Zoe winced. “Actually, it was a set up. Piper brought me here.” When his expression dropped and he began to back away, she held him there. “But I’m glad she did,” she said softly. “So does that mean you didn’t get my letter?”
Levi frowned. “What letter?”
“The one I left in your apartment.”
“I haven’t been back there. We got in from San Diego this evening and came straight here.” He rubbed a hand over his face, considering everything she’d just said.
“Well, I could have explained it all over the phone if you’d answered my calls.”
He shook his head. “The band has a no-cell-phone policy while on tour. It keeps our heads in the game. All emergency calls are screened through our manager.”
She groaned. “That would have been good to know before you left. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
Levi ducked his head. “Yeah. I’m starting to think that has to change.”
He stared at her, cringing with apprehension like he was imagining that moment in her apartment again. And maybe because it still hurt to think about it. “It just looked like—”
“Like I was a woman who didn’t know what I wanted?” she finished for him.
“Exactly.”
“Well, I know what I want now. I want you,” she said. “I want you after I thought I’d never want anyone again. I just wanted to be alone so I could avoid the pain. But nothing could be as painful as not having you. I want you,” she said again. “I need you.”
And there it was, when less than two weeks before she’d told her mother she didn’t need a man. But she needed one, and not just any man. She needed Levi.
The admission was like removing a fifty-pound wedding dress from her body. And it wasn’t just the acceptance of it within herself. It was the act of expressing it. Tipping that bottle that she’d been filling for so long and letting it pour out.
He cupped her face gently and brought it close to his until they were nose to nose. “I’m all yours.” As he brought his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss, the door opened.
They jumped, as though they’d forgotten where they were. Zoe quickly rearranged her top just as a red-headed girl in a blue polka dot vintage dress swept into the room. Zoe tugged her dress back into place and slid awkwardly off the vanity.
“Oops.” The girl laughed. “Sorry to interrupt.” She practically bounced across the room, a little ball of energy. “Levi, you were amazing.”
She stood on her tip-toes, and he automatically bent down so she could kiss him on the cheek. She made a loud “Muah” sound as she slapped one on him, leaving a bright red stain on his skin. Then she turned her bright eyes on Zoe.
“Is this her?” she asked.
“This is her,” Levi said as though it filled him with pride to say it.
The girl gasped. “You’re the one in the song.”
Before Zoe could react, she slapped a kiss on her cheek too. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Zoe, this is Candi,” Levi said. “She’s our manager.”
Zoe gave a wave, still holding her breasts in place. “Nice to meet you.”
“And as your manager, I’m ordering you to get back out on stage. They’re calling your back for another.” She threw him a stern look before twirling out of the room.
“I’ll be right there!” He turned back to Zoe and gave her an apologetic look. “We’ve never refused on encore.”
“It’s okay. Go.” She waved him away. “I’ll be waiting right here.”
Levi gave her one more lingering kiss before he headed back to the stage.
Once he was gone, Zoe checked the mirror behind her. She grabbed a tissue from her purse and wiped the lipstick off her cheek. When she pulled it away, she smiled at the shade of red. It was the same one he’d wore when he turned up at Juliet’s wedding. Something told her she didn’t have anything to worry about there.
She readjusted her dress and ran her fingers through her long hair. She was blotting her cheeks when the door opened behind her again.
She smiled to the reflection. “You’d better not keep your public waiting,” she teased.
When there was no response, she shifted her focus to the door. It wasn’t Levi. It was Chelsea Carruthers.
27
A Shaggy Dog Story
Zoe stared at the reflection in the mirror in disbelief, as though that must be someone else’s pinched face scowling at her from the dressing-room doorway, not her rival. Maybe she’d had one too many shots earlier.
She closed her eyes to blink the image away, and when she opened them again, what she saw was a glimpse of metal raised above her head. A mic stand.
Zoe’s body recognized the threat before her brain did. She dropped to the ground just as the mic stand came crashing down where she’d been standing. It caught the vanity, taking out the rest of the knickknacks sitting on it.
