“How soon is right away?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “The tour leaves tomorrow morning. It’s easy to switch out the manager position. Nearly impossible to change much else.”
“You want me to go out on the road with Rush and his band? Representing you?”
“I do.”
“What about Dylan?”
“He would go with you. And his tutor, of course, the one you’ve been using since you started working with V. The three of you will have your own private bus. I can get one to meet up with the tour at the first stop in Vegas.”
“You’ve thought this through.” Her brows rose. “Thoroughly.”
“I’m used to coming up with solutions on the fly. It’s a crazy business, ruled by the whims of artists and the uncertainty of the entertainment industry. But when you find your groove, it can be very rewarding financially, as you know from working for V.”
Sierra nodded, so I kept going.
“As for the rest, if after a year’s time you decide working for me isn’t for you, there will be a large severance payment. But if you decide to stay, there will be an even bigger bonus.”
“How big?”
“I want to make you my partner, sis.”
“You’re bailing me out again.”
“No, not this time. Marshall Enterprises is too much for one person. I’m stretched to the limit. I can’t grow anymore, can’t take on any more clients when it’s just me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “A full partner?”
“Absolutely. Marshall and Marshall, Inc.” The idea had been in my head since Gale called the other day. I just hadn’t known how I would be able to convince Sierra to leave V.
“Wow.” Sierra shook her head.
I stepped closer, leaning both my elbows onto the rail as I glanced at her expectantly. “What do you say?”
“I say yes.”
“Excellent.” I nodded and returned my gaze to the sea, my lips curving with deep satisfaction. This felt exactly right. Two Indiana siblings far from home, but where they should be, right beside each other. “You do know you’re doing me a huge favor agreeing to this on such short notice.”
“I don’t mind at all. It’s usually you helping me.” She turned her head toward me, and I met her gaze. “But are you sure you want to make a change this drastic?” Her dark blond brows dipped together over eyes the same shade of blue as mine. “Delegate a task of this magnitude to me? I have experience, sure, but I don’t have a music background like you do.”
“Your unflappable personality and your management skills are exactly what’s needed. When it comes to music stuff, all you have to do is ask. And it’s not drastic.” I shook my head. “It’s my business. You’re my sister, and I trust you completely. I should have done this a long time ago.”
Her lips pursed. “Are you sure you’re not just feeling sorry for me because I lost my job?”
Frowning, I straightened. “I have never, not once, felt sorry for you.”
“Don’t get all huffy.” A good half foot shorter than me, she straightened and glared up at me, but she didn’t back down. My indomitable sister never backed down from anything life threw at her.
“I’m not huffy. I’m irritated. I don’t like to hear you devaluing yourself.” I took her hand, squeezing it firmly. “When are you going to accept that I admire the hell out of you? You got your business degree as a single mom, take care of Dylan, excel in a highly competitive field, and capably handled a demanding celebrity like V.”
“Thank you. Your faith in me means everything. But are you sure you don’t want to consider it some more?”
“No,” I said gruffly. “Absolutely not.”
Camaro came to mind. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her tonight. Truthfully, not since the first time I laid eyes on her.
I’d had her in my arms twice this evening. I’d imagined it before, sure, but nothing beat the reality.
I could still feel the compelling shape of her. The intense awareness of connection with her skin. And the way she’d looked at me in the parking lot before the light had gone out had affected me a hell of a lot deeper, just like it had back in that motel room before I’d told her who I was.
“Once I make a decision,” I said, lifting my chin, “I don’t second guess.” I didn’t want to leave Camaro behind. I wouldn’t. It went beyond her request. Beyond my responsibility to Rush. If she wouldn’t go with the band, this was the only way.
“I know. You sound just like Dad.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Sierra lowered her voice to imitate him. “No looking back, Sierra, or you can’t move forward.” She didn’t sound at all like him. But her eyes sparkled like his did when he was dishing out advice.
“That about sums it up.” I nodded.
“I agree. All that’s left to say is thank you. It’s an amazing opportunity. I’m going to love working with you. Well, mostly.” Her eyes sparkled brighter. “The patience I’ve developed from dealing with Miss V is likely going to come in handy.”
“You’ll have your hands full with Rush’s crew, for sure.” I rolled my eyes. “One handsy guy in particular. Benton Kennedy.”
“Noted.” Her expression turning serious, she nodded, and my slight apprehension about her dealing with the bassist faded. Might be Ben who needed to be forewarned. My sister was formidable when riled up.
“Jack Howard is a team player. Well, nearly always, except when it comes to the topic of his ex-wife and Ben, who slept with her.”
“Yikes.”
“Ben has a skewed system of ethics. He thinks he did Jack a favor. But I believe it was more about the rivalry between the two of them.”
“Good to know.” Her brows pinched together. “Rush, I’m familiar with. He’s not going to be a problem. What about his fiancée?”
“Jewel Anderson. You’ll like her. She’s a steadying influence on Rush. She’s totally in love with him, and the feeling’s mutual.”
“Lucky them,” she said flatly, and because I knew her well, I noted the sudden darkness in her eyes.
