Page 39 of Blitzing Emily

“Back at you. Talk to you later, Emily.” David hung up.

Emily pulled breath into her lungs. Their conversation gave her a few minutes to calm down and think. Three more bookings! She’d never gotten three bookings in a week, let alone one day.

Brandon stretched out on the other side of her bed and picked up the book resting on the nightstand.

“If this keeps up, you’re going to have to bring somebody in to feed the cat and water the plants while you’re gone. Good job, sugar.”

Obviously he was teasing her, but the irritation she’d felt twenty seconds before her phone rang had given way to relief and amusement. Rather than causing some type of irreparable issue, Brandon’s outrageous comments in the media led to bookings. How did this happen, anyway?

“Hey, I’m curious.” Brandon put the book on the nightstand. “Why did you become an opera singer? I’ve never met one before.”

“Changing the subject, huh?” She propped herself up against the headboard of her bed.

“C’mon, sugar.” He stretched out, propped himself up on one elbow, and watched her expectantly.

She thought for a few moments before responding. “I saw an opera when I was twelve and fell in love with it. From that moment on I always knew what I wanted to do when I was older.”

“It’s good to have goals. Tell me more.”

She pulled a pink cashmere throw over her and wound the fringe around her fingers as she spoke. “Besides Amy and my parents, there is nothing and nobody else in the world I love like I love to sing. Nothing else makes me happier.” She looked into his face. “I’m lost in the music, and it’s almost like I step outside myself. I can feel the breath in my body. I can hear the notes coming out of me, but I am somewhere else for that time. It’s somewhere I can’t wait to go back to again.”

“So, you’ve been singing since you were twelve.”

“My training didn’t really start till I was sixteen.”

He propped himself up on the pillows. “How long can you keep doing this? Do you ever wonder what you’ll do when you decide to end your career?”

“I will hopefully sing till I die, but professionally? Probably another twenty years or so. I have a plan.” He waited, and she took a breath. “I want to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. It’s everything I’ve worked for, because it’s the greatest success I could have as a diva in the United States. It’s the pinnacle. I’m hoping I’ll get there in the next two years. After I get there, I can sing the top roles until retirement.”

He reached out to pat her hand. “I think you’ll get there.”

“Thanks. That’s very kind.” She sighed. Some days, those goals seemed far away. “I started late. When I got out of the conservatory, I wanted a Master’s, and then, to build a repertoire, I spent a lot of time singing roles with smaller opera companies. I’m not sorry, but I wonder if I’m going to pay for not managing my career as well as I should have. That’s why I have David. He’s really good at it.”

Brandon had grown silent.

“You’ve been playing football for a while, haven’t you?” she asked.

“Since I was six.” He let out a laugh. “It’s a lotta years.”

“Have you thought of what you’re going to do when you want to retire from football?”

He shrugged, propped himself up on the pillows, and folded his arms across his chest; he was uncomfortable with the subject. “I’ll probably end up doing color commentary for NFL broadcasts. I’ve done it before during the regular season when we had a bye week.”

“What’s a bye week?”

“We get a week off.” He continued. “Right now, broadcasting is my post-football focus. It’s fun, I enjoy it, and it pays well.” He crossed his feet at the ankles. Despite the fact they really didn’t know each other, it was obvious by his body language Brandon didn’t want to discuss this, and she wondered why. “Hey.” His eyes locked onto hers, and Emily noticed that the typically amused expression in them was gone. “What happens to your ten-year plan if you fall in love? Have you thought about that?”

She hugged herself, and crossed her ankles as well. “I’m not sure.”

If there were such a thing as being struck dead for lying, Emily surely would have been a goner at that point. The truth was something she carefully guarded, and she wasn’t giving it up to the blond Adonis less than a foot from her. She didn’t want to end up like her mom. She didn’t want to give up her dreams, no matter how lonely she was. Emily could fall in love and get married later, or not at all. She had known other divas who married and had kids, but she’d already spent enough time screwing around. If she wanted to achieve her goals, she couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“You’ve thought about everything else. Why wouldn’t you think of that?” Brandon probed.

“I just didn’t. It didn’t seem important.”Sure it wasn’t.She could tell by the look in his eyes he didn’t buy her response, either, but she made her best effort. “What about you? Do you think you’ll fall in love and have little blond babies?”

His eyes softened, and a smile twitched the corners of his lips. “I sure hope so. I have to find a woman who wants to fall in love for the rest of her life.”

“Wouldn’t that be most women?” she said.

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