by Terri Osburn
Crossing her arms on the table, Jesse glanced up to catch a headline scroll across the bottom of the screen on a mounted television. “Another hurricane. This season needs to freaking end.”
“Oh, shit,” Dana muttered, pulling Jesse’s attention from the impending storm.
“What?”
Chin low, she whispered, “Don’t look now, but Taylor is headed this way.”
Jesse had no time to prepare before her former duet partner stepped up to the table.
“Hi,” Taylor said as if they were still the best of friends.
“Hi,” Jesse echoed, stomach roiling. She wanted to throw a punch, burst into tears, and puke on Taylor’s fancy boots all at the same time.
“How’s it going, Taylor?” Dana asked, thankfully taking the traitor’s attention away from Jesse.
“It’s good,” the blonde replied. “Different, but good. How about you guys?”
“We’re great,” her bass player answered. “We’re going into the studio on Monday. Shooting Stars has lined up a great team for the album. Only the best for their newest star.”
Dana won herself a job for life with that response.
“Oh.” Taylor’s voice cracked. “That’s good to hear. With Jesse’s talent, I’m sure the album will be great.”
“Really?” Jesse said. “If I’m so talented, why did you ditch me like I was some loser sidekick you couldn’t wait to get rid of?”
Taylor looked stunned as a hush fell over the tables around them. With more warning, Jesse might have curtailed the outburst, but the rage that had been building for months, combined with the simmering anger at Ryan’s infidelity, merged into a perfect storm, unleashing Hurricane Jesse.
“Maybe we should discuss this outside,” Dana suggested, but Taylor found her voice.
“I didn’t ditch you, Jesse. This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
“We had opportunities,” she reminded her. “Like the tour we should be on right now. You remember that?”
“Everyone can hear you,” Dana muttered.
Taylor’s eyes lowered. “I didn’t come over here to cause a scene. I just wanted to say that I miss you. And I’m sorry about you and Ryan.”
Jesse was on her feet in an instant. “What do you know about me and Ryan?”
“Just that you broke up,” she said, taking a step back.
Stupid gossips. “That’s my business, not yours. And you don’t get to say that you miss me.” Jesse poked her in the shoulder. “Not after what you did.”
“That’s enough.” Dana put herself between the two women. “Taylor, go back to your table.”
“What’s going on over here?” growled Dennis Kohlman as he approached the table.
“Nothing,” Taylor replied. “I was just leaving.”
“Because that’s what you do best,” Jesse snarled.
Keeping Jesse behind her, Dana nodded toward the exit. “Go on.”
“Come on, baby,” Dennis mumbled, taking his client by the elbow. “I told you she wasn’t worth your time.”
Jesse lunged as they walked away, but Dana pressed her back into the booth and spun to face her. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she whispered.
“She—”
“She nothing. You know half this place is filled with industry people. How could you let her get to you like that?”
So much for loyalty. “Are you serious right now? She acted like nothing happened.”
“And now everyone in this restaurant knows exactly what happened. Is that what you wanted?”
The message hit Jesse like a runaway bus. What had been only gossip before had just been confirmed. By Jesse. She was the one left behind. And now she was the crazy one attacking Taylor in a restaurant.
“I’m going to be sick,” she mumbled, dropping her forehead onto the table.
“Let’s just get out of here.” Dana grabbed her jacket off the seat. “Come on.”
Jesse followed blindly, avoiding eye contact with the other patrons as they marched toward the exit, but the hum of whispers couldn’t be ignored. If Jesse hadn’t been the most pathetic artist in town already, she definitely was now.
And this time, she had only herself to blame.
“Mr. Shepherd, could I speak to you a moment?”
Ms. Darby’s request took Ash by surprise. Anything she wanted to discuss about the academy should include Millie.
“Do you have more questions about the kids’ performances?”
She shook her head, and dark waves twirled around her face. “No, I wanted to ask about something else.”
