A Face in the Crowd (5 page)

Lexie remained quiet and decided to take a big bite of her hot dog instead of answering the question.

“I see. It sounds like you’re making friends.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

“Hmmm.” Simone let it drop.

In doing so, Lexie was reminded why they were besties. Simone knew when it was time to drop a subject. After years of friendship, she knew better than to unleash the temper or tease her too much.

Chapter 5

Lexie knocked on the door and waited until she heard a resounding, “Come in,” from the other side before continuing inside with a certain surprise.

“Hey, hey, where have you been today?” Bailey put the remote down and pushed himself up in the bed.

“Oh, you know, just running around doing my thing.” She pulled the bag and its greasy contents out from behind her back. “I thought you could use some decent food though.”

With a look of surprise, he took it from her and spread the deliciousness that was food from The Varsity out on his tray table. “You might be my new best friend.”

“You’re welcome,” she winked. “Okay, well I can’t stick around. I have to go check on my other patients.”

“Can you come by later and make sure there aren’t any crazed girls in my bathroom?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Take it easy.”

“Hey, Lexie, thanks for the food.” He held up one of the chili dogs smothered in mustard that matched the yellow spot on the corner of his mouth. “This is excellent.”

“No problem. See you later.” She left and hadn’t had time to wipe the smile off her face before running into Ashley in the hallway.

“I thought you weren’t on Bailey’s case today,” Ashley stuck her hip out to the side and tapped her foot with an air of nonexistent superiority.

“I’m not,” Lexie offered and kept walking. She had no intention of getting into it with Ashley.

Determined not to let her ruin her good mood, Lexie dove back into her work where she remained busy for the rest of the day. She didn’t have time to do anything but the task at hand, at least until she spotted two familiar guys step off the elevator and head toward Bailey’s room.

As she watched their retreating backs, she gasped when it dawned on her where she’d seen them before. It was the other two members of the band, Leo and David. They looked out of place and a bit larger than life compared to the usual visitors who frequented the floor. Of course, maybe it was just that way to her because she’d been a fan of the band for so long. She blew out a breath. All of Survival right down the hall.

She and Simone had discovered Survival of the Fittest right before the band hit it big. They were traveling as a supporting band for Imagine Dragons, another band the girls loved, when they saw them perform for the first time. They both agreed Survival was going to make it into the big leagues. Their music was powerful and radiated energy. You couldn’t stand still when their songs were playing.

Not two months later, the band’s first single went platinum and was the number one selling single on
iTunes
. It was also featured on more than one commercial and was on the radio every time you turned it on. From there, the band’s fame and success soared.

Lexie remembered, all too well, the first time they’d seen them. Simone surprised her with concert tickets disguised as a last minute birthday present, but she’d really been trying to get Lexie out of her apartment. Anything to remind her there was life still going on out in the world that didn’t revolve around her then boyfriend, Mike. It was as if Simone had expected him to forget her birthday.

Simone loved Lexie, but she didn’t love Mike and Lexie. She never had, but when he was around, she’d tolerated him. What else can friends do? Though she didn’t like him, when everything had fallen apart, Simone hadn’t said one ‘I told you so,’ she just handed Lexie tissues as needed and bought the ice cream. And, of course, offered to help Lexie hide the body the way a best friend should.

She shook her head, trying to put Mike back in the past where he belonged. He was one person who was not welcome to take up space in her life anymore. Even as a memory. She glanced down at her watch. It was almost time to go, but she still had lots of paperwork to do. She tucked herself behind the desk and worked until the night shift nurses were on duty. Rubbing her eyes, she leaned back in her chair, the mere thought of driving home agony in her overtired state. She just wanted to lie down and sleep.

It occurred to her after she stopped at her locker and grabbed her stuff she hadn’t gotten a chance to stop by Bailey’s room again. She debated whether or not she should skip, but since she had the following two days off, decided to stick her head in for a quick goodbye. After all, she said she would and she hadn’t seen Oliver either.

As she neared his room, she heard laughter and more than one voice floating through the open door. She lingered outside for another minute and then turned to go. He was obviously busy.

“Hey, Lexie, is that you?” She froze like she’d been shot with a Taser. Oliver had seen her.

