see
that stubborn streak I remember well, so I know you’re going to
continue to lie to me. I’ll drop it. For now.”
“Gee, thanks.” A small smile tugged at the
corners of her mouth. She’d forgotten about Paul’s direct manner
and his way of cutting through the malarkey. The only other person
who saw through her with such clarity was her mother, but Athena
wasn’t fond of the critical way her comments were couched and
tended to tune her out the minute she got started. It was harder to
ignore Paul’s genuine concern.
“Since you’ve decided to avoid whatever the
hell it was Derek did to make you cry like that, let’s move on to
why I was looking for you in the first place.” Paul crossed his
arms over his chest and tilted his head toward the door. “Simon,”
he called. “She’s in here.”
Curious now, Athena looked around in time to
see Simon enter the room looking relieved.
“There you are,” he stated the obvious. He
opened his mouth to say more, but closed it with a snap as he
studied Athena with narrowed eyes. “What have you been doing?
Rolling around on the desk with Derek?”
“You’re both covered in dust, darling,” Paul
explained with a strained grin. “Stand up and I’ll brush you
off.”
She slid off the desk and glared at Simon. “I
haven’t been rolling anywhere with Derek, thank you very much.”
“Then why does he have dust all over his
clothes, too?” Simon demanded.
Paul made a sound of impatience. “Not
important,” he told his manager. “Just tell her what we discussed.”
He began brushing the dust off the arm of Athena’s dress with brisk
swipes of his hand.
“Right.” In an instant, Simon turned all
business. “We’ve had a bit of bad luck. You see, the lads’ personal
assistant broke his leg when he took a tumble down the stairs at
the hotel in Nashville. Bloody fool was high as a kite at the time,
but that’s of no matter.” He dismissed the former assistant with a
wave of his hand. “What matters is that we need to replace him, and
we want you for the job.”
Athena’s mouth dropped open in shock, and for
a moment she could only stand there gaping at Simon while being
buffeted by Paul’s dust removal efforts. “Are you crazy? I can’t do
that!”
“Of course you can,” Simon retorted. “You’ve
done it before.”
“Seven years ago, Simon, and things have
changed since then.”
“Not that much. Everyone’s essentially the
same as they were then.”
“Oh, give me a break,” she scoffed. “Three
gold albums and tours all over the world and they’re the same guys
I knew back then? Right. Oh, and just so you know, your guitar
player hates me. There’s no way this would work.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Paul contradicted as
he brushed dust from her backside. “He’s just a bit brassed
off.”
“Hate, Paul. It’s hate. And stop doing that!”
She twisted away from his ministrations. “I don’t care if I’m
dusty.” She turned back to Simon. “Thanks for the offer, but
there’s no way I can do this. I have a job I can’t just walk away
from. More importantly, I have a daughter. You think I can just bug
out with a rock band and leave her behind?”
Under other circumstances, the looks on the
faces of Paul and Simon would have been funny. They couldn’t have
looked more dumbfounded if she’d suddenly begun disrobing.
Paul cleared his throat. “You have a
kid?”
“That’s what I said. And I’m all she’s got,
so going with you is out of the question.” She shook her head and
headed toward the door. “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve
ever heard.”
“Athena.” Paul’s quiet voice came from behind
her. “We’ll pay you six thousand dollars.”
She froze, not believing what she’d heard.
Turning on legs that felt like cooked pasta, she faced them
again.
“Six thousand dollars?” she whispered. “Are
you insane? That’s half a year’s salary.”
“It’s not an easy job, darling.” Paul
that stubborn streak I remember well, so I know you’re going to
continue to lie to me. I’ll drop it. For now.”
“Gee, thanks.” A small smile tugged at the
corners of her mouth. She’d forgotten about Paul’s direct manner
and his way of cutting through the malarkey. The only other person
who saw through her with such clarity was her mother, but Athena
wasn’t fond of the critical way her comments were couched and
tended to tune her out the minute she got started. It was harder to
ignore Paul’s genuine concern.
“Since you’ve decided to avoid whatever the
hell it was Derek did to make you cry like that, let’s move on to
why I was looking for you in the first place.” Paul crossed his
arms over his chest and tilted his head toward the door. “Simon,”
he called. “She’s in here.”
Curious now, Athena looked around in time to
see Simon enter the room looking relieved.
“There you are,” he stated the obvious. He
opened his mouth to say more, but closed it with a snap as he
studied Athena with narrowed eyes. “What have you been doing?
Rolling around on the desk with Derek?”
“You’re both covered in dust, darling,” Paul
explained with a strained grin. “Stand up and I’ll brush you
off.”
She slid off the desk and glared at Simon. “I
haven’t been rolling anywhere with Derek, thank you very much.”
“Then why does he have dust all over his
clothes, too?” Simon demanded.
Paul made a sound of impatience. “Not
important,” he told his manager. “Just tell her what we discussed.”
He began brushing the dust off the arm of Athena’s dress with brisk
swipes of his hand.
“Right.” In an instant, Simon turned all
business. “We’ve had a bit of bad luck. You see, the lads’ personal
assistant broke his leg when he took a tumble down the stairs at
the hotel in Nashville. Bloody fool was high as a kite at the time,
but that’s of no matter.” He dismissed the former assistant with a
wave of his hand. “What matters is that we need to replace him, and
we want you for the job.”
Athena’s mouth dropped open in shock, and for
a moment she could only stand there gaping at Simon while being
buffeted by Paul’s dust removal efforts. “Are you crazy? I can’t do
that!”
“Of course you can,” Simon retorted. “You’ve
done it before.”
“Seven years ago, Simon, and things have
changed since then.”
“Not that much. Everyone’s essentially the
same as they were then.”
“Oh, give me a break,” she scoffed. “Three
gold albums and tours all over the world and they’re the same guys
I knew back then? Right. Oh, and just so you know, your guitar
player hates me. There’s no way this would work.”
“He doesn’t hate you,” Paul contradicted as
he brushed dust from her backside. “He’s just a bit brassed
off.”
“Hate, Paul. It’s hate. And stop doing that!”
She twisted away from his ministrations. “I don’t care if I’m
dusty.” She turned back to Simon. “Thanks for the offer, but
there’s no way I can do this. I have a job I can’t just walk away
from. More importantly, I have a daughter. You think I can just bug
out with a rock band and leave her behind?”
Under other circumstances, the looks on the
faces of Paul and Simon would have been funny. They couldn’t have
looked more dumbfounded if she’d suddenly begun disrobing.
Paul cleared his throat. “You have a
kid?”
“That’s what I said. And I’m all she’s got,
so going with you is out of the question.” She shook her head and
headed toward the door. “This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve
ever heard.”
“Athena.” Paul’s quiet voice came from behind
her. “We’ll pay you six thousand dollars.”
She froze, not believing what she’d heard.
Turning on legs that felt like cooked pasta, she faced them
again.
“Six thousand dollars?” she whispered. “Are
you insane? That’s half a year’s salary.”
“It’s not an easy job, darling.” Paul
Similar Books
