“What about two?”
“Still not the end of the world.” Cee-Cee frowned. “When is Brett coming home from Iraq?”
She wiped her nose and brightened some. “In another few months. He’ll be home in time for the baby to be born. I’m so lucky. I know I am. It’s just…days like this, you know?”
Cee-Cee’s cellphone jangled in her inner suit coat pocket, and she shifted Baby Joe to grab it and answer. It was Ashley. He grinned at her from the other side of the screen. “Whose baby have you kidnapped? Is it yours?”
“This is my nephew, Joe.”
“He’s a handsome chap. Too bad you’re babysitting. I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out.”
“I do!” Cee-Cee gushed. “Actually, that’s exactly why I called you. I wanted to talk with you about something Phoenix and I just discussed. Where are you? Can we meet up?” Josey grimaced and reached for Baby Joe, seeing her sister needed to get back to work. Cee-Cee took one look at her haggard face and held her nephew closer, shaking her head. “And, Ashley, do you mind if I bring Baby Joe along?”
“By all means, bring him! I love babies.”
“Perfect! Text me the address to that place you were talking about the other night. You know, the frozen yogurt shop between here and the city? How long will it take you to get there?”
“Roughly thirty minutes. Tegan rented me a car to get around since I told her I wanted to set up a central location instead of staying on the road so much. See you in a few. Bye, Baby Joe!”
Cee-Cee ended the video call. Josey flashed her a wan, but grateful smile, but Cee-Cee had to get something off her chest. “Don’t ever think that I look down on you. I may not understand you, but you’re my sister. I love you, and I’m here for you.” Her anger at being interrupted at work abated. She’d figure out a way to get Uncle Bryan to look past the offense. He’d understand.
Josey reached in the backseat and handed her Baby Joe’s diaper bag. Their mother had made it. An owl was quilted to the front, and it was cute, like all baby things. Cee-Cee felt a twinge of baby envy. Would she one day have a little tyke of her own? Snuggled in her arms, Joe was snoring quietly, and her heart swelled with love for her nephew.
“Thanks, Cee-Cee. I owe you one.”
“You want to repay me? Make sure you get your degree so you never have to depend on another man like Joe’s dad, who’ll only let you down. I hope you don’t let another relationship hold you back, Sis.”
“I won’t, but Cee-Cee you’re wrong about love and relationships. Being with someone who truly loves you doesn’t hold you back. Sure, we sometimes make foolish mistakes, but don’t blame it on love. I get tired out and I feel run ragged just about every second of the day, and you know what? I wouldn’t trade having Baby Joe for all the money and success in the world. You’ll see one day. You’ll fall for someone.”
Oddly, Cee-Cee’s thoughts turned to Phoenix. And then to Ashley. Confused, she shook her head. “I’m single by choice. I believe in love, but it’s not something I choose for my life right now.”
“Do you understand me a little better now, though?” Josey got out and unhooked the baby’s car seat.
Cee-Cee shrugged. Yeah, she could see how Josey might find fulfillment in relationships and being a mother. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with falling in love, and certainly being a mom didn’t make Josey less of a woman. Cee-Cee realized she had been a little judgmental in the past year or so, but she didn’t have time to examine herself or have this weighty conversation. They could talk about it later. Ashley was expecting her.
“We’ll talk about this more when I get home. Baby Joe is in good hands, so don’t worry about him. See you later, Josey.” She unlocked her car so her sister could hook up Baby Joe’s seat.
Meanwhile, Cee-Cee shouldered the diaper bag and turned back to the office, but she didn’t want to go back in with her nephew in tow. She yanked her cellphone out again and called her uncle as she marched over to her car. “Uncle Bryan, I’ve got a meeting with Ashley Terrence, the artist Briton’s council is booking for that fundraiser.”
“Whoa! No, you don’t. I need you here. You didn’t run this by me.”
Cee-Cee soundlessly mouthed for her sister to put Baby Joe in his seat. Josey nodded conspiratorially and quickly belted the toddler in. Thankfully, he didn’t wake up.
