by Cat Schield
“My doctor gave me the go-ahead to start using my voice, but I’m not supposed to overdo it. So you and Melody are finally talking?”
“If by talking you mean she sent me a text saying she was stuck at the studio and would I pick you up, then yeah.”
Nate winced at the other man’s bitterness. “You two have got to sit down and chat. Why don’t you come for Thanksgiving.” Nate had extended the invitation to Kyle once already and been turned down. This time, he decided to push harder.
“I don’t want to spoil the day for you guys.”
“You won’t.” The only thing that could spoil the day for Nate was if Mia found a reason not to show. “The longer you and Melody keep up whatever it is you’re doing, the harder it’s going to be to reconcile.”
“What if we’re not meant to be together?”
Kyle’s question hit at the heart of what Nate himself had been grappling with these last few weeks. And after last night, he was more convinced than ever that when the time came, Mia was going to bolt the same way she had that last morning in Sydney.
And what then? What was he planning to do without her? He couldn’t bear to think about it.
“You and Melody love each other,” Nate said. And in less than six months they were going to become parents, whether either of them was prepared or not. “You’ll find a way to work it out. Just remember why you fell for her in the first place.”
“But I’ve really messed up. I pretty much accused her of cheating on me with Hunter.”
Nate could appreciate his friend’s predicament. Kyle was a well-known player. Before realizing he was in love with Melody, he’d dated lots of women and committed to none of them.
“Have you asked yourself why?”
“Many times. It’s the way Melody and I got together. She was trying to make Hunter jealous. I keep thinking maybe she picked the wrong guy.”
Nate didn’t think this was the heart of Kyle’s troubles. It seemed more likely that he was afraid to give himself over to the intense feelings Melody aroused in him. Nate got it. Falling in love was a big, scary deal. As he was discovering.
“You don’t really believe that?”
“That picture of them together in New York. She looked so happy with him. It’s been months and months since she’s been like that with me...” Kyle’s voice trailed off and silence reigned in the car for a while. “And now he’s here and working at your studio,” he finally added. “I’m sure she’s spending tons of time with him. He’s going to win her back,” Kyle grumbled. “If he hasn’t already.”
“So that’s it then?” Nate’s tone was harsh. He wanted Kyle to man up and fight for the woman he loved. “You’re giving up?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It sure as hell sounds like it.”
Kyle opened his mouth but no words came out. Nate would love it if the only problem between him and Mia was a stupid misunderstanding about a photo of her with an ex-boyfriend.
“You’re both acting like a couple of idiots,” Nate declared. “Things between you might have moved fast, but that’s no reason to freak out. Stop being so dense. Tell her you love her and make her believe it.”
For a long time Kyle didn’t say anything. Then, as he turned the car onto Nate’s street, he said, “Thanksgiving, huh? What time should I be there?”
“Dinner’s at five, but you’re welcome at any time. Trent and Dylan are coming early for the Vikings-Lions game. Savannah and Melody plan on coming midafternoon.”
“Can I bring anything?”
Nate grinned. “Just your best behavior. Mia and I will provide the rest.”
Twenty minutes later, after switching to his own car at home, Nate was pulling into the studio parking lot. The receptionist greeted him with a wave when he went inside. He popped into a couple different control booths to see how things were going. He found Melody on the couch in studio C with Hunter at the boards.
When she spotted him, Melody jumped up and rushed across the room to throw her arms around his neck.
“Thanks for sending Kyle to pick me up.”
“Sorry about the switch, but Hunter had a free hour to help me out. Hey, you got your voice back.” Melody beamed at him. “But you shouldn’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.” Nate turned to Hunter. “How’s it going with her album?”
“She’s got a lot of great songs here. We’ll just have to whittle it down.” The look he gave Melody sent a wave of apprehension through Nate. “It might take a while.”
Maybe Kyle had reason to be concerned, after all. Not because Melody was falling for her ex-boyfriend, but because Hunter had a very possessive look in his eye when he gazed at her. As if he might be planning to work damned hard to win her back.
“Not too long, I hope,” Nate said. “I’d like to have it ready to go by the beginning of next year.”
“I’ll put all my energy into making that happen.” Hunter shot Melody a fond look. “But now I’ve got to get going. Dinner later?”
“Ah, sure.”
“I’ll pick you up at six.”
When Hunter left the control booth, Nate turned on Melody. “What the hell is going on between you two?”
“Nothing. We’re just friends.”
“And Kyle?”
Melody toyed with her phone. “Kyle and I need some space.”
“That’s the last thing you need. Have you forgotten that you two are going to be parents? When do you plan to tell him about the baby?” Nate saw the excuses gathering in her eyes and shook his head. “I’ve invited him for Thanksgiving. You’ll be surrounded by family. We’ll all be there to support you. Plan on telling him then.”
“But that’s only three days away.”
“The sooner the better.”
“So tell me what happened with Ivy at the AMAs last night. She looked out of it.”
“Apparently she’s been addicted to painkillers on and off for the last eight years and recently suffered a relapse. Mia stayed behind in LA while they figure out the best way to handle things.”
