Chapter 7
“Hey Car”, Hope said into her phone.
“How’s it going, Solo?”
“Good. We’re on our way to Dallas right now. Kelley got your email by the way.”
“Yeah, good. I set up a promo appearance for you for tomorrow night at the Anti-Cruelty Society’s annual gala. It’s a typical fundraiser. You know the drill. I mean, obviously they want to raise money, and obviously it helps to have celebrities involved, but they're especially excited to have you there because they know you support the cause.”
“Of course. You know I’m always all for that kind of stuff.”
“Good. How’s Kelley doing, by the way?”
“Really good, actually. I mean, things seem to be going smoothly, and I guess she’s been checking in with Christine on a daily basis.”
“Well that’s good. And how are you holding up?”
“Good. Um, well, really good, actually.”
“Really? Well that’s good to hear. I know you weren’t really feeling fully recharged at the start of the tour.” Carli was silent for a moment and then said, “Anything in particular helping out?”
“Honestly, Car? A lot of it has been Kelley.”
“Well that’s good. I mean, I was nervous about her being up to the task, but I’m glad she’s doing a good job running the tour.”
“Well, yeah, it’s that, but she’s also been good company.”
Carli was silent for a moment and then said, “Okay…like, how?”
“Well, we’ve been hanging out, going out together for like food and coffee…and ice cream. You know.”
“Uh, okay. That’s cool. I mean, are you guys like BFFs now, or what’s going on?”
“No. I mean, I don’t know. She’s just really cool to hang out with.”
“Well, that’s good.” Carli was silent for a moment and then said, “But, I mean, most importantly, she’s your manager, not your best friend. You already have one of those”, she said and laughed.
“I know”, Hope said and laughed as well. “Don’t worry – I have no plans to replace you, Car.”
“I’m not worried, Solo. I just want to make sure that Kelley is, you know…doing her job. You and a lot of people depend on her. Friends is friends, but business is, well…business.”
“Car – I get it. We’re all good. I mean, she’s doing a good job, and, well…I guess it’s just a bonus to have someone that I like around to keep me company. I mean, she’s just really cool to be around. We talk. We laugh. We eat. Everything is low key. It feels like, being…well, normal.” Hope was silent for a moment and then said, “You know, it was like, with Avril, everything was always ‘big’. Like, she had to always make a spectacle out of everything. Our dates, our outings, even like going shopping, or to the beach, anything. Our whole relationship, really. Every time we went out she would tell everyone, and the media would be there, snapping photos, bombarding us with questions. I just couldn’t get away. With Kelley, it’s different. Like, we just get to be ourselves.
“Hope - are you comparing Avril to Kelley? Because one was your girlfriend, and the other is your manager”, Carli said and then paused. “Wait a minute…are you telling me that-“
“No, no, Car… I mean, I like her, and she’s really cute, with her freckles and all, but…well, really, we just…hang out and talk.”
“She’s ‘cute, with her freckles and all’?” Carli said, repeating Hope.
“Car…” Hope said quickly, taking on a bit of a guarded tone.
“Hey – it’s cool”, Carli said. Hope’s quick and somewhat defensive answer had been noted. “You don’t need to justify anything to me. I’m just asking. If you like hanging out with her, then great. You know I don’t care who you hang with….or who you end up with.”
“Car…”
“Solo – it’s all good. You know I’ll support you in whoever you choose to…uh, hang with. I’m totally cool with you and Kelley being…whatever together, as long as she does a good job as your manager, and any personal relationship you guys have doesn’t get in the way of business. I mean, I even supported your relationship with Avril, even though I never thought you two were right together.”
“I know, and I always appreciated that”, Hope said. “But…you don’t need to worry about me, at least like, how operations are going. I mean, you’re not acting as my manager anymore.”
“I know I’m not your manager anymore, but I worry about you anyway. Someone’s got to”, Carli said lightly, and Hope laughed. “Look – you know I support you in whatever you do. But I also got your back, and I’m just saying, business is business…”
********
The Anti Cruelty Society Gala was being held just a couple miles from the hotel, in downtown Dallas. Kelley checked her appearance one last time in the mirror: moderately conservative black cocktail dress, black suede heels, small dangly earrings, and a black Coach hand purse. She smiled, then exhaled a deep breath and exited her room. She walked to the next room and knocked on the door. Hope opened the door, looking stunning – fancy evening dress with a slightly rocker-ish cut, a dark red wrap, her long, dark hair flowing straight, open-toe black high heels, gold earrings and a gold necklace that looked like it cost a small fortune. Her makeup was done up so as to fall somewhere between being out for an evening at a gala and for being onstage. It highlighting her brilliant, intense eyes, and her jawline, the jawline that conventional modeling would call slightly too severe, actually accentuated her goddess-like appearance. She was the perfect balance of classy and rocker. Kelley felt her pulse quicken and was sure that her own jaw had just drop a bit.
“Hey manager”, Hope said and smiled.
