I Do What I Do » John Taylor

XXIII

ERIN

I've been waiting days for Renée to show up. It's been almost a week now. I like to think that I have a lot of patience, but now I'm beginning to become impatient. The wait has been painfully slow. I know that John's upset, and I've been trying my best to get back in time to see the show. He's told me so many times about how playing Madison Square was their dream. It means so much to him and I'd hate to miss it. I've wanted to call him, but it's been hard to gather up the courage to do so. I just feel so bad.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of my bedroom phone ringing, I pick up.

"Hello?"

"Erin?"

Michael. Maybe it's good?

"Hey, Michael. Any news?" I ask hesitantly.

"Great news. She got here last night. We can start shooting today," he answers happily.

I let out a quiet gasp and stand up from my bed. "Really? You're sure?"

"One hundred percent. Can you make it here in an hour?"

I look over at the clock, which reads 9:50. "Absolutely," I say into the phone, smiling. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Great. See you then."

I hang up the phone and rush to get ready, pulling on my change of clothes and quickly fixing my hair. I throw on my jacket and run to my car to start the drive to work. Thankfully I've already eaten breakfast.

There's quite a bit of traffic today. It's usually busier around this time of year. Lots of people are going on spring break, so there's a lot of travel. There's usually some tourists, but not many until summer at least. The drive to work is usually something around 45 minutes, if I'm lucky. Today, though, I might be a little bit later. Luckily I was able to leave early.

I manage to pull into the parking garage by 10:49. Just about an hour, which isn't bad, all things considered. I snag a spot on the third floor and walk into the building to take the elevator to the ground level. The elevator dings and I start my descend down the hallway to the main entryway.

I walk in excitedly. It's about damn time, I think to myself as I make my way to the dressing room. I set all of my things down and notice a small piece of paper stuck to the mirror. Once I've walked over to the mirror, I rip the paper off carefully and read it.

Lounge room @ 11.

- Michael

I look at the wall to check the time. 10:58, it reads. Close enough. I walk out of my own room and into the main one. In the corner is a small lounge area, with a few tables and chairs for us to sit in on our small breaks. I find Michael, a photographer, and a tall woman standing there. I approach them with a warm smile. "Hey!"

The woman turns around. Wow. She is absolutely gorgeous. How am I going to compete with that? She has brown hair, with lots of natural-looking blonde highlights. It's just about shoulder length...Maybe a bit longer. Her eyes are blue, a little on the darker side, with a very slight green tint to them in the light. I definitely recognize her. I think I've seen her on the cover of Vogue just about a zillion times.

"Hello." She extends out her hand. "You must be Erin. I'm Renée."

"That's me!" I take her hand and shake it. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You as well," she smiles.

"I've definitely seen you before!" I tell her kindly. "You're very pretty."