by Brenda Novak
“Because, like I said, it was one stupid night—a mistake. There’s no need to let that ruin everything. My career depends on selling artists. And you need me to maintain good contacts in this industry. That’s the only way I’ll be able to help you get back on top.”
Ah, here was the spin. He was keeping Crystal as a client for her, even though she’d pleaded with him to do the opposite. “I have to go,” she said.
“What do you mean? We were just starting to talk about this. You said you wanted me to be honest, so I stepped up. Don’t cut me off when I only did what you asked.”
That was wrong on so many levels, Lourdes didn’t know where to begin to explain that she owed him nothing for his confession. “Or what?” she said. “Next time you won’t tell me?”
“No...” He seemed to flounder with that for a few seconds before coming up with an acceptable answer. “It’s not going to happen again. I promise.”
But she knew how much his promises meant. He’d already promised her, after cheating on his wife, he’d never cheat again.
Suddenly, she began to realize that it didn’t matter if he had Crystal find a different manager. Crystal wasn’t the problem. He was. “I’d stay on the phone,” Lourdes said, “but there’s no need to continue the conversation.”
“Why?”
“Because whatever we had is over,” she said sadly and hung up.
13
When Kyle returned, it was three in the morning, so he was surprised to find Lourdes awake. Her guitar was in her lap, but she wasn’t playing it. She was watching TV.
“What happened? You quit texting me,” she said, setting her guitar aside and coming to meet him as soon as he walked in.
“Sorry about that. When it started getting late, I assumed you’d go to bed. I didn’t want to keep you up by constantly making your phone buzz.”
“I wouldn’t have minded. I’ve been worried.”
She’d also been crying. He could tell from the puffiness around her eyes. “You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.” She lifted her chin as if she couldn’t imagine why he’d ask. “How’s Callie? That’s what’s important.”
He managed a tired smile. “Turns out we had nothing to worry about.”
“She made it through without any complications?”
“The doctors are still keeping a close eye on her, but...yeah.”
“That’s wonderful!”
The aftereffects of the adrenaline that had saturated his system during Callie’s labor and delivery had hit him hard on the long drive from UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. He could hardly keep his eyes open. “She’s so happy.”
“That must mean the baby’s healthy, too.”
“Yes. Little Aiden is underweight—only five pounds—but otherwise he seems to be in fine shape. From what the doctors were saying, the lungs are the last organs to form, so they’re watching him for pneumothoraces, which are caused when holes in the lung tissue allow air to escape. If he gets one or more of those, they’ll do some sort of oxygen treatment, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll insert a tube in his chest until the holes heal. For some reason, it’s more common in boys who are born early than girls.”
She moved her guitar to a more secure spot. “Still, a great report. Levi must be relieved that his family came through it so well.”
Kyle was surprised she remembered Levi’s name. “He is. I’ve never seen him quite as emotional as he was tonight.” He chuckled as he remembered the tears in his friend’s eyes. “He’s always been a tough guy, a man of few words. We’ll give him shit about it later.”
“If he’s that tough, he can take it.”
“He does his share of teasing in our group.” He tossed his keys on the counter. “So you ready for bed?”
She nodded.
He wanted to ask about Derrick, if something had happened while he was gone, but he hesitated to upset her, especially just before they finally got some sleep. “I’m glad tomorrow’s Sunday,” he muttered. All he had to worry about was dinner at his parents’...
“Since I came here, one day isn’t very different from the next for me,” she said.
“They will be once you’re working.”
“Right.” There didn’t seem to be much conviction in that word. But she didn’t argue with him. While he got a drink of water, she turned off the TV and started down the hall.
“Good night,” he called.
“Good night,” she called back. “I’m really glad your friend’s okay—and her baby, too.”
“Thanks.” By the time he put his glass in the sink and walked down the hall himself, her door was closed. But as he came nearer, she opened it.
“By the way, there won’t be any need to hire a private investigator to spy on Derrick, so don’t feel you have to find me one.”
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the opposite wall. “So what does that mean? He’s managed to convince you?”
“No.” She offered him a sad smile. “He admitted to the affair.”
Shocked, Kyle straightened. “I thought you said he’d never admit it.”
“I never dreamed he would.”
How had she gotten it out of him? He opened his mouth to ask, but she didn’t give him the chance. Slipping back into her room, she closed the door softly.
* * *
The following morning Kyle didn’t see Lourdes until it was almost time to leave for his parents’ house. And then she stumbled out, gripping her head as if she had a hangover, even though he didn’t think she’d been drinking last night. They were out of wine. The only alcohol in the house was some hard liquor pushed to the back of his cupboards; it hadn’t been used since Halloween, when he’d hosted the party he and his friends always had.
“You have a headache?” he guessed, muting his football game as she reached the kitchen.
She found her purse on the counter and began digging through it. “I think it’s a migraine.”
