Page 55 of Under His Sheets
“Thanks,” he muttered. He stared down at a picture book, which I was sure was an old one as his reading level was way higher than that.
“You hiding out up here?”
He shook his head.“No. My stepmother said I had to stay in my room until it was time to play, that this wasn’t a party for children. She also said she didn’t want my suit to get messy.”
“I already spilled cava on my suit coat so we can both be messy, how about that?”
I got my first genuine smile from him.
“Did you want to go through your piece together before we go out there?”
He shook his head. “Papa always says that if you don’t know it before you go onstage, cramming in practice at the last minute isn’t going to help.”
“I suppose he’s right.” I sat back on my haunches. “Does your father have parties like this a lot?”
He let out a big sigh and his shoulders fell. “Sí. At least once a month. I’m never allowed to go. He says it’s all boring adult stuff and that I wouldn’t have any fun, but I would like to see what everyone is wearing. I like to look at the fancy clothes. I try to look through the window as they arrive.”
I smiled at him. “It is pretty fun. Do you ever go to fashion shows? Or watch the red carpet before award shows on TV?”
He made a comical confused face and I laughed.
“Red carpet?”
“Yes, before the big awards shows, they lay out a red carpet at the entrance and all of the guests walk on it and get their pictures taken. Some of them get interviewed by reporters and they talk about who designed their dresses. It’s pretty cool.”
“Have you ever been on a red carpet?”
I smiled fondly, remembering my first time. “I have, in fact, a few times. But my first time was for the MTV Music Awards and everyone wore pretty silly things. It was very funny.”
“What did you wear?”
“Ah,” I laughed.Nice,Randall. Sometimes you shouldn’t mix your music career and teaching career.I had to remember that some of my stories from rockstardom were not appropriate for kids.
“My band recreated the cover of one of our favorite albums.” And that was all I was going to say. I didn’t need him hunting down pictures of my band dressed like the guys on the cover of Muse’sBlack Holes and Revelationsalbum.Those suits wereawful. I’d gotten stuck with the gold lame that was obscenely tight and itchy as fuck. Rig kept blinding me every time the light hit the mirrors on his suit. Halo ripped his pants. It had been hell trying to perform dressed like that.
“I like fancy clothes,” he said, and I figured I’d dodged a bullet. “I like to draw pictures of fancy clothes. Someday it would be fun to make them myself.”
“That’s wonderful. Do you know how to sew?” Oh, my heart. If Alonso had been here, I would have immediately made him agree to teach the little guy.
“I keep asking la meva àvia to teach me on her sewing machine but she’s too busy with my cousins. I don’t get to see her very often. She lives in Morocco.”
“La meva àvia? I don’t know this?—”
“I think you say grandmother in English?”
“Oh. Thank you. I’m still figuring out Spanish as well as Catalan. It is quite confusing.” I wanted to ask if this was his mother’s family and assumed it might be. I bet he really missed his mother. Depending on what happened with this investigation, I would be sure to ask them to arrange for him to visit his mother.
“It’s time,” Jaume said from the doorway, and then he spoke Catalan to Pere, who went to the bathroom and washed his hands. He came back shaking them and stood beside me. He glowered at Jaume and shoved his hands in his pocketswith gusto. Guess the kid didn’t like the bodyguard either.
“Are you ready?” I asked him.
He nodded, resigned. I bet this was not how he wanted to play for his father, with a big crowd.
“Remember, whatever happens, we cover for each other. Always go back to the part you know and I’ll be right there.”
He gazed up at me with his big brown eyes and then suddenly he grabbed my waist, hugging me tight. He was acting so brave, but his little body trembled as he squeezed.
“Hey,” I said, finally tugging his arms free and kneeling down to his level. He stumbled a bit and caught himself by grabbing my coat. “Whoa. Hey, it’s going to be great. You’re playing so well. Know that all the people out there could only dream of playing like you do. You’re going to be awesome.”