“Heyyyy”, Kelley breathed out. She paused for a moment and then said, “You look…dazzling.”
“Dazzling?” Hope repeated Kelley. “That’s a fancy college word”, she teased. She saw Kelley blush a bit, and she laughed lightly. “Thank you. You look lovely yourself”, Hope said, giving Kelley the once-over. Then she reached up with her right hand and fingered Kelley’s left earring. “I like these”, Hope said.
“Thank you”, Kelley said, still flushed a bit but calming herself down. “I’m glad you like them. I mean, it’s not…” Kelley said as she gestured to Hope’s outfit, “but it’s the best I got.”
“It’s working for me”, Hope said, a twinkle in her eye.
Kelley let out a small, nervous laugh and then said, “So, um…are you ready? The car’s waiting downstairs.”
“I’m ready”, Hope said, flashing her radiant smile. She exited her room and closed the door, then held her arm out for Kelley. “Take my arm?”
Kelley paused. “Is that okay? I mean, won’t there be, like cameras and people and stuff everywhere?”
“Well, yes – at the event. I’m saying just take my arm to the car?”
Kelley looked at Hope’s arm, noticing how sculpted her bicep muscles were, and then smiled and took it. “Of course”, she said, and the two of them strode down to the waiting car.
********
Hope shined at the event. After her speech the entire room stood up and applauded. Hope looked radiant, standing on the stage, beaming for the cameras. Afterwards, Hope worked the room with Kelley by her side, stopping to shake hands and give out hugs. Kelley remained with her, shaking hands as well, trying to remember everyone’s name and what they did. She couldn’t recall ever having met so many people at one time, and her face hurt from smiling the whole night. She enjoyed the event overall, but it was exhausting, and she could see how having to be ‘on’ like this all the time could wear someone down.
Hope and Kelley left the event a bit before 11pm. Since they were already out, Kelley had asked Hope if she felt like staying out, maybe trying to join up with her band mates at whatever club they were at or maybe getting some dinner or even ice cream, but Hope said she’d rather just head back to the hotel. The car dropped them off in front, and Hope and Kelley made their way up to their rooms.
“How are you feeling?” Kelley asked as they reached their rooms. “Tired?”
“A little”, Hope answered. “But not really sleepy. I more so just wanted to leave the gala and come back to chill out here. A few hours at one of those things is enough for me”, she said with a slight smile.
“I hear ya”, Kelley said. “It was exhausting, having to be ‘on’ the whole time.”
“And that was just a few hours”, Hope said. “Try being ‘on’ for ten years.”
Kelley laughed. “I can’t imagine.”
Hope looked at Kelley laughing and for a moment got lost in the way Kelley’s freckles kind of lit up as she laughed. Then she asked, “Hey, do you feel like watching TV or a movie maybe?”
Kelley paused for a second. This wasn’t the first time that she and Hope had watched TV or a movie together, but given the fact that they would be starting so late, and for some reason the fact that they were dressed up, plus the way Hope had told her she looked lovely and then fingered her earring earlier in the night, made the situation feel a bit different. “Um, yeah sure”, she said.
“Cool”, Hope said as she slid her key card into her door lock. “Come on in”, she said.
“Um…should I change first?” Kelley half-said, half-asked.
“You can change later”, Hope said. She looked Kelley up and down again. “That’s a really nice dress. You should stay in it a bit longer”, she said and smiled.
Kelley stared at Hope, not sure what to say. Did Hope just hit on me? she thought. Or maybe she’s just being friendly. Either way, I’m not quite sure how to respond, Kelley thought. Then she thought, oh well, does it really matter? Hope Solo, Top 10 rock star, and also my client, just complimented me, and is asking me to hang out. Then Kelley smiled and said, “Thanks”, and followed Hope into Hope’s room.
********
“So, what kind of movie do you want to watch?” Kelley asked. She kicked off her heels, turned on the TV, and started scrolled through the hundreds of channels.
“I don’t care”, Hope answered as she opened the mini bar fridge and pulled out two beers. “You pick it. As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with the music industry.”
“Okay”, Kelley said, but right as she did, she came across Almost Famous. “Oh, Hope – how about Almost Famous?”
Hope turned her head towards Kelley and shot her a stare. “Kelley – I just said nothing in the music industry”, she chided lightly.
“But I love this movie”, Kelley said.
“Well, it is a good movie”, Hope agreed. “But still…”
Kelley looked at Hope for a moment and then shrunk her shoulders up and batted her eyelashes. “Pleeeeeeease, Hope…?”
Hope stared at her for a second and then laughed, relenting. “Okay, fine. But the next movie we watch – I get to pick.”
“Deal”, Kelley said. She sat down on the couch and started the movie. Hope turned down the lights and handed Kelley a beer and then sat down on the couch. It was a pretty big couch, but they both maneuvered for the first couple of minutes, trying to get comfortable. They settled into position, but about fifteen minutes into the movie Kelley, who was still in her little cocktail dress, said, “I’m kinda chilly.”
