“You’re doing the study?”
“Yep. I signed up yesterday. And Ace isn’t going to mess up my numbers. He missed his chance.” Simone returned to the vanity she’d been seated at and picked up a make-up brush.
“I don’t really think it works that way.” Stephanie pointed out. “Plus, it’s anonymous.”
“You don’t know how it works.”
“Yes, I do.”
Simone swiveled to face her. “How? How do you know?”
She knew that she didn’t need to prove anything to her sister, but it was just easier if she did. “Misty tried to recruit me yesterday.”
“She did?!” The shock that had registered on Simone’s face over the dress had nothing on the expression she wore now. “Why?”
Even though that was the same question that Stephanie had asked, it was hard not to take offense at hearing her sister ask it. “What do you mean, why?”
“I mean…you don’t date. Like, ever. Not since Mason and that was what, like, a hundred years ago?”
“Four,” she corrected. Since she and her sister already had more issues than Vogue when it came to their complicated family dynamic, she wasn’t about to tell her the real reason Misty had given. So, she went with a less specific explanation. “I guess she thought I would be a good candidate.”
The horror returned in her sister’s expression. “Are you going to do it?”
Good question. One that she’d been asking herself since Misty had proposed the idea. The sad reality was, she’d originally been leaning towards yes, but her sister showing up unannounced had tipped the scales towards no. Things might be better with her “family stuff”, but they were clearly still complicated.
Before she had a chance to respond to her sister, her phone rang. When she saw the number she knew it was the call that meant she was either going to miss the party altogether or best case scenario, be very late.
“Hello,” she answered, feeling guilty for the frustration that she was sure was evident in her voice.
“Hey Steph, it’s Brenda. Scott’s having an episode and he’s asking for you.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.” She tried to keep her tone upbeat. It wasn’t Brenda’s fault, or her brother’s that she was getting the call. She’d been the one to request that they contact her in these situations to avoid sedation.
This was her choice. Not Scott’s and not the staff at Brookside.
If Simone’s unexpected visit had put her on the fence about whether or not she’d be participating in Misty’s program, this call had pushed her off of it. Her life and a serious relationship just didn’t mix. And since she didn’t think she was built for casual, the answer was clear.
Hanging up the call she stared at her phone a beat, knowing the answer even before she asked, “Do you want to come with me to see Scott before the party?”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
Her sister’s flippant reply shouldn’t have bothered her, but it did.
“I’m on the clock to meet my leading man,” her sister continued. “My knight in shining armor. I need to get to the ball while there’s still some eligible princes available.”
Looking down at her dress Stephanie realized that she’d been gypped. She hadn’t even been able to go to the ball and dance with the prince before midnight had struck.
It sucked. She could’ve really used a fairytale night.
Chapter 5
“Come on. One dance.” The blonde, who’d introduced herself as Portia, shouted to be heard over the music as she lifted on her toes and rested her hand on Ace’s chest under the guise of balance. Her mouth was only a couple of inches from his ear, but it was still difficult to hear her over the music pumping from the speakers. “Please.”
Chase Malone had already done a set downstairs in the restaurant during a cocktail hour. Now everyone had moved upstairs to the bar where Chase would be playing again shortly with his “surprise” guest Virginia Valentine. Until then, they had a DJ that had kept the dance floor packed. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and the response to the renovations they’d done were overwhelmingly positive.
“Sorry, darlin’. I’m afraid I’ve got two left feet.” Ace tried a different tactic since flat out saying no and making up an excuse about his back hurting didn’t seem to be doing the trick. If nothing else, he had to admire her persistence.
“Oh, that’s okay.” Portia purred. “I don’t mind.”
It was crazy to Ace that there was any point in his life that he would’ve actually gone home with this woman. In fact, in the past, he had gone home with “this woman”—or at least different versions of her—on more than one occasion before he and Kendall got together.
He wasn’t sure if his change in tune was because he was getting older or if the emotional switch was due to the epic fail of his last relationship. But what he was sure about was that the soundtrack of his life no longer included Bob Seger’s one night stand ballad “We’ve Got Tonight.” He didn’t want wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am and he also didn’t want to walk down the aisle…basically he didn’t want anything.
His neighbor’s big brown eyes, full lips and golden red hair appeared in his mind’s eye.
Well, maybe I want one thing.
Over the past few weeks, Stephanie Holland had been a recurring theme in his dreams, both day and night. And as much as he tried to tune her out, he couldn’t. There was something about her that he couldn’t put his finger on, but he wanted to. He wanted to put a lot more than his finger on her.
“One dance.” The blonde pouted, leaning in closer to him as she raked her nails down his chest.
“Actually, I need to go check on somethin’.” Ace motioned across the room at nothing in particular. “You enjoy yourself.”
Her protests continued as he moved away from her walking with purposeful strides, but he ignored them. He needed a break. Tonight had been like a meat market and he was prime rib. He couldn’t take a step without being propositioned by a woman. It wasn’t lost on him that to most healthy, red-blooded, single men that wouldn’t seem like a problem. But to him, it was starting to feel like torture.
