Chapter 49 The side of nose

Chapter 49 The side of nose
   “You’re back in town at the moment, Amber,” another host said. “Now, rumours have been absolutely swirling. Is it a new album, tour, fragrance—or did you just miss proper coffee over there in the US?”
    Geez, these young hosts were pros! She didn’t even have to sell the product herself today.
    “It’s none of those things actually, Hieu. I can officially announce, I’ve got permission, I swear, that I am…joining Australian Idol as a judge for the upcoming season, premiering this month!”
    The hosts all cheered. Kayla said, “Oh my God!”.
    Amber shot her a smile. The station would have told these three in advance, but they were sweet to add some drama to the moment.
    “It’s been a few years since you’ve been back. What’s it like being home again?”
    “It’s been so amazing. I was lucky enough to go to the APRAs with—” She stopped short. “With, um, with Nick Cave getting the lifetime achievement award.”
    “Love Nick Cave.”
    “Love that guy!”
    “Yes,” Amber continued. “And, well, just bumming around the old haunts, you know. Drinking great coffee, like you said.” She reached for her latte, then remembered that Teddy had it.
    The three faces on the other side of the glass watched her, maybe waiting for her to fix her answer to something less lame, or at least something they could tie back into the Idol conversation to make the TV station happy.
    Amber blinked a few times. Jane. She had wanted to tell them she had spent time with Jane, gone to the awards, that Jane was going to join her in Melbourne because she had booked a performance there.
    She was usually open with the people she interacted with. Sure, she didn’t tell every radio DJ everything about her life, but she enjoyed the natural flow of energy and conversation, even in these official paid chats designed as content for an audience.
    Now it was like the glass wall between her and these three nice, professional up-and-comers in the entertainment industry was an actual barrier. She had to guard what was foremost in her mind, block the natural flow. She felt like a fish trying to breathe air.
    “And, well, yeah, of course I’ve been tapping back into the local music scene. There are so many new acts to be excited about. And with we hope to uncover even more. The endgame is to give our fabulous Aussie singers a platform and a sustainable entertainment career that might not otherwise be available to them.”
    OK. Her bike had wobbled, but she was back on track now.
    She finished the interview on autopilot. When they played a song (“The Moonlight Moves Me”, in honour of Kayla’s talent show triumph), she thanked the hosts and waved goodbye through the glass.
    Out in the hallway, Teddy had a smile plastered onto his face. It was maybe a little too broad. “You did great, babes!” he said. The smile dropped a couple of watts. “I didn’t get in your head about The Professor, did I?”
    “No, not at all. I would be thinking about her either way. Was that little stumble so obvious?”
    They set off down the hallway towards the studio entrance.
    “No, of course not! I only clocked it because I thought for a millisecond you were going to go official with the relationship live on national radio. I didn’t think The Professor had signed off on publication.”
    “Noooo, she definitely has not.” Amber sighed and took back her coffee. “I think I’m just in my head. Long-distance messes with your mind. I mean, I know you know my relationship patterns.”
    “Uh, yeah. You try to decipher what the other person wants, then tie yourself up in knots trying to be that thing.”
    “Wow, quick with the answer there, Dr Freud.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile. “You’re right about this whole thing being on Jane’s terms. But it really is temporary. The job interview is this week. And whether she gets the job or not, everything changes. The stakes disappear.”
    “I guess we’ll know for sure in a few days.”
    “Exactly. I really hope her, well, ‘distaste’ of the public-facing part of my job—like you were talking about—I hope that can fade to a background hum rather than be front and centre every time we go through the front door.”
    “The yuk.”
    “Such a way with words! Yes, the yuk.”
    “I hope so too, babes. And I hope once her big interview is done that you’re going to start asking for what you want. This thing is never going to look the way you want if you don’t ask for it. The Professor might be smart up here”—he pointed to his cranium like he was the Scarecrow in The Wizard of she doesn’t seem so smart about other stuff.”
    Amber looped her arm into his. She had talked herself into feeling brighter. This situation with the absolute secrecy was not forever. The end was in sight.
    “She’s smart in all the ways that matter, if ya know what I mean?” She winked and put her finger to the side of her nose. “In the sheets.”
    Teddy screwed up his face. “Geez, Amber. Inappropriate much? My ears are delicate flowers!”
    She laughed as they approached the security desk to sign out. She had told Teddy her hopes, and that would surely help manifest them.