"Take these last bowls in the house for me, will you Chels? I'll be right in."
"K, no problem Mrs. C."
Trish went over to Chris and in one quick movement, took Sean from his arms and put him on her shoulder and began singing
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings
JC was desperate. He knocked on Joey's hotel room door. He knocked again. No answer. Dang, he and Dee must've gone out already. He tried Lance's room next.
"JC? C'mon in. What can I do for you?" Lance turned and walked back into his hotelroom, JC following behind, nervously cracking his knuckles.
"You busy tonight?" he asked, in a tone that begged Lance to reply "no." Just then, he noticed Mel putting a blazer on. "Hey, Mel……you guys aren't going somewhere tonight are ya?"
"Well, yeah, we were JC. We were going to catch a late dinner at Tavern on the Green and then meet Joey and Dee at Carmine's. You want to come along?" Lance asked.
"No, I want you to go somewhere with me," he said, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other.
Lance watched him with a grin. "Oh? Judging from your little dance there, this must involve a girl."
JC blushed. "Yeah, it does. You know Trish from the makeup crew at TRL?"
Lance thought for a moment, trying to put a face with a name, but it wasn't working.
"You know, the brunette with the gorgeous green eyes?" JC tried to help him along.
"Gorgeous green eyes, where've I heard that before?" Mel interjected, smiling. Lance shot her a loving glance and a wink.
"Okay, I remember now……the one who always does YOUR makeup!"
"Yeah, that's the one. Well, she's a vocal student at Julliard and she's got a part-time job at a little bar not too far from here; sings a couple hours a night. I thought I'd go over there and listen to her tonight."
"Oh, another one of those 'you're rich and famous, you can get me into show business things!' " Lance said, shaking his head, not believing that JC could fall for the "game."
"No, no, no…….she's not like that at all, Lance." JC was pissed off. "In fact, she never really brought it up until I asked her what she did outside of TRL. I had to practically drag it out of her and then she only reluctantly told me it'd be okay if I came and listened to her. I didn't even commit to exactly when I'd come….."
Lance looked at Melanie, who was giving him the puppy dog eyes that he couldn't resist. He knew she wanted to help JC out, and as a 'brother', he knew it was the right thing to do.
"Okay, JC, if it's moral support you need……let's go," he said, grabbing his jacket.
JC's eyes lit up and his smile was a 1000-watter. "Thanks, man."
Lance clapped him on the back. "No problem, buddy."
Trish knew he was there before she even saw him. She swore he had an aura that only she could pick up on; she'd felt it every time she did his makeup for TRL. She tried to concentrate on the last verse of "Wind Beneath My Wings" when she saw his silhouettes through the bright stage lights, standing at the top of the steps near the bar. She thought it appropriate that she was singing the last few words……."thank you, thank you, thank God for you……" just as JC, along with Lance and who she assumed was his girlfriend were being seated at the table she'd reserved right in front of the stage just in case he took her up on her invitation that night. She really did want to thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to come listen to her. She only wished that she could tell him how she felt about him, how she'd become insanely attracted to him and could hardly wait for his next appearance on TRL and always asked Sandy, the head makeup artist, if she would make sure and schedule her to work that day. Maybe she'd get the chance yet tonight……..and suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head. The song wasn't in her setlist, but it was one she knew and knew well, but wasn't sure Marty, her keyboard player knew. She smiled at JC and turned and walked over to the keyboardist and whispered in his ear. JC saw him nod and Trish smile almost giddily back at him.
"This is a little song that's been a favorite of mine by a lady who's an incredible singer…..Bonnie Raitt."
Trish started into "Let's Give Them Something to Talk About" with a voice that was almost bluesier than Bonnie's. She was playing it up good and after the first few verses stepped off the stage and stood next to JC, placing a hand on his shoulder as she sang:
Dreaming 'bout you every night
Hoping that you'd feel the same way
Now that we know it, let's really show it darling
How about love love love love?
JC was trying to sneak into his room, but it was hard when he couldn't find his keycard. He went through his jean pockets for the sixth time and all he found was his wallet and a folded up piece of paper. Curious, he opened it up and saw two very simple words written on it in a feminine hand. "Thank you" was all it said. JC leaned up against his door, closed his eyes and sighed. "No, thank YOU" he whispered.
"Hey! Where the hell have you been?" a booming voice broke JC's reverie. Chris had rounded the corner, carrying two duffle bags, a walkman and a newspaper. "Man, you are in big trouble. Johnny found out you were out last night without a bodyguard, nobody knew where you were. And Dre is in deep shit for letting you out of his sight at that bar!"
JC stuffed the note from Trish back into his rear pocket and rubbed his eyes, pressing his fingers so hard into them that he saw stars. "I'm fine, Chris. Really. Nothing happened. Well, nothing BAD happened…….."
"Meaning……"
JC just smiled.
"Oh my god, you got LAID!" Chris exclaimed loudly. Less than a second later two doors opened wide and Lance and Joey poked their heads out of their rooms.
"Who got laid?"
"JC"
"You're kidding!"
"No way!"
"GUYS!!!!! Enough! Help me get into my room!" JC exclaimed, throwing his hands up and down as though he was leading a cheer during one of their concerts.
"Dude, you're on your own, " Chris said, backing away. "I saw and heard Johnny this morning and I'm not getting involved in any of THAT."
"Shit, man, what am I gonna do?" JC leaned against the door and slid down until he was sitting on his heels. Just then, Tiny rounded the corner with Justin and stopped dead when he saw JC with his head in his hands.
"Man, you are in some deep….."
"I KNOW!!!!!!" JC almost screamed at him.
"I hope she was worth it," Tiny continued, a big smile spreading across his face as he leaned over JC, slipped something into the edge of the door and watched as JC fell backwards into his room.
"Hey! How'd you do that?" JC asked, picking himself off the floor.
"Old bodyguard trick from way back. You don't need to know. I'll let Johnny know everything is cool. Just get your stuff and get out to the bus in 10 minutes or I'll never bail you out again, hear?"
JC scrambled up. "Yeah, sure, no problem, be out in no time! Thanks, Tiny."
Within ten minutes, JC WAS on the bus. And so was Johnny. JC ran smack into him as he scrambled up the steps.
"You know Chasez, I should hang you out the bus and drag your ass all the way Orlando! If you EVER do that again without calling me, you can bet you'll be wearing skid marks at the next concert!"
Everyone expected a meek and humbled JC and their eyes got big as saucers when they heard his reply.
"Why are you giving me such a hard time? Tiny told you I was OK and that I would be checking in late! So lay off will ya?!"
Johnny seemed taken aback and for the first time in his life was left rather speechless and all he said was "You KNEW we had a promo this morning. Don't do it again. Period!" and shoved past JC and got off the bus.
"Okay, so answer Tiny's question……..was she worth it?" Justin asked.
"Oh yeah, she was worth it," he replied with a dreamy smile, looking up into his wife's face.
"Huh?"
"Where were you, man? We just solved the latest problems of the world and you weren't even with us," Lance laughed.
"Here, Chris, Sean's asleep, now you can safely hold him," Trish said, handing the baby back to his father. "I've gotta get back and help the ladies in the kitchen before they think I've purposely stayed out here to avoid the work!"
She leaned down and kissed her husband and then whispered, "I'm so glad I was worth it!"