All She Ever Wanted Ch. 04

"Hey man, this is Trevor Trent. How're you doin'?"

Daniel had assumed that it was Jimmy who was calling him so he didn't respond immediately. "Hi Trevor," he said, once he'd oriented himself. "I'm doing okay. Actually I'm doing a lot better."

"That's great Daniel. I'm glad to hear it. I really am. You weren't doing too good the last time I saw you. Well, the reason I'm calling is that I have a gig in Des Moines on the fifteenth and I'd like to swing through Cedar City on the fourteenth. Rebecca, my wife, is planning to be with me. She'd really like to meet you. Would you be up for something like that?"

"Uh, I guess so," Daniel said, feeling a little stunned. "Yeah, I would, in fact," he added with more assurance.

"Great!" Trevor exclaimed. "We'd like to spend the day with you if that would be possible."

"Yeah, it's possible. It's not like I have a heavy schedule right now," Daniel said with a brief laugh. "Could I invite a couple of friends along?"

"Hey! Sure man. No problem. Your friends are my friends. I'll email you the details as soon as we figure out what they are. It'll be great to hang out with you."

"I'm looking forward to it too," Daniel said, a little surprised to realize that indeed he was.

"All set then, man. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Goodbye Trevor."

"YOU WANT ME to spend the day with you and Trevor Trent?" Melissa burst out, her voice thick with alarm. Daniel had just extended the invitation during their weekly coffee klatch at the Elm Street Cafe. It made her abruptly aware of the difference in their worlds; he could hobnob with rising stars while the closest she'd come to stars was looking into the heavens at night. She felt inadequate.

"Yes, I would," he said, somewhat puzzled by her reaction. He'd thought she'd be thrilled. "You're my friend and I'd like you to be there. It should be fun."

"I don't have anything to wear," she wailed. He laughed.

"I'm sorry," he said, still grinning. "This in not some formal event, Melissa; it's just some friends getting together. James is going to be there too. And Trevor's wife."

"Oh," she said. Somehow knowing that Trevor's wife was going to be there too was even more intimidating than Trevor himself. "What are we all going to do?"

"I don't really know yet," he said. "Probably go out to eat. Maybe spend some time at my place. I'm having a cleaning service come in just in case. I wouldn't want to invite anybody over the way it is now; I haven't exactly kept things up."

It touched her to know that he seemed to feel some insecurity too. "I could help," she offered.

"No, that's all right," he said. "That's what cleaning services are for. Thanks anyway." He paused. "So, what do you think? Would you like to join us?"

"I guess so," she replied, trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach.

"Good," he said, briefly touching her hand where it lay on the table.

The conversation moved on to other things but in the back of her mind there was a droning sense of dread. What if she made a fool of herself in front of Trevor and his wife? What would Daniel think of her then?

As soon as she got home she called Cynthia.

"Wow, Trevor Trent!" Her friend practically screamed. "Can you get me his autograph?"

"No way in hell, Cynthia," Melissa snapped. "I'm not going to meet this guy for the first time and start asking for autographs. The whole thing scares me silly as it is."

"Yeah, you're right," Cynthia said, calming down. "I can understand why you'd feel that way."

"Well, I'm getting used to the idea," Melissa stated, not liking how easily Cynthia could picture her as a frightened waif.

"Believe me, I'm envious," her friend said. "I'd love to meet Trevor Trent. He seems like a real sweety pie."

"Maybe you will sometime. If I don't make a complete idiot of myself."

"You'll do fine," Cynthia said soothingly. "You're quite capable of holding your own with anyone." A masculine voice shouted something in the background. "Did you hear? Walter agrees with me." Melissa felt warmed by the reassurance of her two friends.

They talked for a while longer, mostly about what would be best for her to wear. And then said goodnight.

"I'm going to meet Trevor Trent," she said to PC after hanging up the phone. PC looked at her for a long moment before closing his eyes. His tail switched. Then he yawned.

Time scudded past. On the Friday before the meeting Daniel informed her that they'd be getting together with Trevor and Rebecca for brunch at the Elm Street Cafe next Thursday. After that there would be a small reception for Trevor at the radio station. What happened following that would be decided at the time.

On Wednesday night Daniel called her, which was the first time he'd done so, and verified that the brunch would begin at 10:00 a.m. He offered to pick her up but after a short discussion they established that they'd drive in separately.

