Tracy was the first to arrive in Park City the next Saturday, and used the key Austin had delivered to her the day before at the studio with Michael. She let herself in and turned on the heat so it'd be warmed up for later when the others arrived. It was late afternoon. The sky was clouded and the slopes weren't even visible like they normally were. She showered and changed into long johns and heavy woolen socks to pad around in while she made a fire in the upstairs fireplace.
The whistle blew for her hot water, and she got a mug for chocolate. She was touched that a baby grand piano had been added to the living room corner. She felt more like a permanent fixture in Austin's life-- he'd joked that she was his little sister, and she felt that connection falling into place as they'd worked together throughout the week.
It had been a very hard week.
After returning to California from Texas, Raine had revealed that he would be heading out on a float March third, and unfortunately, he would be in training with his wing for the next two months. Their tearful goodbye had been the most poignant either of them had ever gone through. Having just found each other, it felt like they were losing each other.
Tracy stared out at the landscape. Austin's Park City place was designed to maximize proximity to the resort. The lift went right overhead and loaded in the backyard. She watched it coming until it was out of sight and then turned to the piano.
There was no coaster, so she put the mug on the hardwood floor, and bent one knee onto the piano bench. Then she let her fingers wander aimlessly to the tunes floating around in her head.
And there were aimless tunes. She had a notebook full of them downstairs and Michael had worked exceptionally hard in the evenings this week to help her organize them. He had been unusually sympathetic to her needs after the incident at the doctors, touched that she had needed him then. And insistent that she get an agent, or a manager--- as he was a producer, a degree'd engineer--- and had no time for this babysitting she constantly put him through. He said it affectionately, and she spent a half an hour in her office at Rocks, presumably interviewing potential agents, when instead she was opening packages of He-Man guys she'd bought for Danny and loading them into her bottom desk drawers.
Michael the wizard.
The steady, the amazing, the best thing that ever happened--- wizard.
Events still transpired at the rate of an accelerating cannon fired upon her. She let her fingers accelerate in time with the rapidly firing thoughts, and feelings--- yes, she thought, I do have feelings about these things. It might not seem like it, but I do.
I don't want Casey in jail. I don't even want him to suffer with his career choices. I just want him off the drugs and alcohol. He's very talented and very charming when he's not being an idiot. Drugs are the bane of our generation, but more and more people are seeing the benefits of solving their issues in different ways.
I am doing a movie---- a freaking movie----
I'm not an actress!
Now who's the idiot?
She shook her head and stopped playing the piano. Those were the two biggies this week. Danny was with his grandparents. She didn't have to worry about him or his needs for a few days.
The front door bell chimed and she remembered she'd locked herself inside. She jumped up to answer it, knowing Jake would not have let anybody through the gates that wasn't supposed to be there. Not again. Not ever again.
She arrived at the landing, looking over the wooden railing and felt her heart flip-flop uneasily. This was a person she didn't want to--- but probably needed to think about. Richard Mann.
He looked up, kicking the door shut behind him. "Hey there, beautiful."
"Hey, yourself! Can I help you with those bags?" She didn't wait for his answer, but slid down the stairs on her butt and landed at the right level to take the largest one out of his hands so he could heft the other two and several packages from stores.
She went directly to his upstairs bedroom and dumped the heavy bag on the bed. The room was dark and rather chilly, she'd forgotten to open the door so warmth could get inside.
"You're here early." he commented, "You get Raine off for Henderson okay?"
She chose to ignore him, not wanting to bring that memory back to the surface. It was hard enough as it was.
"You want some hot chocolate?"
It wasn't lost on him that she dodged the answer, and he bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, chocolate sounds pretty good. I thought you might be out on the slopes already."
Tracy preceded him to the kitchen and got out another mug. The kettle was still warm enough. Her eyes refused to meet his. "Yeah, you can't even see the lights the fog is so thick."
