Tracy

039:

Tracy was the first to arrive in Park City the next Saturday, and used the key Austin had delivered to her the day before at the studio with Michael. She let herself in and turned on the heat so it'd be warmed up for later when the others arrived. It was late afternoon. The sky was clouded and the slopes weren't even visible like they normally were. She showered and changed into long johns and heavy woolen socks to pad around in while she made a fire in the upstairs fireplace.

The whistle blew for her hot water, and she got a mug for chocolate. She was touched that a baby grand piano had been added to the living room corner. She felt more like a permanent fixture in Austin's life-- he'd joked that she was his little sister, and she felt that connection falling into place as they'd worked together throughout the week.

It had been a very hard week.

After returning to California from Texas, Raine had revealed that he would be heading out on a float March third, and unfortunately, he would be in training with his wing for the next two months. Their tearful goodbye had been the most poignant either of them had ever gone through. Having just found each other, it felt like they were losing each other.

Tracy stared out at the landscape. Austin's Park City place was designed to maximize proximity to the resort. The lift went right overhead and loaded in the backyard. She watched it coming until it was out of sight and then turned to the piano.

There was no coaster, so she put the mug on the hardwood floor, and bent one knee onto the piano bench. Then she let her fingers wander aimlessly to the tunes floating around in her head.

And there were aimless tunes. She had a notebook full of them downstairs and Michael had worked exceptionally hard in the evenings this week to help her organize them. He had been unusually sympathetic to her needs after the incident at the doctors, touched that she had needed him then. And insistent that she get an agent, or a manager--- as he was a producer, a degree'd engineer--- and had no time for this babysitting she constantly put him through. He said it affectionately, and she spent a half an hour in her office at Rocks, presumably interviewing potential agents, when instead she was opening packages of He-Man guys she'd bought for Danny and loading them into her bottom desk drawers.

Michael the wizard.

The steady, the amazing, the best thing that ever happened--- wizard.

Events still transpired at the rate of an accelerating cannon fired upon her. She let her fingers accelerate in time with the rapidly firing thoughts, and feelings--- yes, she thought, I do have feelings about these things. It might not seem like it, but I do.

I don't want Casey in jail. I don't even want him to suffer with his career choices. I just want him off the drugs and alcohol. He's very talented and very charming when he's not being an idiot. Drugs are the bane of our generation, but more and more people are seeing the benefits of solving their issues in different ways.

I am doing a movie---- a freaking movie----

I'm not an actress!

Now who's the idiot?

She shook her head and stopped playing the piano. Those were the two biggies this week. Danny was with his grandparents. She didn't have to worry about him or his needs for a few days.

The front door bell chimed and she remembered she'd locked herself inside. She jumped up to answer it, knowing Jake would not have let anybody through the gates that wasn't supposed to be there. Not again. Not ever again.

She arrived at the landing, looking over the wooden railing and felt her heart flip-flop uneasily. This was a person she didn't want to--- but probably needed to think about. Richard Mann.