“More violins! You’ve got to amplify the violins!” Josh Tambini shouted into the microphone at the bewildered conductor on the other side of the recording studio’s glass.
“Mr. Tambini, if we add any more violins to the mix, it’ll drown out the beat,” his assistant Cleo patiently explained.
Josh cast a wary blue eye in her direction. “Whose name is on this record? Yours or mine?” When she didn’t answer, he fell into his chair exasperatedly. He ran a hand through his long, limp brown hair and tried to calm himself down.
Cleo just shook her head and leaned back into her own chair. She knew it was useless to argue with her boss when he was in one of his moods.
All morning, Josh had been trying to perfect the latest song for his long-awaited fifth CD. His first three had been major techno hits, but his fourth had begun a change in his musical style. Ever since he had met his fiancée, Junior, four years ago, his techno beats were heavily infused with soul music. He had even used her father on a few of his recordings. Now, for his fifth effort, he was experimenting with a large orchestra, and it wasn’t working out quite the way he had hoped.
After taking a few minutes to collect himself, Josh leaned forward and clicked on the microphone. “All right, one more time from the top,” he said calmly. He clicked off his microphone, stood up, and nodded to the conductor. Immediately, a sweeping melody filled the studio. A few notes later, Josh flipped a switch, and his trademark drumbeats joined in. He closed his eyes and let the music surround him. He was so deep into the song that he almost missed the yelling match that had erupted in the hallway.
“I’m sorry, sir, but you cannot go in there. Mr. Tambini is recording right now,” he heard his flustered secretary say.
“It’ll be all right. I’ve known him since we were kids,” a familiar male voice happily reassured her.
Josh’s eyes flew open. Dean?! Oh, no! Just when he was finally getting the perfect cut, Dean was going to walk in and ruin it all. Why did that man never call ahead? Before he could stop the orchestra, the door flew open, and Dean breezed into the room.
“Hello, Josh. Miss me?” Dean grinned his trademark charming grin.
“Hang on, Dean. Give me three minutes,” Josh pleaded.
Dean shrugged. “Sure,” he agreed as he sat down in an empty chair next to the switchboard. He leaned forward and caught Cleo’s eye. He smiled and waved at her. “Hello, love.”
“Hi, Dean,” she said, smiling back.
Josh indicated for them to be quiet, then returned to his music. The sweeping, techno melody was almost to its end. He closed his eyes again and waited for it to come. All of a sudden, the techno beat became faster. Horrified, Josh’s eyes flew open to find Dean pushing buttons. Quickly, he smacked Dean’s hand away and turned off the beat. He then clicked on his microphone.
“Go grab something to eat, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll start again in an hour.” He then quickly turned on his friend. “Dean, what the hell are you doing?”
“I only wanted to see what it would do. I got bored sitting here,” Dean explained with a shrug.
“Mr. Tambini, I’m going to get something to eat. Do you want me to bring you anything?” Cleo asked as she stood up.
Josh’s eyes never left Dean. “Yeah, a sledgehammer.”
Cleo just laughed and headed for the door. “It’s good to see you again, Dean!” she called as she left.
When she had gone, Josh sat down and sighed. “Dean, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t an old mate drop in and say hi?”
“Dean.”
“All right. Do you remember Piper Gallimore?”
Josh lifted an eyebrow at the name. “Piper Gallimore? You haven’t mentioned her in four years.”
“I know.” Dean quickly explained the conversation he and JC had had the day before and ended by asking where he could find her.
Josh sat and listened, his earlier anger having melted away. Dean could make him so furious, but he had a hard time staying mad at the guy. Josh mulled over Dean’s words before he answered. “So, because you and JC talked it over, you’ve decided to look for the girl who doesn’t want to ever see you again? Surely, one conversation couldn’t have caused your change of heart.”
Dean sat forward. “Come on, Josh. We’ve known each other all our lives. You know how I felt about Piper. No other bird ever made me feel like she did.” When Josh didn’t comment, Dean continued. “To be honest with you, I never forgot her. I always wondered what I could have done differently, you know? Hell, she’s the reason I sold those stories to the tabloid.”
Josh held up his hand. “Please don’t bring that up again.”
Dean just went on with his explanation. “I honestly thought I had forgotten about her. But when JC showed me that picture, it all came back to me.”
Josh sat forward. “You really want to find her, don’t you?”
“At this point more than anything.” Usually just by looking at Dean, Josh could tell when he was joking. There wasn’t even a hint of a joke in his blue-green eyes at that moment. Dean was dead serious, and it was extremely rare for Dean to be dead serious.
