(The Following Week)
Knock. Knock.
"Um, Lynn I think we have a problem with some of these dates. I've been looking over a few things and…" Elizabeth started as she entered the office. She had her nose stuck in the papers that were held firmly in her hands. She didn't notice anyone else in the room besides her boss when she walked right up to the round wooden desk. She was there to discuss a potential problem with some of the tour dates when she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked at the young man sitting in the chair beside where she stood.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in a meeting. I'll just leave these for you to look over later." She handed Lynn the papers and turned quickly to leave.
She was stopped when a strong hand grabbed her wrist. "You don't have to leave. I'm no meeting. I guarantee that much." He said smiling up at her and she gave him a questioning look. Who was this man that had a hold of her arm?
Lynn saw the confusion on her face and coughed to get her attention. "Um Elizabeth Matthews, I'd like you to meet my son Justin."
Liz glanced back over to the stranger beside her. "Oh, so you're the infamous Justin Timberlake I've heard so much about."
His smile spread even wider at her statement. "At your service." He stood and took his hand away from her arm. He quickly replaced its position by taking her hand and shaking it. "I see my mom has talked about me."
Liz smiled warmly at the younger man. "Well, to be honest, she hasn't said a word about you." This took Justin by complete surprise. His mom ALWAYS talked about him. "The girls told me ALL about you and the rest of the guys."
His smile soon turned upside down. "Don't believe a word they have to say, especially Finn's. She has it in for me ever since I…"
Liz took her hand out of his and held it in front of him. "She didn't say anything bad, I assure you. They only had nice things to say about all of you."
He didn't believe that for a minute. Although the two groups were friends, a lot had happened between many of the members: both good and bad. He knew some of them still held ill will towards the guys and vise-versa. "I don't know if I believe that, but let me just warn you, those girls can gossip like nobody's business. Watch yourself."
Liz chuckled at his apparent uneasiness over finding out that the girls had told her about him. "Mr. Timberlake, I don't believe anything unless I see it for myself."
Justin's eyes merged together and he gave her a questioning look. "Mr. Timberlake? Girl, if I'm not mistaken, you're older than me. Please call me Justin. I feel like my dad or something."
She nodded her head in agreement before turning her attention to his mother. "Again, I'm sorry for barging in. Those times just don't add up but I can come back when you have some free time, okay?"
Lynn scooped the papers up in her hands and quickly took a glance at them. "Um…yeah, I'll give you a buzz when I'm done here and we can see where we need to go with these. It shouldn't be more than half an hour."
Liz shook her head at her boss then turned back to her son. "Nice to meet you Mr…I mean, Justin. I guess I'll see you again on the road." With that, she walked out the door and down the hall to her own office.
Justin sat back down in his seat. He raised his legs and placed his heels on the corner of his mother's desk. "Well, she's chipper, isn't she?'
Lynn looked up from the papers in her hand and raised an eyebrow at him. "Leave her be, Justin. She's one of the best workers I've got and she's only been here a week." She laid the stack back down and leaned her elbows on the desk. She slid her chin down to meet the confines of her hands. "Yeah, she's a little uptight at times, but I think she is trying so hard to maintain a professional atmosphere here. She has some pretty high career goals in mind and wants to make sure she learns all she can before getting her business degree in accounting."
Justin's eyes widened at that statement. "She's gonna be an accountant? Man she must be a real nerd or something." He chuckled to himself.
Lynn gave him a displeasing look and leaned forward to push his feet off her desk. "Keep your feet off. Last time I had Shey work for hours to get that grim off after you and Lance stormed in here. And keep your comments about Elizabeth to yourself. She is very proud to be working towards becoming an accountant. She is extremely smart. You could learn a lot from her."
"Yeah right. Maybe Lance could learn from her, but not me. Hey, maybe they could meet and discuss the finer points of adding and subtracting." He laughed to himself while he pushed the chair behind him as he stood up.
"Justin you are too cruel to Lance and you know it. That boy has it straight in his head. He'll go far with or without the music. Mark my word. And as for Elizabeth, maybe meeting Lance would be good for them both. They are about the same age. They could share a lot." She said smiling evilly to herself.
