Joey began to pick the technicians’ brains as to which machine and what it was supposed to be doing, then looked into its innards. The three techs watched her with half skepticism and half nerves. Twenty minutes later, when she found that it was simply a matter of a cooling fan malfunction, and had the entire studio up and running again, they finally decided she and Kit might be serious. Apparently LA had never seen a stunning five foot ten blonde woman mechanic before.
They went back to work and the next song they worked on was actually the love theme for the movie. It was a romantic ballad that Nick and Kit sang and also played and she had to work at focusing more than she’d had to up to this point. They ended up playing across from each other as they sang and it was a great time. When they finished, Kit took a deep breath at having gotten through without messing up either the words or the music and they went on to work on one more song for the day.
Their last song was classic rock and roll with a strong backbeat and awesome guitar licks. Kit and Nick and Shane got into it and Kit was having a ball with the ripping part she was playing. She felt like she finally had a handle on the volume the mixer wanted from her, and was playing and singing much louder than she'd dared to before. They played like they were in front of ten thousand fans, and when they finally finished, they collapsed into the chairs in the lobby amidst applause and catcalls from all of the people working with them.
It was the first time Kit ever wondered if she might like performing in front of a crowd. It was strangely easy for her to loosen up and perform with her guitar, while sometimes she was almost shy in front of others without it. When Ian called it a wrap, she drew another deep breath and decided that even though she was tired, she couldn’t believe they paid people to have this much fun.
The guys all offered dinner and a night out again and they agreed again to dinner, but no clubbing. Kit hadn’t even dared tell them she was too young to get into a club legally, even if she'd wanted to, for fear they would think she was too young to play with them. They went to dinner and waded through the cameras and fans again to do so. Kit wondered why they were taking her and Joey’s photos when they weren’t even famous.
Back at the hotel after dinner, they got a call from Dante, Isabel’s brother, who lived not far from where they were. Isabel had told him they were there and he and his fiancé offered to come by and get them to take them to a movie, or show them around town. They knew he would entertain them without asking them to go anywhere or do anything they weren’t comfortable with, so they accepted and had a good time. He had them back to their hotel by ten thirty and although that was eleven thirty Wyoming time, they were still rested the next morning to go to work.
That wasn’t necessarily true for the rest of the crew. Nick and Shane were late and looked tired when they got there, carrying mugs of coffee as they pushed through the front doors. While they were waiting for them, Bryan Cole showed up. Kit had heard Nick talking to him that first morning about working together on Saturday, but Joey was surprised, and didn’t appear too enthusiastic, when he came over to introduce himself while they hung out.
He walked over to them and put out a hand. “Bryan Cole. And you are?” Kit thought he was good looking and funny, but Joey didn’t have much patience with him. She still hadn’t warmed up to him as she went into the booth and they went inside and began to play. They were working on another movie score that had a more subtle country feel, and Kit spent the morning playing and singing beside Bryan.
He made her laugh when he teased her with his eyes as they sang the love theme. Nick laughed too, as he complained, “Bryan, I swear you can’t be serious for your life. You’re supposed to make them think you’re romantic in the love song, not funny. Knock it off. We’re trying to work here!”
Bryan laughed. “Hey, it was her fault. She was winking at me.” Nick glanced at Kit for just a split second, until he understood that Bryan was still teasing her.
Nick rolled his eyes. “Let’s take lunch. Maybe Bryan can get into a more romantic mood by the time we get back.”
They went out to another trendy restaurant and Bryan scored some points with Joey on the way to the car, when he got a bit testy with a camera man who practically hit her in the face with his lens as she walked by. He helped her into the limo and sat next to her to ask her if she was okay. Kit had been somewhat shaken up too and thought to herself, for the first time, that her new Karate skills might come in handy in this town.
Inside the car, Kit and Nick looked at each other with a grin, when a few minutes later, they heard Joey say to Bryan, “No, I’m sorry. I’m not terribly familiar with your music. I always turn it off when I’ve heard enough of your lyrics to realize it’s just another crude or demeaning Bryan Cole song.” Leave it to Joey to tell it like it is. The others in the car just laughed at Bryan and teased him about his romantic prowess with the girls today.
Bryan smiled good naturedly as he took their ribbing, then turned back to Joey. “You’re ruining my reputation here, you know.”
She had the grace to look apologetic. “Sorry. I have my own reputation for being more forthright than is polite sometimes. Please forgive me.”
Smoothly, Bryan said, "Maybe I need someone to be forthright with me once in a while.”
****
Later at lunch, when only she could hear him, he asked Joey, “Crude and demeaning, huh?” He was smiling, but he looked her in the eye as he spoke, “What exactly did you mean by that?”
She looked down at her food for a moment and then thought to herself, He’s honestly asking. She looked directly at him and asked, “Well, how long has it been since you did a song that didn’t include infidelity, promiscuity, or inappropriate descriptions of the female anatomy?”
He took another bite and chewed it, before he smiled at her and said, “You did say you were forthright.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “That word usually comes up just before I have to apologize again. I’m sorry, I was rude. Please forgive me one more time.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re right. The problem is, that kind of stuff sells, and this is my business.”
