****
Justin could have killed Joey for moving all around and breaking whatever spell he and Sophie had been under. Well, more like just Sophie. She was bewitching enough all on her own. All was forgotten when he saw his father, however, not for long. As the two sat in the guys’ dressing room before sound check, the whole Sophie story came spilling out.
“So, yeah, that’s everything.” Justin sighed.
“I could see how that would be heavy on your mind.”
“I don’t know what to do about her Dad.” Justin said, rubbing his temples.
“Have you talked to the other guys about all this?”
“No, see that’s the thing. Chris won’t shut up about me having a crush on her, Joey’s almost as bad, Lance doesn’t even hang out with us anymore, and JC…. I think JC likes her too.”
“So JC’s the enemy?” Mr. Timberlake smiled.
“Not really the enemy, just, I don’t like the way he looks at her.”
“Well, from what you’ve told me I can’t say that I blame any of you for having a crush on her. She seems like a really amazing girl Just, but there’s a lot of drawbacks.” His father paused until Justin nodded. “She’s the daughter Jive’s owner, your boss. She’s your makeup artist, your employee. You’ve only known her a few days. She seems to be getting in between you and the other guys. She’s keeping your mind off the music. And have you told her about Britney? Or Britney about her for that matter?” Justin considered his fathers words for a long while before speaking.
“Sophie’s an adult, so her father doesn’t really come into play. The fact that she works for us can only be a bonus, because I’ll actually get to see her. And Dad, if you met her, you’d see that it only takes a few days to… to really care about her. And as for the guys, Chris will shut up eventually; he usually gets bored pretty fast. Joey is just being stupid and if I told him how I felt about her, he’d probably shut up too. I don’t know what’s up Lance’s butt, but I don’t think it’s Sophie’s fault. JC’s got Bobbie. And with the performances, Dad, it’s weird, but it’s like I want to do even better just because I know she’s watching.”
“And Brit?”
“Britney has nothing to do with any of this. Even though we’ve got a history together, we know that it doesn’t mean we have a future. We both agreed that we should see other people.”
“But does it ever bother you that you’re the only one who does?”
Just then, the door swung open and there stood Sophie. She rushed in, not even seeing the two men sitting on the couch, and began rummaging though a bag.
“I swear Joey Beautiful.” She mumbled.
“Sophie?” Justin asked, a broad smile on his face. She whirled around, her hand pressed to her heart. Mr. Timberlake was taken aback. Sophie wore just a simple pair of jean shorts and a long-sleeved powder blue baseball shirt; with her hair loose all except for two tiny braids that started at her temples and were pulled back like a medieval crown. He was used to Justin hanging around with beautiful women, but there was something very striking about this one.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt Sugar.” She gasped. “I think Joey Beautiful stole my scissors again.” Justin laughed at her and stood up, pulling his father’s arm with him.
“It’s ok, we were just talking about you.”
“Uh oh.” Sophie laughed, self-consciously smoothing the waves of her hair.
“Don’t worry, it was all good.” Mr. Timberlake smiled at her.
“Sophie, this is my dad. Dad, this is Sophie.” Justin said grinning.
“It’s very nice to meet you Mr. Timberlake.” Sophie said, shaking his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to work with your son.”
“From what I hear, it’s a pleasure to work with you Sophie. Is it true you learned the show in two nights?” Sophie looked at Justin with a stunned face before throwing her head back and laughing.
“That is true.” She giggled. “Perhaps I missed my true calling.” The three of them laughed for a second before Mr. Timberlake sighed like he had something important to say.
“Sophie, for some reason I feel like I’ve seen you before. Have you ever been to Memphis before?”
“No, this is my first time.”
“Spend any time in Orlando?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“If she had I’d have met her before this.” Justin added.
“Hmm,” he considered, rubbing his chin. “I’m almost certain I’ve seen your face before.”
“Well, I hate to cut this short. But I’m sure you want to talk more to Sugar, and I still have to find my scissors before it’s time to get the boys ready.”
“Will we see you tomorrow Sophie? We’re having a big family party and there’s a special service at Justin’s grandfather’s church.”
“I’d be honored.” She said softly and turned to Justin. “I’ll see YOU later.”
She said, sticking out the tip of her tongue and winking at Justin. Both men watched her leave and when the door shut, Justin turned around and smacked his father’s arm.
“See!”
“She’s a very charming girl Just.” He laughed. “But still, just take it slow ok?”
“Yes sir.” Justin said, rolling his eyes but smiling. “So how’s Jon?”
“He’s great. He and your step-mom really wanted to come today, but I didn’t have time to swing by the house before I came over. In fact, I should be getting back to work. I’ll see you tonight though, we’re all really excited to see the show.”
“I’m excited for ya’ll to see it. I’m glad you came by early.” Justin hugged his father tightly.
“Me too. Now I have the honor of already knowing Sophie.” Mr. Timberlake teased. Justin laughed.
“Bye Dad.”
“Bye…Sugar.” Mr. Timberlake laughed as Justin turned a bright red. “You’re going to have to tell me about that tomorrow.”
Justin watched his father disappear down the hallway before turning on his heel and running to the “hair and makeup” room. He wasn’t going to miss Sophie chewing Joey out for stealing her scissors.