Ellie glanced at the clock on the wall. “Liam goes on in about twenty minutes. You want to see him, right?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “I want to see everyone.”
Ellie laughed. “Then we definitely need to get you a drink.” She led me farther into the room to a small bar staffed with a bartender. I got a glass of wine to calm my nerves along with a glass of water, since I hadn’t had anything to eat since the room service Gabe and I had eaten in bed earlier this afternoon. Perhaps I should have asked the driver to stop somewhere so I could have picked up something. I needn’t have worried though, because the sea of people parted, revealing a buffet of fancy food.
Ellie noticed me eying it. “Help yourself. The chicken whatever-that-is is good.”
As I was scarfing down the food, I watched the TV feed of the celebrities manning the phones. I did a double take as the camera panned over a blonde and brunette. I wouldn’t know it from looking at them now, but they were identical twins who had starred in a tween show called Sisters Squared. I had been equally as obsessed with that as I had been with Misdirection.
“Is that really Kassidy and Katelyn Sterling?” Katelyn Sterling had left acting and dropped off the map for years. She’d resurfaced recently, but she hadn’t returned to acting. Rather, she was engaged to Wyatt Archer, an up-and-coming pro quarterback.
“It is!” Ellie said enthusiastically. “It turns out that Wyatt Archer is in town for a football game tomorrow, so Kassidy talked her sister into doing this. I met them both earlier. Kassidy is about what you’d expect, but Katelyn is a real sweetheart. So down-to-earth.”
For a moment, I was sorry I’d missed that, but I quickly thought better of it. The way I’d spent my afternoon was nothing to be disappointed about.
Once I’d finished eating, Ellie linked her arm with mine and led me to the aforementioned seats. I was so grateful she was there to help me navigate the concert. I should have known better than to think Gabe would leave me hanging.
The stage was on the floor of the arena, and the rest of it had been filled with folding chairs. Our seats were in the permanent seating, at a forty-five degree angle to the stage. The view was amazing.
A singer I didn’t know was just finishing. After her final song, she said a quick “good night” and ran off stage. With no music, the arena became just quiet enough to talk without yelling. Ellie leaned in close to my ear. “They’re running a few minutes behind schedule. Liam should be on as soon as they reset the stage. Maybe about ten minutes.”
I practically bounced with excitement in my seat. Before I totally forgot, I took a picture of my view of the stage and texted it to Lacey.
She responded immediately.
LACEY: OMG! So jealous!
ME: I know, right? Guess who I met last night?
LACEY: Who? Don’t leave me in suspense!
ME: LIAM OLIVER!!!!!!!!
LACEY: Holy crap!
As I tucked my phone away, I wondered how Lacey would react to my new status with Gabe. For so long, it had just been the two of us, which sounded lonelier than it was. There were so many details Gabe and I needed to figure out for us to make it work, and Lacey was the most important. Though she was technically an adult at eighteen, I wasn’t going to abandon her. I had Gabe, but Lacey had no one else.
The tech crew scurried around the stage, resetting it for Liam’s set. Finally, the spotlights swirled across the stage as the drummer played a beat. A moment later, Liam ran onto the stage with his guitar strapped across his back. “What’s up, New Yooorrrkkkk!”
With the way the crowd went wild, one might have thought he’d said something terribly original. I couldn’t judge, though. I hooted and clapped along with them. I’d have been excited to see Liam Oliver perform under any circumstances, but it had more meaning since I’d gotten to know him a little last night.
He swung his guitar to the front and picked out a melody that sounded vaguely familiar. “You know,” he said into the microphone. “Last night, a friend suggested that this concert would raise more money for kids’ cancer research if I’d have invited a few friends to perform with me tonight.” He stopped playing for a moment and grinned at the audience, panning his gaze across them and probably making more than a few girls squeal as he made eye contact. “I think you know which friends I’m talking about.”
