See You Later Broadway (Broadway Series Book 2) Page 7

  “Good night, Maris.”

  I force a smile. “Good night.”

  And the elevator doors close.

  Chapter 11

  I know it’s silly but every time I think of the Plaza, Home Alone always comes to my mind. And one item on my bucket list is to have tea at the Plaza. I’m a bundle of nerves as I make my way uptown toward the glorious hotel. When I walk in the lobby, I gasp; it’s not my first visit but it never seems to lose the same wow factor.

  After Kyle left my apartment last night, I took my time selecting the perfect outfit for today. Thankfully, the weather is a typical early-May day, so it’s mild with a slight breeze. I decide on a pair of skinny black jeans with a white off-the-shoulder sweater and black booties.

  Liv is already waiting for me when I arrive.

  “Well, look at you,” she says, air kissing me on both cheeks. “This city definitely suits you.”

  I can feel myself blushing. Is it possible to fangirl over someone who isn’t famous? It has to be, because I’m totally fangirling over Liv.

  “Thank you. Yes, I love it here.”

  We chat for a few minutes about New York and some obligatory small talk. I’m practically on the edge of my seat when she starts asking me questions about what I’m currently working on at Selena and Company.

  “It’s been a great experience while I’ve been getting used to this city,” I tell her. “And Selena has been great to me. I had to go home last week for a funeral, and she was so patient.”

  She takes a sip of her tea. “But . . .”

  I give her a curious look. “Now how did you know there was a but?”

  She starts laughing. “Well, I believe you like your job and Selena is a wonderful person, but it seems as if something is missing. Am I right?”

  Damn, she’s good.

  “Yes. I mean, I really enjoy teaching and my students. But, yes, there’s definitely something missing.” I pause. “I miss performing, but I also feel like I didn’t really progress from Do-Re-Mi. I’m basically doing the same thing now; it was a completely lateral move.”

  She’s listening very intently as I explain.

  “I came to New York on a whim, following my heart and chasing a silly childhood dream. But, life got in the way and I have bills to pay.” I stop. Crap. I didn’t intend for that to rhyme, and I sounded so stupid. Now I really wish I didn’t ramble so much.

  “That’s what I was hoping you would say,” she says, a wicked smile spreading across her face.

  My mouth hangs open. I’m so confused.

  She must notice my confused expression. “Which brings me to the reason I invited you to lunch.”

  Finally!

  “You know my passion is music and the arts. It breaks my heart to know that in many areas performing arts programs are going by the wayside. So, I’m starting a performing arts company. I’ve been working on plans for a while and it’s coming together very nicely. I have two friends who are already on board and have started recruiting as well. I was hoping you would consider joining my team.”

  My eyes grow wide.

  “We would do everything, including lessons, coaching, workshops, and hopefully some performances. So you would still be able to teach.” She pauses. “And I already have an introductory workshop planned . . . in London.”

  Um, did I just hallucinate or did she say she already has something planned in London?

  “What? That sounds fantastic. When do you go London?”

  She gives me a big grin.

  “In a few months, and if you join the team, you’ll be going, too.”

  Suddenly I feel like I’ve woken up in an alternate universe. Here I am, having tea at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, and I’ve just been offered a new opportunity, including a trip to London.

  “What do you think?” Liv asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  I’m actually speechless thinking about all of this.

  “It sounds unbelievable,” I gush. “I’m just so honored you thought of me.”

  She takes her planner out of her bag. “Would you be available on Friday night to have dinner with me, Miranda, and a few other members of my team. I think it would be good for us to have the chance to interact with each other. After all, we will be working pretty closely and traveling together.”

  “Yes,” I say eagerly. Ugh. I really hope I’m not embarrassing myself.

  She makes some notes in her planner.

  “I have a question.” For some reason, I hesitate for a few seconds. I guess I’m still trying to take this all in. “Obviously, I’m living here now. Is that going to be a problem?”

  She’s writing something very quickly. “Actually, no. Tom and I are in the city often. In fact, we’re looking for office space as we speak. I’m hopeful we will be doing quite a bit of traveling so you will be able to live wherever you want.”

  I can’t believe this is happening.

  She puts her planner back in her Louis Vuitton. “Now, I want you to take some time and really think about this offer. I know it all sounds new and exciting, but I want you to be sure before you commit,” she insists.

  I nod.

  “We can talk more on Friday, but please take some time. Talk to your family, friends, your boyfriend . . .”

  “Oh, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

  She gives me a surprised look. “Really? I thought you were.”

  I shake my head. “Not anymore. We broke up shortly before I came here.”

  Liv seems really surprised that I don’t have a boyfriend. Part of me is tempted to casually mention Trevor, but this isn’t the time.

  The remainder of our lunch is a bit more laid-back, and she tells me a few more of her ideas.

