“Don’t worry,” I said. “There are way more famous people than me around if people want to see a celebrity.”
She playfully pushed me away. “Stop being humble.”
“No, it’s true.”
Her eyes glowed as we got out of the car. “Like who are you talking about?”
I shrugged. “Lots of celebrities have homes here. Like Madonna, for one. Robert DeNiro, I think? Jay-Z and Beyoncé. But I think they all also have other homes elsewhere.” I leaned in as if sharing a secret. “You know, despite what you may think, all celebrities don’t know one another.”
Her face fell. “So what you’re saying is you can’t introduce me to Chris Hemsworth?”
“Sadly, no.”
“How about Chris Pratt? Chris Evans? Really, any of the Chrisses will do.”
I frowned. “Hey.”
She laughed. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
“I thought you weren’t into Marvel movies.”
“I never said that,” she said. “Besides, a girl can appreciate the Chrisses without liking superhero movies.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I don’t know how I feel about this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Relax. Most of them are married with children. Anyway, it’s about time you got a taste of your own medicine. Remember the tits-and-ass debate from high school?”
I ducked my head in shame. Tyler and I had once had an animated, elaborate debate about which asset was more attractive in a woman. Pie charts and diagrams might have been involved. I couldn’t even remember which side I’d argued for, but if Tyler and I had put a fraction of that effort into our schoolwork, we would both have ended up in the Ivy League. “It was all in good fun,” I muttered. In retrospect, the teenage versions of Tyler and me were shitheads sometimes. Leah had been a saint to put up with us.
“So I’m just saying, if you meet a Chris and he’s single, slip him my number, okay?” she teased.
I wrapped an arm around her and pressed my lips to her forehead. “Over my dead body.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a satisfied smirk form on her face. I nearly laughed. She was yanking my chain on purpose, and I was thrilled about it, because it meant she was letting her guard down. In any event, I probably deserved everything she dished out. As much as Tyler complained about being the third wheel, Leah had played that role, as well, simply because she was the only girl in our motley trio.
We walked to the edge of the park and looked out over the water at the Statue of Liberty. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the island? There’s a ferry.”
“That would take too long,” she said. “And I want to see other things too.”
“So… What do you think?” I made a sweeping arm gesture.
She pursed her lips. “It’s a lot smaller than I thought it would be.”
“That’s what she said.” I couldn’t help it—it just slipped out. All the thinking about how immature Tyler and I had been must have brought it out in me. To be fair, she’d given me the perfect setup.
Leah smiled slyly. “This girl has never said that.” She sauntered away, swinging her hips and looking at me over her shoulder. Fuck. She had no idea how sexy she was.
My dick swelled, but more importantly, so did my heart. That girl was mine, and her comment gave me hope that she was finally ready to accept it.
Chapter 16
Leah
Despite having driven to New York from Virginia and going to Battery Park, our day still wasn’t over. Gabe was due at Madison Square Garden for a sound check, but we’d spent so long sightseeing that we didn’t have time for a proper dinner. In the middle of the drive there, Gabe suddenly asked our driver to stop. Before I could ask him what was going on, he’d jumped out of the car and run into a tiny pizza place. We ate the slices in the car after Gabe showed me how to properly fold and eat a New York slice.
When we pulled up to the Garden, I gawked. The place was massive, and that was saying something, considering that it was in the middle of New York City. While the surrounding buildings were tall and skinny, this one was wide and squat, taking up the entire block. We turned a corner, and I was greeted by a Godzilla-sized image of Gabe’s latest album cover on the marquee. Shot from the back, he held his guitar at his side and looked over his shoulder as if the photographer had surprised him. It was one of his better album covers, though I was partial to the first one, simply because in that one, he more closely resembled the Gabe I’d known.
After my recent time with him, I wondered if I’d still feel that way when his next album came out. He was fundamentally the same person he’d been at eighteen, but he’d matured and worked out his insecurities. He’d grown confident in his own skin in a way that most teenagers weren’t. Of course, it probably helped that he had millions of adoring fans.
“I guess you weren’t lying about being a headliner,” I said.
“Nope.” He looked up at the image with a kind of resigned expression on his face. I wondered if it was weird for him to see himself like that, or if he’d gotten used to it. I didn’t think that was something I would ever get accustomed to.
The image changed to one of David Franz then to a rapper I didn’t recognize. “Wow, that’s quite a range of music.”
“They’re trying something new this year to appeal to a wider audience. Rock on the first night and hip-hop on the second night.”
“Smart.”
The driver took us around the building to what looked to be a private entrance. It turned out to be the employee entrance, which was underwhelming to say the least. Gabe caught me eying a dumpster full of cardboard boxes and grinned at me. “This is the glamorous side of stardom.”
We went down a series of hallways then up a service elevator before finally making it to the floor. Turning slowly, I looked up at all the seats. It was wild that bodies would fill every single one the following evening, all to see Gabe—well, Gabe and about a dozen other performers. It wasn’t his first time here, though. He’d managed to sell out the arena on his own. I already knew what a big deal Gabe was, but somehow, being there made me realize it all the more.
