in time to see Charley coming through the doors. He watched as she scanned the crowd of travelers looking for him. He thought how cute she looked as she nervously darted her gaze back and forth.
Stepping back behind a potted plant, he dialed Charley’s cell phone.
“Am I late? Did I miss you?” she asked, in a panic.
He smiled into the phone
hating to torture the girl, but he couldn’t help it. She made him giddy, and it was so easy to laugh when he was around her.
“My flight’s been delayed. Some asshole on the plane decided to make a bomb out of soda bottles and firecrackers,” he said, biting his lip, trying his hardest not to laugh.
“Are you joking me? I am so sorry,” she gasped.
“He is demanding tickets to an Elton John concert or something like that--not sure. I’m hiding in the bathroom,” he said, carefully moving through the crowd of people. He kept his eye on her, even more amused as he watched her expression.
“Well, I will wait right here for you. I’m looking at the flights; I don’t see anything,” she said.
Adrian made his way closer, little by little until he was right behind her. Totally unaware, he reached out and poked her shoulder.
“I sure am scared,” he said into the phone, keeping his eyes on her. Charley screamed out loud, as she laid eyes on him.
“I can’t believe you!” she said, covering her mouth. She pushed him away, laughing hysterically at his prank.
He couldn’t help but laugh, either, as she doubled over in another fit of laughter. He was enjoying every minute of it; anything that could light up her face like that was worth it to him.
“I’m sorry. I promise there was no crazed Elton John fan trying to sabotage my flight. It’s good to see you,” he said, pulling her in for a hug.
“Good to see you again,” she said, finally calming down and resting her head on his shoulder.
“So this is New York?” he asked, holding onto her. He loved how long the hug lasted. She must have missed him as much as he’d missed her.
“This is New York. Do you have all your things?” she asked, looking at his tiny suitcase.
“When I move in, I promise I’ll bring more,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Charley smiled at his comment, letting him take her hand as they made their way out.
Everly
Everly studied the audience as she sang. She’d never known where her talent had come from, but it had consumed her life a long time ago. It was all she’d ever wanted to do. In these moments when it was just her and her band, life seemed to be on pause as she sang her heart out.
She handed the microphone off as she made her way backstage, the crowd cheering and whistling. She’d done well. Her bands mates patted her back making their way outside to smoke. They’d been a part of her singing for as long as she could remember. Johnny Pancake, a friend of Vinnie’s, was the band’s guitarist, a laid-back kind of guy. He was tall with shaggy brown hair—the stereotypical rocker type. He wore skinny jeans, trendy vests, and band t-shirts. Mages O’Doul was Irish and had the cockiest attitude around. He had a tough exterior, but he was a huge teddy bear on the inside. He was tall and skinny with a shaved head and crisp green eyes. Luke Renault, the keyboardist, was a trendy kid from the city. He was quiet and full of passion when he played. He was a man of few words and a real sweet guy. Everly like them all in their own ways, and she couldn’t help but think they liked her as well.
“Hey, Luke,” Everly said in passing. Their gig was over and she was headed to gather her things.
Luke gave a wave and his usual head nod. Then he made his way back to her and waited for her to finish packing up her things.
“Think things went well tonight?” she asked him.
“Yeah, for sure. How’d Ohio go?” Luke asked. He knew her mother had passed away. He’d been in the room when she received the news. She hadn’t taken it well, of course, and the band guys had done their best to comfort her.
“It went well, thanks,” she said, letting out a long breath. It was obvious she had a lot on her mind.
“Hey Ev, I’m sorry to hear about you and Vinnie,” Luke offered. Everly was surprised the guys in the band knew.
“He told you guys?” she asked.
“Well, he told Pancakes, and then it sort of got around. But, I’m sorry. Are you all right?” Luke asked, studying her face.
“I'm all right,” she said. “No worries.”
Vinnie’s old pal, Johnny Pancakes, poked his head into Everly’s room. His large hands held tightly to the door frame as Luke squeezed passed him.
“Hey, Johnny,” Everly said. Her emotions were raw and starting to tug at her. She just wanted to get home and eat a gallon of ice cream and get in bed.
“Good times, I think it went well,” Johnny said. He finally made his way all the way to the room. Johnny not only worked in the band, but he also worked for Vinnie at the dance studio.
“Yeah, I’ve got to get going,” she said. She didn’t want to discuss Vinnie with Johnny, and she knew he was going to bring it up.
