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  “I was off tonight, and Alex had an emergency meeting at the school board office over that contract with the magnet school.”

  “Where’s Mama?”

  “She’s…umm…out,” Monica answered, moving quickly to the refrigerator

  “Out?”

  “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked. “There’s iced tea.”

  “No. What do you mean Mama went out? Where did she go?”

  “The casino,” Jasmine called from the table.

  “Jasmine,” Monica hissed.

  “What is Mama doing at a casino? She doesn’t gamble.”

  “She went to hear a man sing,” Jasmine said.

  Monica did an exasperated eye roll and rubbed her temples. “Jazz, why don’t you get those little toy soldiers your dad bought for the valley?”

  “Oh, yeah. Uncle Toby, daddy got me some little toy men, and barn animals, and little boats, and when my volcano explodes, the hot stuff is going to drown all the people and the animals.”

  Toby was mildly disturbed by the excitement his niece exuded at the thought of drowning a bunch of toy soldiers in fake lava, but that played second fiddle to the situation with his mother. Something was going on, and he wanted to know what it was.

  He waited until Jasmine left the room before turning back to Monica. “Okay, I want to know what you know.”

  “What makes you assume I know anything?” she asked innocently, gulping from her glass of iced tea.

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Monica. You know something. Hell, even Jasmine knows more than I do.”

  “She told you everything I know,” Monica said. “Your mother went to hear someone sing at the casino.”

  “She’s not gambling, is she? I don’t want Mama getting sucked into that trap.”

  “I’ve known her for less than a year, and even I wouldn’t question whether she went to a casino to gamble.” She hunched her shoulders, returning the pitcher of tea to the fridge. “It’s nothing, Toby. One of her friends won tickets to hear a lounge act at the casino, and invited your mom to go along. I practically had to push her out the door.”

  “Because she probably didn’t want to go,” Toby deduced.

  “No, she wanted to go, but she felt guilty leaving Jasmine after Alex’s meeting came up. Your mom needs to get out of the house every once in a while. It’s good for her.”

  Toby’s gaze roamed over his future sister-in-law’s face, his suspicion building. He knew he was not getting the whole story.

  “Do you know why she wasn’t at Bible study a couple of weeks ago? Sylvia Culpepper said she didn’t see her, even though Alex dropped her at the church and I picked her up.”

  Monica shook her head. “If your mother was not at Bible study, I’m sure she has a good reason. But, before you question her, you’d better have a good excuse for not being at church this past Sunday. Eli heard a mouthful yesterday, and he delivered a set of twins Sunday morning. You’d better have been saving the world.”

  Good point. But Toby was not letting this drop. “We’re still getting together to discuss the plans for Mama’s party, right?”

  “Barring any emergencies.”

  “Tell Mama I dropped by, and I’ll definitely be in church on Sunday. You and Eli should try to make it. Aria’s directing the youth choir.”

  “I have all the nurses in the ER voting, and we’ve got the TV set to watch in a few hours.”

  “We’re at that club out in Metairie tonight. Not Aria’s usual crowd, but I want her to hook the crossover market.”

  Monica nodded, then smiled conspiratorially. “And how are things working out with Sienna?”

  Toby couldn’t help but smile, too. “Sienna’s a whiz at marketing.”

  “That is not what I’m talking about and you know it. You are a fool for not dating Sienna.”

  “You and Alex have been talking, haven’t you?”

  “No, but if Alex has told you the same thing, then you’re even more of a fool not to listen to him. Sienna is perfect for you, and she’s crazy about you.”

  “You hardly know her. What makes you say that?”

  “You only have to see the way she looks at you, Toby. I remember the first time I met her when I came over to your mother’s. I saw it then. That girl is crazy about you,” Monica reiterated.

  Toby playfully pulled her hair. “Well, we’re having dinner tonight.”

  Monica’s brows rose. “Really?”

  “And not in a professional capacity,” Toby clarified.

  Monica started clapping. “I knew it.”