“Trent is meeting with Javier today.” Melody’s features wore a worried expression. “Do you think he’ll postpone her album?”
“The way things have been going, it might be a good idea to push it out until later next year. She needs to focus on getting clean again.” Nate thought about his plunge down the rabbit hole of drug and alcohol abuse and didn’t envy Ivy for what she had to look forward to. “I’m off to get some work done.” He leaned over and kissed Melody on the forehead. “Give what I said about you and Kyle some thought before you head off to dinner with Hunter tonight, okay?”
Melody nodded and Nate left to make some music and figure out what he was going to do about Mia next.
* * *
Early Tuesday afternoon, Mia was in her bedroom at Ivy’s LA house, sorting through recipes and planning the shopping list for her Thanksgiving dinner with Nate and his friends when the door burst open and Skylar plunged into the room with Riley on her heels.
Since she’d returned from dropping Nate at the airport the day before, Mia had either been holed up in her room to escape the thick tension filling the house, or popping in every couple hours to check on Ivy. So far, her sister hadn’t shown much interest in anything besides binge watching Pretty Little Liars on Hulu.
“You bitch!” Skylar shrieked, her wild eyes fixed on Mia.
“What?” Mia stared at her dumbfounded, unsure what Skylar and Riley were doing in Ivy’s house, much less Mia’s room.
Ivy must have let them in. Why couldn’t she understand that she was supposed to cut all ties with these two? They were the ones who’d been supplying her with the prescription drugs. Mia jumped off her bed as Skylar advanced toward her.
“You have some nerve,” Iv
y’s friend said in a threatening tone.
Mia glanced from Skylar to Riley. “You need to leave. Now.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Riley piped up. “We know it was you.”
Mia shook her head. “It’s not just me. My father wants you to stay away from Ivy, too.” But she could tell the two women weren’t listening to her.
“Haven’t you sponged off your sister long enough?”
These two were the most clueless women on the planet. “Sponged? Do you have any idea what I do for Ivy?”
“Well, you don’t write her music. That’s for sure.”
Skylar’s words made Mia go cold. Everyone who knew the truth behind Ivy’s songwriting worked awfully hard to keep it hidden. Neither one of these two was trustworthy enough to be told such a damaging secret.
“Of course not,” Mia said calmly, while her heart thundered.
“Then why did you tell the media that Ivy didn’t write any of her songs?”
“I didn’t.” Mia was besieged by panic. Such a disclosure would devastate Ivy. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Sure you would,” Riley said.
Skylar nodded. “You resent her.”
“I don’t.” But she could hear the lie in her voice.
She did resent Ivy, but not for the reasons these two thought. Mia didn’t care that Ivy had been gifted with all the looks and talent. Up until the last few years, when Ivy had started behaving more and more like a diva, Mia had been happy to be her assistant and do whatever she could to bolster her twin’s career.
“Sure you do.” Riley exchanged a look with Skylar. “You have a thing for Nate.”
“We all noticed.”
“But he doesn’t know you’re alive. He wants Ivy. So you decided to discredit her by lying to the media and saying you’re the one who writes her music.”
It was on the tip of Mia’s tongue to argue that she did write all Ivy’s music, but too many years of living with that secret kept her silent now. “I need to talk to Ivy.”
Mia started toward Ivy’s bedroom, but Riley stepped in her way.
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Irritation flooded Mia, loosening her tongue. “If you want to talk about people who sponge off my sister, look in the mirror.” Imbued with strength she didn’t know she possessed, Mia pushed past Riley and headed toward her sister’s bedroom. She had to explain.
Ivy was standing by the open sliding glass door that led onto the pool deck, Mia’s song journal in her hand. Mia stopped halfway into the room as Ivy turned her tear-streaked face in her direction.
“I didn’t tell anyone about the songwriting,” Mia said, her voice clogged with emotion. “I swear.”
“Not even Nate?”
“He figured it out all on his own.” Mia advanced toward her sister, but Ivy went outside, maintaining ten feet between them.
“You’re such a liar.” Ivy held out the notebook. “I read this. It’s all about him.”
Mia’s song journal was more than just a place for her to jot down music and lyrics. She also used it as a diary, and although she’d never used Nate’s name, many of the entries had described incidents that made it pretty clear who she was talking about.
“I’ll bet you couldn’t wait to tell him,” Ivy continued. “You probably thought he’d be into you if he thought you were a songwriter.”
“I swear I didn’t tell him.” But in her heart, she knew she’d wanted him to figure it out. And maybe she’d helped that along. “It was just that I wrote songs with Melody on the tour and you never showed any signs that you wrote, too. He got suspicious.”
“What other bad things have you been telling Nate about me?”
“I haven’t said anything.”
Ivy gave a bitter laugh. “I see the way you moon over him. He’s never going to be interested in you.”
“Why do you care how I feel about Nate?”
“I don’t.” But it was obvious that she was bothered. “I just hate to see you make a fool of yourself over someone who is so out of your league.”
