Flynn's In (Lexi Frost Series) (15 page)

“What?
” Bryan demanded.

“I
’m thinking about Dev’s shyness.”

“I
’m familiar with the subject. Kenny won’t let it drop.”

“Any t
houghts on that?”

Bryan
shrugged. “I help him avoid girls. He’ll grow out of it.”

“It
’s contributing to his stage fright. It’s why he and Jess fight while you’re performing.”

“Jess starts it.
”

“On purpose to distract Dev
, he just can’t handle the result. Kenny’s working on them.”

“Yeah
, he’s coaching Dev to find ways to get even without disrupting the show. Kenny told Dev tossing Jess into my drums is as childish as Jess and he can get even all he wants as long as nobody misses a beat.”

“Good for him. I haven
’t seen the results yet.”

“Jess knows something
’s up. He won’t pick on Dev when we’re playing now. You’ve seen it.”

“Yeah. Dev looks like he
’s ready for a fight. I didn’t realize Jess was holding back because he’s worried about what Dev will do. I can’t blame him. I’m curious but, if I were in Jess’s place, I’d be concerned too.” Flynn thought about that for a moment. “Bryan, you see them from a different point of view than Kenny and I do. Dev is waiting for Jess to start something, do you think that’ll override his stage fright?”

“Seriously? You
’re going to let us do a show?”

“Something small to test his progress. Maybe I
’ll invite Zane out next week.”

“Isn
’t Dev flying back out to New York?”

Flynn took a deep breath and carefully started explaining the Oskar Viktor campaign redesign.
Bryan was more insightful than anyone warned him about, or maybe realized, and he asked uncomfortable questions. In the end, Bryan knew as much as Teri did about the situation, including that Paul hired a psychologist to consult on Dev’s shyness.

“Everyone knows Dev is shy around girls
, and no one but you figured out he wasn’t faking all those horrified looks in the ads?” Bryan asked suspiciously.

“A good photographer can stage a situation to get a reaction
, and everyone assumed that was part of it. What no one realized is that it might be causing a problem. I think everyone wanted this to be another way of exposing Dev to crowds, like his skateboarding, but it’s not.”

“And
you
figured it out.”

“Don
’t be so surprised. I see things from a different perspective.”

Bryan
nodded but remained unimpressed.

Flynn tried again. “Look
, you trust Kenny, right?”

“Yeah.
”

“Have any problems when Kenny decided Paul had some good ideas?
”

“No.
”

“Well
, Kenny trusts me doesn’t he? At least I think he does.”

“Yeah
, he does.”

“Bit of a quandary if you trust Kenny
, and Kenny trusts me, but you don’t trust me.”

Bryan
looked at him doubtfully.

“It
’s something for you to think about this weekend. I told you everything I can think of offhand, I expect you to use judgment before passing it on to Dev. I’d like you to feel you can talk to me, Bryan, but I’ll settle for you being able to talk to Kenny. You’re mates, it’s more important.”

“You think I
’m the weak one in the band.”

Flynn looked at him sharply. “No
, why?”

“You
’re pulling me off to New York for drum lessons when Kenny says I play fine.”

“Generally you do
, your solos need work though. You know that. We’ve worked on it, but Drew can help you more. Losing the guitars in the background distracts you and makes you stumble. I talked to Drew about it and he has some ideas.”

“So you don
’t think I’m the weak link?”

Flynn shook his head. “No
, Bryan, I don’t. Unfortunately if I were to put that label on one of you right now it’d be Dev. He has a serious problem to overcome, and less motivation to overcome it. He’s not interested in being a musician, he just plays along to hang out with you guys.”

“He
’s a kid, give him time.”

“He
’s smart though, smart enough to know what he wants. Dev shows drive when he really wants something, and he’s only putting in enough to get by. But you’re right, he’s young and things change. He could wake up tomorrow and suddenly apply himself.”

Flynn sat back in his seat as the plane started to descend.
Bryan stared out the window, watching the city grow beneath them. It wasn’t the first time Flynn wondered about Dev’s future with the band. He had the ability, the look, and a desire to at least be part of the band, but Flynn wasn’t foolish enough to think it was enough. The bond of friendship was powerful at that age, especially with a kid as shy as Dev. He wondered what was going to happen when girls stopped scaring him and caught his attention, or when he graduated from high school. Flynn knew Dev was college bound and that would put a strain on the band.

He hoped he wasn
’t going to bring this band to the big time, only to see them fall apart over something he could so easily see and yet couldn’t prepare them for.

• • •

“So, how’d New York go?” Teri asked Flynn after she took Bryan home. She picked them up at the airport instead of Jess so she could talk to him. She’d been thinking about Flynn’s reluctance to start dating again and her earlier impulse to capture the serious side of him no one ever saw.