“Hey.” Nerves firing on all cylinders, she was surprised her voice only shook a little. His bandmates were sitting around Bailey’s bed alongside him. Leather boots and Converse propped around at different points in the room. It hadn’t occurred to her they would still be there. “I was heading out and wanted to see if you needed anything.”

“It’s late, I figured you were already gone. Guys, this is Lexie, the best nurse around. Lexie, this is Leo, and that toolbox is David, they’re—”

“I know who they are. Hey guys.” They nodded and smiled by way of greeting. They really were a nice looking group. Not a bad one in the bunch. Simone would die when Lexie told her she’d been within arm’s reach of the entire band.

“You never told me you were a fan of ours.”

She turned her attention to Oliver. “You never asked.”

“This is Georgia. I figured you were more of a country music fan.”

She pursed her lips. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

The other guys were smirking as they listened intently to Lexie and Oliver’s little exchange. Her cheeks grew warm. Being around Oliver alone was one thing, but seeing them all together reminded her who she was talking to. She, Lexie, a mere mortal, alone in a room with Survival of the Fittest. She would’ve fainted if she was the fainting type, but she wasn’t. She was more of a stand around awkwardly kind of girl, which was evident when she realized she was shifting her weight from one foot to the other like she was dancing to some song only she could hear. She forced herself to stop.

“Okay, well, I better head home. I’ll see you in a couple of days, Bailey. Nice meeting you guys.”

“Wait, your shift’s over. Why don’t you stay and hang out for a bit?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Her gaze cut to the door. “I’m pretty beat.”

“Wow, you don’t even have to work tomorrow and you’re wussing out. I thought you were made of tougher stuff, Sexy Lexie.”

“Watch it.” She pointed a finger at Bailey. “I’m not on the clock anymore. I have no problem giving you a reason to visit the ER again.”

The other guys snickered at her reply before Leo jumped up and offered her his seat. Though a little unsure, she took it, but leaned as far as possible to one side when Leo propped himself on the arm of the chair he’d just given her. Personal space was clearly not an L.A. thing. She was pretty sure she was having an out of body experience.

The room remained quiet and the guy’s eyes were trained on her as if they were waiting for her to say something. Panic threatening to take hold, she threw out the first dumb thing that popped into her head. “So, how long are you guys going to be in Atlanta?”

“For a little while longer,” David crossed his booted feet at the ankles and folded his hands behind his head. “You have a pretty cool city. This is the first time we’ve been here long enough to really check it out.”

“Are there any cool places we should see?” Leo elbowed her gently. “You’re the local, enlighten us.”

“There’s the typical tourist stuff: the Georgia Aquarium, Coca-Cola Museum, Centennial Olympic Park. You could check out a Falcon’s game or something.” She racked her brain to try to come up with something better. What did guys, who usually were the entertainment, do for entertainment?

“If you’re looking for nightlife, you could try Fado. It’s a pretty sweet Irish pub in Buckhead or Smith’s Olde Bar, that’s my personal favorite. It’s complete with pool tables, dartboards, and live music. I don’t know if you guys go to concerts, since that’s your day job, but you could always look to see who’s playing at The Tabernacle. It’s the best venue in town unless you want to go even smaller. Then, you can try Variety Playhouse.”

“Have we played there?” David asked from his side of the room to no one in particular.

“Beats me. I don’t even know what city we’re in half the time,” Leo smiled.

“Because you’re too stoned.” It was weird hearing David talk so much. Any time she saw the band give an interview he was always the quiet one. He usually sat by the rest of them hiding under his trademark hat.

“That’s not true.” Leo’s voice was tinged with mock hurt. “Most of the time.”

“To answer your question,” Lexie cut in, “You played there once a long time ago. It was when you guys were on tour with Imagine Dragons.”

“Ah, our first major tour as a supporting band. It brings a tear to my eyes,” Leo rubbed a finger under his dry eyes, one and then the other. “We’ve come a long way, boys.”

While the other guys made sounds of agreement, she caught Oliver watching her, a little smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Let’s be honest. We all know why Leo loved that tour.”

