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“Fair point. But I’m really very done with the kid sister.”
“How do you feel about an evil twin?”
“Nowthat’sexciting.” She put down the book and grinned happily at him, but something she saw changed her smile a bit. “What’ve you been doing to yourself, darling?”
He could still feel Hayley studying him, caution in her eyes, like she was planning to retreat for her own safety.Did I do something to upset you?
“Isn’t it obvious?” he said. “I’ve been spending entirely too much time away from you.”
Mimi nodded gravely. “A lesser man wouldn’t have lasted this long.”
“Hey.” Nick leaned his arms on the ledge of the box office window. “Do you think it’d be possible for me to hang out in the green room tonight?”
“You’re family,” she said. “You can hang out wherever the hell you want.”
“You sure? I wasn’t sure if that was crossing a line. And I wouldn’t want people tripping over me.”
“Of course,” she said. “We here at Vivez are starved for attention, love. We’d be delighted to show you what goes on behind the scenes.”
“Really?”
She watched his eyes. “You’re having quite the rough time of it, aren’t you?”
Nick considered telling Mimi what had happened that day, but he didn’t know how to explain the anger that had filled him as he won over the crowd at Hayley’s kitchen table. Tension and guilt had built in him all afternoon until he’d thought of dropping in on the gang at Vivez. If he could focus on them, maybe he could forget about himself.
“I thought it would be nice to be around you guys tonight,” he said.
Mimi studied him for a moment more, then patted his arm, hopping off her stool. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
She came out of the box office and closed the door behind her. “To the kitchen, then the green room.”
“Don’t you need to be out here?”
“I’ll snag somebody to cover for me.”
“That’s sweet, but I don’t want to take you away from anything.”
She shook her head firmly. “You, sir, are in dire need of nachos, alcohol, and good company, and I’m going to get it for you.”
He was too grateful to argue the point. “Thanks, Mimi.”
“Of course, love.”
He followed her down the hall to the kitchen. “Hey, one thing.”
“And what would that be, Nick dear?”
“You knew it was me coming through the door, didn’t you? You heard the walker?”
Mimi grinned over her shoulder. “You want to know if I ask everybody how my mysteries turn out.”
He laughed. “That’s exactly it.”
“And that will stay a little mystery of my own.”
The green room was not, in fact, green, and Nick had yet to find anyone who could tell him where the name originally came from. Instead, the walls were painted gray, which was a good deal less depressing than it sounded, because they were covered by a few full-length mirrors, along with notes from cast and crew scribbled in fluorescent marker. The room was empty at the moment, but it wouldn’t be for long.
