“After all, you’ll get a chance to try dating this cowboy, and he can run off to a few after parties. In the end, it will give you both the affirmation that you really do want to be together. Isn’t that what you wanted, to be sure he wasn’t with you out of convenience, or because you’d made him chase you?”
I swallowed, allowing my thoughts to collect. “I mean, yeah, that’s one of many concerns, but the lifestyle difference is already too much to overcome. Dating other people is definitely more challenging than I thought, though. Maybe we need more space before I can really do it.”
“Oh crap, got to get back to work. We can’t play phone tag again, promise? Love you. Mean it.”
“Promise. Love you. Mean it.”
Travis sent a note over via his assistant/roadie/bus driver that said he would come by to get me at six o’clock this time. The poor boy looked to be twenty years old and was so nervous he couldn’t even make eye contact. I guess the opening act was on a much tighter budget, and one person had to wear several hats. After catching up on work emails and updating Blevins and Dr. Gray, I remembered to call Andy.
He answered in a whisper as I could hear him shut a door.
“Hey! You guys busy?” I asked.
“Yeah, Jack is giving an interview here at the local city magazine, and they still need a few photos. Then, onto the country radio station, but at least the record store is over. What’s up?”
“I didn’t mean to bother you-”
“It’s no problem. I have standing orders to answer your calls no matter what, so I skipped out of the room.”
“Oh.” I was stunned, heat rising in my skin. “Thanks. I, uh, feel silly, because it’s really no big deal. I just wanted to tell you when I was at the movies with Kate last night, there was a restaurant a block away, and she raved about how she wanted to go. She’d been to one in Atlanta before but never seen another one. The name is Luna. I thought you could suggest the two of you go for dinner tonight.”
He paused, and I felt his tension. “You think she would go, like a real date? ’Cause the rest of our outings have been group stuff.”
“Yes, Andy, I think she would go. Plus, coming from a girl, I would rather know you were interested for sure than to wonder if we were just friends.”
“Okay, I’ll do it. Whew, I’m going to be nervous, but I need to man up. Thank you.”
I sensed him smile as we hung up. It was time to hit the shower and figure out what to wear on a mystery date.
At quarter ’til six, I got antsy. I was ready to go and nervous that Jackson may arrive just as we were leaving. I decided to meet him at his bus and save him the walk over. After crossing the lot, I rounded the corner of Travis’s coach. I heard a stranger’s voice yelling in anger, making the hairs on my neck prickle. I stopped short, hearing, “What are you, some kind of goddamn idiot? You stupid moron, you can’t do anything right!” My pulsed quickened and my mind reeled. Fight or flight, fight or flight—fight it was.
I took a breath and stepped around the corner to find the poor messenger who had come to my bus cowering under a tall figure in a hat. Travis. He immediately saw me and straightened up, giving space between them. The boy looked mortified and slunk away.
“Well, hello there, beautiful,” he drawled. “Didn’t I send word I would come to get you?” His tone was exactly the opposite of what I heard a moment ago. I had to pause and try to connect what I’d seen to the person he was now—charming and gentle, as he held a hand out to me.
“I got the message just fine, Travis. I was ready early and thought I’d save you a walk. What in the world—”
He laughed easily and waved a hand of dismissal. “He’s been getting in all kinds of trouble, and I finally had it, you know? I’ll apologize to him, though. I shouldn’t yell.”
When I still hesitated to take his hand, his eyes softened. He slowly closed the space between us, reaching again. “Listen, I’m sorry you saw that. I should have handled it better. Please don't let it ruin our night.”
I clenched my jaw while I scrutinized him, trying to read his expression for sincerity. He appeared vulnerable as he shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at gravel on the ground. “Please?” he pleaded again.
