Love is a Lyric (Rockstars Anonymous)

by Michelle MacQueen

  There were only a few months before the job with Drew would start. She just had to survive until then.

  Ben’s footsteps behind Piper were the only way she knew he followed her up the wooden steps. They hadn’t said a word as they made their way across the beach.

  “Piper?”

  She stopped, not turning. “Yeah?”

  “I’ll miss having you around.”

  She glanced back over her shoulder, noting his shy smile. “Until the new assistant replaces me and makes better coffee.”

  He shook his head with a laugh.

  Piper stepped onto the deck first and froze, not knowing if the sight before her was real. When Ben reached her, a growl low in his throat, reality crashed in at her.

  Conner had a topless Quinn pressed up against the side of the pool as he went to town on her neck like a freaking vampire.

  She stole a glance at Ben’s stony face, the same Ben who’d just confessed he thought fate brought him and Quinn together.

  Quinn obviously didn’t agree.

  Ben stormed across the deck, kicking empty margarita glasses into the pool before slamming into the house.

  Piper couldn’t move.

  Quinn pushed Conner away as she stared after Ben, fear sparking in her eyes. “What have we done?”

  Conner shrugged with a sly smile. A thousand memories rushed in at Piper. Conner massaging Quinn’s neck. The way he constantly looked for her. His rivalry with Ben.

  This wasn’t the first time he’d been with Quinn. She was suddenly sure of it.

  Piper’s heart cracked in two for the man she could see slamming drawers in the kitchen. “I hope he’s searching for a knife.” Her scalding gaze bounced from Conner to Quinn, and she tapped the side of her neck. “That’s gonna leave a mark.” Without another word, she left them behind.

  When she entered the kitchen, Ben stood gripping the counter with his back to her, the muscles in his bare back tightening.

  “Ben.” She touched his arm, and he whipped his gaze to her, searing her with his pain.

  “They…”

  “I know.”

  “She… fate, Piper.”

  She’d never wanted to tell him the truth more than in that moment. Fate hadn’t brought him to Quinn, but then would that mean it brought him to Piper? It was too much, and that wasn’t what he needed. Piper didn’t want someone to love her for the words she wrote. It wasn’t real and wouldn’t last.

  And Ben…

  He took a copy of the new lyrics from the counter and balled it up. “I think I just need to be alone, Piper.”

  Oh. Without her. She nodded as if she understood perfectly, but no one could truly understand heartbreak.

  As Ben retreated to the room he’d shared with Quinn, she walked back outside to face the two people who put that look in his eyes.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared down at Quinn. “Get dressed and then get out. You two can’t stay here tonight.”

  Quinn climbed out of the pool, anger vibrating off her. “You don’t get to decide that.”

  “Actually, I do. I booked this house. It’s in my name. Therefore, I’m telling you to leave.”

  Quinn’s jaw dropped open. “You’re supposed to be on my side, Piper. I’m your sister.”

  Piper couldn’t believe her. “There are no sides here. You two are horrible human beings who just broke the one person who cares about either of you.” She clenched her jaw. She’d been waiting for a moment like this for months, a moment when the path before her cleared. “I quit.”

  “What?” Quinn screeched. “You can’t quit. What are you going to do? It’s not like you have a college degree.”

  “Thanks to you. I don’t begrudge you the things you have, Quinn, but you had eighteen years with mom and dad. Your life didn’t stop when they died. You went to four years of college to get a degree you didn’t want—paid for by the life insurance—while I dropped out after one because I would have graduated in too much debt and my wealthy sister wouldn’t help pay for it because she needed me to work for her. My entire life has revolved around you. Even the songs…” She stopped herself. As angry as she was, she wouldn’t reveal the one thing that could end the singer-songwriter phenom’s career.

  “Piper, calm down.”

  “No. I’m done being calm. Don’t worry about my future. It’s time we just worry about ourselves for a bit.” She didn’t tell her about the job with Drew because she no longer owed her sister anything.