The next morning Melissa was a bundle of nerves. PC picked up on her anxiety and began tearing around the apartment, something he'd done only a couple of times since leaving kittenhood behind. She changed her clothes three times. At last it was time to go.

"Well, buddy, this is it," she said to her furry companion. He stalked down the hall with his tail in the air.

Daniel was waiting for her outside the cafe. They were both early. As she walked across the street she could see signs that he was nervous too. They grinned at each other.

"Good morning," Daniel said. "I guess we could go inside and sit on the bench since it's kind of chilly out here."

"Morning," she replied. "Yes, I would like to go inside." They entered and sat side by side in the entranceway. There were only a few people in the cafe, most of them drinking coffee along the long counter in front. "Is James going to be here too?" She asked.

"He's going to meet us at the radio station," Daniel answered.

They chatted for several minutes and then, at the appointed time, a large man pushed through the door followed by a diminutive woman with short blond hair and intense blue eyes. It took Melissa a moment to comprehend that this was Trevor; instead of his cowboy costume he was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans under a plain denim jacket. The woman looked more elegant in a long leather coat but would have fit in anywhere in Cedar City. Melissa had to smile to herself about her concerns about what to wear.

"Hey man," Trevor boomed as he grasped Daniel's hand, "good to see you. This is my wife, Rebecca."

"This is my friend Melissa," Daniel said, after shaking the small woman's hand.

"Great to meet you," Trevor said, engulfing her hand in his big paw.

"Hi Melissa," Rebecca said, taking her hand once Trevor had let it go.

Rebecca took off her coat to reveal an outfit similar to Trevor's and then they made their way to a table and sat down. Melissa noticed that there was a sudden bustle of activity in the cafe as two of the patrons paid for their coffee and hurried outside. A waitress scurried over with a coffee carafe in hand and filled their cups before flitting off to obtain the tea that Rebecca had ordered.

They spent a couple of minutes reading the menus and placing their orders.

"Oh man," Trevor said, once the waitress had departed. "It's great to have a day to just relax. I love performing but all the traveling can exhaust a man." He gave Daniel an appraising look. "I must say Daniel, you look a hell of a lot better than you did the last time I was here."

"I feel better," Daniel replied. "Melissa's helped me a lot. Along with my friend Jimmy who you'll be meeting later."

Trevor and Rebecca both turned to look a her. Melissa felt herself blushing.

"How did you two meet?" Rebecca asked. "Have you known each other long?"

"I heard the radio interview in August and contacted him," Melissa said.

"And I ignored her," Daniel laughed. "Until she started coming to the club I've been playing at on Friday nights. Jimmy, the friend I mentioned, owns it. And we just seemed to hit it off."

"That's great," Trevor said. "It seems to have done you a world of good. Have you been doing any writing lately?"

The conversation drifted along, mostly involving the music business. Their food arrived and they turned their attention to satisfying their appetites. As they ate Melissa realized that the cafe was filling up with people who kept looking in their direction. Finally a few brave souls approached and asked Trevor for his autograph. He always complied with good humor.

"And here's the man who wrote 'Other Plans'," he said each time. "You want to be sure to get his John Henry too. The boy's just getting started, mark my words." So Daniel ended up giving them his autograph as well.

Melissa was a little amazed to realize that she felt comfortable with both Trevor and Rebecca. Both of them included her as completely as they did Daniel. Once again she had to secretly smile at her earlier apprehensions.

"Well, that hit the spot," Trevor said, leaning back with a glance at his watch. "We've got about half an hour before I have to make my appearance at the radio station. Any thoughts on what to do in the meantime?"

"The station's about five blocks from here," Daniel responded. "Why don't we walk down there. We can show you some of the sights... such as they are."

"Sounds good to me," Rebecca said, looking at Trevor. Trevor nodded.

They stood and Daniel snatched up the check just as Trevor reached for it. Trevor laughed and held up his hand. "Okay, you win this time, but I get the next one."

As Daniel paid they put on their jackets and coats. Melissa handed Daniel his jacket and he shrugged it on as they made their way outside. "Go left," he said to Trevor and Rebecca who were in front of them, holding hands.

Once they'd completed their brief tour of the business district adjoining the University they arrived at the radio station which was located on one of the nearby side streets.