A limo pulled up beside us then, and my mouth fell slack. A grin spread across his face, while his chivalrous behavior continued. He pulled out a bouquet of red roses from the back seat and thrust them into my arms. My thoughts were scattered, and I wanted time to process what I’d seen, but the limo and the driver, who escorted me into the luxurious interior before I could think, distracted me. The Travis who joined me in the limo was the ever-charming person I’d first ran into playing football. I relaxed during the ride, finally feeling comfortable.
My ease slipped away when the limo arrived at the same Italian restaurant.
“I wanted to try a re-do of our first date, to show how it should have been,” Travis explained.
Speechless, I followed him inside to the same table. This time, he insisted I order the wine, pick all of my food, and he definitely did not order coffee. How bizarre, to come back to the same place when there was a whole city to explore. All I could do was compare the two dates, which made me think about the bad one instead of forget it. He was playing a part now, saying what he thought I wanted instead of being genuine.
Excusing myself for the bathroom again before we left, I texted Ashley about the strange date reincarnation but didn’t get an immediate response as I’d hoped. He waited at the exit this time and led me out to the horse carriage. Instead of talking about himself so much, he tried to dig into my life. I found no desire to let him any closer as I gave vague answers. He leaned over as the sun was fading, and I promptly turned my cheek to point at something obscure. I felt him bristle with anger, but by the time the ride ended a few minutes later, he was composed again.
We walked toward the limo and he indicated an ice cream shop just down the street. I shook my head to politely decline but stopped cold with the sudden realization that I left my Coach handbag in the carriage.
“Oh, no! I need to get my purse!” I turned to run back just as his phone rang. He held up a hand for me to wait, and I said, “No, you can take your call, I’ll be back.”
He tried to protest, but I didn’t give him a chance when I turned my back. I ran awkwardly in my nude heels as quickly as possible for the roughly thirty yards. I reached the carriage just as another couple was climbing in and tried to catch my breath while I grabbed the door. The chic gray-haired woman held up my bag in surprise after nearly sitting on it, and then she saw me.
She smiled kindly. “Oh, dear, no girl can do without her purse.” She winked and handed it to me as I mouthed my thanks and turned back toward the limo.
I could see Travis in the distance, raising his hand and throwing in down, as if in disgust. He looked up and saw me, then purposely walked down the alley, out of view. I took the chance to look at my texts and saw Ashley’s reply. Run like hell. This guy is a lunatic. Seriously.
Approaching the limo, the driver met me and motioned to escort me to the ice cream shop. I shook my head and reached for the door handle, but he blocked me.
“Ma’am, Mr. McCoy said the plan is—”
“Ugh! Where is he? I am not in the mood for ice cream and I want to head back now. I’ll go find him.” I stomped toward the alley and saw his shadow a few feet away. The stranger’s voice was back and shouting again.
“I can’t believe you keep bringing this up! The conversation is over, you stupid bitch.” He jabbed at his phone to end the call and kicked a stack of boxes nearby, which toppled over. Fight or flight, fight or flight—get the hell out of here.
Chapter 17
I took steps backward, out of the alley when he looked up and caught my eye.
“Lexie! What are you doing here? You were supposed to go to the ice cream shop—”
I continued retreating as he advanced toward me. Knowing the safety of the street was only a few steps
away, I dared to ask, “Who was that … on the phone?”
“Does it matter? It’s just my stupid mother again,” he spat.
Just when I didn’t think my eyes could get wider, they proved me wrong. I ran the last few steps back toward the limo and the streetlights. He followed calmly and acted as if everything was fine as he ushered me toward the limo. Like hell, I was going to be near him. I scrambled into the shotgun seat next to the driver and locked my door.
“We’re going straight back to the RV park, and this partition will stay up the entire time,” I told him in my strongest voice. The chauffer decided not to question me but bobbed his head in agreement.
Surprisingly, Travis got in the back by himself without a fight, but I heard bottles from the mini-bar clanging around immediately. Nervous energy combined with anger made my hands shake, but I managed to text Trina and ask if she and the girls would meet the limo when we arrived. The roses would stay in the backseat next to my sociopath date.
