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AJ stared up at the apartment building from his rental car. Two weeks had passed since his dinner with Kevin. Since then, Kevin had gotten him Abe�s address and Nick had dropped his little bomb. AJ had called twice only to hang up the second her voicemail kicked on. He finally got out of the car, only to lean against it as he finished his cigarette. Squaring his shoulders, he walked up to the door of the apartment. He knocked and the door opened to reveal no one. Looking down, he was surprised to see a little girl staring up at him.

�Melody, Mommy told you not the open the door.� A young woman came running from somewhere further inside. �May I help you?�

Twirling the bottom of his T-shirt between his fingers, AJ said, �I�m sorry. I thought this was my friend�s place. I guess not.�

�Who is your friend?�

�AB Cavett.�

The girl smiled. �She moved to Building K, Apartment 2.�

�K2. Thanks.� AJ turned to leave.

�I want it that way,� sang a little voice behind him. He turned back to see both mother and child smiling.

�It�s her favorite song.�

�Mine too,� replied AJ with a grin. �Ya got a camera?�

�Yes.�

�Then how about we get a picture of me and Melody.�

The young woman�s face lit up. �Oh thank you, AJ! I wasn�t going to ask�I�ll be right back. Sweetie, stay with AJ.�

A short time later, AJ found himself staring up at another apartment building. This time, it was Building K. Jittery enough, he hopped out of the car and walked up to door number two. He knocked as trepidation set in. What if she wasn�t there? What if it was the wrong door again?

The door opened and he had his answer. Shock filled her eyes, but without a word, she shut the door. His hands went to his hips, as perplexity clouded his features. Raising a fist to knock again, he pulled up short. With a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumped and his hand fell to hang loosely at his side. He turned to leave and even made it a couple of steps, before he heard the doorknob turn again.

�Ask.�

Facing her, he asked, �Did you do it for the money?�

�No,� she replied her eyes never leaving his.

�Did you know about Nick�s solo deal and signing back with The Firm?�

�What?�

The stunned look gave him his answer. �I�m sorry.�

�You should be.�

�I should have known.�

�Yes, you should have,� she stated, reproachfully.

�Do you hate me?�

�I should.�

�Can you forgive me?�

�I shouldn�t.�

�Abe,� he pleaded.

�Why should I give you the chance you never gave me,� she asked, all the hurt and anger tightening in her throat.

�Because you are a better person than me.�

�Why don�t you be a better person?�

He sighed, �I�m tryin�.�

�Well, try harder.�

�God, you are bustin� balls,� he exclaimed, exasperation getting to him.

�AJ, you really hurt me.�

�I know,� he replied, his head dropping.

�Do you?�

The quiver in her voice forced him to look into her eyes. It was then he saw unshed tears. He reached for her, but she stepped back.

�Abe, I�m so sorry that I hurt you. I didn�t know what to think.�

�I know.� It was her turn to look away. �I just wish someone would have trusted me enough to ask me.�

�So what happens now?� He half-expected her to tell him to leave.

She stared at him for a moment then finally said, �I guess this is where I let you come inside and we see if we can get past this.�

�See? You are a better person.�

�This is your only get out of jail free card,� she warned.

�Yes ma�am,� he replied with a salute.

**********

The tension between the two eased as the afternoon wore on. She prepared a dinner of rosemary chicken, roasted new potatoes, and salad while AJ watched. Watching her cook fascinated him. He had never thought of her doing something so girly, but he had to admit the meal was good. They avoided the heavy topics until after dinner.

�Did you bring luggage?�

�Am I AJ?�

Smiling, she said, �Bring it in.�

�Be right back.�

When he returned, she said, �You get the bedroom.�

�I�m not taking your bed, Abe.�

�You�re not.� She noticed him eyeing the pillows and blanket stacked up next to the couch. �I�ve been sleeping out here since I got back.�

Attempting a joke, he said, �So, what�s wrong with the bed.�

�Nothing. I promise.�

Moving over to brush bangs out her eyes, he softly prodded, �Why won�t you sleep in your bed?�

Sighing, she said, �Nick was with me the last time I slept in it.�

�I see.�

�Please take the bed. I�m perfectly happy out here.�

�Okay Abe, I�ll take the bed.�

�Thanks.� Her voice trembled. �Did I tell you was going to LA next week?�

�Wha-cha doin� in my neck of the woods?�

�Job hunting.�

He pulled up short upon dropping his bag in the bedroom and looked at her.