Cans of hairspray and brushes rained down on Zoe’s head, and she threw her hands up. When she looked up, the stand was raised to come down on her.
Kicking out, Zoe caught a heel on Chelsea’s knee. The kneecap shifted beneath the force, and the crunch ran up Zoe’s leg. She shuddered. Chelsea screamed out.
Zoe tried to scramble away, but Chelsea recovered and she drew her weapon back again. Zoe rolled to the side. The stand smashed down, sending the trash can across the room. It whistled as it sailed past her head.
Picking up one of the fallen hairspray cans, Zoe took aim and fired. The mist hit Chelsea in the face, and her eyes clamped shut. Coughing and sputtering, she tried to wipe away the sticky film.
Zoe clambered to her feet and lunged for the door, but a half-blinded Chelsea swung the stand. It went wide, taking out a lamp. Zoe leapt out of the way just in time.
“Somebody help!” Zoe screamed, but she knew no one would hear her over the band’s encore.
Chelsea hopped on her good leg, wincing slightly each time. She took a swing, and another, and another, forcing Zoe away from the exit.
With nowhere else to go, she darted to one of the folding chairs and threw it at her rival. Chelsea stumbled, catching herself on her bad leg. Groaning in pain, she braced herself against the wall.
Taking the chance, Zoe dove for her. Her fingers wrapped around the metal stand, clamping on tight as she tried to wrench it away. But while Chelsea was in sneakers, Zoe’s heels set her off balance.
The stand twisted to the side and Zoe tripped toward a tattered armchair. She landed awkwardly on the seat, but held on to the metal stand. As Chelsea gripped either end of the stand and pressed down, putting all her weight behind it, it became too much for Zoe’s arms to handle. Inch by inch, it sank toward her throat.
Chelsea’s teeth squeaked as she ground them together, face contorting with the desire to squeeze Zoe’s neck until her head popped off.
The cool metal pressed against Zoe’s windpipe. She swallowed and felt it rub.
With Chelsea’s hands wrapped around the stand, her side lay wide open. In a last-ditch effort, Zoe whipped a knee up. It connected with ribs in a pop and Chelsea grunted, wheezing.
The pressure on Zoe’s neck relaxed. She twisted the rod with a sudden movement and it sent Chelsea flopping to the ground, holding her side, cringing in pain.
The chair tipped over, Zoe along with it. But now Zoe was on top and had the advantage.
Ripping the mic stand from Chelsea’s grip, Zoe tossed it aside. Throwing her weight on top of her rival, she tried to restrain her. She wrapped her long legs around the ones trying to kick her, and her arms around the ones trying to claw and punch and grab any part of her, until all Chelsea could do was jerk and buck awkwardly beneath Zoe’s body.
Chelsea gave a few more futile wiggles before she gave up and settled on yelling and swearing in frustration.
Zoe made sure to keep her face away from Chelsea’s in case she decided to bite or head butt. Over the swearing and screamed threats, she heard laughing and chatting voices drawing cl
oser through the door.
“Help! In here!” she yelled.
Footsteps quickened. The door burst open. Levi’s eyes swept over the destruction before they landed on the heap of tangled limbs on the floor.
“Zoe.”
“Help me,” she grunted. “I can’t hold her much longer.”
Levi dropped to the ground, replacing her hands with his own. As she began to untangle her legs she saw Brody and Aaron grab Chelsea’s ankles to prevent her from kicking out.
“I’ll go grab the bouncers,” Candi said before taking off, vintage heels clicking down the hall.
Jett stood out in the hall, plugging his one ear to hear his phone over Chelsea’s screams. Zoe assumed he was calling the police.
Zoe rolled away and onto her back, gasping for air, feeling her pulse throb in her already-blossoming bruises. Her limbs shook and she couldn’t find the strength to stand until a couple of hands reached down to help her up. She looked up to see Piper and Addison above her.
