Pushing through the glass doors, she shielded her eyes from the sun. Nashville was a great city. She’d watched from the bus as they’d driven in, but they only had two days there and as much as she wanted to explore, she had no time or energy. Even if she did, she didn’t have anyone to explore with.
So, she crossed the street in front of the arena, looking up at the Hilton rising over her. Hotels like this would fill her next year. Hotels and buses. In some cities, they’d stay on the buses, others they were lucky enough to have an entire hotel floor just for the tour.
The blazing sun beat down on her as she walked into the lobby, crossing it quickly to reach the elevator.
Once she’d reached the fourth floor, the doors opened, revealing two security guards standing in the elevator alcove. They didn’t know her, not yet. She flashed them the badge hanging around her neck, and they nodded without a word.
As she trudged by them, she couldn’t help thinking about all the people on Fate’s tours who’d known her on sight, the ones she’d spent time with, playing cards and passing the days.
She’d develop that here, it would just take time.
A pair of dancers smiled at her as they passed. That was a new one for her too. Fate hadn’t used dancers, only a few backup singers and extra band members.
But if there was one thing she’d learned about Drew in the last week, it was that he loved to dance. He never stopped moving during his concerts, dancing with the strength of an athlete, the grace of someone who’d been on skates their entire life.
And he loved the big numbers with dancers clogging the stage.
Slipping her keycard into the slot on her door, she sighed when it flashed green. As soon as the door shut behind her, she set the clipboard on a dark wooden shelf and stripped out of her clothing.
She turned on the shower and stepped under the spray before it warmed, letting the ice cold blast wake her from the fog she’d been operating under.
It was in moments like that, where the only sound was the spray of water, the heavy release of her breaths, that she couldn’t hold herself up anymore.
The tears came as they had every day since the announcement of Quinn and Ben’s engagement. Tears for all the lies she’d told, for the things she hadn’t said.
She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Ben Evans and Quinn Hayes were end game. Their fans knew it long before Piper admitted it to herself. Whatever she’d been to him, whatever they’d shared, it had only been a tiny blip in his much greater love story.
Lifting her chin, she left the water run through her hair, down her spine, washing away the doubts bottled up inside her. The fears.
The one person she hadn’t lied to was Chase. She did love Ben. And she’d survive it.
Even if it stole all her tears.
Even if she had to scratch and claw to the surface.
Once she’d scrubbed herself, she turned off the water and stepped out into the hotel bathroom, wishing she was home.
A home she didn’t have.
She’d lived in the Evans’ house, in Quinn’s, but never her own. Wrapping a towel around her body and another around her head, she retrieved the clipboard and flipped to a new page.
To-Do lists were her bread and butter, they kept her sane and organized in her job as an assistant.
But she’d never made one for herself… full of things that mattered to her.
She pulled the pen free and thought for a moment before writing. Find a home.
After the tour, she’d need somewhere to live, an apartment. But where? Drew based himself in Gulf City, so maybe there?
She had time to figure it out.
A ring sounded through the room, muffled by the clothes on the floor. Piper put the clipboard back on the shelf and bent to pull her phone free of the pants she’d discarded.
Melanie. Again.
With a sigh, she answered. “Hey, Mel.”
“Piper? Is that you? I don’t recognize your voice.”
“Very funny.” She’d been avoiding Melanie’s calls since Tommy’s video went viral over a month ago. Really, she’d avoided everyone’s calls.
“No, really, you should want to talk to me.”
“If it’s about the video—”
“Of course, it’s about the video. Piper, you’re an internet sensation, and no one even knows who you are. Have you read any of the comments?”
“No.” She’d tried not to get angry with Tommy for subjecting her to the mob, but sometimes it was hard. “Why would I do that?”
“Well, your face doesn’t show in the video, and no one who knows you has revealed your identity. That’s the good news. In the comments, they’re calling you Mrs. Piano.”
Piper snorted. “That’s a stupid name.”
“Very, but the video has climbed over four million hits now. We have to capitalize on this.”
“Capitalize? Melanie, no.” She’d known Melanie for years, and it was like she could read her thoughts through the phone.
“Pipes, I’m going to be real with you here. That song blew me away. I didn’t know you could write lyrics, let alone sing them and play piano. You have something very few people have.”
“Annoyance?” That was all she felt at the moment.
“You sing from some deeper place. I really think you could have a career at this.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“What? Everyone wants to be famous.”
Piper walked further into the room and sat on the corner of the bed. She’d never cared about Quinn singing her songs, but there was something deeply personal about Piper performing them herself. “I never have. Mel, I know it’s your job to push people to greatness, but can’t I be great without the fame? I don’t want to be a singer.” She only sang when she needed to feel connected to something.
Melanie sighed. “I only want what’s best for you. For the past couple years, I have watched you toil away, helping others reach their potential.”
“It’s not toiling if it’s what I want to do. I like helping other people. I like supporting their careers and watching them succeed. It’s not unlike what you do.”
