That Blue Gibson

CH 5

"My dad gave me Dreamboat Annie for my sixth birthday," Liz laughed and took a drink of her beer.

"Six?" Nancy screeched. "A bit young for Magic Man, but..."

Liz nodded, "I was hooked!"

They sat close together on the white patio furniture overlooking the sparkling city lights below. A comfortable silence passed between the two before Nancy spoke up. "I always felt guilty encouraging girls into this world," she glanced behind them at the party, a bit rowdier now that the alcohol was flowing. "It hasn't been kind to us."

Liz took another drink and nodded. "Something about this business makes men so... territorial," she agreed.

"Exactly. I wouldn't put it past any of these men to piss on your leg as a show of dominance," Nancy sneered but laughed a little. "There are some nice guys, but they're few and far between. Best to sleep with them and leave before they wake up. The consistently nice guys are usually sound or equipment techs. Snag one of those and you'll never tune a guitar again!" The two dissolved into laughter.

Nancy suddenly whipped around to face Liz. "We should take a walk," she said quickly.

Sensing an ulterior motive, Liz raised an eyebrow. "Not up there," she nodded her head towards the stage behind them.

"God, no. Inside. Let's go!"

Nancy and Liz weaved their way through the small groups of people towards the mansion. Several of the men turned to watch them pass, but only some of the drunk ones dared to whistle or cat call. Nancy shot every one of them with a glare that could melt granite and Liz thought her heart would burst. This woman was everything she wanted to be and then some. When they reached the house, the volume inside had increased exponentially and the partygoers were just gearing up into the real fun. Retrieving more beer from the kitchen, Liz wished she could locate some water. That moonshine rum was more potent than she remembered. Handing a beer to Nancy, they wandered through the crowd together while several people greeted them and introduced themselves to Liz, asking her about the Oscars or complimenting her drum performance. As they neared the back wall, Liz heard her name being called from over the din and spied Nate near the fireplace, smiling and waving in her direction. When they reached him, Nancy pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh honey, it's been too long!" she cried.

"Sonic Highways!" Nate laughed back. "Hi, Liz!" he turned and gave her a quick hug as Liz smiled at his red face and blurry eyes. "We're like a little island of Washingtonians!"

They laughed a moment before a man tapped Nancy's shoulder. They spoke quietly for a moment before Nancy turned back to them. "Excuse me a minute, you two. Silva has summoned me," she smiled before leaning close to Liz. "Stick with Nate," she said quietly. The ominous tone hung between them for a moment before Nancy turned and left.

"So...," Nate said awkwardly. "I don't think anyone knew you were a drummer!"

"Oh... uh...," Liz felt herself blushing again. "Yeah, it's not really something I do in front of people."

"Well, that's a shame," Nate replied. His voice was sincere and he dipped his head to meet Liz's downcast eyes. "You clearly made quite the impression on everyone here."

"Hopefully in a good way," Liz said looking around them and felt herself relax a little bit, feeling comfortable around Nate. He seemed easy going and friendly enough.

"Taylor just about had an aneurysm from excitement," Nate went on, "I don't think I've ever heard him actually gasp at another drummer before."

"Paul had an entire mansion full of drummers to choose from, I'm a bit annoyed he put me on the spot like that," Liz laughed, only joking a little.