“Will you come tonight?” she begs.
I definitely don’t want to. I want to sit in my boxers on my couch and watch the Minnesota Wild hockey game. Or figure out what I’m going to do about Maggie. But I paint a smile on my face. “Of course. I’ll be in my box so you can’t miss me.”
I have no idea who’s planning to be in my box in the theater tonight, so now I’ll have to make nice with whomever sales has put there.
“Thank you,” Queen and her assistant say at the same time.
I gesture between Queen and Frankie. “Don’t stress about this.”
Queen nods. Frankie’s back to looking at his phone.
I walk out, exhausted, and Caden falls into step behind me. The makeup sex must be amazing; otherwise I can’t understand why she keeps him around.
I walk into the Network Operations Center or NOC and Travis Deck, the head of hotel security, joins me. I hired him away from Clear Security last year. He’s from Vegas and has a good relationship with my buddy Jim Adelson, CEO of Clear, so we came up with a deal. Jim’s guys are here to back us up, particularly with visiting VIPs—both famous and just filthy rich—and to fill in gaps when needed. But now Travis is my in-house man all the time.
“Hey, Travis.”
“I saw you go back to Queen’s dressing room. I also noticed her assistant fussing with water and a towel. Is everything okay?”
“Not really.”
I explain what’s missing and ask him to review the tapes. I also ask him to pay close attention to Frankie, since he’s making this into a publicity stunt.
“Let’s make sure he didn’t take the dress without her knowing to drum up attention for her and her shows.”
Travis nods. “We did run one guy off last week. Those rabid fans and vulture paparazzi are always circling.”
“Thanks. Anything else I should know about?” I ask.
“Same old, same old. Gillian got a new whale from The Gate resort next door, so we’ve got some extra security wandering around.”
I like the sound of that. “Keep me posted.” I look at my watch. If I’m going to finish my work and be on time for Queen’s show, I need to get back to my office and accomplish something. “I’ll be in the box in the Diva Lounge tonight.”
“Lucky you.” He looks at a clipboard. “Looks like a few folks from Banner Post will be there, too.”
Well, maybe my time won’t be wasted after all. With representatives from one of tech’s biggest companies, maybe I’ll land okay.
******
I arrive in the box shortly before the show starts and make small talk with the Banner Post folks. They’re excited about the show, and I can’t blame them. I wish I felt more excited, but I had hoped to be with Maggie tonight—here or in my room—and my mind can’t stop thinking over all the plans I had that now seem unlikely to come true anytime soon.
The orchestra begins with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. It plays softly in the background for the full seventeen minutes. Only those who have seen Queen Diva’s show here before know that this is the precursor. The lights slowly dim as the song approaches its climax, and then it’s totally dark. I can feel the anticipation as the audience waits for her arrival.
Just as the big booms of the drums signal the high point of the song, bright lights flare behind Queen Diva’s drummer, and we see her backlit, the fractured light reflecting off from the sequins on her dress.
The crowd is on their feet, clapping and screaming her name. And she begins one of her biggest hits.
Her show is highly choreographed. Not only does she have back-up singers and dancers, but the light effects are brilliant. And, she changes her outfits without anyone realizing she’s stepped away. She never misses a mark or a note.
It’s pure entertainment for two hours. Everyone gets their money’s worth with a Queen Diva show.
After the performance, I lead the Banner Post team backstage and introduce them to Queen. These are seasoned professionals, but they’re still over-the-moon excited. The diva is gracious and poses for pictures and signs autographs. As Gillian leads them away, I kiss Queen’s cheek and whisper in her ear, “You were amazing.”
She gives me a shy smile. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me that you keep your word.”
With that I fade into the shadows, and within ten minutes, I’m back home sitting in my boxer shorts as I watch the Montreal Canadians beat up my Minnesota Wild. With a beer in hand, on my own damn couch, I can be as loud as I want. I’m moving toward serious relaxation, despite watching a losing game. I missed the beginning, but Queen’s show was outstanding, and I’m glad I went. It actually took my mind off Maggie a bit. Then my phone rings.
There’s only one person who would dare call me in the middle of the game, and that’s because he’s watching it, too.
“Yeah?” I mutter into the phone.
“Can you believe they suck this bad tonight?” demands Christopher Reinhardt.
My heart hurts as I think, once again, of his sister, Maggie. I wonder what she’s doing right now.
“I mean, did they leave the team at home and bring the Eden Prairie High School team instead?” he asks.
“No, shit,” I agree. “They’re sucking wind. And I was worried when I missed the first period.”
“You didn’t miss much. I have to turn this off or Bella’s going to make me sleep in the guest room tonight. She’s working on her dissertation, and I’m being too loud.”
“Other than getting in trouble with your bride, what else is going on in the life of a fancy venture capitalist?”
Sullivan Healy Newhouse, Christopher’s firm, has been amazingly successful.
“Not much. We’ve been busy at SHN with some new investments, and we have an offer on the table for Bella’s company, which would make her CEO of a huge corporation—as long as she can finish her Ph.D.”
“Is that good news or bad?” I ask.
“Could go either way. How’s your love life?”
I’ve never told him about my feelings for Maggie. That would break the cardinal rule of dating your best friend’s sister. Because after you break her heart, you can’t be friends. Of course in my case, she broke mine.
“I don’t have time to date,” I tell him.
“No way, man. I don’t believe that. Every time I open the gossip columns, you have some stunning woman on your arm.”
I scoff. “Those pictures are staged. Don’t pay attention to them.”
This Maggie thing is killing me. I need to tell someone about it. Telling Christopher will be tough, but he is my best friend… Maybe if I don’t tell him who the girl is.
“Actually, I really like this one woman,” I tell him. “She doesn’t live here.”
“Do I know her?” he teases.
Yes, but I’m not going to spend the night explaining that to you. “Nope. Anyway, I was just getting ready to convince her to move to Vegas so we could settle down—”
“You’re going to settle down? That’s surprising. I’ve never thought of you as a family man.”
I bristle. “I never said family. I just thought having this one woman with me would be a good thing.”