Ready to Run

Part Two, Chapter 11

She loved London as soon as she arrived. As Fred (the fair) drove her in from Heathrow, she was charmed by the mix of old and new, the many green spaces, and the gentle bustle. Her hotel was luxurious, not far from the neighborhoods in which she would be house hunting. With a staff known for its impeccable discretion, it wouldn't be difficult for Jack to visit while she stayed there.

Less than an hour after she arrived there was a knock on her door. He had slipped in the rear entrance and up the service stairs unseen.

Later, they lay together, talking quietly.

"I told my mum about you when I was home. She wants to meet you."

"Does she think I'm a cradle robber?"

"She was six years older than my dad."

His father had died of cancer, at only 35, when Jack was ten and his younger brother Daniel four. His mother, Mary, worked as an ultrasound technician at the local hospital, providing for the boys. She supported Jack wholeheartedly in his undertaking.

Lexi found the thought of meeting her slightly intimidating.

"Ewan told me that all your families get together now and then. I'm sure I'll meet her if I'm invited."

"Of course you'll be invited. You're like one of the band."

"You're a boy band, and I am definitely not a boy. I don't like the idea of encroaching on your scene."

"It's not encroaching, and you're right, you're not a boy. But you are our background vocalist. You're... well-nigh band."

"I like the sound of that."

"But Mum wants us to come home the next time we have a few days free. She wants to meet you as my girlfriend, not as one of the crowd."

"Is that what I am? Your girlfriend?"

"I'd like it if you were."

"I'd like it too."

*****

Lexi found a four-bedroom townhouse, with a coveted one car garage and space for another car to park off the street, in St. John's Wood. Regent's Park, where she could run every day, was only a few blocks away, and she had a sweet little garden behind the house.

She signed the paperwork exactly three weeks after she arrived and was moved in a week later. Her stay at the hotel had been decadent, but she was happy to settle into her own space.

They filmed the second video in July, in Regent's Park, which was a riot of colors as the flowers lining every path were in full bloom. It was a fun shoot, with a hide and seek theme, for a catchy song titled 'Gotta Find You.'

Lexi was very much the focus of the video. She wore a pretty red dress and peeked out from behind trees and statues as the band, sporting matching suits each in a different color, searched for her. They finally came face to face in front of a splashing fountain, where Lexi flirted briefly with each band member. In the final scene they walked off down a flower lined path, arms linked, Lexi in the middle of the line.

She liked the perfectly pop chorus:

Wherever you go,

Whatever you do.

All I know baby

Is I gotta find you.

The girls were going to love it.

All the boys were out of their hotel as well. Jack and Lukas pooled their funds for a flat in SoHo, Fyn moved home with his family, and Ewan was renting the two rooms on Lexi's top floor. She enjoyed having the young man in the house, and Phillip trusted her to keep an eye on him. It also made it much easier for Jack to visit, often for the night. No one would question him spending time with his bandmate.