Millie cut him a sly smile. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby.” With that, she left the pair alone as Mr. Holmes had already departed.
“Okay, Ms. Darby. What can I do for you?”
“I’ve heard you’re working with Jesse Gold.”
Not sure where this was going, he replied, “Yes. I’m producing her debut album.”
The television producer stepped to the door, looked both ways down the hall, and then closed them in. “Do you think she might be interested in being part of the Christmas show?”
Would she? Making her solo television debut before Taylor would not only help Jesse’s career, but quite possibly make her year.
“I don’t see why not. Have you contacted her manager, Silas Fillmore?”
She made a sour face. “Jacob scratched her off the invite list. In fact, he’s scratched off nearly every female artist I suggested.” Ash sensed a revolt in the air. “Most of them weren’t likely to accept anyway, but I met Jesse when the Honkytonk Daisies first came out, and I really liked her. With the rumors floating around, I don’t think she’s getting a fair shake.”
If Ms. Darby was looking for allies for her mutiny, she’d just found one.
“I can almost guarantee that Jesse would accept if she was asked, but will your Mr. Holmes let that happen?” The last thing he would tolerate was Jesse receiving an invitation only to have it revoked in short order.
Green eyes twinkled as a dark brow arched. “I’ll handle Mr. Holmes, if you’ll put in a good word with Jesse.”
Extending a hand, Ash said, “Consider it done.”
Instead of the quick shake he’d expected, Ms. Darby held on. “Now for a more personal question. Would you like to have dinner sometime?”
So this is what Millie’s smile had been about. Somehow Ash had missed the signs and was caught off guard. Melissa Darby was pretty, with a nice smile and emerald eyes that sparkled as she held his gaze. The tailored suit accentuated shapely curves, and more importantly, she’d displayed intelligence, ambition, and excellent instincts where Jesse was concerned. He’d be an idiot to turn her down.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” Ash heard himself say, watching the green eyes dim. “But I appreciate the offer.”
Ms. Darby didn’t ask for a reason, which he appreciated since Ash didn’t have one.
“Well, it was worth a shot.” Whipping a business card from her pocket, she pressed it into his hand. “In case you change your mind.”
Ash nodded as he slipped the card into his back pocket. “You’ll be the first to know if I do,” he muttered lamely.
She flashed an attractive smile as she opened the door. “Until next time, then.”
A bit befuddled, he replied, “Until next time.”
He found Millie waiting in the reception area, and she pressed the button for the elevator as he approached. The doors slid open, and they stepped on together. As they closed, she said, “So?”
“So what?” he asked, still trying to figure out why he’d turned down the invite.
“What did Ms. Darby want?”
“To know if Jesse Gold would be interesting in participating in the show.” Ash saw no reason to share the other part.
Millie looked confused. “Jesse Gold?”
“You met her last Saturday at the center. I brought her in to play with the kids.”
“Oh, yes. That pretty little redhead you’re working w
ith.” The director tilted her head. “Is that all she wanted?”
Ash ignored the obvious suggestion in her tone. Millie knew what Ms. Darby had really wanted, but he had no plans to confirm her suspicions.
“Yep. That was it.”
“I could have sworn…” she whispered more to herself than to him.
Which provided Ash the perfect opportunity to embrace his right to remain silent until they reached the parking lot and went their separate ways. The duration of the drive home was spent pondering his unexpected response. Why not go to dinner with a beautiful, successful woman? No answer came until he pulled into his drive to find Jesse waiting on his front steps.
“Right,” he mumbled to himself. “That’s why.”
Nineteen
Jesse sat cross-legged on her swing with Brutus’s head in her lap. They’d put the swing on Ash’s back porch, uninstalled, of course, until Jesse found a new home for it and herself. After the Daisies breakup, this had been Jesse’s safe place. Where she’d written some of her best songs and cried the most tears. Even without the swaying motion, the swing was still her port in a storm, and the only place she wanted to be today.