�You don�t have a job?�

�No. I finished my job with�Nick.�

�Roger, didn�t keep you on,� he asked taking a seat on the couch.

�Nope. I didn�t expect him to.�

�Did you talk to him?�

�No.� She sighed. �Look, Roger works for you guys. I�m really not up to being around Nick. This is for the best. A new start.�

Pulling her down to join him on the couch, AJ asked, �Are you sure?�

�Yes. What am I suppose to do? I have to keep a roof over my head and my bills paid. I loved working for you guys, but the job�s done. It�s time to move on.�

�What about Nick?�

She glared at him. �What about Nick? I�m sure he is just fine where he is. I�m fine where I am. So, what has he done to piss you off?�

�How�d you know?�

�When you first came to the door, the question you asked about a solo album and The Firm made it perfectly clear you were pissed. Tell me what�s going on.�

�It seems he wanted to book some studio time to work on some demos. This got Jive to thinking. They decided he should do a solo album.�

�I know you guys talked about doing this before.�

�Yeah, but then Jive suggested he might want to have separate management for his solo stuff.�

�Let me guess, The Firm conveniently walked in and made a bid to be his manager.�

�Bingo.�

�He didn�t tell you about any of this?�

�Not until last week when he showed up with some of our old management team and announced he was working on his solo album.�

�Oh Nick,� she said, shaking her head.

�The fuck wouldn�t listen to reason.�

�What reason?�

�Okay most folks don�t know this.� His voice quieted. �But we are due a bonus when we deliver our next album.�

�When is it due?�

�Two months.� He could see the light bulb go on. She understood the ramifications. �If you don�t deliver the album?�

�No bonus��

�And?�

�We are in breech of contract.�

�Shit,� she whispered.

�Exactly.�

�Nick knows this?�

�We tried to remind him, but he�s not listening. He has too many people blowing sunshine up his ass. The little fucker doesn�t understand he can be sued, too.�

Slumping back against the couch, Abe suddenly felt very tired. All she could do was shake her head in disbelief.

�The shit thing is I don�t think any of this would have happened if you had been around.�

Abe bounced up off the couch. �Are you saying this is my fault?�

�No. It�s just that, damn it Abe, he went into a tailspin.�

�Fuck you!� Tears were stinging her eyes. �I�m sorry I forgot about the bonus. I would have told everyone had I remembered. I didn�t have secrets from Nick. He�s the one who chose not to love me. He�s the one who threw me away when I gave him everything. All he had to do was ask about the bonus. Instead, he ran to Angelica. I�m sorry that your little Backstreet world is messed up, but I didn�t do it. You guys do a fine job of it all on your own. Why don�t all of you stop playing at being a group and be one? Stop whining about how the entire world fucked you over. Suck it up. Life sucks and it�s messy and things don�t always go your way. Grow the hell up and get on with your lives instead expecting someone to fix you lives for you.� There was a brittle silence between them. She was breathing hard and tears streamed down her face. Swiping at her eyes, she continued. �I could cry about how I got shit on by you guys. I could whine about how I don�t deserve what Nick did to me. But I�m not I�m fighting every day to get my life back on track. I�m this close to letting all the pain of losing Nick, of losing you to consume me. It�s like this big black wall of goo that keeps trying to wash over me like a wave, so I have to keep moving. Because I know if it catches me, then I�m done. I won�t climb out of it and see the world again. Now, you have the nerve�� She glared at him. �Well, fuck you, AJ!�

�Wow,� he said, awe in voice. �Well, you told me. Shut up. My turn. Your right about a lot of what you said. I�m sorry I tried to lay this off on you. We all got our shit to work through. What I said didn�t come out the way I meant.�

�I suggest you figure out what you mean before you open your mouth again. I mean it, AJ. Say what you don�t mean one more time and that�s it. You are out of this apartment and out of my life forever. I will not be a Backstreet emotional punching bag anymore.�

�Damned if you don�t slam the dagger in hard.�

�AJ��

�Okay. Okay. It isn�t your fault. What I meant was you are the only person who can talk sense into him. We got use to you fixing things with him. He did change when he was with you. You changed him�for the better. I think you are the only person he will listen to. You�re the only one who can get through all the assholes and get to him.�

�Not anymore, AJ. He hates me. Don�t even try to deny it. Besides, he didn�t really change. I guess this is his true nature.�

�I can�t believe I�m defending the little fucker, but it didn�t use to be like this. When we first started, he was like the guy he became with you.�

�Whatever. I�m sorry he�s causing this problem, but there is nothing I can do about it and it really isn�t fair for you to come here asking me to solve your problems.�

�Hey! I didn�t plan it. It just sort of came up.�

She only glared at him.