“You’re right. I know you are. It’s just… you’re so good, Piper.”
“I never cared about being good. I sing for me.”
Melanie was quiet for a long moment. “Okay, fine. But… that’s not the only reason I called.”
“Spit it out, Mel.”
“It’s Ben. I needed to know if you’ve spoken to him.”
“Why would I speak to him?” Piper sat up straighter, listening more intently than she had before.
“He left, Piper. And it might be the end of Fate.”
“He left?” Her heartbeat kicked up a notch.
“It’s like he just disappeared.”
28
Ben
You will not fall in love with her because of her words. She is good, Ben. The kind of person who doesn’t belong in our world.
Quinn’s words still echoed in Ben’s head, and he could no longer deny the truth of them.
Was that why Piper lied to him? Why she let him believe the words that spoke to him, the ones he felt with every chord of music, weren’t hers?
She’d seen this coming, the day of truth.
But she hadn’t wanted it.
Ben stared at the TV screen, watching people fall in love without even seeing each other. Love is Blind was addictive, if unbelievable. But hadn’t he fallen in love with someone without knowing who she truly was?
No. He shook his head despite the fact he was alone and no one would see him. The music didn’t make him blind. Not anymore. He knew who it was speaking to him. Just as he knew she’d never believe the music wasn’t the reason he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
“Gah, I really messed this up, didn’t I?” He spoke only to the TV screen and the couples who were completely oblivious to the train wreck he already saw coming for them.
The front door of the apartment bang
ed open, and Chase walked in, setting his computer bag on the counter and dropping his keys next to it. “Please tell me you aren’t sitting here in the dark watching a dating show.”
Ben shrugged. “I won’t tell you, then.”
Chase crossed the room and dropped onto the couch. “Love is Blind.” He snorted. “What a crock of—”
“Hey! They’re falling in love without considering appearances. What’s so wrong about that?”
“Yes, but they still talk of hoping the girls are hot. And if they weren’t? If this show had a woman who didn’t have a flat stomach or long, beautiful hair? There’s no way the couples would last. These guys are still shallow, even if they can’t see the women.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chase lifted a brow. “Are we really arguing about a dating show right now?” He pointed to Ben. “My rockstar brother, ladies and gentlemen.”
Ben lifted the remote and turned off the TV. “It’s just…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.
When he’d arrived at Chase’s door five days ago, he’d told him everything. How he never stopped thinking of Piper. That the video of her singing was everything.
And then the information that could end his career. Quinn’s lies. Piper’s lies. It all fell out of him, landing at Chase’s feet in a messed-up blob.
Chase let him stay, he helped him avoid the rest of the world, not even telling their parents he was here.
Picking up Ben’s discarded phone from the coffee table, Chase looked to him. “You ever going to turn this back on?”
Ben sighed. He’d imagined the messages sitting unanswered. Melanie, the guys and gal of Rockstars Anonymous, Quinn, Conner.
But all he wanted was to see one name flash across the screen. Yet, Quinn’s words continued their loop. Don’t love her just for the music.
“I talked to Quinn today.”
Ben’s eyes snapped to Chase. “Why would you do that?”
“She called me.” He shrugged. “Remember, she’s part of my family too. Even if Fate is breaking up. You didn’t tell me that part.”
“I didn’t know we were.” That was only a half-truth. He’d known what walking out the door in that moment would have meant.
“Your music, brother, it helps people. It helped me a lot over the years. It’s good. Really good. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that. When your first album released, Piper downloaded it to her phone, and the two of us used to take blankets and lots of Milk Duds to the woods. We’d lay there for hours, and I was so proud of my big bro and his music.”
Ben shifted his eyes away. “That’s the thing, Chase. It wasn’t my music.”
“That’s crap, and you know it. They may have been Piper’s words—a fact she didn’t even tell me, by the way—but the music was yours. You know she didn’t lie to hurt you, right?” He did know that on some level. Piper wouldn’t have hurt anyone. “Her number one priority in life has been to protect her sister, to hold their remaining little family together.”
“I know.” His shoulders dropped. Piper wanted to hold on to Quinn, but here was Ben tearing them apart. He brushed a hand through his hair. “I just… I don’t know what to do, how to fix this. I don’t want to lose Fate, but we can’t keep going like we were. I want Piper, but I don’t know if she’ll ever trust me.” Or if she’d think he fell into his old thinking of fate, that he loved the writer of those words rather than the person behind them.
“Then, show her.”
“What?”
“Piper is one of the most trusting souls I’ve ever known. She sees the good in people. Let her see you, Ben. The real you. Not your rockstar persona. Not the sad sack who came home with her to mourn his broken relationship. And definitely not the guy who believes some higher power gets to choose who he loves.”
“What if I don’t know who I am other than those things?”
“You’d better figure it out.” He nudged him. “And turn on your phone. I’m not the only one who cares about you.” He stood. “I’m going to shower. I have to leave early tomorrow for Cincinnati.”
