“Since you don’t know all the songs yet, I decided to switch up the set list for the first few shows. I’m going to replace a few of the new songs with old ones, so you’ll only play half the show until you catch up. After that, it’s sink or swim.”
“Thanks. The last thing I want is to embarrass anyone, including myself. I promise it won’t take long for me to get up to speed. When I was still in New York, Tom sent over the rehearsal tapes with Valerie. I’ve listened to them dozens of times. I’ve played every song, but I haven’t been able to get through all of them without peeking at the sheet music from time to time.”
Reid paused at the entrance and looked to Chloe in surprise. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Chloe fidgeted with the handle of her violin case. “Tom sent over DVDs of stage rehearsals as well. If you plan on keeping everything the same, I have a pretty good grasp on the way you want things to go.”
“When have you had time to do all of this?”
Chloe shrugged. “It’s a long flight from New York. And since we finished early yesterday and Josie was working, I spent the rest of the evening watching the DVDs.”
Reid shook his head. “Damn, girl. You’re going to burn out before we even start the tour. Not that I don’t appreciate your dedication.”
Chloe stepped inside the building then turned to face Reid. “I don’t think you understand how much this opportunity means to me. This is my dream. Traveling the world and feeling the rush of adrenaline spiked by fear and excitement when I step onto the stage. The warmth of the lights, the hum of the crowd, the euphoric sensation that settles around me when I play. It doesn’t matter that it’s not about me. It doesn’t matter that I’m not the one everyone came to see. Being a part of something, playing music, and getting paid to do it? Nothing is better than that.”
Reid stared at Chloe in silence. A tightness formed in his throat and the thump of his heart grew so loud, he felt the pulse in his ears. When he spoke, his voice was low, melancholy. “I’d give anything to feel that way again.”
Chloe frowned. “You don’t?”
Reid dropped his eyes and shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Not anymore. Not for a while.” He jumped in surprise when she wrapped her fingers around his forearm and squeezed gently before letting go. When he looked up, she shrugged and gave him a wide smile.
“Well then, we’ll just have to fix that.”
“I wish it was that simple.”
Chloe laughed. “Of course it is. You just need a little help.”
“Are you going to use Jedi mind tricks on me?” Reid grinned and started down the hall with Chloe trailing behind.
“I’m never going to live that one down, am I?”
“Not a chance.” Reid looked over his shoulder in time to catch Chloe roll her eyes.
“Fine. Then, yes. Feel like a wide-eyed newbie in no time, you will.”
Reid’s abrupt laugh caused him to choke. “Shit,” he coughed. “You’re really good at that.”
“I’m a Jedi Master. Of course I am,” Chloe deadpanned.
Reid moved to the stage and waved at Greer and Drew. He cut his eyes to Chloe and grinned. “Come on, Yoda. We’ve got work to do.” While he didn’t think she could help him find his way back, he didn’t see the harm in pretending. It was better than feeling nothing at all.
Chloe closed her eyes and reclined in the tub, resting her head on the back. With a content smile, she let the warm water and swirling steam lull her into a relaxed state. It had been a good, albeit overwhelming, day. True to her word, she’d arrived at the studio that morning with breakfast in tow. Unlike the day before, however, she found Reid waiting with two cups of coffee. Over peach turnovers and expensive coffee, the pair discussed the previous day’s stage rehearsal and what to expect once the tour started.
When they entered the venue an hour later, the place buzzed with people. In a whirlwind of introductions, Chloe met the remainder of the crew who would become her family for the next year. Names, faces, and jobs blurred together until Chloe wasn’t certain of anything other than the backline tech, front house engineer, sound monitor engineer, and lighting guy were named Randy, Jeff, Chad, and Lincoln. The only name, face, job, combo she would have no trouble remembering was the girl with fiery red hair and a slight English accent who introduced herself as Inky, the merchandise girl. While Chloe was certain that wasn’t her real name, it couldn’t have been a more appropriate nickname. Apart from her face, Chloe was willing to bet there wasn’t an inch of skin not decorated in colorful ink.
“Did you drown in there?”
Chloe yelped and jerked upright when the sound of Josie’s voice rang out on the other side of the door.
“Shit. No. Sorry. I just zoned out.”
“I’m sorry I got stuck on set again last night and had to cancel. If you’re tired, we can do this another night.”
Chloe pulled the stopper from the tub and stood. “No way. I leave in two days. There’s not a chance I’m going to miss hanging out with you guys.”