“Good
,” Flynn nodded. “Bryan and I got to spend much needed time together. We understand each other better now. Being able to just sit and talk with him without any of the others interrupting was long overdue.”

“Glad to hear it then.
”

Teri fell silent trying to decide how to suggest her idea. Flynn shifted in his seat to watch her
, and she found it difficult to think with his eyes on her.

“Whatever it is
, spit it out,” Flynn said finally.

“I don
’t suppose you found time to date this weekend.”

“You can
’t be serious?” Flynn laughed. “No, I didn’t find time, or the urge either for that matter.”

“I
’d like to take some pictures of you.” Teri was stunned to hear the words as she spoke them. She meant to lead up to it, not just blurt it out. Flynn looked amused when she glanced at him. She wanted to have a serious conversation, and he wasn’t going to make it easy.
“No joking, please. I . . . I’m not sure how to explain this.”

“You
’ve taken tons of pictures of me already. What’s so different this time? Finally getting back into erotica and need a test subject?”

“Flynn
, please, no jokes.”

“I wasn
’t joking actually. You seem nervous. What else am I supposed to think?”

“That
’s fair I suppose.”

“So what new idea do you have? What pictures are left to be taken?
”

“Serious ones
,” Teri whispered. “Flynn, there’s another side of you no one gets to see. You always cover up what you’re feeling with jokes and smiles. It makes you easy to photograph, there’s no doubt about that. It’s what first tempted me to reach for my camera again, even before you took us to the airport. But . . .” Teri chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip while Flynn waited, watching.

“But what?
” he prompted.

“You seem lonely
, Flynn. You don’t have to be alone you know.”

He watched her
, his eyes intense like they were trying to see through her. His gaze made Teri nervous.

“I wanted to snap some shots of your serious side. I think . . .
”

“You think showing the world that I
’m not always smiling and kidding around will somehow help me find someone willing to put up with me.”

“You
’re not so bad, whatever your past. People should get to see the other side of you.”

“Whatever you want.
” Flynn looked away again.

“Really?
” Teri perked up, she expected a deep discussion ending in a non-answer or distraction. She certainly didn’t expect him to give in so easily.

“Might take awhile. I tend not to let my guard down around cameras and I can
’t say yours will be an exception. I can’t pose it naturally. It’ll be a tribute to your skills if you can stage what I think you’re looking for.”

“I have all the patience in the world
,” Teri smiled.

“You
’d have to, you have six teens at home. So what’s the setting for this little project of yours?”

“I
’ll just take tons of pictures when we have those deep, distracting conversations you’re so fond of and wait to get lucky.”

“Hmm
, I’ll have to find more things to distract you from. In that case, how about a working dinner and I’ll tell you about New York?”

“Sounds good
,” Teri smiled. She didn’t care how much he tried to distract her, as long as she could keep him semi-serious she should get a few shots.

Chapter Nine

Kenny was a bundle of nerves. Zane Burkin was coming to Seattle to hear them. When Bryan mentioned it, he stared at him in an embarrassing, stunned silence. He didn’t dare believe it. Then he felt guilty for taking Flynn’s advice and mentoring for granted for months and then so obviously hero-worshiping his lead guitarist. The thing was: Zane deserved it. He ran In Like Flynn the way Kenny would like to run A Thousand Words: with efficiency, style, and control. All the things Kenny didn’t have. Zane demanded respect. It seemed like Kenny fought Jess and Dev at every turn. He didn’t even dream of ever attaining the respect Zane had.

And Zane was coming here to see them.

Originally Kenny was sure Bryan heard wrong. He had to have. Just when Kenny decided Bryan really was wrong and even Alicia couldn’t keep him from dwelling on his disappointment, Flynn casually mentioned it over dinner.

“Oh
, by the way, guys, Zane’s coming out next week. He’s already heard some of your songs, I’m bringing him out to watch you. No missing cues by throwing someone into the drums. No missing cues period.” Flynn looked at each of them briefly. “Playing for a crowd won’t be any more stressful than playing for Zane. He’s a tough crowd all on his own. I just wanted to warn you. I want you to get me a playlist, pick three songs and we’ll see if I agree.”

Kenny looked around the table
, amazed at how relaxed Teri, Nicholas, Cassie, Tiff, and Brenda were. They obviously had no idea of the implications of what Flynn just said. Jess dropped his fork as he stared at Flynn as if waiting for him to start smiling and say he was only kidding. Dev looked like he might actually throw up.

Bryan
knew it was coming, but he was still nervous enough to set aside the rest of his dinner. Brenda sat beside Bryan, so far the only girlfriend to start joining them recreationally, and she looked alternately at Flynn and Bryan, trying to figure out why Bryan stopped eating. She even went so far as to put her arms around him, climb onto his lap, and start whispering in his ear. Bryan barely seemed to notice. His dazed expression worried Kenny almost as much as Dev’s greenish hue did. Nothing phased Bryan. Usually. At least they were all taking it seriously.