“All right, you okay?” he asked, eyeing her through the brown locks hanging across his face.
“Yes, for the millionth time, fine,” she snapped.
“Well great, then you wouldn’t mind a visitor. There’s a guy out there wanting to see you,” Johnny said, hurrying out of the room.
Everly racked her brain on who would be out there to see her. Yeah, she had a few fans, but no one stood out in her mind. She had taken a quick glance at herself in the mirror before she headed out into the hallway.
Vinnie and Everly
Vinnie sat out in the club. It wasn’t unusual to hang out at Club Red after a day at the studio. The studio and the club were on the same street, and sometimes Johnny snagged a ride home on the days they both worked late. He was sure Everly hadn’t seen him. That was a good thing! He wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. He slowly sipped his beer as he sat in the dark club—the perfect atmosphere if one wanted to stay hidden or out of view. He knew the blonde, in the corner with her two friends, had been eyeing him for the last ten minutes, but he didn’t care.
Everly made her way into the club, immediately catching Vinnie’s attention. He was surprised to see her since she generally went home after her shows. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and he had to admit she looked hot in her tight jeans and top. She pushed her dark brown hair behind her ear, revealing the dangling pearl earrings she’d bought on their way home from their trip. He cursed himself as he made his way in her direction, aching at the sight of her in those black leather boots of hers. He loved her in those and had once tried to get her to put them on while completely naked.
“Hey there, handsome,” the blonde girl, who had been eyeing him earlier said. With a drink in hand, she came and stood next to him.
“I’m not interested, honey,” Vinnie said, right off the bat. She pulled at her top, making sure he got a good view of her ample cleavage. He sighed, knowing she wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
“You run the dance studio, right?” she asked, taking a seat, still holding her fruity drink.
Vinnie nodded his head, keeping his eyes on Everly as she made her way to the bar, a big smile spreading across her face. Vinnie kept nodding as the annoying blonde with fake boobs kept talking. Who was this guy? He could barely tell in the lighting. All he could see was the back of his head. She sure hadn’t waited around to move on, he thought.
“Hey, how old are you…around twenty?” Vinnie asked the blonde. He hadn’t really paid attention to her. But since Everly appeared to be moving on, the least he could do is find a bedmate for the night. He wanted to make sure she was legal first.
“Nineteen. My birthday is six months from now,” she rattled off.
“Well, what do you say we go back to my place and celebrate your birthday early?” he asked, offering his hand to her. She accepted it with a big smile. Her blonde hair glided across her shoulders as they made their way out of the club. The closer they got to Everly, the more enraged he was. He smacked the blonde on her backside, hurrying her along.
“You sounded great tonight,” Vinnie shouted at Everly.
“Uh, thanks. I didn’t even know you were here,” she said, feeling bad that Ryan was standing next to her. She could imagine what Vinnie thought about her ex being in Marylan
d with her. She hadn’t planned this; she’d had no idea he was the one who was waiting for her at the studio. And who was the bleach blonde bimbo he had his arm locked with? She stared at the girl, sizing her up--fake boobs, fake nose, fake eyelashes, trashy clothes and all. Who wore a miniskirt with a halter top in the winter?
“Yeah, tell Johnny he will have to take a cab home,” he said, heading out with the blonde girl.
Everly turned back to Ryan, who appeared astounded with the situation he watched playing out in front of him. She and Ryan sat down at the bar.
“You didn’t tell me things were over with you and your foreign boyfriend,” he said, laughing to himself.
“He’s Russian, and it just happened,” Everly replied as she took the martini from the bartender. It paid to be a regular where the bartender knew what your drink of choice was and had it ready for you as soon as he saw you sit down at the bar. Ryan had nearly downed half a beer in one sip. He could put that stuff away as well as or better than any frat guy.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Everyone back home was raving about your singing here in Maryland. I had time off so I thought I’d come see an old friend sing,” he said.
Everly rolled her eyes as she looked off. She knew he meant nothing of the kind.
“You have known I was a singer for years. I find your admission a bit shocking. Sorry, if I’m not happy to see you,” she said, lifting the olive from her drink.
“It’s been awhile. Running into you back home made me curious,” he said, taking another swig of his beer.
“Yeah,” she said, sipping at her drink. This meeting had turned out worse than she’d imagined. She figured by this time Vinnie was back at his condo and had the little blonde naked and screaming his name as her head bounced off the back of the leather headboard. It infuriated her to think of Vinnie with someone else.