Justin knew what she was thinking and had to put a stop to it before anything else was said. "Mom, don't start playing matchmaker with Lance. He hasn't been on a date since Julia and I think that may have scarred him for life. That date was horrible. Man, I really felt sorry for the guy and to think that she only…"
"Um, Justin are you leaving or staying, dear? Either way, I don't have time to hear about Lance and his bad dates. And no I'm not trying to set him up with Elizabeth. I just think that it would be nice if someone showed her around town. She just moved here and hasn't seen anything but this office. Hey…" She started but was quickly silenced by an agitated son.
"NO WAY. I love you mom and I'm sure she's very nice but I can't be seen outside my house let alone with your new employee. What'll the press say if they saw us together? I'll tell you what they'd say. They say that Justin Timberlake got his new girlfriend a job working for his mother so they could spend 'quality' time together when the group goes on the road. Mom, that just wouldn't work and you know it."
Lynn sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, you're right. I just thought it'd be nice for her to spend some time with someone her own age."
Justin leaned his body closer to her desk. He rested his hands on the corner of it and spoke straight to her. "Did you ever think to ask one of the girls?"
She closed her eyes and smiled at his suggestion. "You know, I didn't. Thanks honey. What would my life be like without you?"
"Peaceful?" He chuckled when she nodded her head in agreement.
"But lonely. Come here." She motioned for him to come around the side of her desk. He obliged and when he arrived, she stood and gave him a warm hug. "I love you sweetie."
He smiled at the closeness he was sharing with his mother. She was the best. "I love you too. Listen…" He started as he let his mother go and stepped back. "Maybe I can get Jenny to show her around. Trace is working tonight and I'm sure she wouldn't mind. They can see some stuff and then head over and pick him up. I'm suppose to catch up with them later and Elizabeth can hang out with us if she wants."
Lynn sat back down in her chair and smiled up to her son. "Thanks honey. I'll talk to Jenny and see then ask Elizabeth. Are you heading out now?"
Justin reached his hand up to his head and scratched a curl or two. "Yeah, Jeremy wanted to play some ball today so I'm going over to his place for awhile." He reached inside his pant pocket to retrieve his car keys. "I'll call you later and see what the plans are."
He turned to walk out the door and Lynn said her good-byes.
When the door closed behind him, she returned her attention to the papers in front of her. "What a mess this is." She paged Elizabeth and told her she was ready to meet about the schedule.
About twenty minutes later, Elizabeth was sitting in Lynn's office trying to figure out what was going on with the times of the tour. "There is no way the girls can make it here…" She pointed out the place they were suppose to be at. "And then get back to the station for the interview before sound check. I think what we need to do is reschedule the radio interview until the second day in Ft. Lauderdale. I checked 'N sync's time line and they are suppose to meet the DJ on Tuesday but if they could do their interview on Monday, than they could switch with the girls. I think that would be better all around. That way the girls would have had a night on stage and would have that experience to share with the them. The guys are only talking about the tour anyway so switching wouldn't be a problem."
Lynn's eyes merged together as she pondered the idea. She stared at the paper in front of her and tried to figure out a way to fit it all in. The groups would be spending two days in south Florida and they had several things to accomplish before heading to Tampa. "I guess that would make sense but I'll have to speak to Johnny about this before I commit to it." She said handing the paper back to Liz.
She got a huge smile on face when Lynn said that. "Well, I took the liberty of speaking to Mr. Wright already." Lynn's eyes widened with that discovery. "I hope that was okay? I wanted to make sure that he was alright with the change before I came to you. He had his secretary call me back right after you paged me that was why it took me a few minutes to get down here. She said that the switch would be easier for the guys as well. That would free up some time for them to go over any last minute problems that might occur."
Lynn sat back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest and smiled brightly at her newest employee. "I have to admit that when I heard Autumn say she couldn't take this job, I was doubtful that I would find someone as talented to replace her. But to my surprise, I have. You, my dear are a God sent. And if Johnny is okay with this, than I am too. Call Shey up and have her make the changes and then let Johnny know about it."