The next day, when the space was filled with screaming fans, was going to hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Oh, good,” Gabe said. “David and Liam are here.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Liam Oliver?”
Grinning, Gabe took my hand. “Yeah. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
Liam Oliver had been the youngest member of the biggest boy band in the world when he was only thirteen. He’d left Misdirection when he was eighteen to strike out on his own. The band fizzled out shortly thereafter. The other members also had solo careers, but none were as successful as Liam’s.
My inner twelve-year-old was about to pee her pants. One of the only things I’d asked for for Christmas that year was a life-sized Liam Oliver poster. I’d tacked it above my bed, where it had remained for years. I wondered if Gabe knew about it. Probably not, or he’d be teasing me mercifully.
I combed my fingers through my hair. “How do I look?”
“Gorgeous as usual.” Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “On second thought, maybe I don’t want to introduce you.”
Yup, definitely doesn’t know about the poster. Thank God. “Jealous? That’s twice in one day.” That knowledge amused me, though I was the only one who had reason to worry. Gabe was a superstar, and I was just… me. It hadn’t mattered before because my certainty that we wouldn’t work together had made it a non-issue. Now, though, for the first time since he’d gotten back, I wanted to be enough for him.
The thought was troubling.
Gabe eyed me. “Do I have reason to be?”
I didn’t have a chance to respond because Liam had caught sight of Gabe and was walking over. Gabe released my hand so they could do a bro hug, pounding one another on the back.
“Gabe, where ya been? You dropped off the face of the Earth.”
“Cedar Creek.” At Liam’s blank stare, Gabe
explained, “My hometown. You won’t find it on any maps.”
“Right on.” Liam flashed his famous smile at me, and a nervous giggle slipped out. Oh, God. “And who’s this?”
“This is Leah.”
Liam’s attention turned to Gabe, and his eyebrows shot up. “Leah? As in…”
“Yes. My Leah.”
My Leah… He’d said it as if it were a fact. He’d been telling me as much for weeks, but somehow, hearing him say it to someone from his world made it seem real. My heart swelled, and my stomach twisted.
Oh, God. It took all I had to keep myself from hyperventilating. If I was his Leah, then maybe he really was my Gabe. Hope, that fiendish foe, took hold.
Bowing, Liam took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. “In that case, I’m especially glad to meet you.” The absurdity of his action chased my thoughts away.
It was my turn to raise my brows. “Really?” I said slowly, looking at Gabe. If I expected him to be embarrassed, I would have been disappointed.
He met my gaze evenly. “Liam is a good friend, so he knows all about you.”
It was surreal that the biggest tween heartthrob of my generation knew who I was. Shit. Maybe that wasn’t such a good thing, because I could imagine that until recently, Gabe hadn’t had many nice things to say about me. I couldn’t be upset about that, though, because it was my own fault.
“Gabe Gable to the stage, please. Gabe Gable.”
“Duty calls,” Gabe said. “Watch out for my girl, will you, Liam?”
Liam grinned and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Absolutely.”
Gabe’s eyes darkened. “Hands off, man.”
Liam put his hands up in a no harm, no foul gesture. “My bad.” At first, the interaction made me nervous, as I thought my presence was causing a problem for these two, but then they both grinned like idiots.
Gabe trotted toward the stage, leaving me with Liam. Awkward. Small talk didn’t come easily for me under normal circumstances, and this was anything but normal. Liam Freaking Oliver was babysitting me.
Liam tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “So Leah…”
I looked at him expectantly, but he didn’t finish his thought. “Yes?”
“Just trying to wrap my head around meeting the mythical Leah in the flesh.”
I laughed. “Seriously? You’re thrown by meeting me?” If he had any idea that my twelve-year-old self had spent her entire middle school career daydreaming about him, he would change his tune.
“It isn’t every day I meet a muse.”
I scoffed. “I’m not a muse.”
He grinned. “You realize that ninety percent of Gabe’s songs are about you.”
I had realized that about some of them, but it felt conceited to admit it. Plus, it’s not as if I’d asked Gabe about the more recent songs, so I couldn’t be certain. “Maybe a few,” I hedged. “His earlier ones.”
Liam shook his head. “No way, sweetheart. John Legend has Chrissy Teigen, and Gabe Gable has Leah… shit. I don’t know your last name.”
“Jacobson.”
“Gabe Gable has Leah Jacobson.”
His Leah, his Leah, his Leah… I repeated it over and over in my mind, trying to get used to it. Then I realized I would never be used to it, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be. I cocked my head. “So who does Liam Oliver have?”
“No one.” He grinned. “That’s why my lyrics are shit.”
“Millions of fans would disagree with you.”
“Let’s hope those fans are willing to open their wallets tomorrow to donate to SOCK.”
“You know what would really get people to shell out?” I asked with a gleam in my eye. “A Misdirection reunion.” Every twenty-something would pay with their own blood to see that. There were rumors of a serious rift between the bandmates, but nothing had been substantiated.
Liam groaned. “You wound me, Leah. Am I not enough on my own?”
For a split second, I was worried I’d actually offended him. It took only another second to realize Liam was full of shit. Gabe had a way of picking friends who had that characteristic in common. What does that say about me?