"Whoa!" Trevor exclaimed as they walked in. "I wasn't expecting the red carpet treatment." The front office had been turned into a reception area with large trays of veggies and dip and sandwich making materials laid out on trays on the desks. On a small table by itself there was a capacious punch bowl filled with a pink liquid. On the back wall was a hand-lettered sign that read, 'Welcome Trevor Trent - You're #1' Three women and three men stood to the side, applauding.

Following a moment of confusion Don Baker, the station manager, introduced his staff. One of the women was the evening DJ, another was a secretary, and the last was the receptionist. The second man was the afternoon DJ. The third man, not a staff member but a friend of the station, was James. Don pointed out that Howdy Hayes could be seen through a sizable window in the side wall as he worked in the studio finishing up the last half hour of his show. Howdy waved when he saw everyone's face turned toward him.

"If I'd known this was going to be a real shindig I would have dressed up," Trevor said.

"We were going to do something the last time you were here but your schedule was too tight," Gina, the evening DJ, said.

"You look pretty good to me," Judy, the receptionist, threw in.

"This is Rebecca, my wife," Trevor said with a meaningful grin. "She's the engine that powers my success." He then introduced Daniel and Melissa.

"It's okay to look," Rebecca said dryly, responding to Judy's somewhat crestfallen expression. "And Honey," she added, turning to her husband, "we're both engines, like on the wings of an airplane. It wouldn't fly without two of them."

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Trevor replied, giving her a one-armed hug.

"I like that idea, two engines," Heather, the secretary, said.

"I love your song 'Other Plans'," said Michael D, the afternoon DJ, approaching Daniel with his hand outstretched. Melissa felt out of place and backed away, into the corner.

"You might as well get something to eat," James said as he slid in beside her with a plate heaped high. He set a plastic cup of punch on the desk behind them. "The two stars are going to be doing the music business tango for the next hour or so."

"We just ate," Melissa replied with a smile that she hoped would show her appreciation for his company. "What's in the punch?"

"Something fruity and something fizzy," James said. "Nothing with any kick, though. It's not bad. For a PG rated beverage."

Melissa watched as Trevor and Daniel interacted with the radio station staff. Trevor was obviously the pro but Daniel handled himself well, she thought. She noticed how they slowly moved closer together and began working as a team. More people arrived and soon the room was quite crowded.

"Daniel looks better than I've seen him look in a long time," James said, between mouthfuls of food. "You've had a salubrious effect."

Melissa laughed at his choice of words. "It's not like I've done much. We talk. We're getting to know each other," she said.

"It's done him good, whatever it was," James stated. "Want to accompany me back to the trough?" He asked, holding up his empty plate. She laughed, and nodded.

They made their way through the room, now filled with people.And then she stood to the side as he picked through the remnants of the deli trays. As soon as he'd finished they headed for the punch bowl. Just as they'd filled their plastic glasses and started to turn to head back to their corner Howdy Hayes emerged from the studio through a door next to the table where the punch bowl resided.

Melissa could see Howdy's eyes flick over her body, processing the negatives, and dismissing her in less than a second. She could almost hear him saying to himself: fat, butt too big, tits too small, she's a Mexican. It was stupid, she knew, but the dismissal hurt. It made her angry. Suddenly James was there with his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. "Hey beautiful," he said, "let's get back to our sanctuary." She didn't make the connection until later. She didn't realize at the time that James had seen Howdy's flickering reptilian tongue of assessment, the flash of her pain, and had moved to counteract the other man's unthinking judgment. Glancing towards Daniel she saw him watching them. James retrieved his plate and they began working their way through the crowd toward the relatively quiet corner.

Howdy exchanged a few words with Michael D, before Michael D entered the studio to take over the ongoing broadcast, and then made a beeline for Trevor and Daniel.

"Hey! It's great to see you guys again," Howdy said, apparently oblivious to Trevor and Daniel's conspicuous lack of enthusiasm as they took his proffered hand. "Seven weeks at number one. That's pretty good. And two CMA nominations. You guys must be rolling in the money."

"It's time for our interview with Michael D," Trevor said, moving toward the studio door.

"I was hoping to interview you guys again but it just didn't work out," Howdy called after them.