“You aren’t still hung up on Trey, are you?” I asked, barely able to wrap my head around how she’d given her love to him so certainly and so irrevocably, while still so young. To me, those three words signified a vow and a commitment to stay together forever, through good times and bad. It was that way for our parents.
“He’s Dylan’s father.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“A part of me will always be a little in love with him.” Sighing, she withdrew her hand from mine and leaned into the railing.
I gripped the wood, wanting to beat the shit out of her ex all over again. But I couldn’t. Not because Trey Underwood was a professional football player now with a ton of lawyers, but because Sierra was a grown woman. Her ex and how she dealt with those feelings were her own. I had to respect her by respecting that.
“So, what about Camaro Moltepulciano?”
“What about her?” I gave Sierra a sharp look.
“I’ve heard you talk about her lots since she moved in with Rush. You told me the basics. Best friend to Jewel. Gives you a hard time. Sweet to the others. But it’s what you don’t say that tells me the most.” Sierra gave me a glance sharper than the one I’d given her. “Is she pretty?”
I nodded. “Stunning.”
“Does she know she’s the real reason you’re making all these big changes?”
I froze. “I told you she asked for my help.”
“There are other ways to help her that are less involved.”
“Not where I can make absolutely sure she’s safe.”
“Hmm. It’s been a long time since you made a decision that didn’t have a direct correlation to a bottom line. Not since me.” She tapped my hand. “And just to point out, it’s noteworthy how all evening you’ve been focused on helping Camaro. While Bree, a woman you wasted a year of your life on, hasn’t co
me up once. Except when you told me about the breakup.”
“Uncle Brad.” Dylan stood shyly in the doorway. Padding toward us in his footed dinosaur pajamas, he held his favorite picture book in one of his hands. “Will you read The Wild Things to me?”
Saved from intense sibling scrutiny by my nephew. Saved in a more significant way. Any regrets for a path not taken faded into insignificance when I considered Dylan.
“Of course I will.” Smiling, I crossed the deck and hefted him into my arms. I tickled him, and he giggled. “Missed you, wild thing.”
“I love you, Uncle Brad.” He threw his arms around my neck and buried his face in it.
“I love you and your mom.”
New York was too far from LA. I was glad they’d gotten stranded here. In fact, my plan to bring Sierra into the business was more than a little selfish.
“But you know,” I said, modifying a line from his favorite book. “I love you the very best of all.”
Chapter 14
* * *
Camaro
“Can I come in?” Jewel asked after rapping on the door frame to my room.
“Absolutely.” I sat up straighter on the bed. Setting my phone and the story I’d been crafting on my notepad app to the side, I patted the space on the mattress in front of me.
“Thanks.”
“Is everything okay?” I hadn’t failed to note the crease between her brows.
“Heard us arguing down the hall, huh?”
I’d heard them arguing since Jewel declared she was staying behind with me.
“I heard, and I know it’s because of me.”
“Some.” Giving it to me straight, she dropped down on the bed. “But it’s mostly because Rush is being stubborn.”
“Only him?” I gave her a pointed look.
“Him. You. Me.” She sighed. “We all feel strongly about what needs to be done, but deep down, we all want the same thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You in a safe place. A good place. Not just going through the motions, but going forward.”
“Jewel, that’s what you want for me.” Maybe I did too. But she was the only one with the faith in me to believe it was possible.
She shook her head. “Rush cares about you too. How can you not see that?”
“Because I’m a burden. I’m in the way. And right now, I’m coming between you and Rush. That’s how.”
“You’re my friend, the only family I have. He gets that. After the losses he’s had, he gets that you hold on tight and look after the ones who give your life meaning.”
I could see that, so I nodded. “But he has the band. And you. I’m an extra piece that doesn’t fit anywhere in the puzzle.”
She sighed. “I think you more than fit. You’re more than just a piece . . . you’re an integral part of the design. Having you here in the condo with me has been wonderful. Even with you dealing with all you’ve been dealing with, you’re kind and thoughtful, giving and giving from that deep well of kindness inside you.”
I stilled. “There’s no well.” Just a big empty bottomless pit.
“It sure seems like there is. You clean. You shop. You cook. You serve. You see a need and you fill it, and you do it with a smile.”
“Of course I do. In giving, you receive the greater gift.”
“Yes, I believe that. Most people probably believe in the sentiment, but they don’t act on it. And even if they do, they don’t the way you do, giving and expecting absolutely nothing in return. Kindness is your superpower. You brighten the lives of everyone around you.” When I shook my head in denial, she nodded hers. “For those two kids, I’m certain. For me and Rush. For the guys in the band.”
I shrugged. “Some of the guys.”
“Yeah, one gets under your skin. Why do you treat Brad different? I’ve been wondering about that a lot lately.” She cocked her head. “Brad’s not the one I would think would bother you.”
“Ben’s just a flirt. Most of the time.”
“He came on too strong tonight, and he felt bad about it. After you left, he asked for your cell number, I think to apologize, but I wouldn’t give it to him.”
“Why not?”