She let them help her to her feet and into a chair where she could catch her breath. It might have only been a two-minute fight, but she felt as though they’d been wrestling for hours. She supposed that’s what happened when your body gave it everything it had in order to survive.
Chelsea was successfully pinned, but she continued to thrash on the floor like she wanted to finish what she’d come there for.
“What the hell happened?” Levi asked Zoe.
“After you left, Chelsea came in here with a microphone stand wanting to play a game of T-ball using my head.”
Bodies shuffled out of the way. The bouncer with the lip piercings pushed his way in, kicking the toppled chair aside. Another bouncer followed him in and they took over for the band. As they stood Chelsea up to get her out, she jerked wildly in their grip and released a carnal scream.
“You bitch!” she yelled at Zoe. “You just couldn’t let me be happy, could you? You have everything, your successful business, your rock-star boyfriend, your connections throughout the city. Why did you have to take what little I have?” Her hair escaped from its usual tight bun, falling over her face, making her look wild.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Zoe asked.
“Sean. My fiancé,” she spat. “You just couldn’t stand to let me have him, could you? You had to steal him from me. Natalie said you came by the office the other day, that you spoke with him. What did you say to him to make him leave? Huh?”
Zoe closed her eyes, trying to gather herself. “I went there to tell you to back off and stop trying to sabotage me. I had no idea he was going to be there. I don’t even care if you marry him. You two deserve each other.”
The rims around Chelsea’s eyes had started to turn red, and when she spoke, her voice cracked with emotion. “Then why won’t he marry me?”
Zoe sighed. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache form. She felt a hand land on her back and start to rub it comfortingly. It was Levi. She smiled up at him gratefully.
Chelsea’s emotional outburst tugged at something inside of her, drawing forth memories of her own wedding day when Sean’s sudden abandonment threw her off the deep end.
She hated to admit that she had anything in common with her rival, but she could certainly sympathize with her. Zoe was almost tempted to throw Chelsea a bone, to tell her it would get better again if she let it.
“I don’t know why he’s not marrying you,” she finally said, a little calmer. “But considering Sean’s track record, I’d say it’s him and not us.”
“Everything was fine until you started meddling in my life. You’ve ruined everything!” Chelsea burst into tears.
Zoe laughed, getting fed up with the conversation. Everything hurt, and she suddenly yearned for bed. “I haven’t done anything to you. You’ve slandered my name all over town, you stole my assistant and my clients. And don’t even start with your booth being wrecked, because I didn’t do that.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Chelsea said like Zoe was a complete idiot. “I did!”
“What?”
“I was supposed to get that interview with Holly Hart. I was supposed to be on the news. But instead, all anyone cares about is you. Everyone’s just so plum crazy about Zoe, Zoe, Zoe.” She rolled her eyes.
“And you thought you’d blame me for it, get me kicked out of the expo, and ruin my reputation.”
“Two birds, one stone,” Chelsea said, like anyone would have done the same thing in her position.
Zoe narrowed her eyes, thinking back to before that day, when all her troubles seemed to begin. If she’d been willing to do that, then what else was she capable of?
“Did you sabotage the Fisher-Wells wedding?” she asked.
“How could I? I wasn’t even there. But Natalie, on the other hand, was in the perfect position. And she was so eager to get a job in my company that she was prepared to do just about anything.”
Zoe got to her feet, suddenly finding the strength for round two. “Were you the one who broke into my van? Did you cut up Piper’s dress?”
Levi stiffened next to her. “Did you cut her brake lines?” He blinked. Obviously everything was coming back to him at the same pace it was to her. His hands balled into fists at his side. “Were you the one responsible for the explosion in her office?”
Addison gasped. “Did you try to poison Piper?”
Piper crossed her arms, eyes narrowing with a promise of violence. And Zoe didn’t blame her. If Chelsea had really been the one to cause all their grief in the last few weeks, then she was to blame for Piper’s wedding nearly derailing time and time again. Zoe might have been her target, but Piper had also paid a price each time.
