Authors: Cheryl Harper
Mike nodded and started walking. “All right. What kinds of things do you need? Podium, chairs, backdrop?”
“Backdrop or maybe nice black velvet curtains. Three or four podiums for the musicians and me, the emcee. Mic and mic stand?” KT looked at Laura for confirmation. Her nods were reassuring. He had more faith in her judgment than his own when it came to this. Fashion? No. How to have a good time? No. Anything that required multiple moving parts to come together logically, on time, and under budget? A thousand times, yes.
Mike turned down a long aisle with floor-to-ceiling shelving. They walked past an Egyptian section, complete with large golden sphinx. The next section was Mexico. There was a donkey in a serape, stacks of sombreros, and ironwork chairs and gazebos. They turned left at the casino section and landed in the Roaring Twenties. The four white bandstand podiums with black and silver music notes were perfect.
Mike pointed up at them. “Like those?”
Laura nodded and Mike pulled out a walkie-talkie. “Hey, Reggie, bring the lift over to C7 and pull down these four white stands with music notes, then load ’em into the truck.”
“Curtains or backdrop . . .” Mike strode down to the end of the aisle. “Got this.” A huge canvas backdrop covered in silver and black music notes hung on the wall. “Or we can do curtains like these.” He pulled back a curtain to show them sets of curtains in black, red, white, silver, and gold. “Curtains would be easier to hang. The canvas is a bitch.”
“Curtains it is, then. Let’s go with the black,” KT said. “What about the mic and stand? That something you can help with?”
Mike nodded. “Yep, but it’s just wedding quality. I can recommend some sound pros if you need something better.”
Laura said, “Let’s go ahead and borrow them. Then we can test with the audio guys when we get back.”
“Good idea.”
Mike clapped his hands together. “And now for some zazz.”
KT looked at Laura to see if Mike was messing with him. When she shrugged, he tilted his head to one side. “Zazz? Okay. Got any ideas?”
Mike trotted down the aisle. “Follow me to our music section.”
KT did his best to keep up. They walked two long aisles before he thudded to a stop next to Laura and bent to rub the cramp in his leg. At least she was breathing hard, but she’d managed to keep up pretty well. In sensible shoes. Waiting tables was clearly good for both endurance and speed.
“Since it’s kind of an award show, how about this?” Mike pointed to a large gold statue of a naked woman holding a star.
“Well, that’s nice, but . . .” KT looked at Laura, not quite sure how to get out of naked and gold.
She leaned down to point at a shiny silver microphone. It was eye-catching but not like he’d want to poke his eyes out either. “What about these?”
Mike nodded. “Understated. Could work.”
“The impersonators will be overstated enough, right?” Laura’s lips twitched as she looked up at him.
KT nodded. “That’s good. Maybe we could do something smaller . . .” He walked down the aisle and found a box with small silver stars. “Maybe hang these as a backdrop?”
Laura nodded. “Yes. That will work.”
Mike picked up the box. “Reg, get the black velvet curtains, all eight panels, and load ’em up, then come over and help in E11 with the silver microphones.”
KT held out his hand. “I can’t tell you how glad I am Laura brought me over. How much do I owe you and how soon can you deliver to the Rock’n’Rolla Hotel?”
Mike gripped his hand. Hard. Like a man with something to prove and an important message. “My friends call me with a special request, I like to come through, you know? And Laura’s a good friend.” Mike dropped his hand. “A good friend. You understand?”
KT nodded. It would have been nearly impossible not to understand Mike’s message.
Laura cleared her throat and stepped between them to take the box of glittering stars. “This afternoon, Mike? Can you bring everything over?”
He nodded but his eyes never left KT’s. Interior decorator or not, KT did not want to tangle with this guy. It would totally ruin his day, possibly his entire week.
Laura led the way as they slowly retraced their steps. Just before they stepped back out in the March sunshine, she snapped her fingers. “I knew I should have made a list.” The indulgent look on Mike’s face said he was familiar with her list-making abilities. KT felt the disgruntled frown coming on.
“I was thinking this morning that it might be a good idea to set the judges up with their own table, something better than just one of the restaurant tables.” Her eyes were bright when she looked his way.