I gasped. Ellie elbowed me with a grin. Was that you? she mouthed.
I nodded, oddly pleased that he’d mentioned me on stage, even if only Ellie and I realized it. I hoped Lacey was watching so I could fill her in later.
Liam resumed playing, and I finally recognized that he was playing one of Misdirection’s biggest hits. What a tease. “I said she was wrong, and you know I don’t want to be shown up. So let’s prove her wrong, okay? Pledge those Benjamins, and let’s help the scientists and doctors kick cancer’s ass.”
He stepped back from the mic, and the band broke into his latest single. Liam was an amazing performer, appearing very comfortable on stage. He ought to have been, considering that he’d been performing for a decade. His second song was more upbeat, and Ellie and I stood so we could dance. Grinning at me, she grabbed my hand and bumped her hip to mine. Though I’d only just met her, I could tell she was the kind of person I’d want to be lifelong friends with. Gabe certainly had good taste in people.
Liam finished his set and bid the crowd goodnight. Since so many acts were performing, there were no encores, which was kind of a bummer. There were several songs of his I would have liked to have heard.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach as I wondered what was on Gabe’s set list. He was a world-class performer, but I couldn’t help but be nervous for him in the same way I was nervous when Lacey and her friends had performed in the ninth-grade talent show.
“Are you thirsty?” Ellie asked.
I was parched, but I didn’t want to risk missing a single second of Gabe’s performance. “I’m okay for now.”
She patted my arm. “You stay here. If I run, I have time to grab some bottles of water and make it back.” She took off jogging up the stairs before I could respond, though it probably didn’t matter if she missed a song or two, since she’d likely seen him perform at least a dozen times.
I wrung my hands, watching as concertgoers gleefully stared at the stage in anticipation of Gabe. I bet some of them had posters of him tacked up in their bedrooms just like the one I’d had of Misdirection. It was surreal.
Ellie slid into her seat and thrust a bottle of water at me just as the lights dimmed. I immediately started tearing the paper label off.
Ellie put her hands over mine. “Relax. He’s a pro.”
Yeah, but I’m not. Other than Gabe’s small local shows when he was a teen, this was the only concert I’d been to. At the edge of the stage, I could just barely make out Gabe adjusting the monitor in his ear. He shrugged his shoulders and lightly bounced on his feet. He looked calm and happy, not at all the bundle of nerves I was.
I took Ellie’s advice and forced myself to relax. Gabe was born for this.
As he walked onto the stage, I stared in awe at the man I was in love with—at the man who was in love with me.
Then he stepped up to the mic.
Gabe
“I’m Gabe Gable, and this is ‘Outta My Mind.’”
I went straight into a song from my debut album. It was mid-tempo and kind of folky, a nice way to ease into my set. When I came to the chorus, the audience started singing along. I chuckled. “I see you know this one.” The crowd cheered with approval. Audiences were funny like that. I could say something about licking monkey nuts, and they’d still probably cheer. Not that I was ready to test that theory.
There was only one person in the audience I cared about. As I went into the second verse, I scanned the seats to the side of the stage, where Ellie had said they’d be. My eyes locked with Leah’s, and I lifted my chin in acknowledgment. She blew me a kiss.
I’d been waiting for that kiss my whol
e damn career.
Music had always been my dream, but she was supposed to be by my side as I chased it. Perhaps that was why I had always felt like something was missing.
The past was in the past, though, and the future looked bright as hell with Leah in it.
I switched out my acoustic guitar for my electric and slid into my second song, a bluesy number that many had likened to John Mayer’s blues stuff. It was one of my favorite songs to play live because it wasn’t strict like my other songs. Blues was all about improvisation, so no two performances were alike.
My next few songs were my top hits. With a performance like that, where my set was limited and the whole purpose was to raise money, it was best to give the audience what they wanted.
For my final song, I switched back to the acoustic. It had been a last-minute addition to my set, one I’d decided on just before walking onstage.