Travis climbed out just as fast as I did when the limo stopped. Panic rose in my chest, as if my lungs had frozen and forgot to work until I heard Trina whistle and Jessica call out, “Nice limo, fancy guy.”
They stood a few feet away as I turned to face Mr. Hyde.
“You called them to meet you?” he snarled at me.
I gulped but met his glare. “Of course I did. I don’t ever plan to be left alone with a man who would call his own mother a bitch, assault a staff member, and take a girl on the same fucked up date twice!”
His hands formed fists at his sides as he watched me spin on my heel and stalk away with my friends. Each limb of my body shook as we reached the common area, where several people were still hanging out. They pulled me into the kitchen bus and demanded details as Jill made us strong vodka tonics. It felt cathartic to tell the story to them and see the same outrage I felt, so I knew I wasn’t overreacting. The consensus: he was a psychotic narcissist with anger management issues—and just an asshole. We were finally laughing when Kate entered at ten thirty, after her date with Andy. The clock reminded me to get back to Jackson.
“I want to hear all about it tomorrow,” I told her. By her glow, I knew it had gone well.
“If you’re alive,” she warned me as the group escorted me to my home. “Jack found out you were with Travis when he got back two hours ago, and he’s been pacing ever since.”
I definitely didn’t need further enemies at this point, so I walked into the bus with my best apologetic face on and ready. It was easy to show regret when I let the memory of the night return. He was working on his exercises with his boot off and leg supported on the couch.
“Well, sure glad you made it back—” he started sarcastically but stopped cold when he saw my face.
At least I was barely shaking anymore.
“What’s wrong?” His face turned to pure concern, and he held his arms out.
Without even thinking, I went to him and let him wrap me in a hug, nestling close. Oh dear, why did he always smell so good? I let his strength hold me up as I melted and thought how wonderful it felt to be safe.
My face pressed against his soft t-shirt, I whispered, “It was exponentially more terrible this time. What was I thinking?”
He squeezed me tighter and stroked my hair back. “If he hurt you, you need to tell me now—”
“No, it’s okay. He didn’t hurt me; he’s just a despicable human being. He made me say the F-word.” I almost laughed at how funny it sounded aloud.
Jackson tilted my chin up and his blue eyes teased me. “Like the real word, not just the letter?”
I nodded and cracked a sad smile. “Yeah, I believe the context was something like ‘this f-ed up date.’”
He chuckled, which vibrated through me and felt amazing. “I know you’re a strong woman, Doc, but there are so many jerks out there.”
I sat back and brushed a curl off his forehead. “Don’t worry. I just met the biggest one of them all and survived. It can only get better from here.”
I sighed and scooted down so I could start to examine his ankle. We were quiet for most of the treatment, both contemplative. I briefly wondered if he wanted to renege on his letter and then pushed the thought away. He had given me what I asked for, and he’d meant it. I went to bed feeling unsettled. This job had brought both the best and worst men I’d ever met into my life.
Friday flew by with rehearsal and filming from morning ’til night. The girls loaded onto the gray bus, and Andy drove Jack, Joe, and me to the arena in the Jeep. The crew had arrived earlier, setting up the stage, which would take a few more hours. In the meantime, the band set up acoustic instruments in the lounge and filmed a casual jam session of the song. As they played, we stood far off to the side and practiced how we’d use each of the musical interludes to break-out dance. We tried a circle formation, letting each of us go in for about ten seconds, and we practiced staying in a line with turns busting out as the others cheered the solo dancer. Jack practiced lines to use to introduce the free dance segments, and then we all did it together.
Gloria packed a magnificent spread for lunch, so we took a break to eat until the stage was ready and safety checks completed. I changed into the stage outfit of tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a sequined tank top. The girls tried to build up my confidence, but my lack of performance time in the last five years had left me with a healthy amount of stage fright. Mercifully, the time came for the first run through with the full-length music and dance together. The videographer had two stationary cameras and one on a pivoting arm attached to a rolling cart. He would stand on the cart and manually move the camera as it rolled back and forth in front of the stage.