  “You’d better not tell Alex. I don’t want to hear anything from him.”

  “I knew it. This is so cool. We can have a double wedding.”

  “Good night, Monica,” Toby said, heading for the door. “Tell Mama I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

  “Good luck tonight. With, uh, everything,” she laughed.

  Toby gave her a backwards wave and left.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sienna checked her watch and looked up and down Canal Street, searching for a sign of Toby’s car. Standing her up was not a good start to this new “thing” between them. She’d been questioning the wisdom of agreeing to pursue an actual relationship with Toby and his tardiness only gave her more time to doubt her decision.

  Sienna spotted his Acura coming down Canal Street toward the river. The car made a U-turn, waiting for a streetcar to pass. A car parked alongside the street drove away just as Toby was pulling up to the curb, and he was able to slip right into the spot.

  Sienna purposely kept her hand on her hip.

  “You’re late,” she said by way of greeting.

  “Good evening to you, too.” Toby laughed. “I got caught up at Mama’s.”

  She smiled with relief. “Well, since it’s your mother, you’re forgiven.”

  Okay, so things weren’t all that different. She would have ribbed Toby for being late even if they were not an “item.” Gosh, that sounded so high school.

  They headed down Bourbon Street toward the world-famous restaurant at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville.

  “I think something’s going on with Mama,” Toby said. “I haven’t been able to catch up with her in a couple of days. Then, the other night when I met you at your mom’s store, she said my mom wasn’t at Bible study, even though I picked her up from the church.”

  Sienna’s eyebrows rose. “Is she sick?”

  “No. In fact, she’s out on the town. Monica’s at the house babysitting Jasmine because Mama had plans.”

  “So, what’s strange about that?”

  “My mother is not the type of person who has plans, Sienna.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time she becomes that type of person. Now, stop worrying about your mother.” She wrapped her hand around his upper arm and said, “So, are you ready to go broke buying me dinner?”

  He covered her hand and laughed. “So that’s your plan—to suck me dry?”

  They both stopped short.

  “Damn, that sounded really bad, didn’t it?” Toby said, shaking his head.

  Sienna nodded, unsure if she could speak.

  “Come on, Cee Cee. Any other time you would have laughed at that.”

  “Any other time, your double entendre would have been directed toward another woman.”

  “So I have to analyze every little thing I say before I speak to you? Be real, Sienna.” He stepped to the side as a couple exited the front door of the restaurant. “If we are really going to give this a fighting chance, we’ve got to be comfortable with each other. Things shouldn’t change just because we’ve gone from being friends to being lov—”

  “More than friends,” Sienna cut him off before the word lovers left his mouth. She had not agreed to taking things anywhere close to the bedroom.

  “Fine. More than friends,” Toby conceded. “Now can we go into this restaurant and enjoy our very expensive meal?” He glanced at his watch. “We only have a couple of hours before we h
ave to be at Caesar’s Ghost, and if I’m going to break the bank here, I at least want to have enough time to savor every bite.”

  “Okay.” Sienna nodded. “I think they’re serving Lobster Napoleon.”

  She giggled as Toby rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing I remembered to bring the Platinum Visa.”

  Sienna decided to be merciful and order a grilled chicken Caesar salad, in reverence to the venue where Aria would be performing tonight. Halfway through their meal, Toby reminded her that they needed to get to Caesar’s Ghost early to go over a few last minute issues with Aria, so they ate quickly so they could get out to the club. When they arrived, the parking lot was full and cars lined the streets.

  “Can you believe this?” Toby asked as he pulled up to the massive building that commanded nearly half the block. The line to enter the club was out the door and around the side of the building.

  “There must be a few hundred people still waiting to get in,” Sienna said.

  Toby crept along the street, searching for a parking spot. “I’m not sure Aria’s ready for a crowd this size.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sienna asked. “This is exactly what she needs. You don’t give Aria enough credit, Toby. She’s more prepared for this than you think. Look how well she did last night at the Hard Court. You, on the other hand, will need to borrow one of my mom’s valium before the night is over if you don’t chill out.”