“Nate doesn’t see himself that way.” The instant the words were past her lips, Mia wished them back.
“He should.”
Without warning, Ivy launched Mia’s song journal through the air in the direction of the pool. Mia watched in horror as hundreds of hours’ worth of angst and love hit the water with a splat and began to sink.
“My journal.” An anguished cry broke from her as she rushed forward. She stood at the edge of the pool with her hands over her mouth, unable to believe her sister could have done something so cruel. “What the hell, Ivy?”
Her twin glared at her. “Now there’s no proof who wrote those songs.”
“You forget that I have years’ worth of those journals. Every one of them proves you’ve been taking credit for my songs. Are you planning on destroying those, as well?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you doing this? All we have to do is release a press statement that confirms you write your own songs.”
“Why did you have to ruin everything?” Ivy demanded.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“It’s all your fault. Every bit of it.” Tears streamed down Ivy’s cheeks. “I can’t look at you anymore.”
“Ivy, why don’t you calm down and let’s talk about this.” Her sister’s behavior was scaring Mia. She started to put her hands on Ivy’s arms in an effort to connect with her, but her twin threw her off and backed up.
“There’s no need to talk. I hate you. I want you out of this house and out of my life. I’m sick of having you telling me what to do and where to go.”
“I only do that because I’m your assistant.” Mia’s frustration was continuing to build; she was at her breaking point. “It’s my job to keep you on schedule.”
“Well, I’m sick of it. I don’t need you.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I don’t want you around anymore. Get the hell out of my house.”
Ten
Tuesday night after a lonely dinner by himself, Nate sat in his living room with his guitar for company and came to terms with just how miserable he was being a bachelor. He was sick of coming home to an empty house and sleeping alone in his big bed. Sexy Skyping with Mia last night had been more frustrating than fun. He needed her here and now. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
His phone buzzed. Hoping it was Mia calling, Nate reached for it. “Hey, Trent.”
His business partner got right to the point without preliminaries. “Someone leaked that Ivy doesn’t write her own songs.”
“What?”
“Was it you?”
“No.” Nate cursed, half wishing he had done it. But Mia would never have forgiven him. “When did this happen?”
“This afternoon. I just found out.”
“This afternoon...” Why hadn’t Mia called to tell him? She had to know. “Have you spoken to Javier?”
“Not yet. I thought, given your connection to Mia, that we should talk about how you’d like the label to handle things.”
While Nate appreciated his friend’s consideration, he had absolutely no idea what would be best for Mia. “I think West Coast Records should come out saying we have no knowledge of this.”
“But is that true?” Trent sounded tense and weary. “I don’t have any idea what sort of unscrupulous business practices the label was engaged in with my father or brother at the helm.”
Where was Mia?
Was she corralled with her family as they strategized damage control? Ivy must be near hysterical. First there was the misstep at the AMAs on Sunday. And now this. But why hadn’t Mia called or texted?
“What if you make a pers
onal statement that you had no knowledge of the situation and that you will investigate and correct whatever mistakes were made.”
“That feels a little bit like we’re throwing Ivy under the bus.” Trent’s tone was neutral, giving Nate no idea which way he was leaning. “Bottom line—do you want Mia to get credit for the songs or not?”
“Let me talk to her. Can you give me a couple hours?”
“I’m not going to rush into anything. Tomorrow morning is soon enough.”
Nate hung up with Trent and dialed Mia. He wasn’t surprised when he got her voice mail. After leaving a message, he began to pace. Not more than five minutes later, his doorbell rang. Expecting to find Melody on his doorstep, he was shocked to see Mia.
“I was on my way here when I got your message.” She looked miserable as she stood outside his front door.
He reached for her hand and pulled her inside. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Mia pressed herself against his chest and mumbled her next words into his shirt. “She thinks I did it.”
“You didn’t, did you?”
Mia pushed away and glared up at him. “Absolutely not.”
Of course not. He wasn’t even sure why he’d asked. “But now that the truth is out there, Trent and I will back you one hundred percent.”
“She threw my journal in the pool. There was almost six months’ worth of ideas and melodies.” Her small frame shook. “And she fired me as her assistant.”
Nate tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. It was probably best that she couldn’t see his face at the moment because the news that her sister had fired her pleased him. He knew she wouldn’t agree that it was the best thing for her.
She pulled out of his arms and wiped at her eyes. “I can’t believe she did that.”
He drew her from the foyer and into his living room. Her expression was blank, her gaze turned inward as he settled her on the couch. Once she was tucked against his body with her head resting on his shoulder, he gave a contented sigh. Her life might be falling apart, but in the depths of her despair, she’d come to him.
“I don’t know what happened,” she murmured after a long, long time. “One second I was working on a shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner, the next Skylar and Riley are bursting into my room and accusing me of being the one who told the media I wrote all Ivy’s songs. And when I told Ivy that I wouldn’t have done that, she didn’t believe me.” Mia’s breath came in unsteady gasps as she relayed her tale. “She was half out of her mind, saying all sorts of crazy things that made no sense.”