“Yikes! I didn’t think you’d have a problem with it. I’m already gone,” Cee-Cee lied. She waved goodbye to her sister and climbed into the driver’s seat, muting the cellphone while she cranked the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Cee-Cee unmuted the call and replied, “I’m so sorry.”
“You said you and Phoenix met that guy at the nightclub after your dinner date, where, incidentally, you didn’t get him on board with that app of yours. This better not be a personal thing, Cee-Cee.”
Cee-Cee smarted at the reminder that Briton had turned NowIn down. “It’s not. I lingered after our meeting with Briton to feel him out on having Ashley do the show. You saw how upset he was at the suggestion at the meeting. Turns out, the mayor is concerned Ashley Terrence is too much of a celebrity. He wants to make sure this thing stays professional and doesn’t become a platform for Ashley to go all Bieber-ish. We don’t need any bad press.”
“I see…Good thinking, kiddo. Alright, do what you have to do. Keep me updated.”
Cee-Cee beamed as she ended the call and sped out of town. Her briefcase was in the backseat next to Baby Joe. Her tablet was in the briefcase, and in her tablet was the necessary privacy paperwork that she needed Ashley Terrence to sign.
A tiny part of her was jealous of the connection with the rock star that Phoenix was trying so hard to fight. Cee-Cee might not be interested in a serious relationship, but a fling? She could use a fling. She had gone through her college years watching her girlfriends have fun dating casually. There’d been plenty of boys interested in her and she supposed she could have made time…but she’d always held back. It had all seemed so chancy. She wasn’t a virgin, but close enough. She’d never been in love, never had a relationship worthy of the name. If she was honest with herself, she was horny and lonely and ironically aroused by the two men being into each other. But where did that leave her?
It was confusing. Especially with Phoenix stealing kisses and sneaking into her dreams.
Chapter 10
Ashley begged Tegan for the keys, but the manager shook her head. “Not until you call your mum. She’s worried about you.”
“Tegan, fuck all! Give me the keys! Cee-Cee’s waiting for me.”
Tegan handed him the cellphone. “Call her.” Ashley knew his mother had been trying to get in touch with him, but he hadn’t answered. He hadn’t spoken with her since he left the country. She had dropped a bomb on him about her past that he hadn’t been ready to hear. He still wasn’t ready to deal with the vast majority of the things she had said to him, but since Tegan was being difficult…
Ashley snatched the phone and angrily dialed Nora’s number. Tegan dropped the keys to the rental car on the table and quietly slipped out of Ashley’s new hotel room. Ashley threw his body on the loveseat and stared at the ceiling while he waited for his mum to pick up. She answered quickly.
“Son! How is it in America? Is the tour going well?”
“You’ve been here. You know exactly how it is in America.” Something he had recently found out.
“Right. You’re upset. I knew that was why you were avoiding me.”
“I haven’t been avoiding you, but I know what you want me to do, and that’s not happening. So, there’s no point in calling, trying to get me to change my mind. I still can’t believe you told that fucker I was performing in a town near him.” He grimaced at his choice of words, feeling like a jerk for talking to his mum like that. Ashley had always had difficulty bridling his tongue; Nora was well aware.
“He’s your father, Ashley.”
Ashley sat up restlessly. “Mum, a father is someone who’s ther
e for you, not someone who leaves your mother pregnant and alone, waiting on a lie. He promised that he’d come back and marry you, but instead he left you with a baby and no real way to take care of me. You’re too forgiving. My father is William. He’s the man who raised me. I don’t know any Reginald Harold.”
Things he had learned in the week before departing for his first tour had left him feeling like he didn’t even know himself or his family. The man he had called Dad all his life was no relation to him. Instead, Ashley discovered his mother had been an escort in the wild days of her youth, and she had met a wealthy businessman and shared a whirlwind courtship that resulted in his birth. Reginald Harold hadn’t so much as sent a postcard since.
He didn’t understand why she was intent on making father and son meet after all these years. Ashley was happy with the way things were. He felt to meet Reginald Harold would be an insult to William, even though his stepfather had expressly asked him to meet the man, too.
The closer his tour had brought him to this town, the more insistent Nora had become, but Ashley just wasn’t interested. He was getting frustrated with the constant reminders of Reginald Harold’s existence after a lifetime of not knowing the man. He realized he was unfairly taking out his frustrations on his mother and bit his tongue before another sharp retort flew out.