Joey turned back to her plate and murmured, “I guess at that point, you have to decide how much your personal integrity is worth.” He turned to look at her without an answer and she honestly met his gaze.
****
Two chairs down, Nick asked Kit if she was ever going to go out clubbing with him after work. She gave him an apologetic smile. “Nope.”
“I’d kind of gotten that impression. Can I ask why?”
Candidly, she replied, “Honestly, I’ve had enough cigarette smoke and dealt with enough drunk people to last me the rest of my life. But thank you anyway.” She didn’t explain, and he didn’t delve.
“If partying is out, how about a quiet beach?”
She searched his eyes and then said, “It sounds heavenly.”
“If I promise not to crowd you, can I at least hold your hand?” He gave her a hesitant grin.
She laughed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Sure.”
He leaned around her to Bryan. “Hey, Cole. If I take Kit to a quiet beach tonight and hold her hand, can you entertain Joey?”
Bryan gave Joey a crooked smile. “I’m not sure. She thinks my lyrics are crude.”
Nick replied, “They are. So just don’t sing to her and you should be fine.” Kit laughed again.
Bryan looked questioningly at Joey. “What about it? I can just about bet you don’t want to go out drinking. What about dinner and a movie? I’ll let you pick.”
Joey smiled at him reassuringly. “Dinner sounds great, but no movie. There are too many people and cameras and women. How about the other end of their quiet beach? Or even better, take me to dinner and then drop me off at the hotel. Then come back and get me at sunrise to go beachcombing.”
Nick and Bryan looked at each other and Bryan said, “I don’t dare even ask if I can hold her hand.” This time Joey laughed.
/> ****
After working through the afternoon, they took the girls back to the hotel to change, then came back to pick them up. As they’d let the girls out, Kit glanced around at the people watching them get out of the limo. She asked Nick if she could just come out to meet him at his car later, so she wouldn’t have to deal with the public quite as much. It was refreshingly the opposite of what most women wanted, and made him laugh as they pulled away. He wasn’t sure it was completely complimentary, but she had a way of being completely, comfortably unfettered by status and he loved it.
An hour later, when he got there in a plain black Mercedes that he assumed she’d be more comfortable in, he called from the parking lot. As she stepped out of the revolving doors in a simple white cotton dress that showed off her coloring to perfection, he pulled the sleek car up and got out to open her door. Both of them ignored the people looking at them.
He fed her New York style pizza, smiling at their casual conversation as she wrestled with the cheese, then drove around and through a set of locked gates and into a private beach. The sun was just starting to set and the ocean was as beautiful as he’d hoped, when he’d offered this.
When they got close to the water, she ran and kicked off her sandals and played in the waves and the foam. He watched her, captivated, wondering why he’d never met anyone like her before. She was completely different from other women. She seemed as pure and unspoiled as the ocean breeze that blew her dress against her legs. There was nothing artificial about this girl. She didn’t fuss with her hair or makeup like most women and she'd never done any of the suggestive flirting he inevitably encountered.
As she played he commented, “You act like you’ve never seen the ocean before or something.”
She laughed as she kicked water toward him. “I haven’t.”
He stayed beside her for a half hour or more, while she waded and found shells and driftwood, watching the way her hair shone in the last rays of the sun and the muscles of her calves glistened with sea water. Her dress showed off her figure and her tan and he could have been content to stay right there for hours, but she finally came back to him and shyly offered her hand. By then it was all but dark and they walked hand in hand, in and out of the surf, each carrying their shoes and quiet with their own thoughts.
They reached an outcrop of boulders and sat down to watch the moon come up. When it was fully in the sky above the horizon, he asked, “Where did Dr. Mitchell find you?”
She leaned back against his shoulder to look up at the stars. “In a guitar class at Utah State. I couldn't read music and I thought he was going to throw me out of the class.”
Nick smiled in the dark. “I guess not, huh? Did you grow up in Utah?”
“I grew up in Arizona and moved to Wyoming last December. Utah State is just the closest university.” She glanced up at his profile. “Where did you grow up?”
“New York City, born and raised. We lived on the seventeenth floor of a high rise apartment. When I decided to be a musician full time, I came out here and I’ve been here ever since. Unless I’m on the road. It’s going on twelve years now.”
“You’re very good. I guess that should be a no-brainer when you’re this big of a star, but honestly, I wouldn’t have pegged you as I’ve found you to be these three days.”
Chuckling, he asked, “You expected all drugs and women and no brains, right?” She looked up at him in the dark and laughed her musical laugh and he went on to admit, “Actually, for a while that was accurate, and I still have my moments.”
She leaned against his shoulder again. “At least you’re honest.”
He considered that for a moment as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “I guess you’re right, although I haven’t really thought of it that way. Things like honesty aren’t necessarily priorities in this business.”
She looked up at his profile, then looked back at the night sky and said, “I think you’re wrong and just don’t realize it. Look at the people around you. You would never have the trust and respect of your associates like you do if they didn’t think you were honest. Even in just three days, I’ve learned to believe in you. And I’m sure Dr. Mitchell would never have brought me with if he thought you were less than honorable.”