Within minutes of arriving at Dana and Ingrid’s, Jesse had hopped in her Jeep with no destination in mind. She’d made an ass of herself today, with Dana—and anyone spending their Friday lunch hour at Burger Republic—to bear witness. When was she going to wake up and stop acting like a helpless victim?
Until today, Jesse had blamed everyone else for her downfall. Taylor’s desertion screwed up her career. Ryan’s cheating broke her heart. The unknown source of gossip—be it Dennis Kohlman or someone else—had ruined her reputation. But the common denominator in all of these messes was Jesse. Why would her duet partner walk away? Why would her boyfriend cheat? Why would anyone call her difficult?
What was Jesse doing to make all of these things happen?
“I’m a basket case, Brutus,” she said, stroking the dog’s head. “A complete basket case.”
“But you’re a cute basket case,” Ash drawled from the doorway. When Jesse didn’t laugh, he strolled over and lowered himself onto the seat beside her. “Want to tell me about it?”
Jesse was surprised he hadn’t heard the story by now. “I ran into Taylor today.”
Ash whistled through his teeth. “Didn’t go well, huh?”
She cut him a droll look. “No, it didn’t.”
“Let me hear it,” he said, leaning back and taking her with him.
Jesse surrendered and laid her head on his shoulder. “It was awful. I don’t even remember what all I said, but it was loud enough for the entire restaurant to hear.”
“So you had an audience?” he asked, his thumb rubbing up and down her arm.
“Yeah. Dana and I went to Burger Republic after seeing an apartment. Taylor said she missed me and that she was sorry to hear about me and Ryan. I snapped and even poked her in the shoulder, which was ridiculously lame. Then Kohlman walked over and made some snide comment.” Jesse ground her teeth. “I can’t stand that man.”
“Did she fight back?”
“What?” she said, turning to look into his face.
“Did she fight back?” he repeated.
Taylor had defended her choice to say hello, but she hadn’t met Jesse jab for jab. “No, she didn’t. She said she didn’t mean to cause a scene, and she claimed that she left the act because of an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.” That one still hurt. “An opportunity that required leaving me behind.”
They sat in silence for a while, the dog’s fur soft beneath her hand and Ash’s steady breathing beneath her cheek. They’d spent many nights this way. Either looking at the stars from the hood of a car or huddled under a blanket on the couch watching movies. Life had been so simple back then. With Ash by her side, anything had seemed possible. Now, everything felt endlessly complicated.
“There’s something wrong with me,” she mumbled.
“No, there isn’t,” he assured her with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder.
“Yes, there is. The rumors are right. I am difficult. And cranky and defensive and my own worst enemy.” Pressing her nose into his shirt, she murmured, “I suck.” A split second later, Jesse’s view of the world changed as she found herself perched atop Ash’s lap. “Wha—”
“This crap of blaming yourself for other people’s actions has to stop. None of us are perfect. We have bad days and lose our temper. We make bad choices and suffer the consequences. On other days, we do extraordinary things and make the world a better place.” He ran a finger across her brow. “This distorted idea that you are somehow fatally flawed, and therefore deserve all the bad that’s happened to you in the last few months, is bullshit. Stop blaming yourself for everything, Jesse. The only mistake you made was to care about the wrong people. And lucky for you, they’re both out of your life.”
Dazed by the warm body beneath her and the passion in his speech, Jesse could only stare in silence into his beautiful amber eyes.
“Are you hearing me?” he asked, giving her shoulder a gentle shake.
“Yes,” she replied, full sentences still illusive.
“Good. Because there are people who care about you. And I, for one, am tired of hearing you beat yourself up.”
As his words sank in, a warmth spread through Jesse’s chest. “You care about me?” she whispered, though he’d proven as much every minute since they’d reunited.
Ash trailed his thumb along her jaw. “I never stopped caring about you, Jesse. You have to know that.”
