Rookie (2 page)

“No.  No one.”

“Let’s just skip that for now,” Lexie said.  “I’ll talk to Rob and see how to handle that.”

“Okay.”

They finished up with the forms, Sidney signing her Intern Agreement, and sat back, grinning at each other.

“Well, you’re official,” Lexie said.  “Welcome aboard.”

“Thanks,” Sidney said.  “Now what?”

Lexie got up and crossed the room in order to grab two bottles of water from the fridge.  “Let’s hang out here for a few minutes while Rob and Chad finish up their meeting.  We’ll get to know each other a little bit.”

“Okay,” Sidney said, accepting a bottle of water.  “Thanks.”

“So, tell me about yourself,” Lexie said, resting an elbow on the table. “You don’t know how wonderful it is to have another female around here.  It’s usually just me.”

“What about the receptionist?” Sidney asked.

“Leslie?” Lexie snorted.  “She keeps to herself.  She’s a bit of a snob.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, so, dish,” Lexie said with a grin.

“Not much to tell,” Sidney said as she picked at the label of her water bottle.  “I’m twenty-one, and grew up in a small town near Indianapolis.”

“But you graduated high school so early!  You must be really smart.”

“Not really,” Sidney said, heat flooded her cheeks.  “Like I said, I pretty much went to school year round so I could finish early.  Then I was accepted into the Colberry School of Music.”

Nodding, Lexie pursed her lips.  “So, can I ask where you lived once your parents passed?”

“Sure,” Sidney said slowly.  “I stayed with my grandmother for about a year but she became very ill so I was placed in foster care.  After my grandmother passed away, I was moved around a bit until I finished high school and then I just sort of set off on my own.”

“At sixteen?” Lexie asked.

Sidney shrugged, trying to play off her sad life.  She didn’t want sympathy and she didn’t want to get a job out of pity.  “It’s not as bad as it sounds.  I got a job with a music store which was fun. The owners were great and set me up with a little place to stay above the store.”

Lexie’s blue eyes grew.  “Wow.  And to think that I think it’s a tragedy when I screw up a manicure.”

Sidney forced a laugh as she glanced at Lexie’s hand, noticing the huge diamond on her left ring finger.

“What about you?” Sidney asked.  “You’re engaged?”

“Yep,” Lexie said, her cheeks glowing.  “To Chad, actually.  I’ve known him forever but we didn’t start dating until about four years ago.  He and Rob have been friends since high school and Rob’s my cousin.”

“Rob’s your cousin?” Sidney asked.

“Yeah,” Lexie said.  “So, I met Chad a long time ago.  Back then, he thought I was an annoying chick who followed his best friend around.”

“That sounds nice,” Sidney said with a wistful grin.  She’d always wished she’d had siblings or cousins.  “Your family is big?”

“Fairly big,” Lexie sighed.  “Rob’s mom and my mom are sisters.  Rob has an older sister and I have two older sisters but the age difference is pretty significant so I always hung out with Rob.”

Just as Sidney started to respond, the door flew open to admit Rob Ross.

Sidney had seen him before, but only in magazines or on TV.  He was shorter than she’d imagined, standing at about five-ten or so.  His dark brown hair curled slightly at the collar while his blue eyes sparkled. Dressed in faded jeans, an old concert t-shirt, and sneakers, he didn’t look the part of rock star. Only the small, thick gold hoops in his ears gave any indication that he was a successful musician.

“Lex, what’s going on?  I thought the new intern was starting today?” he asked.

Snorting, Lexie stood, jabbing a thumb in Sidney’s direction.  “She’s right there.”

“Oh,” said Rob, a look of confusion overcoming his face.  “But, I thought our new intern was a guy.  You said his name was Sidney.”

“Duh, dumbass,” Lexie said, rolling her eyes.  “Sidney can be a guy or girl name.”

“I guess,” Rob said as a slow smile spread across his lips.  He offered a hand to Sidney as she hopped to her feet.  “Nice to meet you, Sidney.  I’m Rob Ross.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said in a mousey voice.