  She leaves a few minutes before I do to go to another appointment. I’m still sitting in the Plaza trying to absorb her offer. Of course, I haven’t officially accepted it yet but I would be crazy not to. Even with her suggesting I take some time to think more about it, there really isn’t much to think about. This is exactly the news I needed to hear other than the possibility of having to leave Selena. After what happened with Lucy, I really don’t want to burn another bridge, especially if Liv’s new project completely bombs.

  After leaving the Plaza, I walk down the busy city street thinking about this new opportunity. Now is the time I wish I had someone to share this news with. I could call Kyle, but I’m kind of avoiding him after the awkward moment we had the other night. There’s always Trevor . . . No, Maris, I remind myself.

  I haven’t even responded to his text he sent me after the funeral. I just don’t know what to say, and truth be told, I’m not sure of the extent of my feelings for him. The fact that it bothered me so much that he was with Giselle says a lot.

  As soon as I walk in the door, I immediately call Georgie to tell her about Liv’s offer.

  “No way,” she exclaims. “Just the fact that Liv took you to the Plaza. How cool is that? And Liv is awesome. It’s almost as good if you had tea with the Duchess of Cambridge,” she says excitedly.

  I giggle. “Yeah, almost.”

  “You’re going to take it, right?” she asks.

  I fall back on my bed.

  “Liv asked me to take some time to think about it. And I don’t know any of the details yet, like salary, expenses, and job description. We’re having dinner on Friday, so I’m sure she will tell me more then.”

  “I can understand that. But you’ve had probably an hour to think about it, right? Seems like enough time to me.”

  I laugh. I knew I could count on Georgie’s support.

  The subject quickly shifts to her wedding. I’m really trying to be the helpful bridesmaid but I can’t help but think about this new career opportunity. Unfortunately, I’m having some feelings of guilt. Selena welcomed me in and I’m already thinking about leaving.

  “Hello? Maris?”

  “Sorry, I’m here,” I reply. “I’m just feeling a little guilty. I don’t want to burn another bridge
like I did with Lucy.”

  Georgie snorts.

  “Oh please, Lucy was such a bitch. She didn’t have to act like that when you left. She could have been happy for you, but no, she only cared about herself,” she says adamantly.

  “Exactly, that’s why I don’t want to go through that again with Selena. I need to be one hundred percent sure this is the right decision. And not only that, I finally got up the courage to come here and I haven’t even done anything I set out to do yet.”

  Poor Georgie. She’s such a good sport when it comes to my complaining.

  “Stop that,” she demands. “So, you haven’t made it on Broadway yet. How do you know this isn’t the opportunity you’ve been working toward? This could open so many doors for you, more than you ever thought about.”

  She makes an excellent point. What if she’s right? This could be exactly what I’ve been waiting for all along.

  Chapter 12

  It’s finally Friday, after what feels like the longest few days ever since I had tea with Liv. I think I’ve finally made the decision to take the job with Liv’s company, of course I’ve changed my mind a million times already so who knows how I’ll feel in an hour.

  I spoke with my family, and of course my dad told me not to sign any contracts until he’s had a chance to look them over. Other than that, they all told me to do what makes me happy. I know that if I stay at Selena’s I would be content, but I also know that I would always wonder what if.

  These are the same feelings I had when I was struggling to decide if I should move to New York. I was torn between the happy, content life I had with Kyle and Do-Re-Mi and the excitement of the new opportunity that I always dreamed of. I don’t believe that either decision is wrong, and I’m sure I will be happy either way. I just want to make the right decision.

  We’re meeting in the lobby of Liv’s hotel. I’m a few minutes early since I’m coming straight from work, so I decide to make myself comfortable in one of the oversized plush chairs. I scroll through my phone, looking at social media and text messages. I have to confess that Trevor’s text message has been bothering me. I probably should have responded by now, but instead, I’ve been too busy pouting over Giselle sitting with Trevor. I’m about to send him a response when I hear my name.

  “Maris Forrester, it’s really you.”

  When I look up from my phone, I’m completely speechless. I guess I should call Sophie and let her know that I found Ash, because she’s standing right in front of me.

  “Ash . . . hi,” I say, fumbling over my words. “What are you doing here?”

  She gives me a sly smile. “Maris, you’re not the only person who’s allowed to make the move to New York City.”

  I roll my eyes. Obviously, she’s the same old sarcastic Ash.

  “Of course not,” I say, with a laugh. “Welcome to New York. How long have you been in town?”

  She smiles. “About a week now, it’s all so new and exciting that I’m still trying to get used to everything.”

  I nod. “Oh, I know.” I agree. “It’s definitely an adjustment at first. So, what made you decide to make the move? What about Do-Re-Mi?”

  She sits down in the chair next to mine. I guess she took my questions as an invitation to join me. Oh well, I’m definitely curious.

