Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

by Raine Thomas

  She didn’t have time to worry about it as Blake West started the show. Lily found herself fiddling with her necklace as she watched the stunning host interact with the crowd. With her gorgeous, streaky blonde hair falling in photo-ready waves to her shoulders, makeup done to perfection, and tailored, power-red suit clinging to her curvy figure, Blake made a compelling presence.

  Maybe I should have gotten the fake lashes after all, Lily thought.

  “I’m so excited to have you all on the show,” Blake said to The Void, leaning forward in her chair where she sat with her long, tan legs crossed. “I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before, but I’ve been a fan of yours for years.”

  She paused in a way that had Dane smiling at her and saying, “Thanks, Blake. We’re happy to be here. It’s always nice to meet fans.”

  The crowd whooped and cheered at that as though they would personally get to meet The Void, which for all Lily knew was true.

  “I can’t wait to see your concert tonight,” Blake continued. “I heard it sold out only hours after tickets went on sale, so I feel lucky to be attending. Sage, have you cooked up some new mixes to surprise us with later?”

  Lily continued to watch from off-stage as Blake carefully fielded questions to every member of the band. None of the questions seemed too troubling, Lily was relieved to note. Of course, she suspected Blake could have asked the band about their favorite hot dog toppings and the audience would have eaten it up like Swiss chocolate.

  Lily decided that was a good thing. Hopefully they’d respond well to her, too.

  When Blake eventually switched the topic to House of Archer, Lily’s anxiety exhibited a grand resurgence. She knew the time had come to do her part.

  “We have a few other special guests for you after the commercial break,” Blake said to the camera, “and the exciting trailer for House of Archer is still to come, so stay with us. We’ll be right back.”

  Lily looked around, wondering if she was supposed to do anything. She guessed not when no one approached her or signaled her. Instead, several hair and makeup artists swooped out onto the stage and started touching up Blake.

  As Lily shifted her gaze back to Dane in hopes he would seek her out, she saw him looking off to the opposite side of the stage with a dark expression on his face. She rose from her chair and took a few steps to the side to see where he was looking.

  And there she saw the members of Suddenly Something.

  Anger had Lily wanting to seek out Elijah so she could give him a piece of her mind. He had arranged this. He knew springing Brandon on Dane would unsettle him, and had surely used that to get Slant’s producers to agree to have both bands on the show. Elijah had to figure it would be good press for the show, and Slant’s producers were surely happy to reap the ratings all of this would bring them.

  What Elijah didn’t care about, though, was that he was allowing Suddenly Something to hone in on The Void’s big moment. Having anything detract from Dane’s dream made Lily furious on his behalf. Knowing it was Brandon Evans stepping into the spotlight made her want to sink her teeth into Elijah’s neck.

  There wasn’t anything they could do about it now, she told herself as the crew started the countdown to go back live.

  She just hoped Dane came to that decision himself, and quickly.

  * * *

  It was like Archer could hear Lily’s voice in his head.

  Remember the cameras.

  Remember the cameras.

  For the love of God, remember the cameras.

  So after he got over the jolt of shock he experienced at seeing Brandon grinning at him from off-stage, he called upon his acting experience and schooled his expression. It took a little more effort to unclench his fists, but by the time the show was ready to go back on-air, he was sure he showed no signs of the anger festering inside him.

  “Welcome back,” Blake said to the camera as the audience’s applause died down. “I’ve been speaking with The Void about their concert here in Glendale as well as their exciting new foray into reality television. House of Archer is going to premiere in only one month. This is going to be a reality show that follows The Void. It’s been getting plenty of buzz in the media, especially with the Under the Bridge Tour being at the heart of the show’s pilot season. Do you want to tell us about that, Archer?”

  “Sure,” he said, anticipating the question. “House of Archer’s producers felt that the tour was a natural focus for the show’s first season because there’s always a lot happening on a tour. They’re doing an unusual format for the show so they can air episodes filmed during the beginning of the tour before Under the Bridge ends in August.”

