Wait For Me

by K. L. Grayson

  “I won’t believe it until I see it.”

  Silence falls around us as I continue to work on Emma’s hair. I’m not sure how much time passes, but Emma falls asleep and when my back starts to hurt from bending over, I stand up straight, arch backward, and rub the offending ache.

  “Is it your back?” Grayson asks. I nod, and he adjusts Emma on his lap. “We can stop. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  “No, no. I’m almost done.”

  “Are you sure?”

  It warms my heart that he’s concerned about me, especially after what he overheard. “Positive.”

  “Grab a towel,” he says, nodding toward the closet behind me. “Kneel down.”

  I grab one and set it on the floor. Grayson pulls Emma higher on his lap so he can spread his legs, and I drop to my knees. After a few seconds, Emma shifts, and as he squeezes his legs together to keep her from falling, his knees push into my waist, caging me against him.

  “Sorry,” he whispers.

  “It’s okay.” I don’t mind.

  It feels good being this close to him. Too good. I wonder if he can hear how hard my heart is beating.

  The final glob of gum falls out of Emma’s hair. I toss it in the trash and look up at the same time Grayson bends his head to inspect my work. Our faces are only a few inches apart. The air around us crackles. Grayson’s warm breath fans my face, and all I would have to do is tilt my chin and his lips would brush against mine.

  His blue eyes are swirling with an unnamed emotion. His gaze drops to my lips, and I have the overwhelming urge to apologize.

  “About what you overheard earlier—”

  “How’s it going in here?”

  I jerk back at the sound of Nick’s voice. Jessa is standing behind him with Henry on her hip and a concerned look on her face.

  I drag in a ragged breath and turn to Grayson. “The gum is out, but you’ll have to wash her hair.”

  He nods and stands up. “I’ll have Angela do it in the morning. Thank you,” he tells me, standing up and slipping past Nick and Jessa.

  “You’re welcome.” And who is Angela?

  Jessa waits until Nick is out of the bathroom, and then she whispers, “Not at all attracted to him, huh? I could’ve fried an egg using the heat between you two.”

  I roll my eyes, but she stops me with a hand on my arm. “And in case you were wondering, Angela is the sitter.”

  I shake my head. “I wasn’t.”

  Jessa snorts and snuggles Henry. “Right.”

  7

  Nora

  “Thanks, Jackson. I really appreciate it,” I say, gathering the notes I took during the phone meeting with my new agent.

  “Anytime. I’m glad it worked out. Keep your head up and remember there’s more to life than bright lights, makeup artists, and ticket sales.”

  “I’ll try. Tell Allie I said hi.”

  “Will do.”

  I hang up, toss my phone on the bed, and run a hand through my hair.

  “Who were you talking to?” Jessa walks in and plops down on my bed.

  She’s a nurse at the local hospital and works three twelve-hour shifts a week, which means when she’s off, we get to spend our days together.

  “Jackson. He gave me the name of a manager he knows who he thought would be a good fit for me, and I think he was right. I talked to her earlier this morning, and we had a wonderful conversation. I called Jackson back to tell him thank you.”

  “Jackson as in Jackson McCoy from Buffalo Road? The band you opened for a few years ago?”

  “Yep.”

  Jessa fans her face and does her best mock swoon. “He’s so sexy.”

  “He’s so taken.”

  “So am I,” she says, flashing me the giant diamond my brother put on her finger a few years ago. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t admire.”

  “Admire this.” I toss her my notebook.

  “What is all of this?” she asks, flipping through the pages of my chicken scratch.

  “Ideas from Marnie.”

  “Who’s Marnie?”

  “The manager I spoke with. Keep up, Jessa.”

  “Sorry. Tell me about her.”