Liz smiled and felt a rush of relief run through her body. She had taken the opportunity to do this on her own and hoped she wasn't stepping over any boundaries in doing so. "Thank you very much for your praise. It certainly means a great deal to me. I'll get right on it."
She grabbed the stack of papers and stood to leave. Lynn had been lost in thought but suddenly remembered her conversation with Justin. "Elizabeth, one more thing." Liz turned around but still had her eyes glued to the papers in her hands. She glanced between her boss and the pages as she scribbled down a few notes for Shey. "I spoke to Jenny a few minutes ago and if you're free tonight, she would love to take you out and show you around town. Her boyfriend is Justin's best friend and she was going to meet up with the two of them later. You are more than welcomed to join them."
Liz continued to stare at the information in front of her. Her thoughts were elsewhere but she heard the gist of what Lynn was talking about. "Yeah, that would be fine. What time does she want to meet?" She said as she finally raised her eyes for good and looked at her boss.
Lynn scribbled down something on a piece of paper then stood to walk over to Liz. She handed her the paper and told her to call Jenny at that number to arrange the whole thing. "Thanks, I'll do that as soon as I talk to Mrs. Williams."
Lynn just laughed at her. "Elizabeth, you have to stop calling everyone around her by their proper names. You're making us all feel so old, especially my son. His is not old enough to be called Mr. Timberlake and I know Shey would feel the same way being called Mrs. Williams. Please, we are all like family here. You don't call your mom Mrs. Matthews do you?"
Liz thought she'd try to lighten up a little. "Well…" She started as Lynn raised an eyebrow to her. "Kidding. No I don't call her Mrs. Matthews. It's just that I was raised to respect everyone and show professionalism at is highest. And that includes using proper names."
Lynn reached for Liz and gave her a quick hug. "Well, wait until you're out there in the big world to do that. Around here, we're on a first name basis only. Understand?"
Liz smiled sincerely at her. "I understand, Lynn. I'll go now and speak to…SHEY on my way out."
"That a girl." She replied as Liz walked out the door. Lynn shut the door behind her and returned to her desk. She plopped down in the seat and chuckled to herself about the behavior of Liz. She was just too cute and polite. "She's something alright."
That evening around 6:30 Liz heard a knock at her door. She rushed to get it and when she opened the door, she found a smiling Jenny waiting. "Come on in, I'll be just a sec."
Jenny walked inside the small apartment. The one bedroom structure was just big enough for about five people but since Liz would only be in it for a couple of weeks all summer, it was just right. Jenny was looking for a place to sit and finally found the couch hidden under several boxes. She giggled at the site before her. In the past week, the girls were able to get to know Liz a little more. They found that she was very UP on everything that had to do with work and assumed everything else in her life was as planned out as she led them to believe. Jenny was seeing a new side to her summer companion.
"So, Liz, why haven't you unpacked yet?" Jenny yelled towards the bedroom.
Liz strolled out a minute later dressed causally but still didn't look like a regular college student. She wore long gray pants that fit appropriately to her body. The soft blue cotton shirt added some color to her look but not much. She looked ready for a luncheon not a night on the town. Jenny eyed her a second before she heard her respond to the question.
"I've been so wrapped up in work this past week that I haven't had time. I'm trying to keep up on my studies for the fall, get things ready for your summer tours, talk to friends back at school, let my parents know I'm okay, and then get things settled to leave in a few weeks for the road."
Jenny held up both hands in front of her. "Calm down girl. You SO need a break. You've done more in a week than most people do all year. I'm glad you're coming out with me tonight. You need to relax. Let's go."
Liz grabbed her cardigan and purse and headed out the door behind Jenny. They were on their way to meet Trace and then go somewhere Liz had no idea.
"Hey girl." Liz heard as her and Jenny entered the small restaurant. She turned to see who was talking to them. She noticed a man similar looking to Justin but shorter come up to Jenny and give her a hug and quick kiss on the cheek. He turned his attention to Liz after he let go of Jenny.
"I'm Trace. You must me Ebby. Justin's told me about you." He walked up to Liz and extended his hand to shake hers.
She looked at him strangely. "Um, excuse me? Ebby?"
Trace laughed at her confusion. "Yeah, well Justin has a way of calling people different names. You really should be flattered. You ought to hear what he calls Jenny." He turned to look at his girlfriend and raised his eyebrow to her.