“All right, but I want you to be careful. There’s no telling what she’s done with her life in four years. She could be married or be a mum or she could completely hate your guts and shoot at you with a rifle,” Josh said as he stood up. He leaned out of the door and called to his secretary. Within a few minutes she handed him a small sheet of paper and he closed the door. He handed the sheet of paper to Dean. “She’s a vet now and has her own practice on Fifth Street. That’s the address.”
Dean jumped up and hugged Josh. Quickly, Josh pushed him away and straightened his shirt.
“Thanks, mate. I owe you one,” Dean smiled as he headed for the door.
“Yeah, you already owe me more than one. Hey, Dean.” Dean stopped and looked at his friend. “Remember what I said. Be careful.”
“No problem. I’m always careful.” With that, Dean disappeared out the door.
“No, you’re not,” Josh whispered as he leaned over the switchboard. Choosing to forget about Dean and to think of something else, he rewound the tape and began to play it back. Something still wasn’t right. He started to shut it off when Dean’s faster beats came over the tape. Josh’s eyes widened. That was it! That was the sound he was looking for! He shook his head and laughed. Somehow, Dean could always manage to correct one of his screw-ups without even knowing it. He glanced towards the door and silently wished his friend good luck.
* * *
“Now, Mrs. Corr, give Sir George a pill every night after supper. This should calm his anxiety and perhaps he won’t rip through your furniture anymore,” Piper Gallimore smiled as she handed a bottle of pills to the owner of a large St. Bernard.
“Thank you, dear. I sure hope this works,” the kindly older woman said in her perfect British accent. She then glanced down at her large dog and smiled. “Come on, Sir George, let’s pay for your medicine and then get you home.”
Piper ruffled the dog’s fur. “I bet your going to feel all better tonight, George,” she said. In response, the dog began to lick her face. He eventually stood up on his hind legs and knocked her down into a sitting position. She just laughed and continued to scratch his head.
“Sir George, mind your manners!” Mrs. Corr scolded as she pulled on his leash.
“Oh, it’s all right, Mrs. Corr. This is the reason I became a vet,” Piper stated as she pushed the St. Bernard away and stood up. She brushed the dirt off her lab coat and picked up her clipboard. “Now let’s go ring up those pills.”
It was moments like this that she relished being a veterinarian. She had loved animals all her life, and anything she could do to help them made her smile. The best part about her job was when she got to pet them. Some owners were a bit stuffy and didn’t want her ruffling their animal’s fur unless she had to, but other owners thought it was funny when Piper would get down on the creature’s level and talk to it. Sometimes Piper felt she could understand animals better than people. At least they didn’t demand too much from you.
She led Mrs. Corr out into the lobby and placed the clipboard in front of her assistant Samantha. Sam leaned down to pet Sir George, then stood up and rang up the bill. Within a few minutes the transaction was complete and the loving St. Bernard was on his way home. Once they were gone, Piper placed her elbows on the counter and leaned on them, exhausted.
“Rough day?” Sam asked.
“Oh, yes. It’s been going nonstop since this morning. I love these animals, but I’m ready for lunch.”
“Are you meeting Emerson today?”
Piper nodded. “Yes. He wants to go to the same restaurant we go to every day.” She sounded less than enthusiastic about it.
Sam lifted an eyebrow. “You’re not bored with him, are you? That’s not a good sign if you’re planning on marrying him.”
Piper sighed. “No, I’m not bored with him. I just wish he’d be spontaneous for once.” She then stood up straight and smiled. “I really shouldn’t complain. He’s a wonderful man. I suppose it’s just cold feet. After all, I am going to be spending the rest of my life with him.”
Sam laughed as she began to straighten up her desk. “You make it sound so devastating.”
“Oh, don’t mind me. I’m probably just rambling on because I’m tired.” Piper glanced at the clock and picked up her clipboard. “Well, it’s almost noon, and Emerson will be here shortly. I’m going to go clean up.” She turned away from the desk and headed for her personal office.
Just then, the bell over the waiting room door rang. Emerson couldn’t be there already. Piper stopped and turned around, prepared to tell a patient that they were closed for lunch. In one split second her exhaustion had melted away and her heart stopped when she saw the person standing in the doorway.
It had been four years, but he hadn’t changed a bit. She knew him right away. It couldn’t be, could it? His hair was still shoulder-length and the color of the sand. His face looked a little older, but still had the same gentle boyish look about it. He had trimmed his facial hair, but it still covered his face as if he were a Scottish highlander. When he removed his sunglasses, she caught the familiar glint in his sea colored eyes. Those same eyes she had fallen in love with years ago.
“May I help you?” Sam asked. The gentleman didn’t acknowledge her. He just nodded towards Piper.
“Piper Gallimore?” he asked. Even his voice had the same baritone rumble to it.
In her surprise, Piper dropped her clipboard. She barely managed to stumble out, “Dean Raymond?”