“Ha ha! What does that have to do with my toilet paper dress making skills?” Kyra laughed.
“You two have had close encounters with stylish outfits. You have an advantage,” Melody sided with Avery.
“Well in that sense, so does Taryn. She was on tour with me,” Kyra argued with a grin.
“Hey! Don't bring me in this! I was just your trusty sidekick!” Taryn shook her head.
Blaine drew the rest of the names, then handed over the materials. “Okay. Twenty minutes for everyone. I'm going to set the clock. Then we hand over our efforts to the judges.” Blaine tapped the timer. “I'll set it in plain view so everyone sees the time. Ready?”
A chorus of sound echoed throughout the room, mostly in agreement.
“And, go!”
Taryn picked up a roll, stared at it, and tried to envision an idea. She wasn't much for creativity in this sense, but hey, she'd sure give it her best try.
Melody busied herself by sketching something out. “What do you think? It's rough, and I'm not sure how to pull it off with what we have, but it's stylish and not completely girly, either.” She held up her idea for Taryn to see.
Taryn peered at it, intrigued. “Let's go for it.”
“I'm really glad my brother found someone like you, Taryn. I mean, someone he wants to change his ways for. I've been worried about him and the direction he was heading in for a while,” Melody said as she spiraled the roll around their makeshift mannequin. “After last weekend, I'm glad to see he's making even more improvements. I still worry about what he's going to do when I'm living in Nashville. I know he stuck around here for me, and it's great having my only family around, but I want him to do something, too. I'm totally rambling, aren't I?”
Taryn fiddled with trying to get a piece done correctly. She took in Melody's words carefully before speaking. “I've been where he's been. I mean, to an extent, anyway.”
“He talks about you a lot.” Melody met her gaze, then her lips curved up in a smile. “He's happy. His face lights up so much when he brings up your name.”
Taryn blushed. What in the world was she supposed to do with this information?
“I'll quit putting you on the spot. I guess I just wanted to thank you.”
“I don't know there's a need to thank me, but … thanks?” Taryn chuckled. “I like your brother. He's fun. He brings out a side of me I haven't seen in years.”
“I'm going to miss him playing for the band, but I'm glad you're with us. I'm looking forward to everything- going on tour, getting to know you, and hoping for the best for you and my brother.”
“Do you really think we have a shot?” Taryn asked, then regretted it. Why did she feel the need to let her vulnerability show, especially to Chris' sister?
“I don't see why not. You two seem to have a good thing going.”
“Well, I don't know if it's going, but there's something there. I won't deny that.” When a guy gave her the warm and fuzzy feeling she'd secretly longed for forever, yeah, there was definitely something. Taryn also looked forward to the next few months. Finally, a light at the end of her dark, lonely tunnel.
“All right!” Blaine jumped up after the timer went off. “Judges, we present to you our final product!”
Taryn's text notification went off as their entries were judged. She had one from Chris asking if Melody was surprised and if they were enjoying themselves. The other text was from a number she didn't recognize and was rather rude.
“He's mine. He'll always be mine. Back off, because you don't stand a chance.”
Chapter Twenty
“Slow down, Taryn. You got what?” Chris held the phone against his ear, trying to decipher what she said. She'd been speaking quick and was pretty annoyed. Whatever the issue was, it rattled her.
“Somebody texted me, and all they said was, 'He's mine. He'll always be mine', then told me to back off because I don't stand a chance.”
He muttered a curse. What the hell? “I'm sorry you have to deal with this. What's the number? That should tell me right away who it is.” Alice? She made it clear she wanted a lot more and was jealous of Taryn.
“Hold on.” She rattled off a number.
Offhand, he didn't recognize it right away, but that didn't mean anything.
“This is childish and stupid!” Taryn ground out.
“Hey, I agree with you. Trust me, once I get to the bottom of it, I'm going to have some words with whoever it is.”
“I had one accident caused by jealousy, so this kind of stuff ticks me off.” Her tone softened.
