Driving Tempo

by Raine Thomas

  Kaila’s text arrived two days later while Sage was asleep on the band’s first day in Albuquerque. He hadn’t heard the text come in and had checked his phone upon awakening as a matter of habit. Seeing the text was more of a shock than the happy discovery he’d been anticipating. Reality hit him all at once.

  It had been months. Months since he’d last heard from Kaila. Months of calling her, sending her e-mails, and texting her without a response.

  He’d given her a lot of grace over the years. Perhaps too much. But he stood by his decision to allow her to live a life outside of his to make sure she didn’t feel tied down or hindered in their relationship. Was it Kaila’s fault that he was hurt because it took her so long to reply to his ultimatum when it had been him who encouraged her to be her own person in the first place?

  No, his brain told him.

  Yes, Noelle had frequently argued.

  What would Rosemary think?

  It probably spoke volumes that he thought to ask her. The impulse came almost alarmingly naturally. He supposed that’s what came of spending so much time alone with her over the past three weeks. Regardless of how willing Rosemary was to serve as his sounding board, he just couldn’t go to her about Kaila.

  He stared at the text for a long time, debating whether to reply, call Kaila immediately, or do nothing. Failing to come to a decision, he eventually got up and showered. He spent the time beneath the hot water processing the simple text and everything it signified. He was close to getting the important answer he’d been awaiting, yet he found himself filled with more than just one question.

  Kaila had specified Pacific Standard Time, so did that mean she was back in L.A.?

  Had she been out of the country? Was that why it had taken her so long to get back to him?

  Had she been with someone? If so, who?

  What did she intend to tell him when they talked?

  What did he want her to tell him?

  Rosemary’s image once again came to mind, bringing a familiar twinge to his chest. Things had gotten unexpectedly complicated over the past few weeks. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Rosemary had become important to him. And, hell...if he was being completely honest with himself, he wanted her fiercely.

  The ultimatum he had issued to Kaila wasn’t quite so cut and dried anymore. By the time he finished showering and getting ready for the day, he felt more stressed than ready to have a serious conversation with her. He needed to talk this out with someone.

  It couldn’t be Noelle. He loved his friend, but she didn’t like Kaila. Her opinion would be skewed. He needed someone objective.

  With that thought in mind, he dialed Xander.

  “Yo,” came the deep greeting.

  “You doing anything right now?”

  “Nothing important.”

  Sage hesitated for a beat. “Kaila texted.”

  “I’ll be there in two minutes.”

  The call abruptly ended. Sage opened the door separating the bedroom and bathroom from the small living area of the suite. Garrett was lounging on the couch, his legs propped up on the coffee table and SportsCenter on the television. It took Sage a moment to realize his security specialist was on his cell phone.

  Garrett’s blue eyes shifted to Sage as he stepped into the room. “Hey, Cole,” he drawled into his phone, “I’ve gotta run. Thanks again for the tickets. Give Everly and Grace my love. Later.”

  Sage felt bad that he had interrupted the call. “Sorry,” he said as Garrett clicked off. “I just wanted you to know that Xander’s on his way here.”

  “No problem,” Garrett said, getting to his feet. “I can entertain myself elsewhere for a while.”

  “Thanks.” Sage shifted from one foot to the other, anxious to speak with Xander. “So, Everly’s an interesting name,” he said to fill the silence.

  Garrett smiled. “She’s an interesting woman. My cousin’s wife.”

  “Ah. Is he a musician?” Sage asked, thinking of Garrett’s reference to tickets.

  Barking out a laugh, Garrett shook his head. “Hell, no. He’s a ballplayer. Pitches for Atlanta.”

  A knock on the door saved Sage from having to pretend to know a single thing about professional baseball. Garrett walked over, looked through the peephole, then opened the door for Xander.

  “Hey, big man,” Xander greeted Garrett, giving him his patented knuckle-tap greeting on his way into the room.

  “Hey, bigger man,” Garrett said with a grin. “I’ll check in with Red. Y’all don’t go anywhere without letting one of us know.”

  “No problem,” Sage said.

  They watched the security specialist walk out. Xander sat in the room’s armchair and held out a hand. Knowing what he wanted, Sage brought up the text and handed the phone to him.

  “That’s it?” Xander said, his eyebrows high. “She makes you wait all this time and texts just to schedule a time to talk?”

  “Yep.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s just like a woman,” Xander said, handing the phone back. “Nothin’ straightforward with ‘em.”

  Sage found it hard to argue just then. “I figured when I heard from her, I’d have my answer,” he said, sinking down onto the couch. “I didn’t expect something less direct. Now I’m not even sure I want to know the answer.”

  Xander’s dark eyes grew thoughtful. “You feelin’ different about her now?”

  “I...” Sage trailed off, unsure how to answer.

  “Ah.” Xander nodded and settled back in the chair. “You’re hot for Rosemary.”

  “It’s not like that,” Sage argued. “I mean, of course she’s attractive.”

  “And funny, and smart, and—”

  “Okay, okay. Fine. I’m hot for Rosemary.”

  He expected the words to bring forth a heap of guilt. Instead, they felt astonishingly freeing. He had finally voiced the truth that he’d been harboring for weeks.