  “I’ll be okay after tonight.” He parked illegally about a fourth of a mile from the club. “The way I see it, the Hard Court was a test run. Aria’s had that crowd eating out the palm of her hand for the past couple of weeks. Tonight’s crowd, however, is an entirely new ballgame.”

  Sienna took his hand as Toby helped her out of the car. She squeezed it, trying to reassure him. “I know you have a lot riding on this, Toby. It means a lot to your career.”

  “Yours, too.”

  Sienna nodded. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.”

  The sheer magnitude of this week sent a shudder of nervous energy through her blood whenever she thought about it—which was at least a dozen times a day. Her career hung in the balance. If they didn’t pull this off, she could kiss everything she’d worked so hard for goodbye. Every major marketing firm in the region was looking at MDF, Inc.’s execution of this sought-after account. If she screwed this up, she wouldn’t be able to find a job anywhere in the city.

  The thought sent a familiar rush of panic skittering down Sienna’s spine. She did her best to shake it off, but how could she? Allen Mulholland was checking up on her like a parent whose teenager had just received their driver’s license. He’d called after learning Aria would be performing at Caesar’s Ghost, a club that catered to an alternative pop music crowd. He said he was concerned Sienna was spreading Aria too thin, and suggested she stick to the demographic that had served Aria so well already.

  For a moment Sienna had thought the same thing. She’d questioned Aria’s appeal outside the R&B market, but after Allen had suggested she back out of the Caesar’s Ghost performance, Sienna completely threw out the idea. This was her account. It was her neck on the chopping block. Allen needed to trust her. She needed to trust herself.

  Sienna guided Toby to the back entrance the club owner had showed her when she initially set up Aria’s performance. It wasn’t a secret entrance, as evident by the group of people crowding the back door, but at least they didn’t have to deal with the mob at the front of the club. Sienna called the owner on her cell phone and a minute later he appeared, escorting them into the building.

  They walked through a short hallway and entered the club. It was fashioned to resemble an ancient Roman temple. A replica of a classic triumphal arch greeted club-goers who entered through the main entrance. Soaring, ornate pillars hugged the four corners of the club’s main floor, reaching to the top of the two-story ceiling. A life-size chariot stood as the centerpiece, proudly displayed atop a towering pedestal in the center of the club, a fully circular bar at its base.

  “Dang, this is tight,” Toby said, his gaze roaming the massive club.

  “I told you,” Sienna said. To the club owner she asked, “Can you bring us to the dressing room?”

  They went through another door just to the right of the stage. The club owner walked up to the door straight ahead of them, knocked, opened, and made a gesture for Sienna and Toby to enter.

  “Hey there,” Aria greeted, the ever-present cameramen in tow. She was seated at a well-lit vanity, bottle of water in her hand.

  “How did things go this afternoon?” Toby asked.

  “It was fine. I stopped in at the studio and cleaned up the track Savion has been working on. It sounds really good, if I do say so myself.”

  One of the cameramen stepped in. “We’ve got twenty minutes before the show. We’re going to take a quick break.”

  As soon as they left the room, Aria’s features softened with relief.

  “Are you doing okay with the 24/7 attention?” Sienna asked, moving to her side.

  “It’s still kinda strange. People are constantly staring, but I guess you can’t blame them when you have a couple of camera guys following you around.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for tonight?” Toby asked. “This isn’t your usual crowd, but you know we had to do this, right?”

  Aria nodded.

  Sienna knew this had been on his mind. Thus far, Aria had performed mostly for young, urban professionals, a la the Hard Court’s clientele. Winning over this crowd could present a challenge, but if they were able to pull it off, it would be a huge mark in the plus column for convincing the producers of Aria’s worldwide appeal.

  “Don’t worry, Toby,” Sienna assured him. “The songs we selected should go over well with this demographic. I told you, all we have to worry about is having enough headshots for her to autograph at the end of the night.”