She just rolled her eyes and reached for Liz's hand. "Don't be flattered. Justin just likes to stir up trouble and get people confused. Just go along with him and you'll be fine. As for you," she said pointing to Trace. "We would like to know where we're going tonight? You're off now, aren't you?"
He wiped his hands on his pants before answering her. "Yeah, just give me two minutes. I gotta clock out then I'll be back. We're suppose to meet Justin at Crates at 8:00."
Trace left to go to the back of the restaurant while Jenny and Liz stood watching the people around them.
"You know in a few months, you won't be able to come in here unnoticed." Liz said when the silence got to her.
Jenny turned to face her new friend. "You really think so?" She didn't say it with enthusiasm or worry, just monotone.
Liz smiled brightly to her. "Yeah, I really do. You guys are good. When your CD comes out, others will see that too. Are you ready for it?"
Jenny motioned for her to sit on the couch that was at the entrance. "I don't know. I mean, I know that's what we all want, to have our music out there for everyone to hear but what comes along with it, I'm not sure I'm ready. I see the guys, especially Justin, have every waking second of their lives under a microscope. Whenever he's out, he gets noticed. He gets mobbed. His every moved is studied, even criticized. He can't go out with a girl without the world knowing about it. I know being a girl, it'll be different but I'm not sure I ever want to be THAT big."
Liz shook her head as though she understood. "I guess everyone wants to succeed, reach their goals but sometimes the sacrifices to reach those goals are too much. Do you think the guys are happy with what has happened to them so far?"
Jenny pondered that question a moment before she spoke again. "You know, I can only tell you what I see and it isn't pretty. I know the guys appreciate everything they have. They never imagined their success would be this big but at the same time, I know they long for something more. Not more as in fans, album sales, stuff like that, but more as in personal. It's so hard for them to meet anyone that doesn't want their friendship because of their status. It's very lonely for them most of the time. Oh, they play it off but we all can see it. I know they enjoy just staying home and doing absolutely nothing on their breaks. They've seen it all and the only thing they desire is peace. I think we all do and we can have that at anytime. But the guys can't and that makes them treasure those moments more."
Jenny was about to continue when Trace came around the corner and said he was ready to leave. "Lets go. I don't want to keep Justin waiting."
Jenny and Liz stood from their spots on the couch. Jenny linked arms with Liz and walked out in front of Trace. "Hey, don't I get any attention?" He asked as they made their way across the parking lot towards Jenny's car.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Aren't you worried your precious Justin would get jealous. Besides, we don't have time. We can't keep him waiting." She said in a sarcastic tone.
Trace jogged up beside her and grabbed her around the waist. The pull by him made her let go of Liz's arm. He spun her around and brought his lips to hers. When they separated a moment later, he looked at her and smiled. "I guess Justin can wait a minute or two."
Jenny and Trace turned towards Liz when they heard her laugh. "Oh, sorry." She said as she continued to giggle.
They joined in and soon all three were laughing up a storm. "We better get going for real this time." Trace said. Jenny agreed and the three were on their way to Crates to meet up with Justin.
"It's about damn time you showed up. I've been here for twenty minutes waiting on your ass." Justin said as the group strolled over to his car that was parked near theirs.
Trace just gave the girls an 'I told you so' look before wrapping his arm over his friend's shoulder. "You know women, get them talkin' and they won't shut up."
Jenny approached the pair and punched Trace in the stomach. He immediately let go of Justin and began chasing her around the parking lot.
Justin laughed at his friends' antics and noticed Liz doing the same. "So you can let loose."
She stopped laughing and faced him. She gave him a weird look by crossing her eyebrows. "Um, yeah, I do let loose on occasion." She wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that comment.
Justin just smiled and shook his head. "Oh you let loose all right. I bet that cardigan and gray pants are about as funky as you get, am I right?"
She just rolled her eyes at him and turned to see Trace and Jenny walking back towards them. "I'll ignore that question seeing as between the two of us, I am the one that actually MATCHES." She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a smug look.
His eyebrows raised at her smartass remark. "Down kitty. Damn, I was just kidding. Now you go and insult my style. Why I never."