“Hell. I'm sorry, Taryn.” Of course this would bother her for more than one reason.
“I don't mean to take it out on you. It rattled me more than I'd like to admit, but I guess I always worry.”
“I'm not going to let anyone hurt you,” he swore. “Not that I think it would come down to that, and considering what you went through, I know that doesn't mean a whole lot.”
“I-I'm calm now, I think.” She sounded a little better.
“So I heard you and my sister won the best toilet paper wedding dress game, huh?” A change of subject was needed. “Mel showed me pictures. Good job.”
Taryn let out a laugh, practically snorting. “Who would have thought? We figured Kyra and Blaine were going to win. It was fun, and I got to know your sister a little more. Oh, she wants to kill you for the photos you gave Blaine for the slide show.”
He laughed. “I wish I was a fly on the wall when that happened. She practically killed me when I embarrassed her on stage the first time Kyra sang with us. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, though.”
“I saw that, actually. Someone recorded and posted that snippet. It was right before Kyra panicked because of Melody singing Heartless.”
“Oh, so you knew of me before I knew of you.” He chuckled.
“I guess so, but I was paying attention to Kyra, not you,” she shot back.
“Hey, what are you doing tomorrow? Want to go for a swim again? I want to see you.” Want? Hell, he'd almost go as far as to say he needed to see her.
“Actually, I'm going with Kyra to look at tour buses. She'll be gone for the weekend, so we have to do it before.”
“Damn.” Disappointment zapped through him.
“We can get together this weekend, if you want.”
“You bet I want. You know what else I want?”
“Dare I ask?” she asked with caution.
“I'd love for you to be my date to Melody's wedding. I know you're already invited, but now I'm re-inviting you as my date. See, that wasn't so scary, was it?”
Taryn laughed. God, he adored the sound of her laugh. “No, it wasn't too bad. I'd love to be your date. You know this will only prompt more conversations about us from everyone.”
“I'm sure. We're among the top two conversations lately. The other is when Matt and Kyra are going to get engaged.”
“Yes, I know. She doesn't think it'll happen right away, and everyone else seems to think otherwise. One would think the upcoming weddings would be the talk of the town, but nope. It seems to be all about who's hooking up and getting hitched next.”
Chris stared out of the window that provided a view of his pool, lost in thought.“This small town is kinda growing on me.”
“Does that mean you're going to stay here?”
Not if it means you won't be here.
Whoa. Where'd that come from?
“I don't know. It might be pointless if the reason I'm liking the town is gone. Reasons, actually.”
“Reasons?”
“Reasons. You're one of them. I could have easily cut ties and walked away when you joined the band. That was my initial plan, but you intrigued me to the point I had to stay. I know you're doing this on a trial basis, but I was almost ready to let everyone figure it out on their own if you didn't want to stay.”
Silence met him on the other end of the line, so Chris continued. “I bet you're blushing.”
“You'd bet ri
ght.” Her voice came out soft and gentle.
“You know, you're welcome to stay the weekend with me if Kyra isn't going to be home,” he suggested, the idea slipping from his tongue before he could think more about it.
“I'm fine on my own.”
“I know. I meant it more for spending time together, not because you can't handle living on your own.”
“I'll think about it, but maybe we're better off just hanging out a little.” Hesitance, and tons of it, resonated in her tone.
What was she afraid of? Well, he wouldn't push her on it. “Whatever you want. Hey, I'd better go for my run before it rains. Call me when you get back tomorrow?”
“Sure. Have a good night.”
“You too, drummer girl. I'll be thinking of you.” Hell, he couldn't stop.
*****
“Dad says he's a little jealous that I have no school today and can go with you two to check out tour buses,” Andrew announced at breakfast the next morning.
Taryn smirked as she finished her last bite of waffles. “I'm sure he'll get a chance to go on a tour bus later. Revel in the fact that you get to do something cool first.”
