Throw Him My Way

“We get smoke inhalation trouble, sometimes. But we’re trained. You have no idea how rigorous the training is, before we can make it through. We get a lot of people who want to be heroes, but a lot of it isn’t heroic at all. A lot of it is dealing with idiots. Like, my dear, you.”

Heidi shrugged this time, refusing to let him get to her.

“Hey, wouldn’t you be curious what a mace candle smells like? It didn’t say on the cover that it would take thirty minutes for it to burn halfway down! And in my defense, I did close the window. The latch didn’t work properly. Zoe told me that, by the way, later.”

Christian laughed.

“I’m just pulling your leg. Now, I guess I can give you a personal fire safety lesson. I really should check on your apartment and put some pressure on your landlord to bring it up to code.”

Heidi was alarmed.

“Please, don’t! We can’t all afford to live here if he brings it up to code. We’re all a bunch of struggling artistic types. There’s a ballet dancer who almost made principal, but didn’t. She’s trying to get a break in showbiz, and she’s sure she’ll get it any day now. There’s an artist who did some wonderful work for a pretty famous ad, and got ripped off. He tried to sue, but he couldn’t. Apparently, you need to have money to be able to sue for money. Then there’s Mrs. Spinelli. She is one of the most wonderful singers I’ve ever heard. She teaches me.”

Christian sat back.

“I’m not going to snitch on you, Heidi. Maybe I can do some work myself. Unless you mind?”

Heidi chuckled.

“Oh, you’ll have quite the audience. And you’ll be told how pretty you’ll look in a chorus line.”

There was silence for a moment.

“You are a really wonderful performer, Heidi. You’re an excellent singer, of course, but you have a way of winning the audience over, completely to you.”

Heidi inclined her head gracefully.

“Thank you.”

“I got in touch with a buddy of mine today. He’s an old friend, really. I’d kind of forgotten about him. But I was talking to another friend, and he mentioned Dale.”

Heidi didn’t think anything of it.

“Well, what do you think?” asked Christian.

Heidi looked up, surprised.

“Well, that’s very nice for you, I guess? Is Dale nice?”

Christian chuckled.

“He’s got contacts in the industry. In the music industry. Ah, now you’re interested.”

Yes, Heidi was, indeed.

“What kind of contacts?”

“He knows people who know people, or so I hear. Or he might know people. He used to boast a bit too much even then. But from what I understand, he has contacts at a few venues. He’s kind of like an event planner. Bigger places like the ones where you play, but you’re looking for bigger, aren’t you?”

Heidi told herself not to get carried away. She didn’t want false hope.

She’d had that before. She had been told by people that she had talent, that people could help her.

But none of them had wanted to help her. They had all seen a lovely young woman, innocent and trusting, and wanted to take advantage of her.

A few almost-famous people had asked her if she wanted to be in their bands.

They had wanted her to give them a little too much in return.

“Are you sure?”

“No I’m not. I haven’t spoken to him, not really, in a while. I mean, I did, but it was only in passing. But if he does have a way to get you a few good gigs, would you be interested?”

“Do pigs fly?” asked Heidi.

“I don’t believe they do,” drawled Christian.

“Well, I’m not a pig, and I’m not looking to fly, but I do sing. And I want to sing.”

Christian nodded.

“All right, so I’ll get in touch with Dale and see about getting you something. You might have to audition. Or something.”

He looked so flustered that she walked to him, kissed him, and slid onto his lap.

“I’ll audition. I’ve auditioned so many times, Christian. I’m glad for every opportunity. Even when you’re turned down, you learn something.”

“Nobody in their right minds would turn you down.”

She hugged him close.

“You are extremely good for my morale, Christian Sanders. This friend of yours, you can trust him, right? He’s not the creepy kind?”

Christian shook his head.

“If he were, I wouldn’t even have brought it up. I would have before, but I really didn’t think of him at all.”

He sounded apologetic that he hadn’t thought of helping her sooner.

Lord, this man was a gift.

“I’ll forgive you. Oh, it would be so incredible if it came to something. I’ve got a decent following on social media. My YouTube channel isn’t too bad. My originals get quite a bit of attention.”

“I know.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Oh, you’ve been stalking me have you?”

Christian grinned.

“Nope, applying to be president of your fan club,” he teased her, and kissed her again.

Heidi could hardly believe how happy she was in that moment.

There was a sense of foreboding, telling her to enjoy it while it lasted. That nasty little voice told her that such good things didn’t last.

But she told it to shut up, and kissed Christian, pouring everything she felt – all the nerves, all that hope – into it.

Something new was beginning. She could enjoy it, for once.

So what if nothing came of Christian’s contact? Just knowing that he had thought of her enough to make that much effort was precious to her.

Because she knew that he hadn’t just happened to think of this friend, Dale, out of the blue. He must have been thinking of ways to help her.

She appreciated it, so much.

She appreciated him.

“Stay tonight,” she told him, between kisses.

She felt the hesitation in him.

But it didn’t feel like rejection.

“I wish I could,” said Christian, and she knew the regret was real.

“Can’t you?”

He kissed her again, long and sweet.

“I want to. But I need to be up and off by six in the morning. Even with your dog walking, you don’t get up that early, do you? I’ll need to be up at least half an hour before that, to get home and get ready.”

Regretfully, Heidi shook her head.

She wanted him to stay, but it wasn’t practical.

“Next time, you stay with me,” she whispered, kissing him again.

The kisses drew out longer, softer, deeper, and she felt herself melting into him.

It felt so right, to be held in his arms.

It felt safe.

His hand slid into her robe, and she felt that storm rising again.

“Really? Again?”

But she didn’t sound like she minded.

“If you can manage it,” he said, and swept her up into his arms.

His strength didn’t surprise her. But she loved it.

“Oh, I can,” she promised him.

They both managed just fine.