  “There isn’t much to tell. She was nice. We talked about what went wrong with Becky, where my career has been, and the direction I want to take it. And get this, she outlined a plan for making it happen. We video conferenced for almost three hours, and I’m really impressed with her.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  “I told her I’m not ready to go back to LA, and she agreed. I’m going to spend the summer working on some of my own songs for the next album. She’s going to talk with the music execs and make sure they’re on the same page as us.”

  “And if they’re not?”

  “Then we’ll go somewhere else. They aren’t the only label in town. Anyway, Marnie thinks it’s a good idea to lay low after what happened with Todd—let the media interest die down while she works on putting our plan in motion, and when I go to Todd’s premiere, Marnie and I will meet in person.”

  “You still have to go to Todd’s premiere?”

  I groan and drop onto the bed beside Jessa. “Unfortunately.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It is what it is. I shouldn’t have bashed the hell out of his Porsche or stolen his BMW, although it felt great. Lesson learned. Next time I’ll beat up the guy, not the car.”

  “Let’s hope there isn’t a next time. I thought your brother was going to lose his mind when you called and told us what happened. He was ready to hop a plane and hunt Todd down.”

  I smile at the thought. Nick isn’t a fighter, but I know he’d go head to head if it meant protecting Jessa or me. “Thank you again for letting me crash here.”

  “Stop thanking us. You’re family. This is your home too.”

  I rest my hand on hers and squeeze it gently. “Love you, Jessa.”

  “I hate to break up the chick fest,” Nick says, appearing in the doorway, “but I’m starving.”

  “What are you doing home from work?” I ask.

  “Didn’t you hear me? I’m starving. I was hoping one of you would make me lunch.”

  I give Jessa a nudge. “He’s your husband.”

  Nick holds out his hand and pulls Jessa into his arms. The way they look at each other, with stars in their eyes, is absolutely adorable, and also a little disgusting.

  They kiss, and Jessa melts. I want what they have.

  When Nick deepens the kiss, I throw a pillow at their heads.

  “Can you take that into another room, please?”

  The two lovebirds laugh and stumble out, but the giggling doesn’t stop. I hear another door shut and then a thump, followed by a moan. I cover my ears and flop back on the bed.

  This is going to be a long summer.

  The next three days drag on in about the same fashion, slow and steady, and there’s always a moment when I have to hide in my bedroom and cover my ears or risk being scarred for life. There’s nothing worse than hearing your brother bring his wife to the big O.

  Jessa had to work today, so after she left, Nick joined me on the deck for a cup of coffee and a bagel. The weather is beautiful this time of the year, and I enjoy the peace and quiet as I lean back in the chair, look up at the clouds floating across the bright blue sky, and take a bite of my breakfast.

  “So, how do you like Rock Springs?”

  “I’ve been here before,” I say, wiping cream cheese from the corner of my mouth.”

  “I know, but never for an extended period of time.”

  “It’s nice. I haven’t really left your house.”

  “Why not?”

  I give my brother a look. “I can’t believe you have to ask.”

  He sets his coffee mug on the small table between us. “You’re not in LA, Nora.”

  “I know that.”

  “Rock Springs is a tight-knit community. Everybody knows everybody. Jessa grew up here. She’s resp
ected and loved, and when I married her, the community took me in. Everyone knows you’re my sister, and they’re protective of that as well. Stay away from the arcade, bowling alley, and movie theater—where your potential fans hang out—and I promise you won’t get bombarded.”

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t be so worried. It’s just weird stepping out by myself. I’m used to having Bo around.”

  “Welcome to freedom.”

  Freedom. I take a breath of the crisp, clean air, and blow it out. “Is that what this feeling is?”

  “You’ve worked your ass off. You deserve a breather. While you’re here, you’re just my bratty little sister.”

  I swat his arm. “I’m not a brat. But you’re right. I need to enjoy my time off. Who knows, I might venture into town later and check out the scenery. I’ll probably wait to actually shop until I have someone with me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get out of the house for a while. Do you guys have Uber here?”

