Page 33 of Charm City Rocks
“I’m sorry,” says Rebecca.
On the other side of the lobby, Jimmy pretends not to be listening.
“I didn’t get why you bolted, back in Baltimore. Then I saw that door between our rooms. You heard him, didn’t you? Axl.”
“I heardbothof you.”
“Margot, he’s my boss. I’m sorry I didn’t defend you. That was shitty. I was afraid he was mad at me for getting you catfished. I thought I was about to get fired. But he was being a total dick—that stuff he said. And I’m sorry if he hurt your feelings. IfIhurt your feelings.”
Axl is a weird-looking little man with a dumb-ass ponytail. But Margot knows how important he is—she was scared of him when she was young, too. “His real name is Stuart, by the way,” she says.
“What? Axl?”
“Yeah. Next time he makes you feel bad, just think of him as little Stuart Albee.”
Rebecca smiles. “I will. Anyway, theofficialreason I’m here. Requests are coming in.”
“Requests?”
“Yeah,” she says. “Appearances. Google wants to use ‘Power Pink’ in a commercial. A new phone or something. I guess it’s pink. Also, are you familiar with that show where famous people perform in elaborate costumes and people try to guess who they are? They want you as a guest.”
None of that sounds interesting. Worse, stopping, as she feared, has made her re-rethink her nonplan of a plan. Maybe Rebecca has Billy’s number—or at least his son’s. But no, Poppy was right. Margot doesn’t want to talk to him on the phone. Margot hates the phone. She wants to see him. Oddly, she wants to see Baltimore, too. She was only there for half a day, but it was nice.
“Rebecca, I have to go.”
“Really? Don’t you want to talk about—”
“Call me, okay? Later. I’ll answer…probably.” Margot stands. She’ll throw some things in a bag, have Jimmy get her that cab. She’ll get a drink on the train if she gets nervous, then maybe another one.
“Wait,” says Rebecca. “One other thing.”
Margot waits.
Rebecca stands now, too, beside the old couch. “I was right, you know.”
“About what?”
“You. People missed you, Margot. And now you’re awesome again.”
When Rebecca is gone, Margot steps into the elevator. Jimmy calls her name, so she hits the hold button.
“Um, just so you know, Miss H.,” he says. “Maybe it’s not my place to say. And I’m sorry for eavesdropping. I’ve got the YouTube here on my PC. I saw you play, and you were real good. Thing is, though, you neverstoppedbeing awesome.” Jimmy puts his hands in his pockets. “You’ve been awesome this whole time.”
Chapter19
“Okay, kiddo, one more time, with feeling.”
His student, Sophia, draws a big, weary sigh, as if Billy has just asked her to pick up the Steinway and walk around the apartment with it. “Didn’t I do it right, though?”
“Yeah, you’re doing great. But you gotta do it over and over, until your muscles remember it without you even having to think about it.”
Sophia’s only a few months into her lessons, so she’s not sold yet on “over and over.” She’s nine and very small. Her hair frizzes at the ends, and her feet sway a few inches off the floor. “Fine,” she says.
“You warm enough?” asks Billy. “That sweater’s nottootoo big, is it?”
She pushes the sleeves up on the cardigan. Billy let her borrow it because she was cold. “No, it’s okay. I like it.”
“Don’t think I’m just gonna let you walk out of here with it, though, okay?”
