“I am,” I answered with a bright smile.
He nodded. “So much is happening in such a short amount of time…” he said as his attention was pulled elsewhere for a moment or two. Once he apparently remembered I was standing in front of him, he faced me again. “How did you rate your debut performance last night?”
“Ah, it was fine, I guess,” I replied honestly. “A bit nerve-wracking.”
His brow twitched. “On the topic of your performance, there’s something I wish to ask of you. May I steal you away?” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and guided me toward the front of the train, beyond anyone’s hearing.
I glanced at my fellow performers, grimacing as they hauled the last boxes of equipment onto the train. I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t pulling my own weight, what with the loading up of everything, but I also could hardly deny my boss. So, with a nervous nod, I let him whisk me toward the front of the train, while I tried to avoid the eyes of any curious troupe member or workhand. Laurent pushed open the train door and waved me inside. A narrow hallway led directly to a second, sliding door that “magically” pushed open as soon as we approached it.
Gesso was sitting on the small, gray sofa, a pencil between his toes and a half-opened bag of art supplies beside him. His pencil moved deftly over the open sketch pad on the simple wooden coffee table. The twins sat across from him in matching chairs. Mariah and Maleah had their legs crossed and their faces were smug, until they saw me.
“What are you doing here?” Mariah snapped upon my entrance.
“Yeah, this is a private session,” Maleah added.
“You weren’t invited,” Mariah said.
Before I could protest, Laurent slid in behind me, clattering the door shut before he spoke. “Now, girls, no need to be so haughty. After all, Bindi’s being featured in the new poster as well!”