Chapter 20
"Stevie!"
"Hey, girl! How are you?" Stevie hugged Lauren, literally picking her up off the floor.
Lauren's answer was drowned out as the rest of the band welcomed Stevie back. It was good to all be together again. They'd needed the long weekend—getting back into a rhythm in the studio always had its fits and starts for the Kingmakers, but the were right on schedule for how they usually gelled, and now they were all ready to get back to the music. They spent the next two hours simply jamming, having some fun, and getting back into the familiar rhythm of working together.
After a short break for lunch, they regrouped to start talking seriously about songs for the album. Lauren wasn't really looking forward to the conversation since she hadn't made as much progress as she'd hoped and it was clear that she needed to step it up. They picked apart one set of lyrics, moved some things around, and Mike started picking out some bass lines that caught everyone's attention.
About 20 minutes later, a tap on the window drew their attention. Tisha was outside and Lauren's face lit up: Danny was with her. She got up from the stool she'd been sitting on, put down her notebook, and left the room to go see him. Danny glanced into the studio and when he caught Augie's eye, he gave him a brief nod hello. When Lauren got outside the door, Tisha excused herself and disappeared back to the front of the office.
"Nice surprise," said Lauren, smiling up at Danny.
"I was in the neighborhood. On my way to pick up some information from a detective in this precinct. Thought I'd take a chance and stop by." He squeezed her hand.
The guys watched them through the window, not really trying to be subtle. DJ, in particular, craned his head to the side to get a better look at Danny. While they couldn't hear what Danny and Lauren were saying, their body language spoke volumes. Augie's brow furrowed when he saw how closely together they stood, and then Danny ran his hand down Lauren's arm and caught a hold of her hand. Despite the temptation, Augie refrained from turning on the audio system and eavesdropping on their conversation.
"That's him, huh? The one she used to date?" asked Mike.
"Yep. That's him. THE Danny Reagan," said Augie.
"He's shorter than I thought he'd be," said DJ with a little snark in his voice.
"Don't be a dick, DJ," said Stevie. In response, DJ made an obscene gesture at his friend. Stevie rolled his eyes.
"What's going on with them?" Stevie directed the question to Augie. "'Cause that looks like more than just old acquaintances. And what's up with the wedding ring?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm not really liking this," said Augie even though he had a pretty darn good idea. He elected to not answer the part about the wedding ring.
"Doesn't really matter if you like it. Kinda her business, isn't it?" Mike tinkered with the string on his guitar without really looking up.
Augie rolled back in his chair and looked at the other three. "Any of you idiots remember what happened to her the last time she had a broken heart over Danny? It almost ended everything. It almost ended her."
"Blow me, Augie. You're such a drama queen," laughed DJ. "She's not made of glass, and that was a long time ago. Plus, she left him, and it was—literally—years before her problem."
"It took years to develop her problem," snapped Augie.
"You're right, she's not made of glass," said Stevie, "but I'm with Augie. We're about to start producing an album, and this is an important one. Last couple have been good but not outstanding. You know the critics are licking their chops waiting for us to tank. I don't want some crazy affair taking her off the rails now."
"Let's not all over-react here. She's had other relationships that have ended up going south and she's never relapsed. Been a pain in the ass, yes, but never out of bounds. We're not giving her very much credit. Let her handle her business." Mike didn't want to create drama where there might not be any. "I guess the million dollar question is this: are they fooling around or not? Does anyone know for sure?"
But the other relationships weren't Danny. "No, I don't know for sure. But I suppose we'll all figure it out soon enough. If they are, it isn't like she's going to be able to keep a secret… Alright, I gotta hit the head."
"Thank you for sharing that tidbit," snorted DJ.
Outside of Studio A, Lauren and Danny were talking in hushed tones, and not paying any attention to the rest of the band. They were clearly in their own world.
"Danny," she said. "This is crazy."
"I know. But I can't stop thinking about the other day. Kissing you…" He rubbed a thumb across the back of her hand.
"Linda will find out if we keep doing this." Lauren's statement was matter-of-fact. "I don't get trailed by the paparazzi like some others do, but there are enough photographers around, Danny. It won't be long before someone gets a photo of us together. I would never flaunt this, whatever it is we're doing here, but I won't try to hide – I won't be anyone's dirty little secret."
Danny looked shocked. He hadn't exactly thought about it in those terms. "I would never ask that." He leaned in slightly, tempted to kiss her, and then drew back as he suddenly remembered the audience on the other side of the glass. "I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye." She smiled. God, I want him to kiss me…
When Augie came out and walked by them, he heard enough to convince him that Danny and Lauren were definitely more than just friends. But he didn't stop, he continued down the hall and around the corner towards the men's room. But instead of going there, he waited, knowing Danny would have to go that way to leave the building. A minute later, he was rewarded for his patience.
"Got a minute, Danny?"
"Actually, I need to get back to work…"
"Wasn't a request." Augie jerked his head towards an empty office, and shut the door behind them. Danny folded his arms, immediately defensive.
"What do you want, Augie?"
"I want to set something straight with you. I'm not going to ask what's going on between you and Lauren. None of my business, at least right now." Augie leaned back on the desk and drummed his fingers on the laminate top.
"Right, none of your business."
"If you do anything to screw her up…" warned Augie. He looked up and stared Danny in the eye, and Danny was surprised by the grimness on his face.
"Screw her up? I'm not going screw anyone up!" Danny was offended and a little pissed.
"Not on purpose. I know you wouldn't hurt Lauren on purpose, Danny. But you didn't go through the whole cocaine thing with her. I am not blaming you, or saying its anyone's fault, but she was lost for a long time after you guys broke up. She held it together for a while but she went down a really dark road back then, and I don't want to see her ever go near there again. Ever."
"I don't either, Augie. I wasn't there, but I saw the headlines."
"The headlines didn't tell half the story." Augie wasn't smiling. "So, don't break her heart. If you just want to relive your youth for a few nights, tell her that. If you want to be with her – and not with your wife anymore – tell her that, too. Just don't tell her one thing and then do another. Having to get over you a second time would crush her."