Although the broadcast was piped into the front room it was clear that the party was over. By the time the interview ended most of the people had gone. Melissa took the opportunity to find a restroom. When she returned she saw Daniel and James together facing the punch bowl.

"What was that all about?" She heard Daniel ask as she approached.

James seemed to know at once what he was referring to. "Howdy "the Snake" Hayes gave Melissa a look as if he felt she was lower than dirt. I thought she needed a little boost." He dipped into the bowl, filled a plastic cup, and handed it to Daniel.

"Ahh," Daniel said as both men became aware of Melissa's presence.

"So, what's the plan?" Trevor said as he and Rebecca joined them. Howdy trudged a couple of paces behind.

"There's no plan," Daniel replied. "It's whatever we decide."

"Maybe we could go to a movie or something," Rebecca suggested.

Trevor cocked an eyebrow at her. "I've had about enough of large groups of people for one day," he announced, shaking his autographing hand with a humorous grimace. "Let's do something a bit more private."

"Well, we could rent some videos and watch them at my place," Daniel offered.

"And order some pizza," James elaborated.

"Sounds good. I'll buy the beer," Trevor said, nodding.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan, Dan," Howdy interrupted. Trevor looked at Daniel. Daniel looked back. Daniel turned his gaze on the interloper.

"I'm sorry Howdy but I don't feel you treat my friends with enough respect."

Howdy's face wore a stunned expression. "I haven't... I'm not..." he said, his voice sounding like that of a small boy who's just had all his toys taken away from him. His eyes fell on Trevor, Rebecca, and James in turn as if he expected them to leap to his defense. It didn't happen.

"I'm sorry Howdy, but that's the way I feel," Daniel repeated, taking Melissa's hand. It was the first time he'd done so. She was surprised by how good it felt. He drew her toward the door and the three others followed. Howdy stood alone wearing a dazed expression.

On the way back they stopped at a video rental store. Melissa and Rebecca had fun rolling their eyes at each other in response to some of the selections the guys suggested. The three men muttered among themselves about how weird some of these "chick flicks" could be.

"But some of them aren't too bad," Trevor opined. Daniel and James stared at him with exaggerated consternation. They all laughed.

"Cathy had me watch a couple that I liked," Daniel said, his voice catching on the last word. There was a sudden pained silence. And then it passed.

They agreed that they'd pick out two of each. The two groups separated to make their choices.

"You want to be more than 'friends', don't you?" Rebecca asked softly, as they scanned the racks of videos and DVDs.

Melissa, startled, took a moment to reply. "Sometimes I do and sometimes I'm not sure," she said truthfully, "I like him a lot. But I'm not sure how well I'd fit in his world."

"Yes, you seemed uncomfortable at the radio station," Rebecca said. "But I think you fit fine, as far as I can tell. Those kinds of events always push everyone but the main attractions to the side. I've just gotten more used to it. And being the significant other of a songwriter is a lot different than being with a performing artist."

"Yeah, I saw the way Judy was drooling over your guy." Both women giggled.

"I trust Trevor implicitly," Rebecca said growing serious. "But it hasn't been an easy road, believe me."

"You know, when Daniel invited me to this it scared me. But now I'm really glad he did. I like you."

"I like you too." The two women smiled at each other and turned back to the multitude of entertainment choices.

Once they got back to the parking lot where they'd left their vehicles Daniel gave Trevor and Melissa directions to his house. They all agreed to meet there in half an hour.

Daniel's house, set on the southern edge of the city, was a sprawling single-story structure made out of red brick. About half a dozen ancient trees, having shaken off their leafy clothing, stood bare in the cold wind at random points in the large lot. James opened the door shortly after Melissa rang the doorbell.

"Come in. Come in. The maestro is rounding up munchies," he said. "Trevor and Rebecca are still on the loose."

She entered, looking around curiously. She could almost feel Cathy's presence. The warm and cheerful decor had obviously been wrought by a woman's hand. She saw that there were several framed photographs of Cathy sitting on the big TV. Since James had disappeared, apparently believing that his duties as host had ended upon shutting the door, she went over to investigate. It was more than a little unnerving for her to realize that Cathy had been very slim , very blond, and very white. She was excruciatingly conscious of how different her own body was. She wondered if she had any real chance with Daniel at all. At that moment the doorbell rang. Since James was nowhere in sight she went to do the honors.