At first, he’d chalked up the attention to the fact that he was the new guy in town. But after overhearing several conversations about “auditions” and “callbacks” he was thinking there must be some kind of reality show that these women were trying to compete in. It was the only thing that made sense.
Before disappearing into the back he peered over the sea of people for his hundredth scan of the night. He was looking for a certain redhead that he’d been unable to stop thinking about lately, but he was coming to terms with the fact that she was most likely going to be a no-show. It was pretty ironic that the one girl he wanted to attract he couldn’t and to the rest he was irresistible. All day he’d been looking forward to seeing her. Not once had he considered that she would stand him up, if you could even call it that. He hadn’t exactly asked her out. Now he was regretting that misstep.
When his visual search came up empty, he pushed through the side door marked “Employees Only” and let out a sigh. The hallway that he entered led to a storage room and two offices, all three of which should be empty since everyone was out enjoying the party, which thankfully was a huge success. He figured it would be a good place to get his head on straight and try to live up to his hosting duties.
Andrew Charles Elliot, IV had been groomed from a very early age to play his role. As the namesake and son of Andrew Charles Elliot III he knew how to work a room, he just hated doing it. His parents had come into money before he was born when his dad made some wise investments and they had worked their way into high society. They considered themselves royalty in Savannah. While his brother ate up the role of prince, Ace was never as comfortable with the parties and lifestyle. He’d always been more comfortable in smaller settings, hanging out with a core group of real friends, as opposed to galas filled with people he only knew superficially and that would stab each other
in the back in a heartbeat if it served them.
Thankfully tonight there hadn’t been too much pressure on him since this wasn’t new for his business partners. Riley and Dax co-owned a bar in New Orleans, so this wasn’t their first rodeo. It also didn’t hurt that this was Riley’s hometown, so he knew everyone here and Dax naturally gravitated towards the center of attention. That man never met a spotlight he didn’t love. It made it easy to be the silent partner.
Ace shut the door behind him and the hallway grew immediately dim. The only light source coming from the gap beneath the door. The music was still audible, but it was muted. This was probably the most private and quiet space he would be able to find. Leaning back against the exposed brick wall he let his shoulders drop.
“Are you hiding, too?” A female voice sounded from the end of the hallway.
Ace squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the darkness and saw a young woman sitting on the floor at the end of the hall. He couldn’t really make out her face, but the light hair that surrounded it was visible, even in the darkness.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
Her voice hadn’t sounded distressed, but if there wasn’t something wrong why would she be huddled in the corner of a dark hallway, and from her own admission, hiding.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” She stood and walked towards Ace. When she got within a couple of feet of him, he was able to make out her facial features and he immediately recognized her.
It was Virginia Valentine. Country superstar. Except she didn’t look like the girl he’d seen in music videos or on the covers of magazines that had dubbed her the “Nashville It Girl.” The young woman standing in front of him looked like the girl next door. Fresh, sweet, even innocent.
She reached out her hand. “Hi, I’m Ginny.”
“Ace. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand.
Her smile grew. “Love the accent. Georgia, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Savannah, born and raised.”
“I just visited Smyrna.”
“Really, do you have family there?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I have a friend who’s from there and I made him take me because it’s where Julia Roberts was born.”
“Big fan?”
She looked at him like he’d just asked the most obvious question in the world. “Yeah, you could say that.”
As much as Ace was enjoying this conversation, he was concerned that Ginny was here, in a dark hall, by herself. He would expect her to be surrounded by people. A manager. Assistant. Stylist. Or at the very least, her band. He and Dax had set up a green room in their small banquet room and he was surprised that she wasn’t there. She’d said that everything was fine, but he had a feeling it wasn’t.
“Is there someone I can get for you?” He understood if she didn’t want to go out into the crowd, but he didn’t want her to feel trapped in here.
“Get for me?”
“Yeah, like your assistant or manager maybe.”
Her expression fell. “You know who I am.”
Ace hesitated before nodding, not sure why that was so disappointing or why he felt the need to apologize for it. “Sorry.”
She shook her head. “No, don’t be silly. You have nothing to be sorry about. It was just nice to feel anonymous for a min…” Her phone buzzed and she looked down. When she saw the number her entire body tensed. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.”
“No problem. I was just coming in for a breather. I should get back out there. Let me know if you need anything.”
She nodded as her lips turned up in a tight smile before she swiped her finger across the screen and lifted the phone to her ear.
As Ace opened the door to give her privacy, he heard her say with a cheeriness that her posture and fake smile didn’t support, “Hey, Mom.”
Her sudden shift in body language made perfect sense. Family had the exact same effect on him. He could definitely relate. Ginny seemed like a sweet girl and he felt for her.
Ace had met dozens of celebrities in his life. Growing up his parents ran in those circles. Overseas he’d met actors, singers, comedians and athletes that came over to entertain the troops. And in the past month he’d been on a security detail for both a pop star and an Academy Award winning actor.