“If you’re done with Lexie, why don’t you come with me and I’ll tell you about the sort of stuff you’ll be doing around here.”

Nodding, Sidney followed him out of the lounge and to his office.  She managed to hold in a squeal of surprise once he opened the door and flipped on the light.

“It’s a mess, I know,” he said with a sheepish grin as he cleared files off the chair in front of his massive desk.  “Have a seat.”

She slipped into the chair after taking a quick glance at the clutter in the office.  Files were stacked on the floor in front of filing cabinets while papers topped the desk.  A leather sofa stood against one wall with a small coffee table in front of it, barely visible underneath all the boxes.

“Okay,” Rob said, shoving papers aside.  “Well, as you can tell, I’m not the most organized person in the world.”

“This is no problem,” Sidney said, the words falling out of her mouth.  “You just need a good, working filing system is all.”

Rob raised a brow.  “You can do that?”

“Sure,” Sidney said.

“Well, maybe we’ll start with that,” he said.  “And then move on to the storage rooms before hitting the studios.  What do you think?”

“Whatever you need me to do,” she said.

“Usually we don’t have our interns clean our offices,” Rob admitted.  “But if you’re an organization guru, well, that’s great.”

“I don’t know about all that,” Sidney said.  “But I used to keep records and stuff at the music store where I worked.  I helped them get organized before they switched to electronic files.”

“We’re working toward that,” Rob said.  “All the new files are kept electronically but some of this stuff I need hard copies.”

“I understand.”

He talked to her for a few minutes, explaining in further detail some of the tasks she’d be doing before standing and pointing at the mess.  “I have a little time.  Why don’t we start tackling this mess before you go for the day?”

“No problem,” Sidney said.

He chatted as they worked, explaining his vision for Ross Records, leaving Sidney to merely nod or give quick answers.  He complimented her often when she explained how he should assign a cabinet for certain files and began sorting things to file properly.

Rob’s cell rang just as he was moving boxes from the coffee table.

“Hey, Chad,” Rob said.  “I’m in my office with the rookie.  She’s getting my shit together, if you can believe that.”  He chuckled at Chad’s response.  “Why don’t you come down and meet her before I set her free for the day?”

He ended his call, tucked his cell into his back pocket, and grinned.  “Chad’s coming down to meet you and then we’ll stop for the day.”

No sooner had he spoken than the door opened revealing a slim, tall guy with wild blond hair and beautiful green eyes.

“Hey, you must be the rookie,” he said as he shook her hand.

“Chad Hunter, meet Sidney…um…” Rob raised a brow at Sidney.  “Sorry, my memory is not up to par today.”

“Roper,” Sidney supplied.  “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Chad said, looking around the office.  “Looks like you’ve already made a dent.  Wow.  Impressive.”

“Thanks,” Sidney said, fighting a blush.

“Hey, Rookie, why don’t you call it a day and come back tomorrow, huh?” Rob said.  “Make sure Lexie gives you a temporary code so you can get in through the garage.”

With a nod and a wave, Sidney wandered off to find Lexie.  Once she received her code and retrieved her bag, she hurried to the bus stop to catch a bus to her tiny apartment.

***

After a quick TV dinner that evening, Sidney ran water in the tub, adding a hint of bubble bath.  She stood in front of the mirror, studying her reflection as the tub filled.

“Everywhere I look I see blond hair,” she said as she frowned at her light brown hair falling past her shoulders.  Her frown deepened as she studied the freckles on her nose.  They would become more prominent in the warm LA sun for sure.

“And long legs,” Sidney sighed.  “Long-legged, beautiful blondes.”

Her short legs did nothing to her short, four-eleven frame.  Not to mention her skinny figure.

“Oh, well,” she said, thinking of gorgeous Lexie with her curvy body, long legs, and shiny blonde hair.  “I didn’t come here to win beauty contests or to land a husband.”