Chelsea’s head whipped around the room to greet each accusation that was hurled at her, as everyone tried to put the puzzle together. But then her face suddenly transformed, from anger, hatred, and outrage, to hilarity.
While her face was smiling, Chelsea’s eyes were dead, lifeless. Her body sagged against the bouncers. She’d lost her fight. Maybe because she had nothing left to fight for.
Zoe remembered that anger, that unquenchable anxiety and turmoil just bursting to get out, and the frustration of not knowing where to place it—strangely, not at the man who deserved it for so recklessly toying with someone’s heart. But in Chelsea’s case, she’d clearly found a target for that anger: Zoe.
The bouncers dragged Chelsea’s listless body outside to wait for the cops. For now, her fight was gone, but it wasn’t over. Zoe knew all too well that that kind of anger wouldn’t just go away. It would linger and fester if Chelsea let it.
Chelsea was out of sight, but in the silence, Zoe could still hear the scraping of her shoes along the floor as she was dragged down the hallway. Then her sharp voice rang out, echoing backstage.
“Just wait, Zoe!” she screamed. “You’ll get yours! And I’m not talking karma!”
28
Singing the Same Tune
Zoe peered out of Levi’s apartment windows for the fifth time since they’d arrived there. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see. Maybe Chelsea standing down on the street in the rain, just waiting for Zoe to go to sleep, to drop her guard.
She shivered, feeling overly exposed by the floor-to-ceiling view. Gripping Levi’s bathrobe closed around her, she backed away.
There was a knock on the door and she jumped, but when she checked the peephole in the metal door, she sighed in relief. It was just Freddy, or more specifically, Levi holding Freddy up so all she could see was him.
She unlatched the door and slid it open. Poking her head out, she eyed Levi up and down. “Secret password?”
He chuckled “Sex in pan?”
“Mmmm, please.” Smiling she stepped aside.
Freddy raced inside before Levi, still geared up from their walk. He ran a few laps of the apartment as Levi slipped off his shoes.
After Zoe’s battle with Chelsea, everyone kind of dispersed for the night. Piper and Addison
went home for their beauty sleep for the big day. But Zoe wasn’t all that eager to return to her small apartment. Even though Chelsea had been arrested, Zoe was still worried the police wouldn’t have enough to hold her for long.
Levi had driven Zoe home after the cops questioned them both outside the dive bar, but he’d refused to let her be alone that night. In the end, she didn’t put up much of a fight and packed a few overnight things for her and Freddy.
It was more than just a safe place to rest her head that she was eager for. However, just in case her stress remained unrelieved, she’d brought Big Boy along in her purse.
“Thanks for taking Freddy out while I showered,” she said. “I think the hot water helped my sore muscles.” She rolled a shoulder, getting a sharp reminder of where Chelsea dug her elbow in.
“Come here.” Levi drew her toward the leather couch.
Once she was sitting, he positioned himself behind her. She moaned as he began to massage and knead her aching back, wincing as he found each new knot.
“She really did a number on you, didn’t she?” he asked.
“She was definitely going for the kill.”
A noise in the kitchen startled her. A moment later, Freddy skittered out, a guilty tail curled under him.
Levi reached for the stereo remote and switched on the local radio station. Like he’d been shot with a tranquilizer, Freddy jumped up on the low armchair across from them, worming his way beneath Levi’s leather jacket for a nap.
“You have nothing to worry about tonight now that Chelsea’s behind bars,” Levi said. “Besides, you seemed to be able to handle yourself pretty well.”
Zoe gave a huff like a weak laugh, but even that hurt. “Because if I hadn’t, I think I’d be in a coma right about now,” she told him. “It took a lot out of me.”
She could feel him lean in close, his body warming her back. “I’m sure I could rouse a little energy in you.” The words tickled her ear and she could already feel that energy tingling.
“I thought you, you know, didn’t want to do that,” she said.
A Wedding Tail Page 30