“Do you normally get migraines?”
“No. But it feels like my head’s about to explode, so it’s worse than the usual headache.” After swallowing some pills, she shuffled back down the hall.
He got up to go after her and knocked on the door she’d closed. “Can I make you some breakfast?” he called through the panel. “Maybe if you eat, you’ll feel better.”
“No, thanks,” she said. “I just need to sleep.”
He wondered if he should push her a little harder. Eating some healthy food would probably help. “You shouldn’t take painkiller on an empty stomach.”
When she didn’t respond, he went to the kitchen, scrambled some eggs and brought them, along with a piece of toast, to her door. “Lourdes?” he said as he knocked again.
Nothing.
“I’m coming in. Be prepared.”
She didn’t say he couldn’t, so he opened the door to find the room dark and smelling slightly of her perfume. She had the blinds down to keep out the sun, and all of her, except a bit of her hair, was buried beneath the blankets.
He carried the plate to her bedside. “Will you eat this?” he asked.
“Don’t try to help me,” she replied dully. “And don’t expect me to be too friendly. I need a couple of days to feel sorry for myself.”
“Feel sorry for yourself all you want. But do you have to starve while you do it? How’s deprivation going to improve things?”
Her phone started to buzz. He looked down at where it was lying on the nightstand, but she didn’t even stir. The caller was identified as “Asshole.”
“That must be Derrick,” he said.
“I don’t want to talk to him.”
After several more buzzes, the call transferred to voice mail.
“I have to go,”
Kyle said. “I’ve got that dinner at my parents’, remember?”
“Have fun.”
He pushed her phone to one side so he could put the plate down, and sat on the edge of her bed. “Listen, I’m sorry about Derrick.”
“Better to find out now than later,” she said. At least, that was what he thought she said. Her response was muffled by the blankets.
“There you go. Fortunately, you haven’t married him yet—and you don’t have any kids.”
“Don’t say that,” she muttered. “Don’t mention kids.”
He’d meant to encourage her, without minimizing the situation. “Maybe that’s being too practical, but it’s true.”
Suddenly, she threw back the covers and looked at him. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to get up and dust yourself off,” he said.
“How?”
“You could start by eating.” He slid her breakfast closer. “What do you say? As far as first steps go, it’s not a hard one, is it?”
Glumly, she took the fork and stuck a bite of egg in her mouth. “Two years ago I was in Paris for Christmas. Derrick had four dozen long-stem red roses delivered to our penthouse suite and a box of the best chocolates I’ve ever tasted.”
Kyle grinned. “I can bring home some flowers and chocolates, if that’s all it’ll take to cheer you up.”
She huffed as she dropped her fork. “I’m not hinting for flowers and chocolates. The point is...I was riding high. I was hitting the top of the country music charts. Do you understand how few people—how few women—get that far? I won CMA’s Best New Artist Award that year. I was the only female nominated.”
“That’s incredible.”
“And this is how it ends? I come tumbling from my lofty perch to land on my ass—without even my manager to give me a hand up?”
“What went wrong with your career?”
“I insisted on releasing a pop album, and I left my label to do it—over Derrick’s objections, by the way, which of course makes it worse. He wanted me to play it safe, while I insisted it was time to take a risk. And, bottom line, that risk didn’t pan out. Most people in the music industry thought the album was good, but it wasn’t embraced by my fans. I saw how quickly the people who claimed to love me and my work could turn into my toughest critics.”
He could tell that had taken a heavy toll. “Did it cause problems between you and Derrick?”
“A few. We certainly had arguments over it.”
“But you still have the songs that were so popular before. No one can take that away from you. Go back to what your core fans like about your earlier work and rebuild.”
“That was my plan. But now my confidence is so badly shaken, and my personal life is in such turmoil, I’m not sure I can pull it off. Like I said, I don’t even have Derrick.”
“He’s been calling and texting. You could forgive him and take him back.”
She handed him the plate and drew up her knees so she could rest her chin on them. “Yes, I could, but it wouldn’t change anything.”
“Because...”
“This isn’t about forgiveness. It’s about character. He had a chance to reform, and he didn’t respect it. He hasn’t changed at all from when he cheated on his wife. And now he’s abused my trust, too.” She dropped her head lightly against the headboard to stare up at the ceiling. “On top of everything else, I feel like the biggest fool in the world.”
“For giving someone a second chance?”
“For turning a blind eye.”
Kyle frowned at the barely touched eggs. “Why don’t you come to my folks’ place for dinner? Derrick and your problems with him have gone around in your head enough. I’m not convinced that analyzing your relationship over and over will do you any good.”
“You mean I should forget my troubles and move on.”
“If you’re not going to take him back, what other choice do you have?”
