“Well what?”

“I guess…well…she’s always been kind of an outsider with you guys too so I don’t think she has any strong allegiance to Shane.  Especially now.”

“Yeah.  I see your point.  Plus Helena’s like the best friend a girl could ever ask for.  She really helped me through some tough times with Dana.”

The mention of Dana’s name brought up a lot of memories and the two women were quiet for a few moments.  “How are you doing?” Carmen asked as she reached out for Alice’s hand.

“I’m good, all things considered.  I miss her terribly and I’m always gonna love her.  But I know I need to get back out there again.”

“Yeah.  I know I will eventually, too.”  She paused again and finally stood up.  “I gotta get back to the booth.   I’m glad we had this talk Alice.”

“Me too.  We should really get together.  And don’t be a stranger with the rest of us,” she smiled.

“Ok.  I’ll talk to you later,” Carmen said before returning to work.

On her way back to the dj booth, Carmen passed Helena coming off the dance floor with Vanessa.  They hadn’t had a chance to even say “hi” earlier.  During a quick, friendly hug, Carmen asked, “Everything ok?  Do you need rescuing?”

“No, I’m fine,” Helena said smiling. “We’re just gonna grab another drink.  Nothing to worry about.”

“Ok.  I’ll catch you on my next break.”

There was a gentleman awaiting Carmen when she returned.  He stuck out his hand.  “Andrew Sheffield,” he stated in a British accent. 

“Carmen,” she answered a bit distracted, as she was busy getting the next few tracks ready to lay down.

“I like your style.  I like your looping, your breaking.  How long have you been doing this?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.  A couple years,” answered Carmen, now a bit annoyed.  The last thing she needed right now was some guy hitting on her.

“Look, I know you have work to do, but here’s my card,” he said, handing it to her.  “Call me.  We should talk.  You could really be big in this business,” he said before he walked away. 

Carmen looked at the card.  Andrew Sheffield, Talent Executive, Ultra Records, it read.    Fuck me! She thought, mentally kicking herself.  I can’t believe I was so rude!  Carmen, dazed, looked up to find that the man had disappeared.