  For once in her life, Quinn had nothing left to say. Conner walked inside, and Piper heard him calling Ben’s name, but that damage was done.

  The string of fate that had been holding them all together severed, changing everything.

  Quinn and Conner wasted no time changing and leaving, but Ben didn’t emerge from his room.

  And in the morning, he was gone.

  9

  Piper

  Waking up to an empty house should have been peaceful, especially when said house sat above a stretch of white sandy beaches with the sun sparkling off the water.

  So why did it suck so much?

  Piper went through the routine of her morning—setting the coffee maker, taking a shower, picking up the enormous amount of stuff the band left lying everywhere.

  She’d quit the day before. Quit. A laugh bubbled out of her. It was better than a cry, at least. Here she was in the house she’d found for what was supposed to be a relaxing break after a successful tour, and she couldn’t snap out of assistant mode.

  Clean up after the band. Make sure they’re caffeinated. Check their schedule. Forget you’re a person and not a robot.

  She sighed as she scrolled down the to-do list on her phone. None of it mattered anymore because Fate wasn’t here. The indestructible band had self-destructed, and all she’d been able to do was watch.

  The moment she’d awoken and stepped out into the house, she’d known Ben was gone. She didn’t blame him. Quinn and Conner would inevitably return to the house trying to save the band, and she didn’t want to be here when they returned either.

  But unlike Ben, she didn’t have a choice. Quinn was her sister, they were the only family they had, and if she didn’t fix this, she’d lose that last connection to her parents.

  But fix it how? How could she ever forget the pain in Ben’s eyes? How could she ever forgive Quinn for so carelessly hurting someone like that? Someone who thought fate tied them together—when in reality, it was all a giant lie, one Piper hated her role in.

  She contemplated calling Drew and seeing if she could start months early. Matt could spend the time training her to anticipate Drew’s every need before the tour.

  But something made her stop. Drew wasn’t the one who needed her.

  Her phone rang in her hand, and relief washed through her when Chase’s name appeared. Sliding her thumb across the screen, she brought the phone to her ear.

  “Hey.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, if she should tell him Ben needed him.

  “What the heck happened in Florida?” It appeared she didn’t need to.

  “Honestly, Chase, I’m still not exactly sure. Quinn and Conner…”

  A string of curses flew from Chase’s mouth. “I always knew Quinn would be the one who broke him.” He cursed again. “She’s always been a selfish diva who only cared what he could do for her career.”

  Piper flinched at the venom directed toward her sister, but she couldn’t say anything to defend her. It was all true. Ben Evans and Quinn Hayes were rock’s sweethearts, loved for their love. It had never been a marketing ploy for Ben, but she’d started wondering if the same held true for Quinn.

  “You still with me, Pipes?” She hadn’t realized Chase was still talking.

  “Yeah, just… everything is so messed up. I quit last night.”

  “Freaking finally. You’ve always been too good for that job.”

  “I’m going to work for Drew Stone.”

  Silence.

  T
hen a low whistle. “That dude is hot, Piper. Did you know he turned down a hockey contract after being drafted in the first round to pursue his music?”

  She did know that. Chase was a bit of a hockey fanatic, and he never shut up about it. “We’re getting off topic here.”

  “You’re right. Just… when you work for him, I want to meet him.”

  “Chase, your brother is famous. How do you still do the stars truck thing?”

  “It’s a skill.”

  She sighed and stepped out onto the deck, phone in one hand and coffee mug in the other. “I don’t even like coffee.”

  “What?”

  “I’m standing here drinking coffee because it’s what I’ve always done with the band, and all I want is a large chai.”

  “Then, get yourself a chai.”

  “I think I will. Once I clean up things here. I need to find Ben. He left either late last night or this morning. I’m not really sure.”

  “Oh, well, I can find him for you. He arrived on the red eye way too early this morning and made me pick him up.”