“Mum, I’m sorry. You caught me at a bad time. I was on my way out, and I didn’t want to get into this right now, but Tegan felt I needed to talk with you.”
“Ashley, there’s a lot you don’t know.” Nora took a shaky breath, and Ashley thought he heard her sniffle on the end of the line.
“I wish he hadn’t hurt you.”
“I’ve made my peace with it. You’ll understand it better by and by. Sometimes love isn’t something that lasts for eternity or gets shouted from the mountaintops. Sometimes it’s a secret moment between two people. That doesn’t make it any less real. Besides, think of how differently our lives would’ve gone had things been otherwise. I’m happy with William, and I’m happy with the young man I’ve raised. You’re a good boy, Ashley.”
“You’re wrong about one thing, though. Love shouldn’t be a secret. I’ll never understand that. When I fall, I won’t ever be content with hiding in the closet. Now, I’ve gotta go, Mum. I have someone waiting to meet with me. I promise I’ll call you later when we can really talk.”
“That’s fine, son. I wanted to hear your voice.”
“I love you, Mum.”
“Love you, too, Ash.”
He hung up the phone and held it awhile, staring at the floor. His mother had sacrificed much for the man she loved, but Ashley would never be able to do that. He was pleased Nora had quickly found happiness with William, a man who loved her in return. Ashley pushed up from the seat and grabbed the keys. He tossed the keys in the air and caught them and skipped out of the hotel room. Despite the dreary topic of conversation, he felt better for having spoken with his mother.
But he had no plans to meet with his father while he was in America. He was here to sing, dance and have a good time, and the most promising time seemed to lie with hanging out with Cee-Cee and her truculent friend, Phoenix. He sent the text with the address to Cee-Cee:
I’m on my way.
* * *
The frozen yogurt treat curled from the machine into the cup. Baby Joe, awake now, reached for the frosty sweetness, and Cee-Cee giggled as she pulled his hand out of the way. He vocalized his displeasure with a grunt.
“He’s a demanding little one, isn’t he,” Ashley chuckled. He reached for the baby to let Cee-Cee free her hands to finish fixing her yogurt. She hurried to the caddy where candies, nuts and syrups were arrayed.
Once the three of them had what they wanted, they took a table near the wall and Cee-Cee strategized how to get Ashley to agree to her terms. He smiled at her so openly and honestly that she felt a little guilty about what she had to do.
“Gosh, he’s the cutest! His mum must love him to pieces. She’s your younger sister, right? How old are you again?”
“Twenty-two. She’s, uh…twenty. She was very young when she had him.” Cee-Cee shrugged, embarrassed to admit it. “But, I mean, it’s not like she doesn’t have a future just because she’s a young mom. She’s in school now, and she’s working. I’m trying to talk her into continuing her education after she gets her bachelor’s. She’s so smart.”
Ashley didn’t respond like most people did when she confessed her sister had been a teen mom. He smiled and said, “Very young and very brave to not have taken an easier route and given him up. She’s also blessed to have you as an example of how to go after her dreams.” He beamed at the toddler.
Cee-Cee felt her heart melt a little more for this rock star with the kind words and gentle eyes. He was so the anti-asshole. Why weren’t there more men like him?
“Yeah, she’s a great mom. I’m proud of her.” She meant that. She really did. Recalling some of her ungracious thoughts about Josey, she was certain she had been unfair to her sister lately. She had never thought of herself as a role model, but maybe she really had been instrumental in Josey sticking to school and work.
She made a vow to herself to start encouraging her more, like she had today. She was enjoying having Baby Joe along, too. He was a riot. But she had work to do, and that meant steering the conversation in the right direction. Turning to her briefcase, she addressed the issue at hand. “So, have you and your manager heard from Briton’s council yet? I had a meeting with them earlier today.” She pulled out her tablet and set it on the table away from Baby Joe’s grasping hands.
“Hmm, the sexy, charming Phoenix Briton. Why would I be hearing from him or his council? He made it clear the night we met that he wasn’t interested.”
“They’re planning a fundraiser, and they want you to perform at the event.”