“Oooh, you're being a bad influence on Andrew. Stop that, Taryn!” Kyra chided in a joking manner. “Andrew, if it all works out, I'm hoping the two of you will get to go on part of the tour with me. Both you and your dad can stay on the tour bus.”
“Seriously?” His eyes got wide. “That would be epic!”
“Yep, but he says you have to get good grades.”
“I'm almost at straight A's! Other than in math. Ugh.” Andrew shook his head.
“I'm not a numbers person either,” Kyra admitted. “But don't tell your dad how bad I am.” She set her dishes in the dishwasher, then dried her hands on the towel. “I'm ready when the two of you are.”
“Just about,” Taryn answered. She'd need to do a few things before she could be comfortable being on the road that long. In her purse was her list of things to look at while on the buses. She took her plate and wheeled over to the sink, rinsed it, then stuck it in the dishwasher. “Be right back.”
Twenty minutes later, the three were piled up in Kyra's car and on the road. Andrew had helped fold down Taryn's chair and put it in the trunk.
“Daisy just told me she's jealous, too.” Andrew held up his phone, not that anyone could read the messages if that's what he wanted to show them.
“Well if I'd have known, we could have taken her, too.” Kyra exchanged a smile with Taryn. Daisy was Andrew's girlfriend- first girlfriend, actually. Taryn had met her a few times since moving in with Kyra. Sweet girl.
“How come David isn't coming?” Taryn asked.
“It's only the high school that has today and tomorrow off,” Kyra explained.
“If you get a tour bus today, does that mean it's going to be parked in front of your house?” Andrew pondered.
“No. I'll have it prepared and tailored to my needs and wants a little more. It's not like buying a regular car. And I'd never park it around the house. It would take up a lot of room and probably draw too much attention,” Kyra said.
“That's why I asked. It would be cool, but a lot of trouble.”
The drive up was pretty calm and relaxing. They made small talk, laughed, and joked around. Kyra finally pulled up to their destination. “I've never been here, but apparently it's a new thing. They have a whole bunch of models to look at.”
“Are you wanting something like your old one?” Taryn recalled those days with fond memories. They were a lot easier to think about now that they were friends again. Longing for what was didn't hit her so hard any more. Some of the best and happiest moments of her life started on the bus, where she'd bonded with Kyra.
“I'm not sure. I'll go in with an open mind, and I want you to be comfortable when you're on the bus with me, of course.”
Yeah, but they weren't doing this as a permanent thing. Still, the thought was nice. Did Kyra want her to come on tour with her more often? Was that what part of this was about? Taryn kept the questions to herself.
“How can I help you?” As they walked up to the front of the lot, a tall, plump, and nearly bald man approached them. “Kyra Sanders! I'd recognize you anywhere. My daughters are huge fans! I'm John Rend. Great to meet you!”
“I'm in the market for a new tour bus, so I thought we'd check out your location, since I live not too far away. Great to meet you, as well.” Kyra shook his hand. “I have a few things in particular I'm looking for, specifically wheelchair accessibility to get on and off the coach and plenty of room for someone in a chair to move around with ease.”
“We might have a few things for you to see.” John's gaze landed on Taryn, then Andrew. “Brought a whole crew today, huh?”
Kyra made the intros. “This is Taryn. She's a drummer and is going to be touring with me this summer. And this is Andrew, my boyfriend's son.”
“Great to meet you both. Let's go take a tour.” John filled them in on plenty of information as they walked around different models.
To Taryn's surprise, there were several options for her. The third bus John led them to, he showed them the wheelchair lift. “Want a ride?” he asked Taryn.
“I'd love it. I want to see the inside first hand.” She responded with real enthusiasm.
Kyra met Taryn on the bus as the lift brought her on board. She took in the sights of the bus and started to make mental notes. Kyra backed away to let her roll around and see what kind of room she had. “My concerns are sleep and bathroom arrangements,” she said when she knew Kyra stood directly behind her.