“This is a new song,” I told the audience. “It’s not even finished yet, so it’ll just be me playing, but I thought you might want a preview.” The crowd roared. I slid my gaze over to Leah, who was watching me intently. “It’s called ‘Back to You.’”
The song was a ballad, and normally I ended my sets with a more upbeat number, but this one was inside of me, fighting to burst free. The last bit had fallen into place just hours earlier, while I’d been lying in bed with Leah.
Everything had fallen into place. I’d never felt more centered or free.
I would have liked to have been able to watch the rest of the concert with Leah, but I had to stay backstage. For the grand finale, David called both Liam and me to the stage to play his final song with him. If that didn’t bring in money, I didn’t know what would.
Actually, I did. We recorded the song, and the proceeds from the sales of it would go to SOCK. There were a lot of things about the business that could make me feel sleazy, and the benefit was a good reminder of the good the music community could do if we could only get our heads out of our asses.
The after-party was being held at a swanky new rooftop bar. Ellie and Leah had gone ahead, because I needed to stay for a meet and greet with some of the large donors. Most of the attendees were kids whose rich parents had shelled out big bucks so their spoiled kids could meet their idols. Whatever. If they had money to burn, at least it was going toward a good cause.
By the time I’d fulfilled my obligations and made it to the party, it was already in full swing. The venue was way too small for the number of people there, and I swore that organizers did that on purpose sometimes. It forced people to interact, creating photo ops for the photographers that were milling about, trying and failing to blend in.
I only made it a few feet inside before Kassidy Sterling wrapped her arms around my neck. “Long time, no see, lover.” Her breath was hot on my ear.
My inner voice screamed, Danger! Danger! Kassidy and I had been an item for all of about a month. The tabloids had had a field day with it. She was nice enough—just not my brand of crazy.
I carefully unwound her arms. “Nice to see you, Kassidy. How ya been?”
Taking the hint, she stepped back, but her lips formed a pout. “Oh, you know. Never better. I liked your new song.”
“Thanks.” Jesus. I hoped she wasn’t under the impression that it had been directed at her. I could never tell what she was thinking. Despite her train wreck of a personal life, she actually was a talented actress.
Liam came up beside me and clapped me on the shoulder. “How the hell did you get out of there so quickly? You’re a damn ghost, man.”
Perfect timing. I grinned at him. “Liam, have you met Kassidy?”
His mouth stretched into a sly smile. “I have not.”
Kassidy held her hand out like a queen waiting for her subject to kiss it. Luckily for her, that was Liam’s signature move. “I’m Kassidy Sterling.”
“Oh, I know,” Liam drawled. “Liam Oliver.”
She giggled. “And I definitely know who you are. The producers of Sisters Squared tried to get Misdirection on the show in a guest spot, but you were on tour in Europe. I was sooo disappointed.” She tilted her head and placed a carefully manicured finger on her lower lip. I didn’t know if I’d done Liam a favor or set him up.
But with Kassidy occupied, I was able to slip away to seek out Leah. I found her and Ellie standing near the bar. Ellie was used to events like these since she’d grown up attending them. Leah, on the other hand, was clutching her drink like her life depended on it. Hanging out with Leah wasn’t a chore, but I still owed Ellie one. She was good people.
“Don’t worry,” Ellie told me. “I didn’t let anything happen to her.”
“Thanks.” My comment was directed to Ellie, but I only had eyes for Leah. I took her hand and yanked her against me, pressing my lips to hers. It felt so good to finally be able to do that wherever and whenever I wanted. I planned to take full advantage.
“Hello to you too,” Ellie muttered. “I guess I’ll just go entertain myself.” I barely heard her. I’d waited all night to get back to Leah, and I kissed her like I hadn’t seen her in years instead of having been naked with her just hours earlier.
When we parted, Leah took a shaky breath, her eyes still closed. “Wow. I think my toes are tingling.”