All the guys busted out laughing at some inside joke so Lexie took the opportunity to study them all. She even snuck a glance at the elusive David. He was very attractive and though his hair was the same color as Oliver’s, he kept his shorter. He was tall with a lanky frame, but he had perfect arms and shoulders, muscular and smooth. No doubt from years of playing the guitar. From what she’d read in
Entertainment Weekly
, he also wrote a lot of the band’s songs. He glanced over in her direction and smiled, almost as if he could read her mind.

She quickly shifted her gaze to Leo. He’d stood and was lounging against the wall by the window looking completely animated as he shared a story with the rest of the guys. His hair was short and blond, except for the tips which were currently red. She was pretty sure it’d been blue the last time they’d seen the band play, but with Leo it was hard to keep up. He seemed like a lot of fun though, probably helped keep everyone entertained during their long hours on the road.

They talked for another hour, then Leo stood and stretched. “Bailey, we’ve got to head out. I’m starving,” he gripped the railing at the side of the bed. “Do you want us to sneak anything in?”

“No, I’m good. There are already girls in the bathroom here. What more could a guy want?”

“What?” David raised an eyebrow.

“There was a little fan hanging out in the bathroom, but no worries, Lexie took care of her,” Oliver smiled at her and she couldn’t help but grin back.

It was nice being a part of their world for a few minutes. Kind of strange to see them as people and not as musicians, but nice.

“Watch out for Lexie.” Leo rubbed his chin as he eyed her. “Maybe she should go on the road with us? We could add her to our security team.”

“Nah, we’d have to find her a better job than that. She’s much too pretty to be on our security team.” At David’s words, she blushed from her neck to her hairline.

“Not a bad idea,” Oliver agreed, almost too quiet to hear, but she’d heard him and the heat radiating from her face intensified tenfold.

The guys stood to leave and all said goodnight to Lexie, Bailey, and Oliver as they filed out.

Lexie picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ve gotta go, too. Thanks for the invitation to hang out. Bailey, be nice to your nurses while I’m away.”

He saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Oliver rose.

“No,” she shook her head, “I can—”

“Come on.” He tugged her out of the room.

Once in the elevator, she had to say something to break the silence. The close proximity was making her keenly aware of his body, how he towered over her, the hard lines. And, he just kept grinning at her. It was maddening. “The guys seemed nice.”

“Yeah, they’re cool. We’ve known each other a long time. I went to high school with David and when we decided to start a band, we met up with Leo after he answered our flyer to find a drummer. He’s crazy as hell, but a really good guy.” He ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “We recruited Bailey, and not just because he’s my little brother. I taught him the basics on the guitar when we were kids, but he’s so much better than I ever was. The other guys and I heard him play a gig at a club one night and that was it. We convinced him to ditch those other guys and join us. Smartest thing we ever did. He kicks ass on the guitar, as you know, and is an excellent song writer, especially when he and David work together.”

The elevator chimed and she passed by Oliver as he held the doors open, careful not to touch him. Then he was beside her, one of his strides equaling what felt like three of hers.

When they reached her car, she hit the unlock button, grimacing at her reflection in the glass. It wasn’t fair that he looked like the picture of perfection and she looked like she felt—a tired hag. She cleared her throat and tried not to worry about it.

“What about you? What made you want to be a musician?”

He grinned in the devilish way which was uniquely his. “The girls, of course.”

“Okay, then, it’s been fun, but I’ve got to go.”

He laughed. “Lexie, wait.”

She glanced back at him ready to glare, but then he laid his hand on her shoulder. When her knees liquefied, she turned and leaned against her car for support.

“I was just kidding.” He placed a hand on the roof of her car and leaned in. “When will you be back?”

There were circles under his eyes. She hadn’t noticed them before, but at this distance there wasn’t much she couldn’t see, the hint of a five o’clock shadow, a scar near his eyebrow. “I’m off for the next couple of days, but then I’ll be here. I always am.”

A minute passed as they stood face to face as the breeze ruffled their hair. She wondered for a moment if he was going to kiss her. He was close enough. Just a few more inches and their lips would touch. Did she want him to? Who was she kidding? She was alive, wasn’t she? Of course she did.