  “I loved Do-Re-Mi, and of course Lucy and I were great friends, but I felt like I wasn’t progressing. I think I just started feeling stagnant.”

  Huh. I totally know what she’s talking about because I was in her shoes last year. And by the way, Lucy and she were not great friends.

  “So, where are you working?” I ask.

  “Maris, Ash . . . hello.” We both turn to see Miranda walking toward us.

  Wait. Oh, please say it isn’t so. Did Miranda recruit Ash away from Do-Re-Mi, too? Lucy is probably freaking out right now.

  “Hi, Miranda,” Ash says, just as I jump up to give her a hug.

  Miranda gives me a tight hug. “Has Liv come down yet?”

  “Not yet,” I say, just as Ash says, “No.”

  We look at each other. It’s becoming pretty clear that we’re both here in the lobby of Liv’s hotel for the same reason.

  Holy crap. Is Ash going to work for Liv, too? I don’t think anything could be worse than this.

  “Hello, lovely ladies,” Liv says, giving each of us air kisses. Of course, she looks like she just stepped out of a salon.

  “I’ve called the car, now we’re just waiting on one more person,” she says excitedly. She looks around at all of us.

  “This is going to be so much fun.”

  She and Miranda start chatting, while Ash and I are completely silent as we awkwardly stand next to each other. I can’t believe this is happening right now. Miranda must have recruited Ash. Now that I think about it, they actually met at Do-Re-Mi’s annual performance last year. In fact, I recall Ash was following her around quite a bit that night and she seemed like she was annoyed.

  Well, I guess she isn’t annoyed anymore. And to give credit where credit is due, Ash is extremely talented and she would definitely be an asset to Liv’s performing company.

  “Are you all right, Maris?” Liv asks, dragging me out of my thought.

  I give her a faint smile. “Yes, of course.”

  She pats me on the shoulder. “Good.”

  Just then, she jumps up from her chair and squeals. “There’s my partner now.”

  Partner? Both Ash and I turn to see who just walked in the door, and I think my life flashes in front of my eyes. About five minutes ago I thought that Ash being here was the worst thing that could happen, but I was wrong . . . very wrong.

  There standing in all her glory in one of her famously super tight, super short dresses is Giselle. Yes, the same Giselle who is Trevor’s ex-girlfriend (I think), the same one who just a week or so ago was by his side at his grandmother’s funeral. Maybe I hallucinated, but did Liv just call Giselle her partner? I could totally be dreaming again.

  “Hi, everyone,” Giselle says cheerfully. Cheerful has never been a word I would use to describe Giselle. Smug, condescending, and arrogant would’ve been more appropriate descriptions. In fact, I’ve never seen this side of her before.

  “Maris, it’s been a long time,” she says, giving me one of those fake hugs where you hold your ass out. She’s completely full of it because I know she just saw me at the funeral. I just went out of my way to stay clear of her so I wouldn’t have to engage in unwanted conversation (like right now).

  I’m so completely dumbfounded that I have no idea what to do or say.

  “Yes . . . um, it has.”

  Thankfully, right at that moment Liv ushers us out to the limo that’s waiting for us. Limo!

  As soon as we’re inside the limo, she opens a bottle of champagne.

  She clears her throat as if she’s about to make a grand announcement. “Ladies, I invited you here tonight to give all of you the chance to get to know one another and to get reacquainted with those you’ve met before. This is your opportunity to decide if you’re on board with taking this big leap of faith with me. Thank you all for being here. Cheers.”

  We all toast our glasses, and I practically chug my champagne. An hour ago I was completely on board with this new opportunity, now . . . I just don’t know.

  ~*~*~

  Dinner seems to go fine. Of course, two and a half glasses of champagne in the limo help to relax me a bit. A shot of tequila probably would have been better, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’m really not much of a drinker, so when I do it affects me pretty quickly.

  Liv spends the majority of dinner going over all her ideas, and I’m not going to lie, it does sound pretty fantastic.

  Much to my dismay, she and Giselle are indeed partners. Not that I’m surprised, because they are good friends. The few times I’ve been around Liv, Giselle has also been there. I can’t understand how they can be friends in general. You could not meet two women more different. Liv is charitable, compassi
onate, and warm. Giselle, well . . . she’s just the opposite. At least, that’s the side of her I’ve seen on multiple occasions. Maybe there’s another side of her that I haven’t seen? Like the cheerful and friendly façade she greeted us with. It’s obvious that Liv isn’t bothered by her and Trevor certainly wasn’t. Of course, that could be for reasons other than her personality. Ew . . . I’d rather not think about that.

  Beatrice certainly never liked her; in fact, she always referred to her as a gold digger. If that’s the case, then I guess it would make sense as to why she’s partnering up with Liv.