  “Wow,” Blake replied. “So they really needed to get a lot of useable content quickly, right? Is that why Suddenly Something is also part of the show?”

  Archer kept his expression neutral as the audience cheered after hearing Suddenly Something’s name. He smiled to mask his resentment.

  “Sure, that’s part of it,” he agreed. “Reality television isn’t scripted, but everyone knows that conflict is what drives the ratings, right?” The audience applauded, so he let that fade before continuing, “I’ve obviously got a past with Suddenly Something. The producers wanted to bring that element into the show.”

  “As conflict?” Blake asked.

  “Not necessarily, though I’m sure they wouldn’t be upset by that.”

  The audience laughed, as did Blake. She clapped her hands together and said, “Well, I don’t know if there will be any conflict today, but I’m very happy to introduce Brandon Evans, Malcom O’Dell, Hunter Davis, and Vic Crawford from Suddenly Something!”

  Before she had even finished, the audience erupted. Archer’s back teeth ground together as he watched Brandon lead his band onto the set, all of them waving at the audience on the way to their seats.

  Archer couldn’t believe that he was going to be viewing the first trailer for House of Archer with Brandon sitting only a few feet away. He’d fought so damn hard for this. Brandon was merely riding along on his coattails.

  The audience sure didn’t seem to get that, though. In many ways, he felt like he’d gone back in time eight years.

  Fortunately for him, that was when he met Lily.

  Thinking of her kept him from giving Brandon a murderous look on camera. He watched Brandon take his seat and was glad to note that he wasn’t directly beside him. The way the chairs were arranged, Archer and The Void were sitting on one side of Blake’s seat and Brandon and Suddenly Something were on the other. One chair, set pretty much in between them and closest to Blake’s, remained noticeably vacant. Archer did a scan for Lily, not seeing her anywhere.

  “Thanks for joining us today, Brandon,” Blake said, pulling Archer back to the show. “Thanks to all of you.” Her hand swept across the part of the stage where Suddenly Something sat, provoking applause from the audience.

  “Happy to be here, Blake,” Brandon replied with his self-assured smile.

  “So, Brandon, we were talking about how you and Suddenly Something became part of the show,” Blake said. “Archer mentioned how conflict drives ratings. Is that why you feel you were invited to participate in the show?”

  Brandon chuckled at that. “I’d say ‘invited’ is too cozy a word, Blake. We were pretty much cornered into it. I didn’t know anything about the show before the tour started.”

  “Oh,” Blake said, clearly surprised. “Well now that you’re on House of Archer, how do you feel about being one of the stars of a reality show? Do you feel this opportunity will help get Suddenly Something more fans?”

  Shrugging, Brandon said, “I’m still deciding whether being on the show is a benefit. We weren’t given much time to decide whether or not to agree to be on it. We certainly hope it’ll pull in more fans, though.”

  Archer gripped the arms of his chair. Brandon was at it again, trying to belittle something important to him. Brandon knew he would never have netted a reality show of his own. The
show was bound to open new doors for all of them, even if the ratings weren’t as high as the producers hoped. Brandon should be helping to promote the show, not trying to downplay it.

  Before Archer could speak, Blake turned to him. “Archer, can you offer some insight into why Suddenly Something wasn’t told about the show until the tour started?”

  Archer was starting to feel as though he was on trial. Keeping his tone casual, he responded, “The details about the show were kept close to the vest. The producers didn’t want word getting out before they were ready to start promoting it.”

  Brandon snorted. “You mean they didn’t want word to get out before they knew there would be a decent show to air.”

  “What are you saying, Brandon?” Blake asked. “Are you implying that without Suddenly Something, there would be no House of Archer?”

