Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story

“How could you?” she asked, tears sliding down her cheeks.  “You’ve had three months to mention something about this and you didn’t!  Why?”

“I wanted to, but I was afraid of having this exact conversation.”

Annie clenched her jaw tight.  “And, me walking into rehearsals with them and not knowing about you and Lacey was a better option?”

He dropped his gaze.  “I don’t know what to say.”

“Was it a one night thing?” she asked quietly.

He shook his head, kicking imaginary rocks on the pavement.  “No.”

She shifted her weight uneasily and glanced off toward the parking lots.  “A weekend fling?” she asked hopefully.

“No.”

“Then, how long, Michael?  How long were you sleeping with her?” she asked, her voice pitching an octave.

“About a year.”

She slapped his face fiercely.  “Go to hell.”

“Annie, it wasn’t serious.  There were no emotions.  It was just…”

“You were sex buddies?  Is that it?”

“Yeah, something like that.” he shrugged.  “We were on the road and bored.”

“So you had sex to suppress the boredom?”

She opened the door to the jeep and he stopped her from getting inside.

“Annie, it was nothing; which is exactly why I didn’t tell you about it.  It was a long time ago, part of my past.  Would you feel better if I gave you a list of everyone I’ve slept with?  I hope not, because I don’t even remember half of them!”

She shoved him hard on his chest.  “You’re an asshole!  I don’t want a list, Michael, but it sure would be nice to know about previous relationships you had with people I’m going to be working with on a day to day basis!  That would be the decent thing to do.”

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly.

“What about Taylor?  Did you sleep with her too?”

“No.  But Brian did, one time, I think.”

“Wonderful.  I guess you guys had a regular party going on during that tour, didn’t you.”

“I’m serious, it wasn’t a big deal.  We were basically friends.”

“Friends that had sex - a lot, for a year.”

He stepped closer.  “Please…I want you to understand.”

“You have a plane to catch.  Go.”

“The plane can wait.”

Annie hopped up into the jeep.  “No, I think you really need to leave.  I can’t deal with you right now.”

“Annie!”

She turned the key in the ignition.  “Go back to Boston with your friends, Michael, and I’ll talk to you later.”

Annie drove back to the house and plunked herself into a deck chair, staring at the ocean.  She sat there for hours deep in thought.  She watched the sun set and the moon rise.  She heard the house phone ring several times and also her cell phone.  She ignored every call.  She was too angry for tears or conversation.  Somehow she had to process this information and deal with it.  The opportunity Lace was offering her was too good to walk away from simply because of Michael’s past relationship with Lacey.  But it hurt that he had kept that relationship a secret.  She wondered how Lacey felt about him now, after all these years.  Would there still be a spark between them or contempt?

She went to bed without eating and quickly regretted that decision, running to the bathroom and vomiting.  In the morning she felt even worse.  Saltines and ginger ale was all she could keep down.  Around lunch, she dialed Taylor’s phone number.  If Michael’s past relationship with Lacey was going to be a problem, Annie wanted to know now.

“Hi Taylor, it’s Annie Logan.  How are you doing?”

“Hi Annie!  I was going to give you a call later on today and ask if you could come down sometime before Friday.  How does that work for you?” Taylor asked.

“Before I do that, there’s a few things you need to know about me first.” she sighed.

“Oh, Annie, should I be sitting down for this?” Taylor joked, sensing the seriousness of the conversation.

“There are a few things I didn’t tell you when I signed the contracts with you that I think you need to know now before I come down to work with you.”

“Like what Annie?” Taylor’s voice grew stern.

“For starters, I’m married.”

“That’s no big deal.  We all have boyfriends - and husbands, from time to time.”

Annie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.  “Yesterday, I was informed my husband had a past relationship with Lacey.  I need to know if this is going to create an awkward working environment for us?”

Taylor laughed.  “Annie, Lacey has had relationships with a lot of guys over the years but I seriously doubt your husband is one of them.”

“My husband is Michael Wade.”

Silence filled the phone line.

“Seriously?”

“Very.”

“Wow, Annie.  I’m stunned.  Where the hell did you have him stashed when we met you on the Vineyard?”

Annie exhaled loudly.  “We weren’t together then.  When I met you, I hadn’t seen him in months - by choice.  And then Brian asked me to go see Michael in June at their Boston shows and we got back together.  Next thing I knew we were getting married.”