Feeling slightly better, she undressed and slipped into the tub, closing her eyes with a smile as she thought of her new, dream job.

Two

The next few weeks flew by for Sidney as she grew more comfortable in her position.  Every morning when she woke in her tiny apartment, her heart beat in anticipation as to what the day would bring.  Learning the ropes at the studio had boosted her confidence and brought such satisfaction as she’d never known.

The more she worked with Rob, the more her shyness disappeared.  She began to look at him as a ‘normal’ person and less like a celebrity.  Of course, his easy going personality helped.  He was quick to praise her efforts and gentle when he pointed out mistakes.

Late one Friday afternoon, as she worked in his office, transferring paper files to electronic on his laptop, Rob popped his head inside the door.

“Good, you’re still here.”

Looking up from her work, Sidney grimaced.  “Yeah, there’s still quite a bit to convert.  It’s going to take a while.”

“It’s Friday night, Rookie,” Rob said with a grin.  “And it’s quitting time.  That stuff will be here on Monday.”

“I know,” Sidney said, setting her work aside.  “But I thought you wanted this done as soon as possible?”

“I do.  As soon as possible.  But it’s not that urgent,” he said.  “Now, come on.  We’re hanging out at my place tonight.  Chad’s going to slap some burgers on the grill.”

“Sounds good,” Sidney said as her stomach gave a rumble.  “But you forget
, I don’t have a car.”

“So? You can hitch a ride with me,” he said.  “You’re running out of excuses.”

“Fine,” she said, smiling.  “I’ll come.  Let me get my stuff from my locker.”

She saved her work on his laptop before shutting it down and leaving his office.  He tailed her as she made her way to her locker, a secretive grin on his face.

“What’s with you today?” she asked as she pushed open the door to the lockers.  Her question was immediately answered when she spotted the new piece of tape on her locker bearing not her name, but the word ‘Rookie’ instead.

“Ha, ha,” she said, turning the lock and opening the door.  “Real cute.”

“I thought so,” Rob said, hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans.  “I’ve even thought about putting it on your paychecks.”

Sidney froze in the act of snatching her bag from her locker.  “But… I don’t receive paychecks.”

“Not yet, anyway,” Rob said, grin turning into a huge smile.  “Chad and I discussed it and we feel that, beginning next month, you should be put on the payroll.”

“Really?” Sidney asked, her eyes growing.

“Yep,” Rob said.  “You’ve done an amazing job and we thought that we’d snap you up before one of the other labels woos you away.”

“Thank you,” Sidney said, throwing her arms around him in a huge hug.  He wrapped his arms around her waist in return, making her realize what she’d just done.  Sure, they’d become comfortable in each other’s presence but she’d never touched him…

“I guess we should get going,” she said, pulling away and hiding her flaming face.  “You sure you don’t mind giving me a ride?”

“Not at all,” he said.  “You ready to get out of here?”

“Sure,” she said, her heart singing.

***

Having spent most of her time either at the studio or in her tiny apartment, Sidney suddenly realized how much she’d missed not getting out more.  Rob drove them in his SUV through the busy LA
streets, allowing her to gaze out her window.  The roads were lined with tall, lean palm trees, most yards scruffy from the heat.  The city seemed to breathe on its own as its occupants moved about, rushing from here to there.

The diversity amazed her, as well as the many people.  Coming from a small town, she hadn’t been exposed to so many different cultures or people.  The beauty amazed her.

Soon they left the bustle of the city where houses were a little more spread apart, though not nearly as much as they were in her home town.

“I live on the beach,” Rob announced as he took a turn and rolled down his window.

“On the ocean?” she asked, trying to contain her excitement.

“Yep,” he
said, a laugh in his voice.

Her eyes shot out the window once more, eager for her first sight of the ocean.  He drove about ten more minutes before she finally saw it, stretching across the horizon like a waving blue flag.  Sidney sucked in a breath as she gazed at it, taking it all in as if she’d never see it again.