It was a good idea. KT wished he’d thought of it. He turned to Mike. “Have anything that would seat three people, maybe something a little higher, with chairs or stools?”
Mike leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling for a minute. “Yep. Come with me.”
He walked three aisles over and about halfway down there was a clear Lucite table that would put the judges a little above the crowd. Three black chairs completed the judging table and Mike asked Reggie to load those up too.
Laura hugged Mike. “Thanks so much for your help. You’ll be headed over to the hotel soon, right?”
“Soon as we get the truck loaded.”
KT shook Mike’s hand again. “And you’ll invoice me?”
“Put a thank you in the credits and we’ll call it even.” Mike shot a look over at Laura and she clapped.
KT would have clapped too but didn’t want to look like a girly man in front of the muscle-bound interior decorator. Instead, he nodded coolly. “We can do that.”
Mike didn’t respond but kissed Laura’s cheek and followed them out to the SUV. “See you in an hour or so.”
KT waved as he opened Laura’s door. He ignored her frown as she hoisted herself in then he closed the door and trotted around to the driver’s side. Before he made it, Mike held up a hand and leaned very close. “Before you go, I need to tell you that if you hurt her, I will not hesitate to take a quick trip out to Los Angeles to make you sorry. I drove across the state of Tennessee to beat the shit out of the last man who made her cry. I’m a lot better prepared this time.”
KT propped both hands on his hips and considered Mike’s words and the very gritty asphalt they were standing on. He really did not want to get sideways with this guy here or ever.
“Understood,” KT said with a sigh.
Mike held out his hand. KT shook it firmly and then slid behind the wheel of the SUV. Laura waved wildly at Mike who looked as wholesome and positive as could be.
Laura asked, “Everything okay?”
KT nodded as he started up the SUV. “Sure. You’ve been such a huge help. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Laura sighed happily. “This has been a good day. Paperwork, errands, and not one single spilled drink or impossible-to-please customer.”
KT would rather poke both eyes out than volunteer for paperwork ever again, but he could sort of understand her happiness. She was, at the very least, good at it.
He navigated Memphis’s traffic easily. “How long are you going to stay at the Rock’n’Rolla?”
She wrinkled her nose. “You say that like I’m turning my back on lucrative job prospects. I lost my job more than a year ago and I’ve been sending out resumes and interviewing since then but it’s hard to compete when there’s a line of MBAs for every job I go for, me, with my associate’s degree in ‘business management.’” She made air quotes around the last. “Besides, if I’m going to wait tables anywhere, it couldn’t get any better than Viva Las Vegas. Willodean takes good care of her employees. I’m really lucky to stay there rent-free.”
KT nodded. “Sure. Do you ever think about going back to school? With your schedule, you might be able to work in a class or two. You’d make an excellent accountant.” He couldn’t imagine another woman in the world who’d take that as a compliment but she would.
She looked like she had something heavy on her mind but finally she just shook her head.
He wanted to pick and poke and prod until she told him what that was about but he could see the signs for Graceland. They’d be back at the hotel any minute. He glanced at the clock. “Almost four. Can I take you out for an early bird special somewhere?”
She laughed. “No, if it’s all right, I need to run home for a little bit. But, if you want my help, I could meet you back at the bar to help set up.”
KT rolled to a stop at the front door. “I do appreciate a hard worker. So will Mandy and Shane. I’ll see you in an hour or so?”
She nodded and dropped out of the seat. Before she could slam the door, he said, “And change out of your funeral clothes. It’s time to get comfortable.”
She glared at him but her lips twitched as she slammed the door. He told himself not to watch her walk away but the swing and sway of her hips was impossible to ignore. When the doors slid shut behind her, he banged his head against the headrest until the feeling of the valet’s stare convinced him to wave and move on. She wasn’t the only one with lips twitching in front of the Rock’n’Rolla that day.
L
AURA TUGGED ON
the edge of her T-shirt as she rounded the corner into Viva Las Vegas. Her jeans were a little tighter than she’d like but they were the best pair she had. It went a little against the grain for her to show up to work in jeans and running shoes, but she didn’t want to put up with KT and his teasing all night. Those “funeral clothes” that she’d worn today presented a very business-like persona. Or she hoped they did. She’d been wearing the same pants and jacket on every interview she’d been on since she lost her job. She hadn’t bought new clothes since the layoff. And now she wore a satin showgirl uniform so she just didn’t see the point. Except somehow, in that magic way of shrinking closets, her jeans had gotten tighter. The T-shirt better do a good job of hiding it.