�I guess it was a shit thing to do. But you were pretty harsh yourself.�

�It may be harsh, but it is the truth. And it will remain the truth until every single one of you gets your happy ass in gear and takes responsibility for your actions and your decisions. Like it or not AJ, the decisions y�all have made are the very things that got you to this place.�

�All right already I give. I�m throwing in the towel. Raise the white flag.� He waived his hat in the air and chuckled.

�Wimp,� she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she sat down.

AJ started laughing in earnest.

�What?�

�I�ve never heard you cuss like that and where did you come up with happy ass?�

�I�ve cussed more since I�ve met y�all than any other time in my life. Happy ass was a spur of the moment thing. Feel free to use it.�

�I will.�

�So you want to stay at my place while you�re out in LA?�

�I appreciate the offer, but I�m staying with an old friend.�

�Promise you�ll call when you get there and we�ll get together.�

�Will do.�

�Well this has been draining,� stated AJ.

�Yeah,� sighed Abe. �Shall we see what�s on TV?�

�Works for me.�

After a moment of channel surfing, AJ yelled, �Stop! Go back. There�Charmed.�

�Articulate much?�

�Bite me. I wanna watch the sisters. Damn, they�re hot. I�d do�em.�

�Really? Three �hot� women and you would actually do�em.�

�Shocking ain�t it. Shhh�I have to concentrate,� he scolded, pulling her in close.

Chapter 5

They had been in the air only a few minutes, when AJ turned to Abe.

�You�ve been keeping secrets,� he scolded.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she argued, �No, I haven't. I don�t see what the big deal is. You�ve been on private jets before.�

�I know, but I didn�t know you had a friend who owns one.�

�So?�

�Damn it woman! I�m trying to tease you.�

�So?�

�Bite me.� He gave her a warning look. �Don�t you dare!�

�Fine.�

�Don�t �fine� me. S...were you and Bear...ever...you know?�

�Huh?�

�Did you two�ever��

�No,� she exclaimed, smacking him on the arm. �I told you last night. We grew up together.�

�Okay. Geesh. And he met Nick.�

�Yes, Nick knows him. We spent New Year�s at his house on Hilton Head.�

�South Carolina? I thought he lived in Florida.�

She blushed. �He does. He�s like Kevin. Homes all over the place - Hilton Head, the condo in Miami and then the condo in L.A.�

AJ blinked. �Where in L.A?�

�Would you believe the same building that Brit-Brit and Nick Lachey lived in?�

�And that�s where you're gonna stay in L.A.?�

�Yep.�

�Damn, the boy did good.�

�Yes he did.�

�You sure there isn�t something maybe going on,� he trailed off, pointing back and forth between her and the cockpit door.

�AJ!�

�All right!�

********

The three were standing on the front steps of AJ's house. �I can�t get over how big it is.�

�You aren�t the first woman to say those words to me,� he replied, his eyebrows wiggling.

�Eww!� Abe pushed on his shoulder, while he and Bear shared a laughed. �I�m talking about the one big thing you have...your house.�

Clutching his chest, AJ said, �You wound me. Was she always this brutal, Bear?�

�Always.�

�Thought so. Hey, listen man, thanks for the ride, both of them.�

�You�re welcome. Thanks for the tour of your house. I like it up here.�

�Yeah, Malibu�s cool.� He pulled Abe into a hug. �Remember, you promised we�d get together while you�re out here.�

�Yes sir,� she teased, giving him a squeeze.

Bear asked, �What are you doing tomorrow night?�

�Nothing.�

�I hadn�t told Anna about this, but I have a thing at Deluxe tomorrow night. Why don�t you join us?�

�Wait. What thing? What is Deluxe,� asked Abe.

�Stuff Magazine is hosting a party at a club called Deluxe.�

Abe was already shaking her head no.