He grinned taking a bar stool across the counter from her. "Hence the parcels from MJ's, the latest in fashion design in Park City." He tossed the crinkly bags to her and cocked his head to the side, winking dimples at her. "To take your mind off Fly-Boy's departure."
The three bags landed on the floor beside her, and Tracy could see black and bright neon turquoise. "What is it?"
If he'd expected squealing and excitement he was sadly disappointed.
"Club attire. There's a fairly new disco in Salt Lake I hear has a jiving scene."
Tracy gingerly pulled the sexy black leggings, knee length scrunchy socks, hot pink mini-skirt, and layered half gloves out of the bags letting them fall on the floor as she held up the black off shoulder halter top. Her eyebrows rose. "You can--- actually see me wearing this?"
Richard shrugged good-naturedly as if buying women's clothing was his forte, and yes, he could see her wearing that outfit. "With earrings of course." He brandished huge plastic turquoise rings.
Tracy made a comical face and took the earrings out of his hands to look at them.
"You'll be able to take them back, right?"
He didn't look disappointed in the least. "Yep. I figured you'd say that, so I picked up an outfit I was pretty sure would agree with you." He tossed another bag from under his lap.
Tracy caught it as it sailed over the counter, pulling the all lace peasant dress out of the bag. A fringed leather belt fell out on the floor--- she knew it would match her knee moccasins. Another leather piece came flying over the top, this embedded with turquoise and silver Native American work.
"It's a headband."
She fingered the belt and the headband with real interest. When she finally looked up, Richard's eyes were shining. "Come out with us tonight. No sense sitting all night brooding about lover boy's leave taking."
"Lover Boy is my fiancé, I'll thank you to remember."
"So you've made perfectly clear all week long, yes. I still don't think it's going to do you any good hanging out all by yourself."
"You think I'd rather be the third party in the booth watching you and Marie and Austin and Sabrina having a blast? I've got stuff I can work on, no worries."
Richard leaned far across the counter, and Tracy pushed him back by handing him his mug full to the brim. This move put his eyes far too intimately close for her comfort. For some reason, from the first time she'd seen them, in the kitchen at Kirk and Coral's standing there mocking her for getting rid of Jolie, those eyes had given her flutters. She had a Tiger Eye necklace downstairs that wasn't nearly as beautiful in color, and the expressive way he encouraged her just by looking at her caused her heart to thrill traitorously. She looked away.
"Marie and Sabrina aren't coming."
She looked up from the headband. "This weekend or ever?" She was startled, as Austin for one had been called away from work all week to answer calls from Sabrina.
He shrugged and took his mug over to the dusty mauve Victorian sofa. "Not this weekend for Sabrina, not sure about the future with her. Marie's not coming. Ever."
"I'm sorry." She was, sincerely sorry. And a little apprehensive being there all weekend with just the two of them and no female companionship, even though the week working long hard hours together had made them far more than acquaintances in a short time.
His shoulders rose and fell and he kept staring at the slopes. "Doesn't matter. I'm not into her."
Tracy felt her heart relenting in its cacophony of contradictory mistrust of him. She sensed far more interest coming off him than should have been, but he'd kept it tightly controlled since their almost kiss a week ago. He knew her current status and had already voiced his tolerance of it, not acceptance.
"Did you guys break up?" She tried really hard to infuse her tone with sincerity, and failed miserably, the quirk of a smile at the corner of her lips attested to that fact. Small wonder he gave her that self-deprecating quirked eyebrow.
He shook his head. "Will you come dancing?"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. He had broken up--or Marie had dumped him. He was a friend.
And now she felt the compassionate pull on her heartstrings.
He needed her company.
She nodded, pulling the half empty bags closer for inspection. "When will Austin be here?"
He looked at his watch with a deep relieved sigh. "Soon."
She gathered the new outfits and stalked by him, a flirty wiggle in her hips as she passed. "Dancing only."
"Oh, baby, I will dance you to the moon."
*******