  “Wait…” She looked back over her shoulder into the empty house. “Ben is home?” And he didn’t tell her he was leaving. “He thought I’d try to convince him to stay.” She’d always been invested in Fate’s success, but did Ben think she’d put that over him?

  “He’s really messed up, Piper. Wouldn’t even tell me what happened. I dropped him at Mom and Dad’s and stayed a while, but he wasn’t really talking. All I got out of him was a few grunts.”

  “He thinks fate betrayed him.”

  “Well, yeah. The band kinda did.”

  “No, not Fate the band, fate as in fate.”

  “You’re going to have to explain.”

  She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. It wasn’t her secret to tell. “Just be there for him, okay? I’ll handle my sister.”

  “If by handle, you really mean throttle, I’m on board. Just don’t do that thing where you roll over for her to rub your belly like a good little obedient dog.”

  “You’re my best friend, Chase Evans, so I’m going to pretend you didn’t just compare me to a dog. But no, this time I won’t let her get to me.”

  “Good. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  They hung up, and Piper stared out at the ocean for a moment longer. It seemed lonelier today, more solitary. Or maybe that was just her. The front door of the house slammed shut, and she closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her bs shield, and turned.

  Once inside, she didn’t look at Quinn or Conner as she walked to the sink and dumped her coffee before setting the mug on the counter. Her hands gripped the edge of the sink as she waited for someone to say something.

  “Is he here?” The nervousness in Conner’s voice surprised her. Someone who so callously cheated with his best friend’s girl didn’t get to be nervous.

  She waited another beat before facing them. Quinn’s glare cut through the room, probably searching for Ben. She looked just as she always did. A wrinkle-free dress covered her perfect body. Her hair and makeup were perfect. Everything was just perfect.

  And it annoyed the crap out of Piper. At least Conner had the decency to look like he hadn’t slept.

  “He left.” Piper’s voice came out cold, flat.

  Quinn met her gaze and held it for a long moment. “We need to talk about what happened.”

  Piper’s brow arched. “What happened? Hmm… let’s see. You cheated on a guy who is good and kind. He’s practically family to us, Quinny. How long has,” she gestured between Quinn and Conner, “this been going on?”

  “That’s none of your business.” Quinn crossed her arms.

  “Most of the tour,” Conner admitted. Quinn sent him a scathing look, but he only shrugged. “It’s out now. We can’t hide from it. We made decisions that led us here. It’s our own fault.”

  “Well, at least one of you is an adult.” She pointed at Conner. “But you don’t get to act mature now. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Your best friend will never forgive you. Twenty years of friendship is gone. And this band… congratulations, you’ve just ruined everything you worked for.”

  “Ben will get over it,” Quinn scoffed. “He didn’t love me, only my music.” The vulnerability as she voiced the words surprised Piper. Of course Quinn had known. Piper’s anger abated, and she took a step back. How hard would it have been to be with someone who she knew wouldn’t love her if he found out the truth? Because she was right. Ben had practically admitted it to Piper. He loved Quinn because of the music, because of fate, not anything else Quinn was.

  Piper never expected to feel sympathy for her sister, not now.

  “I know.” Those two words were the most honest thing she’d said to Quinn in months.

  All vulnerability disappeared from Quinn’s gaze as she straightened her spine, her lips curling in anger. “And you… you quit last night.”

  “I did.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “I can.”

  Quinn took a step toward Piper. “How could you do that to me?”

  It hit Piper then, what she’d worried about. Quinn didn’t care about losing an assistant. She didn’t care about the widening cracks in their relationship. The only thing that mattered to her was the music she’d lose if Piper left, the songs Piper had yet to write.

  That knowledge ripped something open inside Piper, breaking whatever it was that tied her to Quinn. She turned on her heel and marched into her room to start throwing her belongings into the suitcase.

  Quinn followed her. “What are you doing?”

  “Leaving.”