  Toby smiled. “I didn’t realize cheerleader was a part of your job description.”

  “You didn’t see that in the contract?” Sienna quipped.

  “It’s going to be okay, Toby,” Aria said. She stood and wrapped her arms around Toby’s waist, giving him a hug. “Thank you for everything. This is more than I could have ever hoped for.”

  Toby looked over at Sienna, a helpless look on his face. Sienna fixed him with an I-told-you-so stare as Aria continued to hug him.

  “Um, okay,” Toby said, extricating himself from Aria’s hold. “Well, we need to go and find a good spot.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you both after the show,” Aria said, then she stood on her tiptoes, and placed a kiss right on Toby’s lips. “Thanks again,” she said, a hint of sultriness in her voice.

  “Uh…okay,” Toby said. He took Sienna by the hand and led her out of the dressing room.

  “I told you,” Sienna remarked as soon as they entered the hallway. “That girl has a mega-size crush on you.”

  “Why do I have to be so damn irresistible?” he said. Sienna pinched him on the arm.

  She stopped him before he could open the door they’d come through from the club’s main floor. “Seriously, Toby, you need to make sure she has no illusions regarding the two of you.”

  “I know,” he said. “I will.”

  As soon as they re-entered the club, Sienna spotted Marshall Kellerman standing close to the stage, not ten feet away. “There’s Kellerman,” she said.

  “Where?”

  “And there’s David Reynolds,” Sienna tried to be as discreet as possible as she pointed. “I didn’t realize the producers would be attending tonight’s performance.”

  “Oh, great. Let’s hope Aria doesn’t notice they’re here. Act as if you don’t see them,” he said, charging straight past the stage. “If they’re with us when Aria seeks us out while she’s on stage, she’ll get nervous.”

  But it was too late. Kellerman had spotted them and waved them over. He offered to buy them drinks, which both Toby and Sienna declined. A minute later, Aria took
to the stage. The crowd welcomed her with a roaring ovation, probably because they knew she was the reason for all the cameras and their possible shot to get their faces on national television.

  Aria opened with Kelly Clarkson’s hit Walk Away, which started the crowd to dancing. After engaging the crowd with a couple more songs currently topping the Billboards Charts, she moved on to cover several rock classics. Sienna was amazed at the way the normally demure Aria commanded the stage, bobbing her head up and down, dragging the microphone stand behind her as she moved from one edge of the stage to the other like a seasoned rocker. When she belted out Janis Joplin’s Take Another Little Piece of My Heart, she managed to hold onto the legendary singer’s raspy sultriness while making the song her own.

  She went through the musical arrangement with aplomb, as if she’d spent her entire life singing rock and pop music instead of R&B. Sienna was bowled over by Aria’s ability to lose herself in the music.

  Or, maybe she didn’t lose herself. Maybe the music was where she found herself. This is what Aria was meant to do; the girl was a natural on any stage.

  She surprised everybody in the club, including Sienna and Toby, when she belted out Crazy in Love by Beyoncé Knowles, and did the booty-bouncing dance the singer had made famous.

  The crowd went wild.

  The number was not included in the line up, but apparently, Aria had made plans with the band beforehand. The smile on Kellerman’s face was a mile wide.

  “This is what the show is all about,” the producer said.

  “She’s amazing,” David Reynolds put in. “How many performers have you seen win over a crowd this quickly?”

  Aria ended her performance with a Celine Dion number that left the audience mesmerized. When she exited the stage and started elbowing her way through the crowd, Aria could hardly make it through the adoring horde that all wanted to get close to the night’s new star. Toby went to help her out, adding bodyguard to his list of duties to his client.

  Kellerman and Reynolds lavished their praise upon her, and Sienna’s spirits buoyed with every minute that passed. Aria wouldn’t be the only one to reach star status with the success of this show. She couldn’t wait to get Allen’s reaction when the producers told him how fabulous Aria did with a crowd that was “outside her normal demographic”. Maybe this would erase her boss’s doubts and, instead, he’d give her the respect she deserved.