“What’s in Cinci?”
“My best friend.” He walked away as if those words didn’t steal the breath from his brother’s lungs. Piper would be only two hours away.
Taking Chase’s advice, Ben powered up his phone, preparing for an onslaught of messages. He wasn’t disappointed.
Melanie: You better be dead. Stop ignoring me.
Quinn: I need to talk to you
Conner: Bro, Quinn is about to do something really drastic if you don’t respond to us.
Dax: Congrats on the engagement. Sorry I’m late.
Ben laughed at that one. Dax rarely took his head out of his music to know what was going on.
Noah: Dang, your girl is good at her job.
Piper. He smiled, grateful she had Drew, Noah, and even Jo around.
Jo: I think I like this girl better than you.
Drew: I’m worried about Piper.
Worried? Ben’s heart kicked up a notch. His thumb hovered over Drew’s name before he tapped it and brought the phone to his ear. Screaming filled the line sounding like a crowd of fans.
“Ben?” Drew yelled to be heard over the noise.
“Drew, where are you?” Ben found himself yelling too.
“A concert, man. Listen to them!” More roaring came through the phone.
“You answered my call in the middle of a concert?”
“Ah, these people are okay with it.” He laughed, turning his voice to the crowd. “Everyone say hi to Ben Evans.”
The crowd grew louder. Well, there went his solitude. He’d hear it from Mel that he called Drew and not her.
The crowd faded away as if Drew ran off stage. He huffed out a breath. “Sorry, man. Afternoon outdoor concerts. Gotta love them.”
“Did you just leave the stage to talk to me?”
“Yeah, but my set was done. Jo was already glaring at me from the side of the stage because I went over my time.”
Sounded like Jo. “You said you were worried about Piper.”
“Oh, yeah. She’s good at her job, like really good. I’ve never seen anyone so singularly focused on anticipating my needs. Honestly, it’s a little creepy. I don’t even have to ask for stuff before she appears. Hold on, here she comes.”
Ben’s breath quickened as he heard Piper’s voice. Drew thanked her before turning his attention back to Ben. “Something is wrong, and I think that something is you.”
“How… Drew, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think I do. Piper is my girl, but I’m going to admit, I love you, man.”
“Gross.”
“Like really really love you. We’re bros now, and that’s cool. I know you love me too, you don’t have to say it. So, I’m just going to dive in. You shouldn’t marry Quinn when a girl like Piper is so obviously in love with you.”
“She’s not—”
“I was there in Ohio, remember? Most people think I’m a fool, and sometimes they’d be right. But not this time.”
“You realize this is weird, right? Giving me advice about your assistant.”
“Yes.” Drew laughed. “But weird works for me. Just know, if you hurt this sweet woman, I’m going to smash your guitar over your head. So, you need to decide. There’s no room for waffling. Do you love Piper? That’s all that should matter. Now, I gotta go if I want to get back to my hotel room to watch Quinn’s press conference. Think she’ll claim she’s pregnant with your baby?”
“Press conference?” His eyes widened. What could Quinn possibly be doing calling a press conference?
“Guess my calls aren’t the only ones you’ve been ducking. Chat later.” He hung up without a goodbye.
Ben stared at his phone, willing that conversation to disappear from his mind.
Do you love Piper?
Was it really that simple?
He pulled up Quinn on the phone and tapped her numb
er, listening to it ring with bated breath. What could she possibly have to say to the press? The world? When the phone clicked to voicemail, he hung up and tried Melanie. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be her. Again, no answer.
In a last-ditch effort to figure this out, he tried Conner.
When Conner picked up, Ben released a breath. He didn’t bother with hello. “What’s going on? Why is Quinn holding a press conference?”
Conner sighed. “I tried to talk her out of this, Ben, but she’s adamant it’s something she needs to do.”
“What is? What’s she going to do.”
“You need to watch. I don’t know where you’ve been, or if you’re coming back, but Quinn is going to make everything right. We just might not have a band after this.”
Only moments ago, Ben hadn’t contradicted Chase when he said Fate was breaking up. But now, talking to Conner, he needed to save them. “Tell me it’s not over, Conner.”
“Honestly, I don’t know.” In all the years Ben knew Conner, he couldn’t remember him sounding so dejected, so lost. “But at least if we go down, it’s doing the right thing. Look, I’ve gotta go. The press conference is starting, and I need to be at Quinn’s side for this. It’s being streamed on our website if you care to watch.”
The line went dead. Of course, he cared to watch. Even through the lies and turmoil, he’d never stop caring about Conner and Quinn. They’d been his family for too long.
Pushing himself to his feet, he walked toward the kitchen and slid Chase’s computer from the bag, powering it up. He typed in the web address. On the main page, a live stream showed Quinn standing on a small stage with Conner at her side.
Ben should have been there.
And instead, he’d hidden himself away.
Chase emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. He stepped up beside Ben. “What’s happening?”
Love is a Lyric (Rockstars Anonymous) Page 20