�Don't say no. I can't back out and I want you to come along. It'll be fun and if AJ comes you will be the envy of all the women.�

�Why,� she asked, eyebrow arched.

�You�ll be the only woman there with two hot dates. See AJ, ya gotta come now.�

�You twisted my arm.�

�Was it him calling you hot or the words Stuff Magazine Party that beat you into submission,� asked Abe.

�Both! Come on Abe. We'll have fu-un. We�ll d-an-ce and par-tay.� He sang as he tweaked her side.

�I�m sure I don�t have anything appropriate to wear.�

�We�ll take care of that this afternoon,� stated Bear.

�How?�

�You�ll see.�

�I smell shopping,� stated AJ, with a pout. �Too bad, I have plans. Fine, go shopping without me. I'll be all right.�

Bear asked, �Is he always this dramatic?�

�Look at him. What do you think?�

�Go now.� AJ was holding the passenger door of the Mercedes open for Abe. �Please don�t prolong the agony for me.�

Abe sat down in the car, as Bear got in on the driver's side. Before closing the door, AJ dropped to his knees and took her hands.

�Just promise me you will shop well and buy something fabulous.�

Nodding her head reverently, Abe said, �I promise.�

Standing, AJ shut the car door as Bear revved the engine. He knocked on the window and Abe lowered it.

�Yes?�

�Keep your promise, because I only go out with those who dress fabulously.�

�That so?�

�It�s a fact, Jack.�

�In that case, put on something dressier than what you have on right now and leave the damn trucker hat at home. It goes with nothing fabulous.�

She was reward with his classic one finger salute as they pulled out. She waved and Bear laughed.

********

Bear took the scenic route to his place, the scenic route being the Pacific Coast Highway. He got a kick out of how giddy Abe was as she watched the ocean and beach running parallel to their car.

They made a quick stop at his condo to drop off her luggage. He liked that she was impressed by the place. Everything about the place was meant to impress.

Soon, they were pulling up in front of The Ivy Restaurant.

�I�ve heard of this place.� Unease crept into her tone.

�I thought it would be fun to have lunch outside.�

�Do I pass the dress code?�

He looked at her over. She had on a pair of jeans and a man's style white, dress shirt. Her hair was pulled up into a French-twist.

�You�ll fit right in,� he reassured. �Come on.�

They both exited the doors the valets had been holding for them. Glancing at Bear, when he came around the car, she took note of what he was wearing. Khaki pants and a green golf shirt, the outfit was casual, but was designed to look that way. Everything fit him perfectly. Even his dock shoes looked new.

She allowed him to take her hand. It was a safety net. As the hostess greeted them and showed them to their table, Abe looked around. So this was The Ivy. She could tell it had once been a bungalow home. The white picket fence amused her. It was a symbol of what everyone was suppose to want and here it surrounded a place where celebrities dined. She was glad to see they were seated more toward the middle of the patio. Sitting by the picket fence would have made her feel too much like the animals on display at the zoo.

The menu shocked her. First, the food was basically good old American food, right down to the meatloaf. Second, the prices were ridiculous. She was about to find out how a $22.00 cheeseburger tasted.

She was so taken with the surroundings, she didn�t pay much attention to the other patrons. It was a given that the restaurant was packed with celebrities. It wasn�t necessary for her to gawk to confirm this fact. It reminded her of the red carpet at the Grammies. She felt just as out of place here. Being with Bear helped ease her nerves. He was an anchor in the new surroundings.

Bear smiled as the waiter departed. �I have to say I'm impressed.�

�How so?�

�You are sitting in one of the premiere places to celebrity watch and you haven�t acknowledged it at all.�

�What did you expect me to do?�

�I don�t know. At the very least the same thing I did, my first time here, which was to steal a glance without looking obvious. Do you even know...�

�Yes, I know. I guess you can chalk it up to my line of work. I learned a long time ago to give celebrities their space.�

�Well, that is a good lesson learned. You�ll do all right out here, Anna.�

�Winslow, must you call me Anna,� she chided.

Reaching across the table, he took her hand. �You are far too pretty to have a boy�s name.�

A blushed colored her cheeks. �Thank you for the compliment, but I still prefer Abe. Okay, Bear?�

�Okay. You never told me what happened with Nick.� He was now looking over her shoulder.

�And I�m not going to discuss it now. Why are you asking about him?�

�Brace yourself. Here he comes...