  “That’s the problem,” he said. “I love Kaila, but I’m attracted to Rosemary in more than just a physical way. We have this connection...I can’t really explain it.”

  Xander gave him a dubious look. “A connection? You can’t let go of the woman you’ve loved since you were sixteen over a ‘connection.’ You’re a rock star, man. You’re always gonna find attractive women who turn your head. But if you want to make it work, you’ve gotta keep your focus on the one in your heart.”

  Sage frowned, nodding slowly.

  “Look,” Xander continued, “I’m the last one to claim to understand why you’re so stuck on one woman when the universe sees fit to parade so many beautiful ones in front of us every day, but you are. You’ve got too much history with Kaila to get involved with anyone else right now.”

  “So why wasn’t I happy to get her text?” Sage asked, tossing his phone onto the coffee table in frustration. “I wanted to be. I wanted to be so excited to hear from her that I just picked up the phone and called her. Instead, I called you.”

  Shrugging, Xander said, “I guess that’s because she waited so long to respond to you. It’s the old hard-to-get routine. She’s had you on the line, stringin’ you along. She just pushed it a little too far.”

  “Kaila doesn’t play games like that.”

  “Are you sure? Things change, man.”

  They sure did, Sage thought. “What if we’ve both changed too much?”

  “You won’t know until you give it a fair shot.”

  Sage sighed. “I needed to hear that. Thanks. I guess I freaked out by finally getting a response from her. I’m not usually so crazy.”

  “Oh, no doubt you’re crazy,” Xander said with a grin. “‘Cuz you’re in love. I watched it happen with Bubbles, Arch, and Con Man. Your woman has you tripped up. You need to take a page from my book and just chill. Call Kaila, hear what she has to say. Make your move from there. And, Lord, don’t propose until everyone else gets married. I can’t handle more wedding plans.”

  Sa
ge chuckled. “Yeah, yeah.” He picked up his phone, went to Kaila’s text, and typed, Avail any time before 3:00 PST. “There. The ball is back in her court.”

  Xander shook his head woefully. “Have I taught you nothin’, V? Always, always, always keep the ball in your court.”

  * * *

  Her boys were children. Spoiled, bratty children.

  Regina forced her clamped jaw to relax as she reapplied her makeup. She had just concluded a team meeting on Suddenly Something’s tour bus that had resulted in everyone storming off to their bunks. She couldn’t have cared less that they were all sulking.

  How could they think that she wanted to hear Vic complain for thirty minutes about how he couldn’t get rid of Lily Montgomery’s nagging little sisters, or how Hunter thought he was coming down with something after having sex with someone he shouldn’t have? Should she really care that Brandon didn’t feel like speaking to the press when they had four more interviews scheduled the next day? And all Nikki did was sit and glare at Mal—who studiously ignored her—until they finally arrived in Las Vegas, the last stop on the tour.

  Not a single bit of that garbage was going to keep Suddenly Something relevant after the tour ended in two days. Why were they all so short-sighted?

  Never mind them, she told herself as she placed her makeup in her purse and rose to exit the bus. That’s why they had her.

  They could whine and moan and complain. She would wheel and deal and make sure they remained in the public eye. All she had to do was convince Christopher Donahue to fall in line with her plans.

  It was encouraging that he had agreed to have lunch with her. She was meeting him at one of Las Vegas’s many celebrity chef restaurants. It wouldn’t have mattered if they’d dined at McDonald’s. She just needed a forum to put her latest idea out on the table, and doing it one-on-one with The Void’s manager was critical.

  Even though she’d arrived ten minutes early, she discovered Christopher had beaten her there. She saw him seated at their table even before the host greeted her. Now she wouldn’t get to sit by herself for a few minutes to get her thoughts together like she had planned.

  Damn it.

  Schooling her expression, she shook that off and dismissed the host’s offer to escort her, approaching the table by herself.

  “Good to see you, Regina,” Christopher said when he spotted her.

  He’d stood and extended a hand, so she accepted the handshake. It appealed to her more than the fake air kisses so many Los Angelinos seemed compelled to offer. When he pulled her chair out for her, she silently admitted she liked that too...though it chafed to give Donahue so much credit.

  “Thank you for meeting me,” she said as she took her seat. “How was the drive to Vegas for you?”

  “Uneventful.” He lifted his glass of water while she scanned the menu. “It seems hard to believe we’re at the last tour stop.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking earlier. This has all gone much better than we could have ever anticipated.”

  Christopher’s green eyes were sharp on hers. “Certainly. I think it’s fair to say that House of Archer has positively impacted us all.”

  The server walked over to take their orders. When she had left, Regina turned back to Christopher.

  “You’re quite right about the show and its impact,” she said. “Lily’s efforts have certainly helped too.”

  “I never would have expected to hear you say as much.”

  He looked amused. Regina would die before admitting that the words had grated her throat on the way out. She knew it would be wise to acknowledge Lily’s role with The Void and how that role had inadvertently benefited Suddenly Something. She wanted Christopher in the right frame of mind for the real reason she’d scheduled this lunch. Though she hated to say anything remotely kind about Lily, she would do whatever had to be done.

