"Where were you?" he asked, teasingly.

"Good Lord, man, I had to get home. I don't live in the hotel like you do!"

"Sorry." He said it quietly.

"Hey, I was just teasing, I'm glad you actually called me."

His voice brightened.

"You are?" "Uh huh, I need to eat. So what's the hot plan?"

Elisha and Nick discussed their arrangements, decided to meet for lunch in an hour and Nick agreed to call if anything came up.

Mandy walked in just as he was hanging up the phone.

"Who was that?" she asked, throwing her purse on the sofa.

"Oh, just Kevin, had some news about the show tonight, nothing really important." Nick lied. "I thought you were going to be gone for most of the day?"

She pushed him down on the sofa and sat on his lap. "I have to go again, more press stuff. They want me at a radio station or something." Mandy looked at Nick and pouted. "Why didn't you tell me it was this much work, being on tour with you?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "I tried to tell you and you insisted, remember? Don't complain. It's what you wanted."

Mandy slapped him lightly near his black eye and got up. "I'll complain if I want to! You should tell them just to issue a release or something. I'm getting worn out. And those bitchy fans of yours....."

She was just getting started. Nick closed his eyes and tuned her out.

"Just leave soon." he thought to himself. "Don't wreck my plans again."

Elisha had been waiting for a half hour when Nick finally showed up in the lobby. She had seen the girl he'd been with yesterday leave a few minutes before. The fans in the lobby had booed her and yelled at her to leave Nick alone. Elisha grinned to herself, from what she'd seen she didn't like her any better than the fans did.

"I'm sorry!" Nick said, running up to her. "Unavoidable delay."

"Yeah, I just saw her leave to a rousing round of boos!"

"Great." Nick muttered, he would probably have to "pay" for that in some way later tonight. Any time the fans mistreated her, it was his fault. He mustered a smile for Elisha and grabbed her hand.

"Are we ready to go?"

She had to laugh again. "I hope you didn't make reservations, these fans aren't gonna be happy with a wave!"

Nick studied her expression, her eyes were bright and she was still smiling at him. "You don't mind if I talk to them? The fans I mean?"

"Of course not!" She guided him over to them. "Here he is, girls! Just don't keep him too long, I'm hungry!"

"Thanks for that, back at the hotel." Nick told her as they finished up their sandwiches.

"What?" she asked around a mouthful of chicken salad.

"Letting me take some time for the fans. I don't get to do it very often."

Elisha wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I take it Miss Temper doesn't like the fans, too much."

Nick shook his head. "No, she doesn't. I don't think she understands how important they are. But, well, I don't want to talk about her, alright? Let's talk about each other."

"Well, I know a bunch about you, unless everything I read is a lie!" Elisha poked him in the shoulder. "But I do want to know why you cut your hair?"

Nick gave her one of his crooked grins.

"Don't you like it?"

"Oh yeah, I like it." she said. "I didn't think it was possible for you to look better, but you do." She sighed. "The long hair was so nice though."

Nick laughed. "Well, I was sick of it! It was long since I was 10, time for a change!"

"So, what do you want to know about me?" Elisha asked him.

Nick sat back and hooked his arm over the back of the chair. "Everything!"

Elisha stared at him. "Can't you just pick one thing?"

"Okay, um, when did you start dancing?" "I've been dancing almost 23 years now." she said.

"So you started young too." Nick commented. "I was really small when I started singing."

"No." Elisha said slowly. "I started dancing when I was 10."

Now it was Nick turn to stare. "Since you were 10? That would mean you're..."

She finished the sentence for him.

"33 years old."