I noticed that Liam had dodged discussing his relationship with his former bandmates with his response. Guess I’m not getting the dirt. Well played, Liam.
“Figures you’d disappear and find a cute girl to flirt with!” called a female voice.
I looked up to see a thin, modelesque-looking woman approaching. With her high cheekbones, green eyes, and mane of dark hair, she looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her. She was gorgeous, and though she was only wearing jeans and a T-shirt like me, she could have taken them onto the runway and turned heads.
“I’m on my best behavior,” Liam retorted. “This one is taken.”
“When has that ever stopped you?”
Liam scowled. “Hey. That’s not true.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Someone can’t take a joke.” With a smile, she extended her hand. “I’m Ellie.”
I shook it. “Leah. I’m Gabe’s friend from home.”
“His friend, huh?” Ellie said with an expression that clearly showed she thought I was the one full of shit. Jeez, does everyone know about me? Gabe should have warned me. But what would he have said? Guess what, Leah? All my friends I’m about to introduce you to? Well, I used to complain to them about what a two-timing bitch you are.
Yikes. But neither Liam nor Ellie seemed put off by me, so I wondered what Gabe had actually said. It dawned on me that I shouldn’t care because I would likely never see these people again. Gabe would soon leave Cedar Creek… and me.
Unless…
Damn you, hope.
“Are you performing tomorrow?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t making a faux pas. I still couldn’t place her, and her name hadn’t helped.
“Me? Oh, hell no. They couldn’t pay me enough.”
“No one is getting paid,” Liam quipped. “That’s the point of a benefit concert. We’re donating our time.”
Ellie pursed her lips. “You know what I mean.”
“Ellie doesn’t perform,” Liam explained. “She ought to, but she doesn’t.”
She lifted her nose slightly. “I’m happy in my lane, thank you very much.”
I believed her. This was a woman who seemed to know who she was and was comfortable in that skin.
Liam saved me from having to ask which lane that was. “Ellie is a songwriter. Name a singer, and she’s probably written a song for them.”
“He’s exaggerating.”
“And she’s being modest,” Liam countered. “Do a search for Eleanor Franz, and you’ll see I’m not lying.”
I snapped my fingers as recognition dawned on me. “Oh, you’re David Franz’s daughter.” God, I was an idiot. Firstly, for snapping my fingers like a halfwit, and secondly, for not realizing who she was sooner. Ellie could have been the twin of her mother, supermodel Cynthia Crawley, which was why I thought she looked familiar. Cynthia and David had only been involved for a split second, just long enough for Ellie to be conceived. After David divorced his first wife, the mother of Peter, Tony, and Steve, he’d sown his wild oats, resulting in four children with four different women over the span of two decades. Strangely enough, the entire family was amicable in Bruce Willis and Demi Moore fashion.
If Ellie took notice of my awkwardness, she didn’t call attention to it. “That’s me.”
“That’s right, she is.” David Franz—the David Franz—came up beside her and kissed her cheek. I wasn’t as into music as Gabe was, obviously, but the man was a legend. If I wasn’t starstruck before, I certainly was now. He smiled at me. “Hi, I’m David.”
“Yes, I know.” My voice came out high-pitched and painful to listen to. I cleared my throat. “It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Leah.”
“Oh, please don’t call me ‘sir.’ It makes me feel old.”
Ellie didn’t miss a beat. “Isn’t your fourth
grandchild due any day now?”
“And I’m pretty sure I heard your song playing on the oldies station the other day,” Liam chimed in.
Sighing, David met my gaze. “You see what I put up with? This new generation… they’re all punks. With their digital this and digital that. Anyone can sound good if they’re mixed and autotuned to hell. Vinyl separated the men from the boys.”
“Just men and boys?” Ellie asked. “What about the women and girls?”
David looked affectionately at his daughter. “My daughter, the feminist. Yes, the women and girls too. Remember, I was there for the women’s lib movement. I supported it. Still do.”
“This isn’t exactly supporting your ‘I’m not old’ argument,” Liam said. “Just sayin’.”
Gabe came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close. I got the impression he was claiming me. Just the day before in Cedar Creek, I would have pulled away, but I was okay with it. I tried not to analyze that, because I wanted to enjoy the moment. Right then, I decided that would be my motto for the trip—don’t overthink and just enjoy the moment.
“I see you’ve met the old man,” Gabe said.
“Jesus H. Christ,” David exclaimed. He looked to me for support again. “See? Punks? The lot of them.”
I laughed, and Gabe separated from me to hug David. “It’s been too long,” Gabe said.
“It has,” David agreed. “You should come out to the ranch. We’ll lay down some stuff in my studio. Bring your girl.”
“Tell me when, and I’ll be there,” Gabe said.
“I guess it’s time for me to go drink my Ensure and put on my Depends.” David cast a sour look at the three younger people who had been needling him. “You young whippersnappers have a good night.”
After David had shuffled off, the edges of Liam’s mouth quirked into a smile, and he met each of our gazes. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“If it involves tequila the night before a nationally televised show, then hell no,” Gabe said.
Liam shoved Gabe playfully. “Now who’s the old man?”
Back To You (In Tune Book 1) Page 15