  Turning his gaze to Archer, Brandon answered, “Let’s put it this way, Blake. Archer is not what you’d call a typical rock star. He doesn’t come from a broken home, he’s never struggled to pay a bill, he’s never been in a tabloid-worthy relationship or suffered a broken heart, he’s never done a stint in juvie or rehab...hell, I don’t think he’s ever even had a parking ticket.”

  The audience laughed. Archer felt a flush working its way up his neck, though from fury or embarrassment he wasn’t sure. He wanted to argue with Brandon, but he couldn’t.

  Because all of it was true.

  “The Void’s image is as spanking clean as a new pair of tighty whities,” Brandon continued. “So you tell me if that’s the kind of show that will pull in ratings.”

  There was an awkward moment where Blake glanced at Slant’s film crew, obviously not having anticipated this derogatory turn on what was meant to be a publicity appearance. “Well the show’s producers must have managed to get enough good content in a short period of time since we have the trailer to watch,” she ventured.

  Brandon grinned and looked again at Archer. “Yeah, I have to give Archer credit there. Inviting his pal, Lily, to come along on the tour was a stroke of brilliance.”

  Archer stiffened. Ice formed in his gut, extinguishing his hot fury.

  “What do you mean?” Blake asked, leaning closer to Brandon as though scenting a good story. “That Archer used Lily to get more ratings?”

  “Oh, yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying. She’s Archer’s Hail Mary pass.”

  “Okay, that’s it.”

  Heads swiveled and the crowd reacted as Lily marched onto the set, her gaze zeroed in on Brandon. Archer saw a set tech chasing after her as though to stop her, but she ignored him. The look in her eye should have reduced Brandon to a pile of ash. Apparently oblivious, Brandon rose to meet her head-on.

  Archer shot to his feet, prepared defend her. Hell, he’d love a reason to throw a fist in Brandon’s face.

  “Let’s welcome Lily Montgomery,” Blake said quickly, shifting in her seat as though trying to decide whether or not she should also stand.

  There was a smattering of applause as the audience tried to decide how to react to Lily’s unexpected appearance. They watched as she stalked up to Brandon, not even at his eye level in her heeled boots but clearly ready to take him down. Archer almost smiled when she got so close to Brandon that he backed up a step.

  “Have a seat, Evans,” she said in a tone that dared him not to.

  Brandon looked as though he was about to issue a snarky reply, but whatever he saw on Lily’s face had him swallowing the words and sitting down. Lily stood where she was, watching him until he was seated. Then she finally walked over to the empty chair meant for her.

  Archer waited for her to look at him.

  She didn’t.

  The ice in his stomach started to spread. He sat back down. A feeling that he hadn’t experienced in almost eight years crept into his heart.

  Fear.

  “I apologize for commandeering the show, Blake,” Lily said to the host. “But if someone’s going to talk about me, I felt it best that he do it to my face.”

  “I see,” Blake replied with the hint of a smile. “And what do you have to say about Brandon’s allegations?”

  Lily looked at Brandon. “I’d just like to remind the audience why Archer left Suddenly Something in the first place. Brandon here thought Archer wasn’t talented enough to go out on his own and have a successful career. He told Archer that he’d be nothing without him. Yet Archer did go out and became even more successful than Suddenly Something ever was. Now Brandon is implying that House of Archer needs Suddenly Something to be successful. Does that sound familiar to anyone else?”

  Archer heard the audience murmuring again as they processed her sensible rebuttal and knew Brandon had just lost a lot of ground. That didn’t ease Archer’s stomach-churning fear in the least. What was Lily thinking about what Brandon had said before she came on stage?

  “He left because of you,” Brandon said sullenly to Lily.

  “No,” she countered. “He left because of you.”

  “Well,” Blake interjected into the tense exchange, “it seems there’s some more mending needed if the Under the Bridge Tour is going to succeed. Lily, would you like to address Brandon’s other allegation that Archer brought you along on the tour to help the show’s ratings?”

  Archer looked at Lily, willing her to meet his gaze. He needed to know if she believed Brandon. He somehow needed to reassure her and remind her how much he loved her.