Ashley scooped a spoonful of frozen yogurt into his mouth. “Your doing.”
She grinned. “After seeing you perform at the Yellow Lounge, I was impressed. You’ll appeal to exactly the demographic Briton is targeting. Now, I’ve convinced Phoenix this will help his campaign, but he has some legitimate concerns about having you at the fundraiser.”
“Such as?”
“He’s worried you’re too public. Your face is all over the Internet, and Phoenix just isn’t like that. He wants to ensure that if you come to the show, you’ll stick to the stage. I guess you could say he needs reassurance you’ll keep things…professional.” Ashley guffawed, knowing exactly what she was hinting at. His laughter caused Baby Joe to giggle as well, which made Cee-Cee chuckle. “In order to mollify him, I took the liberty of bringing along some forms for you to sign in support of that. Standard stuff.”
She casually handed him her tablet, which was already cued up to the appropriate form. Ashley stuck his spoon into his frozen yogurt, took it, and looked it over. At the top of the PDF in bold print were the words Confidentiality Agreement. Ashley shook his head.
“This isn’t standard stuff, and I don’t sign anything without my manager or lawyers present. Not even for a beautiful girl like you.”
“Joey, don’t!” She reached for Baby Joe in the highchair next to her. He was poking his fingers into the frozen yogurt. When she wiped off his hand with a baby wipe, the toddler grabbed a candy piece and shoved it into his mouth. He blew bubbles as he chewed, which left his face a spitty, sticky mess. She gave up trying to fight the toddler wars.
Finally looking up at Ashley, she confessed, “No, it’s not standard stuff. He’s into you, Ashley. He’s just nervous that public knowledge of that interest could hurt his career, and I don’t blame him. He’s right about you being much more open about your personal life. I’ve seen your vlogs. But promising in writing that you won’t blast him could get you the shot with Phoenix that you want. He just needs to know you won’t put anything about him on the Internet. Understand?”
“I do understand. Phoenix Briton,” he bit the name off sharply, “wants me to be his dir
ty little secret. I’m surprised you and he would go so far as to try to trap me into a contract restricting my free speech about my personal life. I thought we were better than that. I thought we could be friends.”
She frowned at the darkening of Ashley’s grey eyes and the way his eyebrows came together over the bridge of his nose. Her heart beat faster. Had she screwed up again? She had thought she was ready to be a professional. “Hey, this wasn’t Phoenix’s idea. I’m sorry. I didn’t think bringing it up would make you so upset.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “The hardest part of PR is people,” Uncle Bryan had told her, “and there’s no crash course in that.” She hadn’t understood—people liked her; she was respectful.... Ashley’s lips smiled wryly, but the smile didn’t reach any further. Cee-Cee impulsively reached across the table and touched his hand, but she forgot what she had just been touching. She left a sticky residue on his skin. She frowned and swiped it with a baby wipe, only to leave behind fluffs of lint, which made Ashley laugh and lightened the situation.
He grabbed another wipe from the pack in Baby Joe’s diaper bag and cleaned his hand. “I’m not upset, per se. But let’s get one thing straight, Cee-Cee. I’m not anyone’s down-low option. I never will be. You can tell Phoenix either he accepts me as I am, or he doesn’t have to worry about me coming around. I think he’s cute, but I’m not changing to fit his circus act.”
She looked at him for a minute. He wasn’t holding the forms against her, but he wouldn’t sign them either. She sighed. “Of course I’ll tell him, and I understand, but I really am excited about the idea of having you at the fundraiser. Your music is great. I’m not sure I’ll be successful playing middle man between you two.” Cee-Cee pulled her tablet back to her side of the table with a look of disappointment. She didn’t know where to go from there. Phoenix would probably cancel having Ashley at the fundraiser now.
Ashley shifted the conversation to talk about his week of shows. It sounded fascinating, but Cee-Cee was more concerned with this one show in particular. She had all but assured the PR-ISM team Ashley would be at the fundraiser, but without his guarantee that he wouldn’t openly flirt with the mayor, Phoenix wouldn’t agree to that.
MMF BISEXUAL ROMANCE: Phoenix Running Page 8