Liz couldn't stand it anymore. She turned to look him in the eye. "Get real. You started the whole thing by making fun of the way I dress. Well, I'm sorry I don't meet with your dress code but I thought that's why we live in America where we are allowed to make choices, be individuals and…"
Justin held up his hands in defeat. "Whoa, sorry I even said anything. Hey, have you thought about law school instead of Accounting? You'd definitely have an edge over others."
She gave him a questioning but flattered look. "You think so?"
This was just too easy to pass up. "Yeah I do. With that mouth of yours, the judge would site your side just to get you to shut up."
Her shocked expression was enough to make him double over with laughter. Trace and Jenny came up to them and looked at each other before Trace finally asked Justin if he was alright.
"Yeah, he's fine, for now." Justin stopped laughing when he heard to evil tone to Liz's voice. He stood up and looked at her while she continued. "You forget I'll be seeing you on the road in a few weeks so I'd watch out. I won't forget this, that you can be sure of."
Justin chuckled nervously before Trace grabbed a hold of his neck and pulled him over to the side. He glanced back at Liz and Jenny and saw them talking. Liz returned his glance and smiled evilly after Jenny finished talking to her. Justin didn't like the look he was getting.
"Man, what is it?" Justin asked, snapping back.
Trace just rolled his eyes at his friend. "Boy, don't you snap at me. She's only kidding. Lighten up. Gees. Anyway, Jenny isn't feeling well, and I guess chasing her around the place wasn't the best thing I could do, but we need to go. I was wondering if you could take Elizabeth home for us?"
Looking back over at the girls, Justin smiled. "Yeah I guess. But if I'm found washed up in the sewer, you know who to come looking for."
Trace thanked him and laughed all the way back to the girls. He took Jenny's hand and they said their good-byes.
Justin and Liz were left alone for the first time. She didn't know what to say to him since she had been in an insulting war only moments ago. She looked down at the ground below her and nervously kicked a rock by her shoe.
Justin watched for a minute while she did this then realized how awkward the situation was. He cleared his throat and got her attention. "Um, are you ready to go home or do you want to go do something? I know Jenny was suppose to show you around town so if you want…"
"No, home would be just fine. I still haven't unpacked and I don't want to hold you up. You probably have a lot to do before you leave in a day or two anyway." She said smiling warmly at him.
He returned the smile and held out his arm for her to take. "Thanks. I really can't go many places anyway. I was just trying to be nice." He shrugged.
She began laughing as she took his arm and was lead over to his car. "Well, I guess it's the thought that counts."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Justin held the door open for Liz to get in and then ran around the side to start the engine.
They were driving down the interstate when Justin reached over, turned the radio down and asked Liz a question. "I know my mom thinks highly of you but what's your story?"
She looked at him and asked what he meant by that. "You know, your background. Family. Friends."
He heard her say 'oh' then turned her head towards the window. She began tracing an unknown pattern on its surface. "There's really not much to tell. I'm from Indiana. Indianapolis to be exact. My mom is an investment broker and my dad coaches high school football. I have three older sisters. Each have graduated college and are now in the business world. I attend the University of Maryland where I plan to graduate next year with a BA in Accounting, sit for the CPA shortly after getting my masters and working for a Big-6 firm, possibly in research and development or financing. I have two dogs at home that I adore. Um…I can't think of much else. Oh, I have an annoying roommate who has a weird fascination with sharks. Go figure."
She chuckled at the thought of Molly and what she was doing right then. Molly had gotten a job working at the Baltimore Aquarium for the summer and was probably loving every minute of it.
Liz's thoughts were interrupted when Justin began to speak again. "So you're saying that all the women in your family have reached success in business and you intend to follow in their footsteps?"
She didn't look at him but merely focused her eyes on the road passing by. "Yep!"
He sighed. "And that makes you happy?"
This time she turned her head and noticed his profile. The streetlights were casting a shadow over his frame as they passed by them. Sometimes the lights would bounce off a few of his curls as they seemed to pop out at her. His eyes were focused on the road ahead and she could see him biting the inside of his mouth, which she noticed him doing a lot.