  Nick rolls his eyes. “No. And even if we did, you can’t take an Uber. I want you to live a little, but you still have to be safe. Take my old truck. The keys are hanging by the back door.”

  “Wait, you’re not talking about that beat-up Ford, are you?”

  He grins. “Her name is Bessie.”

  “No way! You still have that thing? It’s ancient. I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart.”

  “It has a few times, but I keep fixing it. Well, Gray keeps fixing it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  “Oh my God, are you blushing?” I lean forward in my chair, but Nick turns his head.

  “No.”

  “Come on, Nicky, you can tell me.” I nudge his knee, and he pushes my hand away.

  “Fine. I keep the truck because all of my firsts with Jessa happened in that cab. Our first date, our first kiss, our—”

  “Stop.” I hold my hand up and make a face. “Say no more. Who knew you were so sentimental?”

  “It’s called love.”

  “I wouldn’t know a thing about that.”

  “Not all men are like Todd. Someday you’ll find a guy willing to put up with your crazy life, and I’ll be here to rub it in your face and make fun of you the way you do me.”

  I thought I loved Todd, but all it took was him cheating on me and a few days of thinking to bring what we had into perspective. I see now that I loved the idea of Todd. I loved the idea of having someone who supported and understood me, someone who checked in on me because he wanted to, not because he had to—although it turns out that’s not really what Todd was doing at all.

  “Don’t hold your breath.” I’m sure as hell not. “Do I need to put plastic down on the seat in your truck? I’m not going to get any bodily fluids on me, am I?”

  “Probably wouldn’t hurt. You never know. I’m kidding,” he says, laughing at the look on my face. “The truck has been thoroughly cleaned and hasn’t been driven in months.”

  “Good to know.”

  “But you might want to stay away from the hammock down by the pond.”

  “Ugh.” I wad my napkin into a ball and chuck it at him. “I read a book out there yesterday.”

  He doubles over laughing.

  We clean up our mess and walk into the house. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I figure I’ll cook for you and Jessa since she’s cooked the last few nights.”

  “No need. We’re meeting Jessa’s parents for dinner after she gets off work—it’s our regular dinner date. You’re more than welcome to come.”

  “Nah, I’ll just hang here.”

  “If you change your mind, the offer stands.” Nick grabs his work hat from the kitchen counter and pulls it over his head. “Hey, would you mind doing me a favor while you’re out today?”

  “Depends on the favor.”

  “Jessa found one of Emma’s dolls under the couch from when she was here the other night. It’s in my truck. I was going to run it to Gray after work, but if you’re getting out and don’t mind dropping it off, that would save me the trip across town.”

  My breath catches at the thought of seeing Grayson. I’ve only thought about him a hundred times since he walked out of Nick’s house Monday night. His chiseled arms and easy smile have popped into my head, and my dreams, more than they should have.

  Plus, I still need to apologize.

  “Yeah, no problem. You’ll have to tell me where to find him.”

  “It’s easy.”

  I follow Nick to his truck and grab Emma’s doll while he tells me how to get to Grayson’s house, and then I hop into the raggedy old Ford, crank down the window, and take off.

  It’s been months since I’ve driven a car—well, other than my joyride in Todd’s BMW. A shiny, black Mustang sits in my garage back in LA. I never get the chance to drive it, which is a shame, because there’s nothing better than having the radio cranked up and the wind blowing through my hair.

  One of my favorite country songs comes on the radio, and I belt out the lyrics as I drive through town.

  Nick and Jessa always tell me how lucky I am, and how good I’ve got it, but I don’t think they realize they’re the lucky ones, because the freedom to do what you want, when you want, and how you want, is priceless.

  Sure, I’m loaded, and I get to go to fancy parties and rub elbows with celebrities, but at the end of the night, I’m alone. The older I get, the more that bothers me, especially on days like today when I have no one to share my newfound freedom with.

  8

  Grayson

  “I’m going to run into town and grab a sandwich.”

