CHAPTER 13 #2
Ellen squeezed her arm gently in thanks and headed toward the backstage suite. She pushed open the door, already ajar.
"FINALLY," Jess shouted when she saw Ellen. Her expression was unmistakable: she was happy to see her sister again after several weeks apart. The two sisters embraced. "I missed you so much."
"Me too, but three sisters meeting," Ellen announced. "Right now."
Taylor gave Ellen her classic smirk. "Hello, Taylor, how are you? The jet lag isn't too bad? Oh no, not at all. And you, Twinie?"
"Sorry, Tay. I think I'm a little on edge right now," Ellen apologized, hugging Taylor. "I'm glad to see you too."
Jess sensed the tone beneath the words. She gestured to the empty spot between them. "Oh shit, you're not okay. Come on, sit."
With a heavy sigh, Ellen dropped onto the sofa, her head lolling back as her hands hid her face. "It's just… I don't know what to think anymore. She's taken and straight, yet she wanted to see me again this weekend, which I had to turn down. Seriously? What's all this about?"
Taylor whistled. "Twinie, can we have a serious conversation for thirty seconds? Scientifically speaking, what you're going through is called denial."
"Tay, please be serious," Ellen implored her. "I'm on the verge of losing my mind."
"Oh, I'm fucking serious, and I have a feeling she might not be straight after all." Taylor took a sip of water. "Are you regretting flying thirty-four hours to end up spending less than twenty-four hours in LA?"
Ellen sighed. "I got mixed feelings. I only came because of Blake and the two of you. Otherwise, I would have stayed in Sydney."
Taylor and Jess looked at each other, and then Jess was the first to speak, breaking the quiet that had settled between them. "How did she react when you said no?"
"That's the problem, Jessie. I could feel she was disappointed. She smiled a little too forcedly and said, 'Yeah… for sure,'" Ellen said, attempting a Scottish accent like hers, but failing hard.
Jess opened her mouth to add something but was swiftly interrupted by Ellen's phone ringing. As she looked at the screen, Roxy's name popped up.
Ellen had to read the message twice, then a third time because the words seemed to rearrange themselves each time.
Roxanne Powell - 7:35 PM Enjoy LA, Sunshine. Everything's normal here. Except maybe the part where Sydney feels one rain check short. Not that I'm obsessed.
(Okay, maybe a little.)
Her thumb hovered over the keyboard, ready to fire back instantly, but she forced herself to wait.
Did Roxy have any idea what a few lines of text can do?
Jess leaned closer. "Roxy?" Ellen nodded, unable to speak.
Taylor and Jess observed their sister in silence, like scientists observing a penguin walking on ice, until Jess finally broke the silence after reading the message herself.
"Come on, Sunshine. Wake up. This message is pure flirting with a capital 'F.
' She doesn't even try to be subtle. She's clearly into you. "
"Do you really think so, Jessie?"
Her sister gave her a 'bitch please' look. "Yes," then her protective instinct took over, "but El, please, be careful with her. I have no reason to doubt her sincerity. Seriously, I think she's genuine."
"But?" Ellen asked.
"But… she's in a situation that could make her confused, no? I just don't want you to lose yourself trying to spare someone else's feelings. Hers or someone else's."
"I know you're right." Ellen glanced at Roxy's message again, the words still glowing on the screen. Then, her fingers found the keyboard.
Ellen Caldwell - 7:38 PM For the record… I've been thinking about that rain check more than I should.
Taylor let out a soft laugh. "Thank god, you are finally flirting back." She capped her water bottle, then tilted her head toward Ellen. "By the way, Leah and I are catching a ride with you tomorrow. We figured we'd hop on the jet and spend a few days in Sydney."
Ellen blinked, wondering if Taylor thought she was more stupid than she was. "Oh, how convenient. You just got back from Sydney, and now that there's something juicy, you come back right away. Is my love life really that fascinating?"
Taylor shrugged. "There's no need to be paranoid, Twinie.
Leah asked me to attend meetings with her there with local artists and the studio team over there to facilitate their integration into Indeed!
Music. She'd have asked you for a lift anyway.
But yeah, I gotta say, your wild love life is a pretty great bonus. "
Jess smiled. "She's not wrong."
Ellen tried to smile, but it felt like she was walking a tightrope with no net. "Great. I can't wait to be babysat by my little sister."
"Always the same old story. It's just five minutes." Taylor leaned back to observe her. "You know Jessie and I love you, don't you?
Ellen nodded.
"So, please, Twinie. Just let yourself want something for once. Even though nothing about Roxy is clear. I want to be your 'wingman' and have your back."
A knock interrupted them, and Blake pushed the door open just enough to stick her head through. "I'm looking for the three most handsome women in the whole place. Have you seen them?" She grinned.
