Page 6 of Rock and a Hard Place

“Oh? Tell me about it.” Miss Orman scooted her chair closer.

“I was just sitting there when this huge bus pulled in. It was this family that travels all around. One of them, this guy”—her face warmed, but she ignored it—“he came over and talked to me for a long time. It was really sweet.”

“Well, that’s terrific!” Miss Orman leaned back and slapped her hand on the desk. “So who is he?”

“His name is Peter, and he is so nice. He and his brothers are in a band, and they perform all over.” She couldn’t contain her joy as she recalled their afternoon together.

“What were they doing in Rockville?”

“Just stopping for a break, I guess. When I left, they were having a picnic. They weren’t performing here. I don’t know where they were going, but he said they’re promoting their new CD.”

Miss Orman nodded. “Wow, that’s impressive. So, what’s the name of their band?”

“He told me the name, but I can’t remember.” Libby looked toward the ceiling and tried to recall. “Somethinglike Double Danger, I don’t know.” How could she have forgotten already?

Miss Orman pursed her lips.

“He said they’re touring the country,” Libby offered, to make up for her lapse in memory. She realized how farfetched the story sounded.

“Where do they play next?” Miss Orman asked, her tone doubtful.

“Um, well, I’m not sure, actually.” She shrugged and chewed at her lip.

Miss Orman smiled, but this time it didn’t look genuine. “Well, that’s still great. Too bad we don’t know who the mystery man is. Maybe you’ll see him again?”

“I don’t know. I doubt it.” Libby tried to predict how she and Peter would ever hook up again. Most likely it would never happen. “Probably not.” Her head dropped, and she focused on the floor. Suddenly, all she wanted was to escape this tiny office.

Miss Orman reached out and patted her arm. “I think it’s wonderful you met someone, even if you never see him again. Just think what a great memory you have. Heck, maybe he’ll make it big someday and you’ll recognize him on TV.”

Libby smiled wanly, her spirits deflated. It was all basically a dream. A really great dream that no one would ever believe. “Well, I better go.” She picked up her backpack and boosted it onto her shoulder.

“Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe you had a brush with a future star.”

With a forced smile, Libby left the office.

Heart-pumping music blared through the New York City photo studio. Giant fans created windblown effects for the action shots.

“Peter, lower your chin. Good!” James, the photographer, yelled over the music. James moved constantly to catch every angle possible. Photo shoots tended to go long, and today was no exception.

The bright lights burned down as flashes popped. Peter always got a kick out of all the primping for the shoots and the goofy way photographers posed them for the perfect look.

“Adam, this way. Hold your concentration! Remember, you are a hard-core rocker.”

Adam and Peter broke into laughter. “You can’t say stuff like that if you want us to keep a straight face,” Adam replied, and pushed his fingers through his mop of curly hair.

The guys walked around the set and laughed to shake off pent-up energy.

“You guys are killing me.” The photographer lowered his camera while the hairstylist stepped in to fix Adam’s tousled curls.

“Ya know, it’s hard to be ‘hard-core’ anything whenyou travel with your mom, and she’s always nagging you to brush your teeth and pick up your clothes,” Peter added.

James couldn’t resist laughing. “Okay, this is the last set. Let’s pull it together for a few more minutes. Remember, this is for Rolling Stone; it’s worth the effort.”

Peter couldn’t get over the fact that Jamieson would grace the cover of the legendary magazine. Their popularity shot through the roof this past year. They were living the dream.

“Okay, guys, I want you to think ‘brooding rocker’— think Kurt Cobain or Jim Morrison.” James raised the camera to his eye.

The brothers, always consummate professionals, fell back into place, doing their best to follow direction even though they were slaphappy after three wardrobe and set changes.

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