  I slide out from under the car I’m working on and look up at my brother. Duke is two years younger than me, and even though he’s a giant pain in my ass, he’s one of my best friends.

  “Is that code for hooking up with Candy? Because if it is, can you make it quick?”

  “Carrie,” he corrects, shaking his head. “And no, it’s code for I’ve spent the last two hours chasing after your hooligans, and now I’m starving.”

  “What happened to Candy?”

  “She was too clingy. Stop judging me. I’ll be right back.”

  I hold my hands up. “I’m not judging.” I swear he goes through women faster than I go through underwear. “Will you grab me something too?”

  “What the hell do I look like?”

  “I restored your Camaro for cost. The way I see it, you owe me another thousand hours of babysitting and at least thirty or forty lunches.”

  Duke scratches his head. “What do you want?”

  “I’ll have a turkey and swiss on white with all the veggies. And grab the kids some chicken nuggets while you’re out.”

  It’s not like he can’t afford it. Baby Brother is a tech genius. He’s a coder, or a developer, or…hell, I don’t really know what he does. What I do know is he puts together programs and apps and then turns around and sells them for a small fortune.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Duke waves his hand and turns for the door. “Henry is asleep in the pack-n-play and the other two hellions are watching a movie on your iPad. They should be content until I get back.”

  “Thanks, bro.” He doesn’t respond, and I push up into a sitting position on my creeper. “Yo, Duke?”

  He stops and turns toward me. “Yeah?”

  “Thank you,” I say, and I mean more than just getting me lunch.

  He’s really stepped up over the last year and a half, helping me with the kids—the way he is today—and my business. He isn’t around all the time, because he has his own stuff going on, but he’s always here when I need him, and for that I’m grateful.

  “You don’t have to thank me. We’re family. I’ve always got your back.”

  “Same.”

  I watch him walk out the back door of Calhoun’s Custom Cars. My shop isn’t much, but as soon as I moved into the house, I started renovations on the shed. I poured concrete floors, put up some walls to separate the work area from the reception desk and off
ice, threw on a coat of paint, and voila. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s mine, and it more than pays the bills.

  Glancing around the garage area, I take in everything that still needs to be done. There’s an old car lift I bought from an auction that’s been collecting dust in the back corner. One of these days I’ll install it, along with the oil-burning furnace I purchased from a buddy of mine. Besides the lift and furnace, there’s the bathroom that still isn’t finished, a bookkeeping program I never took the time to install, two laundry baskets full of dirty shop rags, and piles and piles of invoices and receipts that need to be catalogued—all things Lorelei used to take care of.

  And I don’t have the time or the energy to work on any of it.

  With a heavy sigh, I slide back under the car and get to work. This car won’t put itself back together, which is unfortunate considering I’m a few days behind schedule.

  I’m never behind schedule, but I’ve felt off since walking out of Nick and Jessa’s house Monday night, and it’s interfering with my work. It’s not the kids that have me worked up, or the gum in Emma’s hair, or the fighting and constant bickering, it’s her.

  Something about Nora made my head spin, and I haven’t been able to concentrate since. I was drawn to her in a way I didn’t expect, and for a very brief second, I let myself believe maybe she felt it too. But then I overheard her talking to Jessa, and all hope went out the window.

  At first, her words pissed me off, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what she thinks about me doesn’t matter. What matters are my kids and making sure they’re happy and healthy. Maybe one of these days when they’re all grown up, I’ll entertain the thought of a woman.

  But that realization hasn’t kept Nora’s face from popping into my head. I’m sleep-deprived from trying not to think about her soft curves and long, tan legs. She looks more grown up than I expected. I laugh at myself and shake my head for thinking she’d be the same as her TV persona. I’ve jacked off more in the last four days than I have all year, and I’m still hard. I need to stop thinking about that sexy pop star—her big brown eyes, sweet smile, and contagious laugh—and move the fuck on.