“Glad you asked that.” She reached for and gathered my hands in hers. “We’ll get to it, but first things first. Brad just called. He spoke to Rush. He’s made arrangements that make me feel comfortable about going on the tour.”
“Wow, he’s good.” My eyes rounded. “And fast.”
“What?” Her brow scrunched.
“I mean, he didn’t say anything to me about an arrangement. What’s he done?” And what will it mean for me?
“I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
My eyes narrowed. “Spit it out, Jewel.”
“You’re staying like you want to.”
“Good.” I exhaled the breath I’d been holding. “That’s the way it should be.”
“Maybe.” She cocked her head. “But you’re not the only one staying. So is Brad. And you’re not going to be staying here.”
“But how can I housesit if I’m not here?” I needed that money. I had an idea I’d been mulling over—nothing big, not a grandiose plan. But it was something.
“Brad will bring you over to the condo a couple of times a week to check on things.”
“Okay, I guess. So if I’m not staying here, where am I staying?” My meager savings wouldn’t get me more than an hour or two at the by-the-hour motel.
“You’re going to stay with Brad. At his place.”
“No.” I shook my head. “No way.”
“I want you in a protected environment, with someone around just in case you need them. And I want you going to therapy. He can see to all of that. If you don’t go on the tour with me, you’re staying and doing those things, and you’re staying with Brad.”
“You’re being bossy.” My gaze narrowed. “You’re trying to manage me like he does.”
“I’m trying to love you.”
“I’m not lovable.” I dropped my chin. “Not long term, anyway.”
“You are, honey.” She reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair over my shoulder. “You were a bright light for me when I was lost in the dark. Your kindness shines day and night, even in the rain. You’re a great friend, and an admirable, beautiful, and caring woman. When you drop your guard and give glimpses of that sweet spirit of yours to someone, it’s impossible for them not to love you.”
“Jewel.” I lifted my head, tears brimming in my eyes. “Those qualities aren’t me. They’re you.”
“Maybe they’re both of us. We bring out the best in each other.” She exhaled. “We’ve been knocked around. Mistreated. Did what we had to do to survive. I didn’t think the love inside me had value after the things I’d done, but it does. Yours does too.”
A tear slipped free, sliding warmth down my cheek like her words put inside me. “Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s the truth. If you put half as much work into yourself as you put into all the rest of us, you’d realize that truth sooner rather than later. You’re staying here.” She nodded her head firmly like a judge banging a gavel.
“It’s decided then.” My lips twitched, her fierceness on my behalf encouraging me.
“It is for me, and for Rush. But no one’s taking away your right to choose, Cam. I wouldn’t do that. I’ve been where you have. I understand how important choice is to someone like us.”
Selling your body, yourself for cash, it broke something inside people. Reduced you. Made you feel like an object, a commodity. Our rules were our way to protect that little kernel of ourselves that persisted in believing we were more. Jewel understood that completely.
“I’ll stay.” I nodded as firmly as she had.
“Thank you. I’ll miss you and worry about you, but I’ll worry less.” She pressed her hands low over her abdomen, and I suddenly knew.
“You’re pregnant?”
“Yes, I am. I let it sli
p with Brad earlier. I’m sorry. I wanted you to be the first to know. After Rush, of course. I’m going to have a baby,” she said with a beatific smile, her tone filled with awe.
“Wow, Jewel.” My awe matched hers. “That’s amazing news. I’m so happy for you and Rush. Congrats.”
“Thank you. It’s early, but I’m excited. We’re very excited. He’s being overprotective, but I get it. It’s a little intimidating for both of us.”
“You’ll be great parents.”
“I hope so.” She bit down on her lip, her worrying tell.
“You’ll be a wonderful mother. You will love this baby the way your gran loved you.”
“Thank you.”
“Just giving you truth like you gave me.”
“I don’t want to be a pain in the ass.” She tilted her head. “But you’re the sister I never had.”
“A sisterly pain in the ass.”
“Yes, definitely.” She bobbed her head. The long coppery strands in her unbound hair caught and reflected the overhead light. But the love inside her heart burned brighter.
“I should have guessed earlier that you were pregnant. Your skin is radiant, and your hair is even shinier than usual.” I leaned closer and rubbed a section between my finger and thumb. “Have you seen a doctor yet?”
“Yes. I’m following instructions. They gave me prenatal vitamins that are huge and hard to swallow.”
“Well, I’m sorry. That sounds icky. But you need to take them, and you need to eat right too. That’s going to be difficult to manage on the road.”
“Yeah, difficult without your cooking, for sure. Difficult without you to talk to.” Her eyes shone.
I blinked through the same emotion. “You have a phone. Use it. Call me anytime.”
“I will.” She swiped a hand through a tear that had fallen. “But it might be really late. Tour hours. We’ll be awake when most people are asleep.”
“I won’t mind.”
“I know you won’t.” She gathered my hands in hers and squeezed, then gave me a firm look. “Just one more thing. Brad said tonight that something happened the first time he met you, something he thinks he needs to apologize for. I want you to tell me exactly what that is.”
The Right Wish Page 10