CHAPTER 37
ELLEN
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Even after four days, Ellen was still in the dark about Roxy, and it gave her a strange feeling.
Given Roxy's situation, Ellen expected her to need a few days to recover and organize a last-chance date. As time went on, the absence of Roxy grew, and the thought of a life with her became vivid. Ellen was, in fact, so impatient she was practically vibrating.
Whatever the reason, Ellen's nights were not the most restful. This morning, Ellen's alarm clock did not go off, and when she looked at her alarm, it read 8:30 a.m., "Shit."
She was in luck; she could take her time before going to the office. She went down to the kitchen, where Taylor was already settled. "God, Twinie, you look like crap."
"Tay, we're practically mirrors of each other, you know?" Ellen adopted a defensive tone but immediately regretted it. She had just opened an enormous door to her sister, who was looking at her with narrowed eyes.
"Hey! Don't bite. I'm not the enemy, you know? You didn't sleep?"
Ellen shrugged her shoulders slightly, ashamed of having become defensive with her sister. "Not really."
Taylor waited for Ellen to continue, but she realized that would not happen. "Okay. Why?"
"No news since I saw her four days ago, and I'm starting to worry."
"You seem remarkably calm."
"I don't, since I want her to do it right without forcing her. But I can't help being impatient to see her," she finally said.
"Trust the process, Twinie. Everything is going to be fine."
Taylor's phone rang. She glanced at it before letting it ring. "Unknown number. Not interested." But then another notification sounded, and this time it was a text message. "Fuck me," she whispered. "Hold on, I need to make a quick call."
Ellen nodded as she watched Taylor leave with her MacBook toward the pool. She returned to the living room ten minutes later. Her face was unreadable, but something about her movements made Ellen straighten, just slightly.
"You look tense," Ellen said.
She shrugged. "Cliff Robinson."
"Is that the guy from BIG Records, the one you met a few years back who wanted to commercialize SNARL?"
"Yup, but he's now in Australia with IMA.
What a wonderful way to start my day." Ellen raised an eyebrow.
IMA (a.k.a. Independent Music of Australia) represented everything Taylor Caldwell hated about the music industry: prioritizing profit over the artistic development of artists.
No shit she was tense after a call with them.
"He said they've got a young sensation, Jules Monroe," Taylor continued.
"Popular in Australia, but not really outside globally. They want me to meet her."
Ellen leaned back in her chair. "Jules Monroe? Why is this name familiar?"
"Blake has been mentioning her a lot recently. She found her on Spotify."
"Right. And you said yes? I thought you don't want to take any new artists for the moment."
"I know. But I got a weird feeling about her. Anyway, I said one hour the day before going back to LA. That's all I can afford."
Nevertheless, Ellen remained flabbergasted. Taylor's curiosity might have been piqued for her to agree to this meeting, or perhaps Taylor felt the need to save this singer from the industry. "You're not usually the 'do it as a favour' type."
"I'm not," she said. "But he caught me between emails."
Ellen smirked. "I bet she's a nightmare, right?"
"He called her 'confident.' Which means unbearable."
The twins were both laughing softly and heartily. But Ellen's phone, which vibrated, quickly distracted them. Ellen quickly glanced at the screen, then paused mid-blink.
Incoming call: Roxanne Powell.
That was it: the moment she'd been eagerly awaiting had arrived.
"Is everything okay, Twinie?" Taylor asked, with a look that knew exactly how to reassure Ellen. Ellen turned the phone toward her. "Okay, what are you waiting for? Answer her."
She gave a slight curt nod before pressing the green button. "Hello?"
"Uh, Ellen? Is this a bad time?" Roxy asked her, her nervousness showing through the line. "I can always try you again later if now isn't good."
"NO," Ellen interrupted a little too loudly, which made Taylor burst out laughing. "Perfect timing."
"Okay, great," she said, but then Roxy went silent for a few beats, like she was stuck. A little unexpected for a British spy, thought Ellen to herself.
"So, Roxy, what can I do for you?" Ellen finally replied after several seconds of silence.
She heard Roxy emerge from the moon and kept going, "Yes, I called you.
" This brought a small smile to Ellen's face.
"Well, I wanted to know if you had changed your mind about a date.
I had an idea, and it might be too much, and I apologize if it is.
I really don't want to overstep, but I've changed my mind, like, 50 times since then, so now I want to go for it, but. .."
"Roxy, relax. What's your idea?"
"Right," she said, chuckling and sighing. "Maybe this is too much for a first date, but, well, our thing has already been pretty intense."
Ellen chuckled. "That's one way of putting it, indeed." Taylor was staring at her wide-eyed. She craved gossip.
"I'd like to invite you for a weekend in the Blue Mountains with me.
I found this cute cabin in a quiet spot where cell phones don't get reception.
And most importantly, there are two bedrooms." Roxy took a breath and then said, "I'd like you to come with me to reveal myself, with no lies.
If you are interested, I'll pick you up on Saturday morning around 8 a.m. and we will come back on Monday around lunchtime. "
"I have no idea what I'll find out there. But yes. I'd like to go with you."
"Really?" Roxy's enthusiasm rose a notch or two. "Thank you so much for giving me this chance. I'll be there. Saturday 8 a.m."
"See you Saturday, Roxy." And Ellen hung up, and now staring at Taylor, "Don't start."
"Oh, come on, Twinie," Taylor pleaded with her sister. "Give me something." But Ellen went back to her dreams instead: she was already with Roxy.