“Well, at least for when you're with me, I'll let you have the big bed in the back room, or we could both stay back there. That way, if you need something, I can be right there. The bigger bathroom is something we can have tailored. Then you just do something like that with Baby Stetson if you ever get a tour bus.” Kyra touched her shoulder gently.
“I'm really blown away by the room on here! I never realized how much there was.”
“Yeah, because we were usually too goofy to pay attention to stuff like that.” Kyra laughed. “Remember our first year on tour together?”
“Of course I do! I'd never forget. We had a blast on the bus. Our rules, our way.” Taryn's smile grew, recalling the fond, crazy memories.
“Wow! This is seriously cool!” Andrew struck a guitar playing pose. “I want a tour bus. I'd deck it out with the most awesome stuff. It would be my man cave.”
“Don't tell that one to your dad just yet, huh kiddo?” Kyra wrapped her arm around him and messed up his hair. “He'd kill me. And stop this growing up talk already. No man caves for you. Work with me here!”
“Oops. I already texted him with the comment.” Andrew ducked and let out a whoop. “I don't want to grow up, I just want a tour bus.”
“Kyra's in trouble!” Taryn giggled, wheeling toward the back. She passed the bunks and realized her space was a little more limited, but she could still easily get through. She'd just have to use her collapsible chair for easy storing. That would probably be better anyway, in case of any kind of emergency. Not a big deal.
Taryn entered what was considered the 'master bedroom.' This model had a huge king sized bed, which took up way too much space. Despite that, there was actually still some decent room. The bathroom was connected to the room. The door on this model wasn't wide enough to go through, but the space in the bathroom itself wasn't bad. She couldn't get a glimpse of the shower stall. She'd have to ask Kyra on that one.
“What do you think?” Kyra appeared behind her again.
“Well, there are a lot more options than I imagined, but it would definitely take some remodeling for everything to work.” Taryn heaved a sigh. “I can't get through the door on this one, which means I can't tell the size of the shower stall in there.”
“But how does it seem for the most part? I mean, can you work with it?” Kyra moved to stand in front of her.
“Yeah.” Taryn thought about
it, made a mental checklist of her own, then gave a slow nod. “They've definitely done a lot of changes since the last time I was on a tour bus.”
“And this is only the first model we've been inside of. We can look at others, then you can help me decide.”
“Kyra, don't go to so much trouble on your bus just for me,” Taryn protested.
“Oh come on. I need a bigger bathroom anyway.” Kyra fluffed up her hair. “You know, big star attitude and all.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
Taryn snorted. Kyra was so not that way, and they both knew it. If Kyra wasn't on stage or doing an interview, she barely did anything with her hair. Like right now, Kyra's hair was pulled back in a loose, messy bun.
“I want you to be able to come on my bus and be comfortable whenever you want. That's my final answer, so you will either help me or I will write you in my next tear jerker sad song. You'll even get credits in the album booklet. Got it?” Kyra folded her arms over her chest, like her attempt at being stern and serious even worked a bit.
“Ooooh, scary. I'm trembling. Can't you see?” Taryn rolled her eyes, then laughed. “Got it. Thank you. I do appreciate it.”
“Are you looking more and more forward to touring?”
“Yes. You can't even begin to know how much.” Did she still have moments of doubt, absolutely, but the longer she spent around Baby Stetson, Chris, and Kyra, that all faded away.
“Good. So am I. Finish making your notes, and we'll look at a few more before we work on coming up with personally tailored ideas, okay?”
“Sounds good.” Taryn already pulled out her notebook and pen, jotting things down.
Two and a half hours and six additional models later, Taryn, Kyra, and Andrew were in the office of the place, talking to John about bus remodels. They'd found several they liked, and Kyra was given plenty of brochures, which she'd planned on giving to Baby Stetson so that they had ideas for whenever they wanted a bus.
Some things in life were going up. Some were still on the confusing side, like Chris and things about touring, but for the most part, Taryn had a good outlook.
Offbeat (Love and Music In Texas Book 5) Page 20