He smiled and leaned toward her to murmur, “You make me feel like one of the good guys and guilty at the same time. What you don’t realize is that he brought you knowing you could handle anything you had to. It had nothing to do with my character, thank goodness, because heaven knows I’m no saint. Dr. Mitchell just recognized that you were as strong as they come.”
They were silent as she thought about this, the only sound the surf on the sand. At length she asked, “Is that good or bad?”
He laughed as he stood up from the boulder to take her hand and walk again. “I’ve never known anyone like you, Kit Star. It’s good.”
After a while she had him take her back to the hotel. When he offered to walk her up, she declined. “We’re both too tired to face your fame right now. I’ll just go up blissfully anonymous. But thank you anyway. And thank you for dinner and taking me to the ocean. I‘ve wanted to do that my whole life.” He went to kiss her and she smoothly turned away. He gently kissed her cheek and she got out and walked in without looking back.
****
Kit was just opening her room door when the hotel phone rang. It was Nick. “Hey, I just got a call from Ian. He said he’s been going through the tracks and things look good enough that we won’t need to record on Monday after all. I just thought I’d let you know.” She thanked him and told him again that she’d had a nice night and hung up. Her mind was already planning ahead. She wondered if she could talk Joey into taking an early flight. Just the thought of going home to Wyoming for a couple of days before going back to school Tuesday energized her, and she was happily checking into flights when Joey walked in fifteen minutes later.
Kit got off the phone and asked, “Well, how’d it go?”
Joey laughed at her tone. “Fine. It was actually fun. I don’t think he’s used to girls trying to keep him at arms length. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do with me.” Joey smiled her widest. “I was almost tempted to tease him. How did your date go?”
Kit felt her eyes light up. “The ocean was great! I’d never been to a beach before and I loved it!”
Joey chuckled. “And the gorgeous and wealthy superstar?”
For some reason, Kit felt self-conscious as she said, “Nick is very nice. You know that. It was fun.” She changed the subject. “I don’t have to record Monday after all. Could we go home?”
They found a five thirty a.m. flight, and were back in Wyoming in time to drive straight to church.
When they walked in just a few minutes late and sat with the family, the look on Rossen’s face and Mimi’s smile as she reached for her, were worth all the rush and lack of sleep. Over Sunday dinner, they told all of their stories, and then Kit fell asleep on a lounger on the deck with Mimi cuddled close and Rossen in the chair beside them.
Chapter 15
Nick woke up Sunday feeling better than he’d felt on a Sunday morning in a long, long time. It was early and he realized he hadn’t been home by midnight on a Saturday night since he could remember. And his head was completely clear. He’d had nothing to drink at dinner or at the beach last night with Kit. It felt good.
Thinking about her, he laid there and smiled. He'd never been around anyone like this girl in his life. She was the absolute antithesis of the average rock band groupie. She hadn’t wanted to be seen with him and didn’t even act like she wanted him physically. She got spooky and shied away if he stood too close or even looked at her with a little too much interest.
There were people who would have given anything if they could be on stage with him, but she didn’t even seem to realize she had world class talent. And her mind was amazing. He’d never known anyone in his life who could think and remember and understand the way she could. Dr. Mitchell had tried
to tell him, but he hadn’t believed him. It had seemed too implausible. She had her music memorized after hearing it played one time through and she seemed to understand what he was trying to do with a song by only looking at him. It was like she was reading his mind. He shook his head when he realized he was actually thinking about a beautiful woman’s mind for a change.
Playing beside her through the hours had been an uncanny experience. The music had flowed in perfect rhythm and their voices melded like magic. He couldn’t have found another player and singer like her if he spent the next twenty years of his life looking. Dr. Mitchell had indeed dropped the ultimate gift into his lap when he'd shown up with her.
He smiled again, thinking about her last night at the ocean. She'd laughed out loud when the waves flowed over her bare feet and she'd played in the foamy surf like a small child. But she definitely didn’t look like a small child. She was the most physically exquisite creature on the planet. Watching her in her white sundress in the sea breeze had been incredible, and when she’d turned to him with that glossy mane of hair and those brilliant blue eyes, she'd made him feel eighteen again.
Even when they'd been working together and he’d been trying to be professional, he’d sometimes had trouble focusing on the music and not how attractive she was. And she had known it. Every time she’d subtly pulled away from him.
That was intriguing as well. It had been years since a woman had turned him down for anything. Kit was never overt about it, but she never gave him an inch of encouragement. Taking his hand last night was the closest she'd come to flirting, and if he were honest, she had probably only done it because he'd asked. She had coolly avoided his kiss last night and never looked back. That had never happened.
He shook his head with a rueful half smile as he got up to shower. The one who wasn’t offering was more intriguing than any girl he’d ever met.
Ten minutes later when he called her hotel room to ask her to do something with him that afternoon, he was stunned to learn she was gone. Just gone! Both she and Joey had checked out at four o’clock that morning. He knew they’d planned to stay until Monday evening and he wondered what had happened. He called Dr. Mitchell to see if he knew what had come up, and was told that when Kit had found out she wouldn’t be needed Monday, she’d decided to go home early.
Above Rubies (Rockland Ranch) Page 19