  She just wished the people she was doing this for felt the same way.

  “It’s not much of a secret to say there was some resentment towards Lily after the way things went between Archer and my boys,” she said levelly. “But that was years ago. We’re all aware of the impact her work has had on everyone involved in the show and the tour.”

  “If you’re thinking of making her a job offer—”

  “Oh, no,” Regina said quickly. “I’m simply expressing appreciation. I can set my pride aside enough to acknowledge the obvious. This tour and House of Archer have helped bring Suddenly Something back into the mainstream. We’re all grateful. I thought taking you to lunch was the least I could do.”

  He smiled. “I’d never turn down a meal with great company,” he replied.

  The statement, issued so smoothly without any sense of guile, had Regina blinking. She wasn’t used to interacting with people who didn’t think of themselves as better than her. That Donahue was treating her like a respected peer had her shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

  “I’m glad that each of the acts on the tour has benefited from the show,” he added. “It was one of our goals when we worked with the producers on sketching it out.”

  Their server returned with the glass of white wine Regina had ordered. Regina waited for her to leave and took a sip of the wine, doing her best to make it look like she was sampling it rather than using it to fortify herself. It was time to angle the conversation in the direction she’d intended when she scheduled this lunch.

  “I’ve been discussing the show with Elijah,” she said. “It’s my understanding they’re planning on ending the last episode with a cliffhanger to make sure fans want to tune in to next season.”

  Christopher made a sound of agreement. “I’m aware of that.”

  “I’ve been thinking of ways to help maintain the momentum of everyone’s recent success during the break between the show’s seasons.”

  “Have you?”

  He sounded politely interested but she wondered if he was simply humoring her. The inability to read him had her taking another—longer—sip of wine.

  “Yes. A thought occurred to me that I wanted to run by you. It’s inspired by the duets Brandon and Archer have been singing throughout the tour.” Taking a deep mental breath, she went on, “What do you think about the two of them releasing a new single? Just a one-time thing as a way to wrap up the tour and to help promote the next season of the show?”

  Christopher looked down at where his neatly folded hands rested on the table, paused for a long moment, then turned his attention back to her. “It’s a solid idea,” he said. “I can certainly present it to Archer, but I can’t make any promises. There’s still no love lost there, and Archer will be busy with Lily planning the wedding. If I had to guess, I’d probably say that the answer will be no.”

  “I understand,” Regina lied, doing her best not to break the thin stem of the wine glass when she took another sip. “I appreciate you at least approaching him about it.”

  “Of course.”

  The answer was what she had expected. Donahue was probably right. Archer wasn’t likely to go for the idea. She had known it coming into this meeting, which didn’t make it any less aggravating or disappointing.

  She’d had to swallow a lot of her self-respect to put the request out there for this very reason. It practically felt like begging Archer to give Suddenly Something one more boost.

  But she hadn’t made it this far in her career by giving up easily. Yes, she had anticipated this response, which was why she had convinced Elijah just the day before that the recording of the single between Brandon and Archer would make great footage for the show. It was bound to be fraught with drama if the pair’s history was any indication. Elijah had agreed to speak to Christopher about it if The Void’s manager wasn’t on board.

  With the show’s producer on her side, she figured she had a more solid chance of the single coming to fruition. It was the best possible outcome for Suddenly Something.

  The footage of the recording wouldn’t be captured until after this first season ended, s
o the single would all but secure Suddenly Something an appearance in the second season. That was even more important to Regina than the boost in sales the single would almost certainly bring.

  Elijah had told her that Suddenly Something wouldn’t likely be involved in season two of House of Archer. Regina was determined to prove him wrong. He had to know she had suggested the single to extend her band’s face time on the show. As long as he was on board, she didn’t care.

  And if Archer decided to completely refuse, she’d just rely on the backup plan that no one knew about but her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tonight I’m going to have sex with Sage.

  The thought had been on repeat in Rosemary’s head all day. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to will it to happen or simply reminding herself to enjoy the moment.

  She had come to the decision to sleep with him the night before during their usual late-night meeting. Sage had looked lost and miserable but he hadn’t wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him. Based on his behavior and the glances she had noticed his band mates giving him throughout the day, she deduced that Kaila had finally given him a response...and he wasn’t happy about it.

  The knowledge had gone right to Rosemary’s heart. Sage had to be devastated. It floored her that Kaila would refuse to commit to him. It was like she was rejecting his love. Rosemary couldn’t imagine anyone not loving Sage. She’d only known him for a few weeks and she loved him.

  Like really, really loved him.

  She’d been in denial for almost a week, trying to convince herself it was an infatuation. She knew he loved Kaila. She’d be an idiot to fall for him. There was no way she could be in love in only a matter of weeks.

  None of those arguments stuck. Seeing him so unhappy the night before had suctioned the lid off her emotions. She couldn’t bear to see him in pain. She would do anything to ease it. Love for him nearly overwhelmed her. It was actually terrifying how much she felt for him once she allowed herself to feel.

  Having sex with Sage wasn’t a solution to his problems, but she hoped the physical connection would help him start to heal. He needed to know that there would be life after Kaila.