She did know that. And as her heart kicked in her chest, Jesse leaned in to show him that she’d never stopped caring either.
The moment Jesse’s lips met his, Ash pulled her in close, and she melted in his arms. She was as familiar as his own name, and as foreign as a strange new language on his tongue. His hands explored soft curves, warm skin, and silky copper curls. This is what he’d missed and feared he’d never have again. Jesse twisted to straddle his thighs and when she ground her core against him, his body went hard.
Ash deepened the kiss, his hands cupping her bottom as she purred with pleasure. She spread her knees to settle hot and desperate against his erection seconds before Ash found himself nearly deafened.
Jesse jerked back, wide-eyed and red-lipped, and Brutus nudged her shoulder before barking again. For several seconds, they stared at each other as if surprised by their unexpected proximity. And then Jesse covered her mouth to hold in the laughter. Ash wasn’t feeling all that amused.
“This mutt needs to go home.”
The mirth escaped then. A sound that was music to his ears. “I think he’s trying to protect me.”
Ash shifted her onto the swing and rose to his feet before dragging her up with him. “He’s going to need protection if he doesn’t go home.” After giving the dog a quick scratch behind the ear, he said, “Go on, boy. Go see your mom.”
In defiance, Brutus planted his butt next to Jesse’s leg and growled. The sound wasn’t menacing, but he was definitely showing a change of allegiance.
“I need to start closing that gate,” Ash murmured.
Jesse poked him in the gut. “You will not. This dog loves you.”
“Then why’d he interrupt the best kiss I’ve had in years?”
He hadn’t meant to make such a confession, but he regretted nothing when Jesse flashed a heart-stopping smile. “It wasn’t so bad for me, either.”
Knowing the moment had passed, Ash ran a hand through his hair. “I guess he can stay. You want something to eat before we get back to work?” Not that he wanted food in that moment, but he was his mother’s son and that meant no one went hungry in his home.
“Since we left the restaurant before eating, a little food would be nice.” As Ash turned to walk away, she wrapped slender fingers around his wrist. “Thank you for being such a good guy.”
He didn’t feel like a good guy. Dimitri had broken her heart less than a week ago, leaving
Jesse vulnerable and alone. Any guy would have to be an asshole to take advantage of her right now.
As if reading his thoughts, she added, “Nothing that just happened was because of Ryan. I need you to know that.”
Ash hoped that was true. If he was going to step back into her life, Dimitri needed to be completely out of it. “Are you sure of that?”
She nodded, eyes dark and locked on his as all the years between their last kiss and this one fell away. They lingered there, bodies inches apart, and he fought the urge to carry her inside and explore every delicious curve she had to offer. Ash reached to pull her in when a phone rang, the chime muffled as if coming from under something.
Jesse looked down. “My phone must have come out of my pocket.” Retrieving the cell from beneath the swing, she checked the screen, and her face fell. “It’s Silas. He must have heard about what happened.”
The mention of her manager’s name reminded Ash of the morning meeting and Ms. Darby’s initial inquiry.
“Maybe not,” he said. “Answer it.”
She shot him a doubtful look as she followed the order. “Hey, Silas.” Ash couldn’t hear the voice on the other end but could tell by Jesse’s expression that the old man wasn’t scolding her. “Are you serious?” she said, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Did you tell her yes?” Another pause and her face brightened even more. “That’s fantastic! Send over the list of songs, and I’ll narrow it down by Monday. Thanks, Si,” she added before cutting off the call and bouncing up and down. “I’m going to be on a Christmas special!”
“That’s great,” he said. “I’m glad they called.”
Jesse halted her celebration. “You don’t sound surprised. Did you know about this?” Before he could speak, she put two and two together and got the wrong answer. “Oh my gosh. This is the same special you had a meeting about this morning. You got me onto the show.”
Ash held his hands up in front of him. “I had nothing to do with it. One of the producers caught me after the meeting because she heard I was working with you. Do you remember meeting Melissa Darby?”