She picked up the plate and shoveled another forkful of scrambled egg into her mouth. But the mechanical way she chewed suggested she wasn’t enjoying it, wasn’t even tasting it. “No, thanks. I’ll eat this. I can’t face going out today.”
“A change of scenery might help.”
“That’ll mean putting on a happy face. I just can’t. But I’ll get back on my feet soon. I promise.”
He hoped so, because—whether it had heat or not—he couldn’t take her back to the farmhouse and leave her there alone if she was feeling as bad as she was now.
“Okay.” He stood. “I’ve got to go do my familial duty.”
“Good luck with that.” She took one more bite before setting the plate aside and ducking back beneath the covers.
* * *
Kyle had hoped to beat Brandon and Olivia to his parents’ house, to be seated in the living room, comfortably watching football with his father, when they walked in. But, after making those eggs for Lourdes and coaxing her to eat them, he wound up being slightly late. As soon as he arrived, his father ushered him into the kitchen, where everyone was taking orders from Paige so they could get the food on the table.
“Smells good in here,” he said.
They all offered him a friendly hello, and Paige stopped yelling out commands and mashing potatoes to welcome him with a hug. “Thanks for coming, honey. Dinner isn’t the same when you’re not here.”
He almost said he came whenever he could, but these days that wasn’t strictly true, and he feared someone might call him on it. So he said, “Good to see you, too.”
“We’re having one of your favorites. Pot roast.”
Her babying him somehow made everything worse. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Hold that pan of potatoes for me so I can scrape them into a bowl.”
He did as she asked. Then she stuck a serving spoon in the potatoes and asked him to carry them to the table.
“I was hoping you’d bring Lourdes,” his father said, following Kyle with the pot roast.
“I invited her, but she’s not feeling that great.”
“What’d you say?” Paige called.
Kyle raised his voice. “I said I would’ve brought Lourdes, but she wasn’t feeling well.”
His father motioned with his head for Kyle to move some water glasses so he could put down the roast. “What’s wrong with her?”
Olivia and Brandon, who were bringing in the asparagus and the gravy, set their dishes on the table, then waited to hear his answer, but he didn’t want to go into what had happened with Derrick. He didn’t see anything to be gained by revealing personal information Lourdes deserved the right to keep private. “Nothing huge,” he said. “A headache. I’m sure she’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“So you left her at your place?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah. She’s taking a nap.”
Paige carried in three beers. She didn’t drink, and now that Olivia was pregnant, she wouldn’t be having a beer, either. “Do you have the HVAC guy coming to the farmhouse tomorrow?”
Kyle moved out of her way. “I do.”
His father took a seat at the head of the table, while his mother went back to the kitchen for whatever was left. “Has it been difficult having a complete stranger staying with you?”
“Not at all. We get along really well.”
“You don’t think you two would ever start dating, do you?” his mother asked, bustling in with the homemade rolls.
“No,” Kyle replied.
“Because...”
“Lots of reasons.”
She frowned to show her disappointment. “Oh.”
Olivia sat across from him. Brandon sat next to her. After his mother perched on her own chair, the one remaining empty seat was beside Kyle. The fact that he was the only single pe
rson in the family hadn’t really bothered him before, but it was bothering him now—especially since he seemed to be the only single person in whatever group he associated with.
“What happened between you and Noelle?” Olivia asked.
Kyle forgot about his discomfort. He even forgot about the tempting array of food his mother had made. “What do you mean?”
“She had to take a shower at my house today.”
“Why? The water heater I gave her isn’t working?”
Olivia peered more closely at him. “She had some guy friend tear it out and throw it in her yard. Said she wouldn’t take anything from you.”
She’d never refused one of his spousal maintenance checks. But Kyle didn’t say that. “You know what she’s like.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
He scowled at her. “Do you really want to hear the latest?”
“I do,” Brandon said. “What’s going on?”
“Basically, she wants to get back together. I guess she’s tired of trying to find someone else to marry and would like some financial support.”
A crease formed on Olivia’s normally smooth forehead. “That’s not what she says.”
Irritated that Olivia would question him—since no one understood what Noelle was like more clearly than she did—Kyle shifted in his seat. “What did she say?”
“That you keep hitting her up for—” she glanced at Paige “—you know. That she’s tired of putting out for you when you won’t date her legitimately.”
Kyle dropped the fork he’d just picked up, causing a loud clang as it hit his plate. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
“Kyle!” his mother cried. “We’re at Sunday dinner! Please, watch your language...”
What he’d said had exploded out of his mouth—the result of years of pent-up frustration where Noelle was concerned. It wasn’t as if he’d put any thought into it. “Sorry, Mom, but...” At a complete loss, he shook his head. “Who’s she telling this to?”
When Olivia flushed, he got the impression she’d initially bought into her sister’s lies, at least to some extent. “My parents. Noelle said you expected something in exchange for that water heater, and she refused.”