They did too. After Flynn went home
, Bryan stayed over and the four of them stayed up most of the night figuring out which three songs they would play for Zane. Which ones showcased their abilities the best? Which ones could they play flawlessly? Which had the most elegant lyrics?

In the scramble to present their best work
, Dev actually picked up a pencil and refined the wording on a few songs. It made Kenny’s heart skip a beat to see him working proactively. Kenny had no patience for pride. He knew Dev had a natural flair for wording and wanted him to work on lyrics, but the younger man previously showed little interest in the songwriting process. With the pressure of Zane’s upcoming visit though, Kenny couldn’t think of how to handle the situation. Should he ignore it? Recognize Dev for the effort? Applaud the achievement? It took only thirty minutes under Dev’s critical eye to polish four songs more than Kenny could have in a week of heartache. They
needed
Dev’s involvement, Kenny realized with desperation close to despair. He pushed it aside. Now wasn’t the time.

Kenny tried not to stare as Dev handed the songs to him with a shrug and “sorry.
”

“It
’s all right. Do it again sometime,” Kenny said.

Jess pulled a sheet from Kenny
’s hand and glanced at it. “Yeah, he’s better.”

The next morning Dev and Bryan stayed home from school
, exhaustion from being up all night allowed them to easily convince Teri they were sick. If Flynn realized the truth, he didn’t tell her. He sat at the kitchen table and drank his coffee while he looked over the changes Dev made to the lyrics on the songs they chose. Kenny put the songs in order of preference, having a fourth on hand as a backup in case Flynn disagreed with one of the first three.

Flynn didn
’t. He provisionally approved, withholding final judgment until Dev and Bryan got a couple more hours of sleep and they played the songs with the new lyrics. Jess took the sheets to make sure he had the new lyrics firmly in his mind in place of the old, and all three disappeared downstairs, leaving Kenny sitting quietly alone with Flynn.

Kenny didn
’t know whether he felt relieved or not. Flynn approved. That was one hurdle behind them. Zane was pickier by far; even Flynn ranted about it on occasion. Not now of course. Flynn probably didn’t want to freak out Dev any more than he already was. But in their long conversations while Dev and Bryan were in school, Kenny picked Flynn’s brain about the business. About how In Like Flynn wrote their songs, how they recorded them, how they toured, marketed, handled publicity and interviews; anything to gain insight on what lay in front of them. Kenny needed to be prepared.

In Like Flynn
had been everywhere and done it all, and Kenny wasn’t going to let a resource like Flynn’s memories go to waste. Now he wanted to question him about Zane, find something that would calm everyone down, himself included. Despite the open and straightforward relationship Kenny had with Flynn, he couldn’t find the words to articulate what he wanted to ask. Settling his head on folded arms, Kenny thought about it miserably.

• • •

Teri stood on the stairs and waited. Dev and Bryan played the ‘I’m too sick to go to school today’ routine. They weren’t sick, of course, just tired from being up all night. She played along, this time.

Teri noticed the boys
’ reaction when Flynn mentioned Zane coming out, it was hard to ignore. Between dropped utensils and dropped jaws, Teri wanted to question Flynn about it. Dev and Bryan actually failed to finish dinner, which was worrisome enough in itself. Flynn left before she got a chance to corner him last night. Now she knew the boys stayed up all night and that was the last straw. The band wasn’t allowed to interfere with school.

Dev
, Bryan and Jess returned downstairs, leaving Kenny hunched over at the table, head resting on folded arms as he watched Flynn drink his coffee. This was as good a time as any, Teri decided. She left the staircase leading up to her room and set about getting herself a coffee as well. Taking her mug, she sat down at the dining room table and caught Flynn’s attention.

“What
’s on your mind?” he asked casually, as if the boys’ behavior shouldn’t warrant her attention or concern.

“You mentioned Zane was coming out. The boys are obviously stressed about it. I
’d like to know why.”

Flynn glanced at Kenny for just a moment before returning his attention to her. No doubt thinking of some way to distract her again from questions he didn
’t want to answer. Not this time, Teri told herself firmly. The boys being a little anxious about their band was one thing, missing sleep and therefore missing school was another. And if Dev was stressed, she didn’t want his grades slipping. Bryan’s either, although he didn’t show any interest in going to college. Dev couldn’t afford to let his grades take a hit if he wanted to get into MIT. It was competitive.

“Why what?
” Flynn asked.

“What?
”

“Are you asking why is Zane coming or why are they a little tense?
”

Teri didn
’t even think about why Zane was coming. He was a member of Flynn’s band, why wouldn’t he visit? Flynn took Bryan to see Drew just last week, Zane coming to visit seemed reasonable and naturally he’d listen to the boys while he was here. Why wouldn’t he?