  “You can’t leave. I won’t let you. We aren’t done, Piper.” When Piper didn’t stop packing, Quinn walked further into the room. “Mom and Dad would be ashamed of you for leaving me when I need you.”

  A growl ripped from Piper’s throat. “You don’t know what they would have thought of all this.”

  “And you do? You were a child when they died. You barely knew them.”

  A fact Piper never forgot. Shame washed over her, followed quickly by a torrent of anger. She dug underneath the mattress and took out her most prized possession, the notebook full of songs that until a few days ago belonged only to her. She’d never planned on giving any of these to Quinn.

  But they no longer mattered. They were just words on a page. The real emotion, the anger and fear and love… it burned through her. Anger for her sister. Fear for Ben. And love for parents she only remembered with a hazy ten-year-old’s memory.

  Without thinking, she ripped a page from the notebook. “You want my songs?” Crumpling it in her fist, she threw it at Quinn before ripping out another. “You can have them. Every. Last. One.” She continued tearing out pages and flinging them at Quinn until she reached the very last one, a song she’d written about the very woman staring at her in horror. These words spoke of gratitude, of reminding herself she wasn’t alone.

  But now, as she ripped the final song from her notebook, she knew it was all a lie. Because Quinn had never been someone she could rely on, and it was time to stop believing the fantasy.

  As the ball of paper hit Quinn in the forehead, the two sisters stared at each other, their chests heaving.

  “Piper—”

  Piper held up a hand to stop her. “You’re right. Mom and Dad would be ashamed of our relationship, so I think it’s best we don’t have one at all.”

  “Where will you go?” Piper wondered if she imagined the concern in Quinn’s voice.

  “There is someone else who needs me.” She hadn’t made the decision until right then.

  She was going home.

  She pulled her suitcase over the waded paper on the ground, passing a dumbstruck Conner who’d just learned Quinn didn’t write their songs after all.

  “Take care of him,” he whispered as she passed.

  Piper refused to meet his eyes as she pulled open the doorway and took one more look back
at the open door to her bedroom where Quinn now sat on the floor, surrounded by the songs she’d wanted more than her own sister.

  As Piper closed the front door behind her, she gasped for breath and tears stung her eyes. The pieces of her soul lay scattered on that floor on the other side of the door, but she had no choice in leaving them behind.

  She wiped a hand across her eyes and pulled out her phone.

  Drew answered right away. “Morning, assistant.”

  “Are you back in town?” She sat on the front steps. Storming out was great and dramatic, but she couldn’t take the rental without the keys and had no way to get to the airport. So much for an epic scene.

  “Yeah, I’m driving through downtown right now. Everything okay?”

  She sighed in relief. He was only about five minutes away. “I need a ride.”

  “On it. Be there in a few.”

  “Thanks, Drew.”

  “You betcha.”

  She hung up, and it hit her. She’d just called Drew Stone for a ride, and she didn’t work for him yet. They weren’t friends. She barely knew him. But what was she supposed to do? Matt was in New York doing something for the label, and she didn’t know anyone else in Gulf City.

  Drew pulled up a few minutes later, but he wasn’t alone. Jo Jackson, drummer for the legendary Noah Clarke, rode in the passenger seat.

  Drew flashed her a million dollar grin as he stepped out of the car. “There’s my newest employee.” He eyed the suitcase. “Quinn kick you out when she found out?”

  “Kind of.” Piper didn’t want to tell the whole sordid tale to two near strangers.

  Jo, wearing a leather jacket even in this heat, tilted her head, eyeing Piper skeptically, but didn’t say a word.

  “Can you drive me to the airport?” It was a big ask with Tampa being an hour away, but she was desperate, and an Uber would cost a fortune she didn’t have.

  “Of course.” He gave her another crooked smile. “You don’t mind, Jo, do you?”

  “Well, Noah made me come stay with you while he’s in London for the week, so your wish is my command, even if said wish is taking a strange girl all the way to Tampa.”