In all of his experience, he’d never met someone of Virginia Valentine’s stature that was so down to earth and real. He liked her. Not in a romantic way, more in a little sister way. Not that he had one of those, but if he had, that’s what he thought he would feel towards her.
Stepping back into the crowd he scanned the room fully expecting to be disappointed. All night he’d been searching for Stephanie. He’d even asked Simone if she was coming, but her sister had only shrugged and tried to direct the conversation back to herself. In the back of his mind he knew that she wasn’t coming tonight, but that didn’t stop his eyes from searching through the throng of people.
He’d almost given up hope when a flash of red hair across the room caught his eye. He did a double take and could hardly believe what he was seeing. Standing near the entrance of the bar beneath a light, her long, shiny hair flowing loosely around her shoulders, wearing a black dress that made her toned legs look a mile long was Stephanie.
In that instant, something changed. Something shifted. A piece that he’d never known was missing clicked into place. She was what he’d been waiting for. Not just tonight, but his entire life. She was it. He couldn’t explain how he knew but he did, on a deep, soulful level. The only question was, what he was going to do about it?
Chapter 6
“This was a bad idea,” Stephanie mumbled beneath her breath as she shifted from one foot to another.
The party was in full swing. The bar was packed with lines three people deep waiting to place orders. The dance floor was shoulder-to-shoulder bodies moving to the beat of the music that was so loud she could barely hear herself think. Everyone appeared to be having the time of their lives and she felt exactly like she had her whole life. Like she didn’t belong here. She was always on the outside looking in. Totally alone surrounded by people.
A bark of laughter erupted as the bathroom door opened beside her and three girls stumbled out, giggling about which guys they were going to audition tonight. One girl said that she wanted to cast her leading man before the year was up. Apparently Misty wasn’t exaggerating when she said that her study was popular. As the trio passed her, one of their shoulders bumped against her and just the light tap caused her to wobble thanks to her poor choice of footwear.
She’d been in these heels for the last six hours and her body was deciding to revolt. Her back and shoulder muscles screamed in protest as she struggled to get her balance. Her feet were killing her and the dress that she’d felt like a million bucks in earlier now felt like the worst decision she’d made since she decided bangs were a good look her senior year of high school.
Feeling exposed she tugged at the hem of her skirt, trying to get all the coverage she could out of the material as she debated turning around, going back down the stairs she’d just trudged up, getting in her car and driving home. There were sweats and ice cream at home. Both of which were calling her name.
Today had been draining. Physically and emotionally. Before she’d arrived at Brookside, Scott’s agitation had reached a level that triggered his asthma. By the time she got there the nurses were doing their best to administer a breathing treatment but they weren’t having much luck. It wasn’t as simple as sitting him down and hooking him up to a nebulizer. He hated taking the treatments when he was agreeable, so getting his cooperation when he was already in a combative state was near impossible.
After some bargaining and begging Stephanie was finally able to persuade him to take the treatment. When he was done, they’d watched a movie and put a jigsaw puzzle together. She’d stayed until his oxygen levels were in a normal range and he’d fallen asleep while she read Harry Potter. As a nurse, she’d been happy with the outcome of t
he episode. But as a sister, it had taken a toll on her. Seeing her brother in distress broke her heart. Every time. When she was younger she’d assumed that she’d get used to it. Her hope had been that over time she’d build a protective callous around her heart. It hadn’t happened.
If anything, each incident had the opposite effect. Her emotions felt more extreme, more amplified. She felt more guilt over the fact that she couldn’t save him. It devastated her that she couldn’t fix everything for him. She did all she could, and honestly more than she could. Brookside was the best, but the best wasn’t cheap. In six months her modest savings would be depleted and her credit cards would be maxed out.
Then what?
What was she going to do for him then?
She was going to need to pick up another job. Maybe bartending. She’d made good money bartending when she was in school. Of course, that was at Mason’s parents’ country club and she may have been getting tips because she was his girlfriend, not necessarily on the merits of her skills behind the bar. She wasn’t sure what to do about money now, but she’d figure it out. She always did.
The overwhelming circumstances she was faced with caused tears to prick at her eyes and she knew that was her cue to go. She’d wanted to have a night where she didn’t think about her life and all of the stress and responsibility that came with it. A night where she could put on a pretty dress and shoes and lose herself, like all the people here seemed to be doing. But that was a pipe dream. A fantasy. A delusion. It wasn’t her reality.
Ice cream and sweats were real and they were in her very near future.
Sniffing, she wiped her finger beneath her eyes and headed towards the door, hoping to slip out before running into anyone she knew and having to explain her showing up just to leave. She hadn’t even made it two steps before that plan went up in flames when she felt a hand on her shoulder thwarting her great escape. Heat radiated from the touch and a shiver raced down Stephanie’s spine.
All He Needs – Ace & Stephanie (Crossroads Book 10) Page 5