"You've got your favourite right here," Taylor teased, gesturing to herself.
"Keep dreaming, Caldwell," Jess snapped as Blake walked over and smoothly sat down on Jess's lap.
Jess wrapped an arm around her waist instinctively.
"She's mine and I am hers," she added, looking lovingly at Blake and kissing her.
Ellen would never tire of seeing Jess and Blake more in love than ever.
Jess deserved this beautiful love story after everything she'd been through.
Then Blake said, "I figured I'd crash the party. I missed my sisters-in-law."
Taylor smirked. "Bullshit. You’ve come here to snitch for the gossip."
"Mm… yeah, true," Blake conceded, then shifted her gaze to Ellen. "You good?"
Slowly, Ellen exhaled, the tension visibly leaving her body. She was in a safe space. "It's kind of good and bad all at once. I hate knowing she'll have to hurt someone at the end. Her boyfriend will get crushed or… I will. Even with that in mind, I still want to continue seeing her."
"You are falling for her. Big time," Blake stated.
Ellen murmured a hesitant, "Maybe." She looked up. "I think she is too, but I might have gone a bit too far the other day."
Taylor's smile dropped, scared of what she'd hear next. "What did you say?"
"I'm sure it's not as terrible as you think," Ellen added, trying to smooth things over.
"Twinie…"
Ellen surrendered. "Alright, I might've said she was missing something if she thinks she's straight."
Blake let out a curse. "That's bold."
"I know," Ellen whispered with a tiny smile.
"Such small, unexpected things can truly challenge our beliefs," Jess said with a sigh. "I can understand her just fine. I was married to Renaud for six years, and honestly, this beauty didn't make things easy for me after my divorce," she added, hugging Blake by the waist.
Ellen nodded, and for once, she allowed fear and hope to coexist. Taylor lifted her bottle like a toast. "To my courageous Twinie."
Blake smiled, then: "And why not for Roxy?" She rose, smoothing the front of her shirt with a practised flick, then clapped her hands once with a spark of mischief. "Well, I don't want to be the party pooper, but I have an album to launch. Are you coming?"
Taylor rolled her eyes but smiled. Jess was already on her feet. Ellen stood too, slower, as if she could delay the shift in energy, keeping them all in that warm stillness just a little longer.
Before Blake exited, she turned back with a grin. "Oh, just so you fully appreciate the moment… Jessie and Taylor are playing with me tonight."
Ellen's eyes widened in disbelief. It was rare for Jess and Taylor to accept playing for others. "Seriously?"
Taylor smirked. "Don't get used to it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event just for you."
Jess added, "We even rehearsed. Twice."
"Blake, you should consider yourself honoured," Ellen said.
She looked lovingly at Jess and said, "Oh, I already am."
***
Later, Ellen was offstage, tucked behind the curtain where the lights didn't quite reach.
The crowd was buzzing, a soft electric hum rolling through the venue.
And then they came on: Blake at the front, Jess behind the drum kit, Taylor sliding her iconic red guitar and her rainbow guitar strap over her shoulder.
Ellen couldn’t help but admire her two sisters, as they gave Blake a unique gift: their music. Many artists had tried to get Taylor and/or Jess to appear on stage with them. But once again, the Caldwell family stood.
The first chords hit and were powerful. Blake's voice wrapped around the room like it was meant to live there. They fell into rhythm so effortlessly it felt choreographed by something bigger than them.
Ellen pulled out her phone and filmed a brief clip. Just a few seconds of 'That Girl from Berlin,' one of Blake's softer songs. Tonight, it carried an extra layer of intimacy and strength.
She watched it back once, then sent it.
Ellen Caldwell - 8:26 PM I thought you might like my view right now.
Roxanne Powell - 8:30 PM Wait… Blake Voss is your friend? Are you at the launch of one of the most eagerly awaited albums of the year? Are you bloody serious?
Ellen Caldwell - 8:31 PM That's what my backstage says. ????♀?(You know I can hear your cracking Scottish accent in your writing too?)
Roxanne Powell - 8:33 PM So… you're in LA for her! Wow (But the only to fully appreciate it is in person…)
Why are you flirting back, Roxy?
Ellen Caldwell - 8:35 PM Well… She has a way of getting people to show up.
Roxanne Powell - 8:37 PM Clearly… Some people get you at their concert. Others get rain checks. (Maybe you could take me to see her if her tour comes through Sydney… just saying…)
Ellen Caldwell - 8:40 PM Timing's a strange thing. But there are some things you don't postpone twice… (Roxy, are you asking me to take you out? Because it could be possible for me to get presale tickets for sure.)
Roxanne Powell - 8:41 PM So we're not done :) Can work with that.