you.”
Isabelle flinched. “That’s ridiculous.” She pushed the power button, leaving the CD in the stereo. “We only spent two days together.”
“ Ha. Like you haven’t been moping around for the past month. Also, I’m the one who went with you to get that tattoo, remember? Doves over your heart? Yeah, because that isn’t a major sign that you miss him.” Fiona stood up and tugged on Isabelle’s shirt until she stood up too. “Come on. We both need booze.”
An hour and two drinks later, Fiona had degenerated into repeated entreaties for Isabelle to go to Los Angeles and get her man. “You’ve got to go, Isabelle. Why else do you think he sent you that song?”
“ I don’t know, maybe as a thank you for a nice weekend? He didn’t even send a note with it!” She sipped her drink, not nearly as tipsy as Fiona. She was too stressed out to drink. Or eat. She picked at her fries, the only thing she could talk herself into ordering after listening to that song. She wasn’t hungry and the crowded restaurant pressed in on her, made her feel even more of a loner than she usually did. The noise and the strangers around her had her longing for the comforting silence of her bedroom.
“ Well, maybe the song is a note,” Fiona replied, finishing her margarita.
Isabelle pushed a glass of water over to her friend. “Drink that or you’re going to get dehydrated.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.”
“ Besides,” Isabelle said, continuing their conversation. “How do I even know Marvin sent it? My brother could have mailed it to me. In fact, that’s a lot more likely.”
Fiona froze with her glass of water in mid-air. “Well, shit.”
Isabelle chomped on a fry triumphantly. “Exactly.”
“ You should still go to L.A.” She drank some water. “I know! You could go visit your brother! You still have some vacation days, don’t you?”
That wasn ’t actually a bad idea. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want to go right now.” If she went now, she wouldn’t be able to stand it if she ran into Marvin, not that that was likely. “Maybe in a few weeks.”
Fiona pouted. “Why wait?”
“ Oh, I don’t know, because running off to L.A. is crazy?” Isabelle said, exasperated.
“ It’s not crazy,” Fiona said, frowning, then her expression changed. “Do you hear that?”
“ Hear what?” She rubbed her temples, head aching. She felt like she was getting whiplash from her friend’s rapid mood changes.
“ Shh, listen! Is that the song?” Fiona asked, face tilted up.
Isabelle cocked her head, trying to hear the radio over the noise of the restaurant. When she finally isolated the melody, she felt all the blood rush out of her head. It was the song. The song he’d sent her. What the hell was he thinking?
“ Holy shit, it is! That’s the song on the CD!” Fiona bumped her water in her excitement, spilling some on the table.
Isabelle grabbed napkins and mopped up the spill even as adrenaline rushed through her, making her hands tremble. What was going on? She listened, already knowing the words by heart, and then the radio DJ came on, announcing that he ’d just played Vin Clementine’s latest single. Apparently, all the stations had it, even though he wasn’t supposed to be releasing anything for months. Marvin had surprised everyone with the announcement of an all-acoustic album due out in a few weeks.
“ I don’t know, Isabelle, but that song sure sounds a hell of lot like a message to you,” Fiona said, her voice suddenly sober.
And though she denied it out loud, deep inside, Isabelle knew her friend was probably right.
A few week s later she’d received two more CDs, each one with another acoustic song. Neither had any messages for her. No phone number. No scribbled note. Nothing except the song titles written in marker on the top of the disks. She’d brought them to work so she could copy the songs to her digital music player, and now she was sitting
Isabelle flinched. “That’s ridiculous.” She pushed the power button, leaving the CD in the stereo. “We only spent two days together.”
“ Ha. Like you haven’t been moping around for the past month. Also, I’m the one who went with you to get that tattoo, remember? Doves over your heart? Yeah, because that isn’t a major sign that you miss him.” Fiona stood up and tugged on Isabelle’s shirt until she stood up too. “Come on. We both need booze.”
An hour and two drinks later, Fiona had degenerated into repeated entreaties for Isabelle to go to Los Angeles and get her man. “You’ve got to go, Isabelle. Why else do you think he sent you that song?”
“ I don’t know, maybe as a thank you for a nice weekend? He didn’t even send a note with it!” She sipped her drink, not nearly as tipsy as Fiona. She was too stressed out to drink. Or eat. She picked at her fries, the only thing she could talk herself into ordering after listening to that song. She wasn’t hungry and the crowded restaurant pressed in on her, made her feel even more of a loner than she usually did. The noise and the strangers around her had her longing for the comforting silence of her bedroom.
“ Well, maybe the song is a note,” Fiona replied, finishing her margarita.
Isabelle pushed a glass of water over to her friend. “Drink that or you’re going to get dehydrated.”
Fiona rolled her eyes. “Yes, mother.”
“ Besides,” Isabelle said, continuing their conversation. “How do I even know Marvin sent it? My brother could have mailed it to me. In fact, that’s a lot more likely.”
Fiona froze with her glass of water in mid-air. “Well, shit.”
Isabelle chomped on a fry triumphantly. “Exactly.”
“ You should still go to L.A.” She drank some water. “I know! You could go visit your brother! You still have some vacation days, don’t you?”
That wasn ’t actually a bad idea. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want to go right now.” If she went now, she wouldn’t be able to stand it if she ran into Marvin, not that that was likely. “Maybe in a few weeks.”
Fiona pouted. “Why wait?”
“ Oh, I don’t know, because running off to L.A. is crazy?” Isabelle said, exasperated.
“ It’s not crazy,” Fiona said, frowning, then her expression changed. “Do you hear that?”
“ Hear what?” She rubbed her temples, head aching. She felt like she was getting whiplash from her friend’s rapid mood changes.
“ Shh, listen! Is that the song?” Fiona asked, face tilted up.
Isabelle cocked her head, trying to hear the radio over the noise of the restaurant. When she finally isolated the melody, she felt all the blood rush out of her head. It was the song. The song he’d sent her. What the hell was he thinking?
“ Holy shit, it is! That’s the song on the CD!” Fiona bumped her water in her excitement, spilling some on the table.
Isabelle grabbed napkins and mopped up the spill even as adrenaline rushed through her, making her hands tremble. What was going on? She listened, already knowing the words by heart, and then the radio DJ came on, announcing that he ’d just played Vin Clementine’s latest single. Apparently, all the stations had it, even though he wasn’t supposed to be releasing anything for months. Marvin had surprised everyone with the announcement of an all-acoustic album due out in a few weeks.
“ I don’t know, Isabelle, but that song sure sounds a hell of lot like a message to you,” Fiona said, her voice suddenly sober.
And though she denied it out loud, deep inside, Isabelle knew her friend was probably right.
A few week s later she’d received two more CDs, each one with another acoustic song. Neither had any messages for her. No phone number. No scribbled note. Nothing except the song titles written in marker on the top of the disks. She’d brought them to work so she could copy the songs to her digital music player, and now she was sitting
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