I brought my mouth to her ear. “Just your toes?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“Are you having a good time?”
She blinked at my seemingly abrupt topic change. “I’ve had an amazing time. Thank God for Ellie, though. I would have been lost without her.”
“Oh, okay.” I trailed my finger along her cheek. “I was just thinking that if you weren’t having a good time, we could get out of here.”
Leah immediately picked up on my meaning and discarded her drink on a passing server’s tray. “In that case, I’m having a terrible time.”
I laced my fingers through hers. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 19
Gabe
The next day, we went to Central Park and strolled hand in hand down the sidewalks.
“I loved ‘Back to You,’” Leah said. “When did you write it?”
“I started it when we camped out with Tyler, but the final part of it came to me yesterday afternoon.” Some songs were like that—wisps of an idea circling until they landed in my brain, fully formed. Others took months of teasing out. I couldn’t say that one way produced better songs.
“Holy shit.” Her eyes widened. “You were brave to perform only hours after finishing it.”
I shrugged. “Either brave or stupid.”
Leah smiled and squeezed my hand. “Brave. Definitely brave. Though you could have mesmerized the audience with ‘Mary had a Little Lamb.’”
“Eh…” I didn’t deny it. I’d heard some awesome covers of some really odd songs. With a little creativity, a talented musician could make anything sound good.
“And I loved the song you and Liam did with David. I’ve heard it a million times, but it was like listening to something new.”
“I wish our schedules would mesh better so we could collaborate more. Now that I’m no longer with Killjoy, I should have more flexibility.” Or so I hoped. I had no idea what to expect as an indie artist. I was going to have to start navigating those waters soon. Some fans were diehard, lifelong fans who would wait years between albums. Van Halen, Dr. Dre, and Shania Twain were evidence of that. But I wasn’t even pretending to be on their level. I’d worked my ass off to be as successful as I was, and I didn’t want to lose my footing on the ladder.
“You should definitely do that,” Leah agreed. “Your fans would thank you for it.” Sighing, she focused her attention on a group of children running in an open area while their parents or nannies watched. “I couldn’t imagine living in a city like this, where kids have to go to a park to play outside. I guess we were spoiled with all the wide-open space in Cedar Creek.”
Leah had been anything but spoiled growing up, but it was a testament to her positive nat
ure that she could look back and see something good about her childhood. Still, her comment concerned me. My career rarely took me to places like Cedar Creek, and if she was by my side, that meant she’d have to get used to a new way of living.
“I think it’s all a matter of what you get used to,” I said. “Cities have other things to offer. Movie theaters, concerts, shopping.”
“That’s true,” Leah mused. “I never had money for those things, so I guess I never considered it.”
She still didn’t have money, and I was reminded again about how different our lives had been for the past five years. It hadn’t taken long for money to start pouring in once I left Cedar Creek. I had a lot of worries in my life, but where the next rent payment was coming from wasn’t one of them.
“I was serious about wanting to buy that property in Cedar Creek.”
She tucked a strand of hair that had broken free of her ponytail behind her ear. “What would you do with it?”
“Build a house on it. I was serious about wanting to visit more often, but I think it would be better if I—if we had a place of our own. I don’t exactly want to do what we did last night with Aunt Rose next door.” I flashed a wicked grin, and Leah blushed. She didn’t say anything else, though. “What do you think about that idea?” I prompted.
“About doing what we did last night?” She grinned.
Normally, I would have loved to talk innuendos with her, but we had some more important things to discuss. I shook my head. “That’s always on the table, but what about building a house?”
“I mean, I think it’s a good idea. But you said it would just be for visiting.”
We stopped at a bench and sat, huddling together against the brisk wind. “I don’t want to be a stranger to Cedar Creek anymore, but my life isn’t there.” I had to get that out in the open. I wanted no secrets between us ever again.
Back To You (In Tune Book 1) Page 17