"Yeah, I'm happy with it. That's all I've ever known. Since I was little and went with my mom to work, I've wanted what she has. She provided my sisters and I with an environment suitable to nurturing and giving us what we needed to succeed in life. My mother instilled in me the drive to become all that I can be and survive in this male-dominated world."
Justin took his eyes off the road for just a second to look at her. "So you're a feminist?"
She stared back at him but saw his face turned towards the road again. "No, I wouldn't say I'm a feminist. I do believe that women can do the same things men can do, but I don't mind a door opened for me every once in a while."
He gripped the steering wheel tighter as they made their way towards her apartment. "But you dress conservative, not wanting to show your feminine side at all. You hide behind those glasses of yours too. Why?"
She didn't like the tone of his voice and the words that came from his mouth. Was he starting to insult her again? "Justin, I dress this way because I have found that I am taken seriously when I do. If I showed up to work everyday in a miniskirt and high heels, the men would either laugh at me and call me a bimbo or try to pick my up. The only way to succeed in the world is to show people what's inside my head and not how short my skirt is."
He didn't mean the comment to sound like a cheap shot at her but that's the way it came out. "Ebby, I'm not saying that you should dress like a slut, I'm just saying that you are still young. What, 21 or something?" She nodded her head. "Girls your age can look professional and still remain young and fresh looking."
"Well thank you Mr. Blackwell. And why are you calling me Ebby?" She grunted back to him.
"I don't know. I make up names for all my friends. Maybe I thought of it because ElizaBeth, you know E B. Do you not want me to?"
"I don't care. But what's with the fashion police. Do you think I need to be on Fashion Emergency of something?"
"No, you know what I mean. You are a very smart and attractive young woman who will probably reach any level of success you want but what about after work? What about attracting a guy? Having a family? What about those things?"
She didn't want to discuss those topics with anyone, let alone someone she just met. She had already crossed the line between professionalism and friendship by being with him now. She worked for his mother and was not able to stray away from what she had to do. She would only have the next three months to get as much experience as she could before returning to school and starting her senior year.
"Um, take this exit. My apartment is to the left at the bottom of the ramp."
She was changing the subject and Justin didn't miss the hint that those topics were off limits. He didn't know her well enough to push and knew that if asked personal questions by a total stranger, which happened almost everyday, he would be reluctant to open up too.
"Yeah, so…" He decided not to piss her off. She worked for his mom and seeing as they would be around each other for a week on the road, he better be nice or his mom would kill him. "What number is it?"
She let out a breath of air, thankful he didn't push the subject. "Oh, 1008, on the right."
"But I thought you said the left." He said, shaking his head. She was confusing him now.
She giggled a little before telling him that he was to take a left at the stop sign after the exit. Go into the complex and take a right to 1008. He shook his head again at her directions. She had it down pat but he was just so out of it by then that he had no idea what she was saying.
He parked his car behind hers and started to turn the engine off. He wanted to continue his conversation with her but she had other plans. She unbuckled her seat belt and immediately went to open her door. Justin hesitated turning the key and when she glanced over her shoulder to tell him thanks, he removed his hand from the switch. He left the car running as he saw her exit the car then walk around to his side.
He rolled down the window as she leaned in. "Thanks for driving my home. Will you tell Trace it was nice meeting him and I hope to see him again before we head out?"
Justin nodded his head to signal his wiliness to do that for her. "Yeah, I'll tell him."
She smiled at him and contemplated her next statement. For some reason, she wanted to talk more with him but chose to keep that to herself. It had been a long time since she had a debate of sorts with a guy and Justin was certainly capable of debating the issues with her but she was tired and still had a lot to do before Monday morning.
She reached her hand to the window and placed it on his arm that stretched across its frame. She gave it a little squeeze before letting it go. "Thanks again for taking me home. I'll see you soon." With that, she turned and walked towards her apartment.
Justin sat in his car watching her figure disappear behind the wooden door. He reached his hand up and scratched his head. "She's definitely a mystery…that needs to be solved." He put the car in reverse and began his long trek home to pack himself. The guys were leaving in two days to get ready for their first show in Mississippi. He would see Liz again, that much he knew but what then?