Page 32 of Take the Lead
“Let’s leave him alone,” Alan said. “This competition is hard enough as it is without bringingthatinto it.”
“Bringingwhatinto it?” Jackson asked, his tone sly.
“Whatever it is he doesn’t want to say.” Alan shrugged and finished his beer.
“Fine.” Jackson clapped a hand on Stone’s shoulder. “But if you ever want to talk, we’re here.”
“Thanks.” But Stone knew he wouldn’t take them up on it. They didn’t need to know how attractive or intriguing he found Gina.
“Have either of you ever been to New York?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I lived there for a little while to try my hand at Broadway.” Jackson shrugged. “Ended up bartending in the Village and singing at shitty clubs on the Lower East Side. The winters sucked, so I moved to LA and started booking TV spots right away.”
Stone smirked. “I’m sure the winters aren’t that bad.”
The other two guys laughed. “Probably not to you,” Jackson agreed.
They chatted amiably for about an hour. Stone sidestepped questions about work he’d done beforeLiving Wild—engineering—and his childhood—in Seattle—but he was at least able to share anecdotes about his experience working with a reality TV crew before joiningThe Dance Off.
Overall, he had a good time, better than he’d thought he would. They kept it short—they were all leaving for New York late that night—and Jackson made him promise they’d all hang out again.
Stone and Alan walked back to the hotel, where the concierge waved Stone over.
“I have to pack,” Stone told Alan. “See you in a few hours.”
Alan waved and headed for the elevators.
“You’re Mr. Nielson?” the man at the front desk asked, and when Stone nodded, he continued. “We have a message for you.”
Stone glanced at the guy’s nametag. “Thanks, Omar. My mother?”
Omar smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll call her.”
Stone was of the opinion that he made himself available enoughby being on camera most of the day, and he didn’t need people bugging him during his off time, too. As a result, he often left his phone in his hotel room or let the battery die. Besides, it went with theLiving Wildimage.
His mother, however, wasn’t a fan of his avoidance methods, and she’d taken to leaving messages for him at the front desk.
Upstairs, he found his phone in his gym bag—dead, of course. With a sigh, he opened his laptop and video called his mom. His mother’s face popped up on the screen immediately, and she smiled when she saw him.
“Hi, son. How’s everything going?”
“Ah… fine. Everything’s good.” No point in telling her about the tension underlying his rehearsals with Gina.
“I hear you’re off to New York to do that morning news show?”
Stone didn’t ask how Pepper knew. She could make anyone spill the beans about anything. “Yeah, I am. We’re one week away from the premiere. Can’t talk long—I’m leaving for the airport soon. We’re taking an overnight flight onThe Dance Off’s private jet to do the cast reveal.”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
He held back a sigh.Here it goes.
“Your father and I just want to remind you how important it is that you not say anything that could jeopardize our show. We’re relying on this, and we’ve all worked hard to build this image.”
“I know, Ma. I won’t.”
“Okay, then. Have a great time in New York City. Safe travels.”