“Oh, here, let me get a blanket”, Hope said. She stood up, walked to her bed and took off the comforter. She brought it back to the couch and spread it out over Kelley.
“Thanks”, Kelley said.
“You’re welcome. Sorry about that”, Hope apologized. “I like A/C. I’m from the Pacific Northwest. We like our cool weather up there”, she said with a smile.
Kelley smiled back. Hope got lost in her freckles for a moment again and then turned back to the screen. They continued to watch the movie, and then Kelley looked over at Hope and noticed that Hope’s arm had goose bumps on it. She stared at Hope’s arm for a moment, marveling at the sculpted muscles, and then asked Hope, “Hey, are you cold?”
Hope looked at Kelley. She saw Kelley looking at her, and then Kelley looked down at Hope’s arm. Hope looked down at her own arm and noticed the goose bumps. “Yeah, I guess I am”, she said, and it was then that she noticed that she was still in just her evening dress, without the wrap that she had taken off when they came into the room.
“Here – we can share the comforter”, Kelley said. She scooted closer to the middle of the couch and held up the side of the comforter closest to Hope. Hope took it and crawled under, scooting closer to Kelley.
Somewhere during the movie, Kelley noticed that her thigh and Hope’s thigh were touching. She looked over at Hope and smiled shyly, and Hope mouthed they word "hey". Sometime later during the movie, Kelley had realized that Hope had fallen asleep, her head resting on Kelley’s shoulder.
********
“Hope”, Kelley whispered as she turned off the TV. “The movie’s over.”
“Huh”, Hope mumbled, sleepy.
“Want to sleep here on the couch, or want me to tuck you into bed? Old lady.”
Hope opened her eyes a bit. “Careful”, she said, still mumbling but smiled sleepily. “I’ll kick you out.”
“If you did that, I would just go next door”, Kelley said with a smirk.
“Noooo”, Hope said. She closed her eyes and held out her arms.
“Okay, here we go”, Kelley said, as she helped Hope up off the couch. “Let’s get you to bed.” As she stood Hope up, Kelley grazed her fingertips down Hope’s arm, then slowly guided her to the bed. She laid Hope down in the bed and then went back to the couch to get the comforter. As she brought it to the bed to spread it over Hope, Hope reached out and grabbed her arm lightly.
“Sleep with me”, Hope mumbled.
“What?”
“Sleep here tonight, in this bed, with me. Keep your old lady company, junior.”
"That sounds kinda creepy", Kelley said, but smiling as she did. She stood still for a moment, trying to process what was happening right now, and then her mind jumped back to earlier in the evening, Hope fingering her earring, and then her taking Hope’s arm earlier as they left for the event. Then she saw Hope smile sleepily and extend both of her arms, and in that moment, Kelley made up her mind.
“Of course”, she said and smiled back. She turned off the light and then crawled into bed and pulled the comforter over her and Hope. Hope mumbled a contented sound and shifted a bit onto her back, and then she felt Kelley tuck into her and Kelley’s head nestle into the crook of her neck. Hope’s arm went around Kelley, and she put her hand on the small of Kelley’s back.
“Thanks for a lovely evening”, Hope whispered into the top of Kelley’s head.
“Mmmhmm. Thank you”, Kelley whispered back. She exhaled a deep breath, and all of sudden the day and evening caught up to her, and she felt incredibly sleepy. At the same moment, she caught a whiff of Hope’s perfume, and she thought – there’s no other place in the world I would rather be right now, curled into Hope’s side, with Hope’s sculpted arm around my back.
Hope, although still sleepy, had woken up enough to process one thought – that it was so nice to be snuggled up right now with Kelley O’Hara. It felt good to have a normal night, cuddling and watching a movie. It reminded her of when she and her friend Whitney would have sleepovers and stay up and watch movies when they were younger. Then, as she started to fall back asleep, she had another thought: it actually felt more like the odd night when Avril didn’t feel like going out and partying, and they would actually have a night in, and they would cuddle up together and watch a movie. Yes, that's more what tonight felt like, Hope thought. She liked being around Kelley. In fact, she liked a lot about Kelley. Kelley was cute, smart, kind, and funny. She had just the right amount of sass and silly. And definitely the right amount of freckles. And she gets me, Hope thought. Then, as she drifted into dreamland, Hope mused: is it possible that I’m starting to like Kelley?
Kelley was tired, but she couldn’t quite turn her brain off. She couldn’t believe she was cuddled up in bed with Hope Solo. The one and only Hope Solo. Why me? Kelley thought, and in a good way. I mean, she could have anyone. Out of all what – seven billion people on earth, I’m the one who gets to cuddle up next to Hope Solo tonight. Kelley heard Hope’s breathing become rhythmic, and she thought: yes, I’m pretty sure I’m beyond just having a crush now. She held onto that thought as she started to drift off to sleep, and she smiled in the darkness as she felt Hope’s steady breath brush across the top of her head.