She stopped near the bar and took stock of the changes. Normally, Viva Las Vegas sat fifty or so people comfortably in a wide variety of table configurations. Now, it appeared to be set up to seat twice that many and there were tall tables along the walls where people could stand. And drink, of course. Laura had a bad feeling that every waiting skill she’d picked up since she started would be put to the test by the Almost Famous crowd.
She shuffled out of the way as KT and Mike walked by carrying the judging table. She followed them. “What can I do to help?”
KT motioned with his head. “Mandy and Shane are working on the curtains and hanging the stars. See what they need.”
She veered off to join the two women on the stage. Mandy was at the top of the ladder cursing under her breath as she tried to hook the curtains over the temporary rods hung from the ceiling. She was barely tall enough to reach the bar. Laura would be no help and Shane held up both hands as Laura opened her mouth to suggest she climb up. “I don’t do heights.”
An efficient assistant learns very quickly to assess the situation and determine the best solution. “Hey, KT, we need somebody a little taller over here.” He waved and after the last stand was set in place, he trotted over.
As Mandy stepped down onto the stage with a relieved sigh, KT scrambled up and hooked the curtain on quickly. “Hand me the stars. Let’s do that while I’m up here.” Each of the stars had wires attached. Shane handed them up to KT while they all bickered over the correct length for each staggered star. After taking entirely too long to get them hung, KT hopped off the ladder and ruffled Shane’s hair. “Go ahead and breathe again, fraidy cat.”
She gave him a blank stare and he did it again before he looked over at Laura. “Why don’t the three of you go check on the styling and green rooms? I think we’ve got just about everything in place here, but we need to do lighting and sound checks and make sure we’re all ready for tomorrow night’s dress rehearsal. Then on Saturday we can fine tune before we tape the show.”
Laura pulled the key cards out of her too-tight pocket and nodded. She motioned at Mandy and Shane and said, “Follow me.” As she maneuvered through the tight tables, she could feel KT watching. Just before she left the bar, she glanced over her shoulder. He stood on the stage while the rest of the crew bustled around him. His hands were propped on his hips and even across the room she could see the heat in his eyes. She stumbled over a nonexistent wrinkle in the carpet runner and whipped her head around before Shane or Mandy could give her too much grief.
Until she made it into the first room, the one set up for makeup.
Mandy stopped in the middle and slowly turned to survey the four desks and lamps set up and the bright vanity. When she made one full revolution, she nodded. “So, are you going to tell us what’s up between you and KT?” She waggled an imaginary cigar. “Or is ‘up’ the wrong word?”
Shane nodded and they both looked at Laura. “Nothing’s up. I’ve been working with him today to get his budget caught up and I had a friend who could help with the rentals.” She shrugged. “That’s it.”
Shane and Mandy exchanged a glance before Shane asked, “And how long is this ‘strictly business relationship’ going to last? My guess . . . you’re already on the ropes.”
At first, Laura planned to pretend that she had no idea what they were talking about, but the looks on their faces convinced her that she didn’t have a shot. “Forever is the right answer. But . . .” She covered her face with both hands. “God, he’s so tempting. So . . . dangerous. I know the right thing to do to protect myself, but just this once, I want something more than safety. Even if my heart breaks when he leaves, what a memory that would be. And it would be just for me. Maybe it would hurt but I know it would also make me so damn happy. For some reason, I feel like only an idiot would let KT Masters come and go without taking that chance.”
Laura squeezed her eyes shut, sure they were about to give her the harsh truth in black and white.
Mandy said, “Yep, idiot’s about right.”
Laura laughed. “Really? Even though there’s almost no chance of making it through without some tears?”
Mandy patted her on the shoulder. “Here’s what I think. If you have a chance to spend time with a man like this, one who can’t tear his eyes off you when you walk in the room, you don’t worry so much about the future. You seize your chance. I would.”