“Why are they upset?
” Teri decided.

“Because Zane
’s coming out specifically to listen to them and watch them perform. They want to make a good impression.” Flynn held her eyes locked with his. Teri remembered him mentioning once Zane was considering having the boys open for them on a short U.S. tour. Was that was this was about? Flynn wasn’t even sure he wanted to tour again, he said it the night of the lightning storm and he’d indicated as much since. So if Flynn wasn’t touring, why was Zane coming? Teri didn’t get it.

“Okay
, why is Zane coming then?”

Flynn paused
, sipping his coffee and giving Teri the impression he was choosing his words carefully. Maybe because Kenny was there. Flynn didn’t want Kenny to know about Zane’s tour idea. Teri didn’t really want to think about Dev touring at all. Not yet. He wasn’t ready. All right,
she
wasn’t ready.

“Zane
’s coming because I asked him to. The boys are used to playing around me. As you already noticed, the idea of playing for Zane invokes a very different reaction. Zane’s a micromanaging perfectionist. He’s impossible to please and that the boys are still young and relatively new won’t make any difference to him.”

“That
’s not making me feel better,” Teri frowned at Flynn.

“Me either
,” Kenny said. Teri glanced at him, concerned that Kenny appeared to be sweating.

“Zane
’s constructive feedback aside, his presence will do a few things. First, if Dev’s still having stage fright issues, I’d like to bring it on in a controlled situation instead of a public one. If Zane sitting there calmly staring at him while he plays doesn’t freak him out, he’s cured. Hell, I’ve known Zane for twenty-five years and he still makes me cringe sometimes.”

“But how? Zane is . . . just Zane. He
’s a little anal maybe, but he’s not evil.”

“Yes he is
,” Flynn answered.

“He
’s a legend,” Kenny answered at the same time.

“Right. Take Kenny
’s answer.” Flynn gestured to the miserable teen across from him. “I’m well known and the public face of In Like Flynn. That’s for the fans. For the people really into the music, for musicians, they look to Zane. He’s a hell of a guitarist, Teri. Even people who don’t care for us as a band respect Zane’s talent. Kenny and Dev in particular are going to feel that pressure.”

“It
’s like putting on a talent show for God,” Kenny whispered.

“Satan
’s closer, Kenny,” Flynn shook his head and turned back to Teri. “Also, Zane coming makes a statement to the boys. It’s a clear sign that this isn’t play time anymore; it’s time to get serious. Even Dev felt it, which is something I was hoping for.”

Teri shook her head
, not understanding what Flynn was getting at.

“Dev goes along with this because it
’s what Kenny, Jess, and Bryan want. He plays, but he doesn’t
really
get involved. He didn’t. Last night he stepped up as a member of the band, not just someone who stands beside Jess and plays bass. He’s done it in the past, taking the Oskar Viktor job, for example, but then he withdraws again. I want his participation. They
need
his participation.

“
And they’ve got enough songs together, I want to take them to a studio after school’s out. That’s going to be outside Dev’s comfort zone. This is just a step in preparing him for that.”

“Other people will be there
,” Teri guessed.

“Yes
, and Jess won’t be able to distract him. He’ll have to deal with his anxiety on his own. I’m going to try to pitch it to him as a similar situation to the photo-shoots. He can look panicked all he wants, as long as he hits his cues.”

Teri nodded. “He knows he
’s getting a break on the photo-shoots. Tim called and told me they’re re-writing the campaign focus, of course you already told me they would. You should have seen the relief on Dev’s face when I told him.”

“I can imagine. I still need to tell him I
’m doing a spread for Oskar. I had an idea that I wanted to run by you.” Flynn seemed almost hesitant and Teri wasn’t sure if it was Kenny’s presence or something else that had him walking on eggshells. The tension in his posture screamed at her, although his face was a perfect mask.

“What?
”

“You shoot it.
”

She didn
’t see that coming. “
What?
”

“I know you
’re not a typical photographer, snapping shots to sell a product, but you do sell an idea. I’ve seen your work. You sell sexy. So do I. Granted, I’ll be dressed, but you’ve shot me before and I was dressed then. Your pictures were great. I’m not Oskar’s normal model, why have a normal photographer?”

“You
’re serious.” The idea floored Teri. She was sitting, but she felt like she wasn’t sitting enough. Put Flynn in
her
studio. Put him under
her
lights and in front of
her
camera. Granted they laughed about it before, him getting . . . how did he put it? Naked and frisky, so she could take pictures. He’d have clothes on this time, but she could put him in suggestive poses. Teri knew all the tricks to have a picture scream ‘sex.’ With Flynn in the lens it’d be . . . well it’d scream ‘SEX!’ all right.

Teri swallowed
, her mouth dry. What was she afraid of? She could do this easily.