Jackson motioned me over to him. “You look amazing. I think you were born to be on stage.” To show my disbelief, I rolled my eyes at him. He continued. “I figure I owe you a good luck kiss, since it’s your debut.”
He wagged his brows, and I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “Sure, Mr. Morgan, that would be so kind of you.” I leaned my cheek to him and he gave me a soft kiss. On the way back to my mark, my legs felt more like jelly.
The first run was a disaster, as Lee missed the instrumental, Jackson skipped a verse, and Jill and Trina both missed steps.
We were all anxious to try again when Charlie barked, “Alright, dammit. Everyone has worked their tails off on this song, and we’re gonna nail it this time.”
And we did—that time and four more. We felt like old pros by the end of the session, and the videographer had all the shots he needed. He would add in audience pans and clips of cheering fans from former concerts and complete the video in the next two weeks.
“A group huddle is definitely in order,” Jackson yelled as we all cheered and linked arms in a tight circle to celebrate.
“And a whole lot of beer,” he added when Andy dragged an oversized cooler out onto the stage. We all grabbed cold ones, cracked them open as we sat on the stage, and looked out into the huge arena full of seats, which would be full the next evening for the show.
“Too bad they can’t get a preview before the festival,” Ric said, motioning out to the chairs. We all nodded in agreement, but the anticipation for a big reveal at CMA was also fun.
Before we left for the RV park, I noticed Kate and Andy on the steps, holding hands shyly. Simultaneously, I felt a swell of happiness and a pang of jealousy. The latter of the two I pushed aside quickly. When we reached the buses, I ran ahead to the gray bus and hollered over to Kate to take my spot in the Jeep, then disappeared inside before anyone could argue.
Once we reached the park, I was surprised to see Joe waiting at the door for me to exit. I gave him a questioning look as he helped me down the steps. “You weren’t supposed to run off, Lexie. Jack assigned me to keep an eye on you, over him, for the next few days until we’re rid of McCoy.”
I stopped in my tracks and eyed him. “Is that really necessary? I think he got the clue last night.” I surveyed the area, watching the whole gang descend upon th
e kitchen bus for dinner. There was no sign of Travis, but Johnny trotted over when he spotted us. He’d been on duty at the RV site all day while we’d been gone.
He reported to Joe, “Travis went to Jack’s bus literally on the hour all day, knocking for at least five minutes at a time. Two hours ago, he yelled Lexie’s name for an eternity, and the last time, he kicked the door as he cussed it out. I told him after breakfast that she was gone for the entire day, but he clearly thought I was lying. I had to physically restrain him and haul him back to his bus after he kicked the door.”
My mouth became dry, ready to swallow my last words. My hands felt clammy when I clasped my fingers nervously.
Joe gave me a reassuring look. “No worries, Lexie. We have this creep under constant watch. From now on, Johnny will stay with him, and I’ll stay with you.”
I nodded numbly and bypassed the dinner line as my former appetite had vanished. Joe walked with me to my bus and told me to keep it locked. He, Jack, and Andy had keys and should be the only people able to get in, besides myself. I showered, trying to let the tension go and forget the crazy man less than fifty yards away.
My stomach settled enough for me to eat a bagel, and I was at the booth when Jackson used his key to come in and locked it behind himself.
“I hate that you missed a good meal ’cause of that asshole—and that we have to live under lock and key with security But, I’m not taking chances. I’ve put several calls in to our label, to Amos, and to his manager to see if we can get rid of him right away. Haven’t heard back yet; there’s too many politics involved, but, if you feel unsafe—”
“Nah, he’s a jerk, but he wouldn’t risk his reputation.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “Definitely something off about him.”
He turned toward the shower, and I called after him, “Well, if anyone can bring out a man’s inner-crazy, it’s me.”
Muse: ( Groupie Volume 2 of 2) Page 10