  But she turned to Blake instead. “Archer invited me on the tour because I’m an entertainment writer,” she said. “He knew the tour would gain me exposure to a lot of musicians and other celebrities, which it has. I’ve gotten some great content in a short amount of time.”

  “How exciting for you. So you and Archer are best friends, right?” Blake asked, looking from Archer to Lily. Receiving their nods, she went on, “And how long have you known about House of Archer, Lily?”

  Archer’s eyes closed briefly and he sank a little in his chair.

  “A while,” Lily said with a small shrug, prompting him to look at her again. “But I didn’t agree to be on it until a few days ago. I’m not used to living in the public eye and I really didn’t want my life aired on television.”

  Knowing she was lying to protect him made Archer feel like the lowest lifeform on the planet. He wanted to speak up and defend himself so she didn’t have to, but he suspected that anything he said would just look more incriminating. How could it possibly sound to admit he had been afraid to tell Lily about the show because he was worried she wouldn’t come on the tour?

  Or worse...that part of the reason he wanted her on the tour was because he had known Elijah was right that she would make the show more interesting?

  The world would be right to judge him for that. God knew he was judging himself right then.

  “What changed your mind?” Blake asked Lily.

  “I guess you could say I did,” Lily responded. “I want to be as supportive of Archer and The Void as possible. If having a larger cast of characters helps the show, it helps them. It was a no-brainer.”

  “Well it certainly sounds like you know your own mind, Lily,” Blake said with a smile and a pointed look at Brandon. “I think that makes you a wonderful friend to have.”

  “Especially if you need ratings,” Brandon tacked on.

  The audience booed. Archer wanted to experience the anger towards Brandon that he felt a few minutes ago, but nothing could get past the bleak sickness gripping him. The only outrage he could possibly muster was towards himself for ever even thinking of using Lily for professional gain. He could only imagine what was going through her mind right then with Brandon’s words hanging between them and the audience’s eyes on her.

  “I suppose we’ll all see shortly,” Blake said. “It’s time to watch the trailer for House of Archer.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  It had taken Lily many years to develop her emotional cocoon. When she was a child, her mother’s treatment of her produ
ced more emotions than she knew how to handle.

  Hurt. Guilt. Fear. Anger. Bafflement. Misery. Resentment.

  Until she learned how to contain those powerful emotions, she reacted to them by taking it out on her siblings—which resulted in more punishment from her mother—or taking it out on herself, often in dangerous ways.

  Her Uncle Ray had witnessed the behavior multiple times and finally sat down with her to talk about it after a significantly troubling incident when she was twelve. He helped her understand that the only emotions and reactions she could control were her own. He made sure she thought about the consequences of her responses, which up to that point had been either hurting her family or herself in one way or another.

  With Uncle Ray’s help and some counseling sessions with a child psychologist friend of his, Lily developed her cocoon. After that, any time she started to feel completely overwhelmed with emotions, she tucked them into the cocoon to be dealt with when she could do so productively. For her, that usually meant through writing. The emotional suppression led to stomachaches and headaches, but she no longer had the desire to take her feelings out on anyone and, quite frankly, it gave her some poignant subject matter to write about.

  She hadn’t needed this particular ability in many years...nearly as many years as she had known Dane. Rather than using the cocoon, she had become accustomed to venting anything she needed to with him and he had given her the support she needed.

  It had never occurred to her that she would need to shield her emotions from him, but as the large television screen cued up on the far right wall of the Slant set, her cocoon was fully intact. She used it to store everything she was feeling after listening to Brandon. There were too many emotions for her to even sort right then.

  Near the top, though, was her love for Dane. He was her best friend. Her lover. He wouldn’t use her like Brandon was accusing.

  So Dane hadn’t mentioned the show to her when he asked her to come on the tour. So what? He told her later that he had been worried it would freak her out, which it did. Keeping it from her was probably the smartest thing he could have done.