“I don’t have to do what you tell me!” Lilly May shouts at Zora, her words coming out so fast they’re hard to grasp. She’s on her feet but looks unsteady, as Chloe and I approach the scene. Chloe’s cheeks are pink as I glance at her and I hate that her mother does this to her still. Lilly May has been the talk of the town since we were kids. I know Chloe thinks people believe she’s bound to take a turn and end up just like her mother, but I know better. Most people who know Chloe know she’s the opposite of everything Lilly May is. Of course, there are a few old ladies who live to feel superior to everyone else, but who cares what they think? Someday, I hope Chloe can see the truth of the matter.
Zora sighs loudly, sounding exasperated. “You know you aren’t allowed inside, Ms. Morris. I’m only enforcing the rules.”
I watch Chloe square her shoulders and step into the fray, keeping her voice low and attempting to calm her mother down.
I turn to Zora, who looks half murderous, half sad and quietly ask, “Did you call the sheriff?”
Zora shakes her head at me wordlessly, her light brown eyes shimmering with sympathy for her boss. I step up next to Chloe while her mother wobbles closer to her, looking angry. I rest my hand on Chloe’s shoulder supportively. Leaning down, I say into her ear, “Why don’t we just bring her home? Eliminate the spectacle?” Chloe looks up at me, seeming surprised.
“You don’t want to deal with her, Raif. You shouldn’t have to—”
I cut her off, skimming my thumb down her cheek. “Neither should you. I can help. Let’s get her home.” Chloe’s shoulders sag and she nods at me. I step forward and nudge Chloe back so I’m shielding her. Just in case. Lilly May is still screaming and carrying on. I hold my hands out in front of me in surrender and smile at Chloe’s mother, suppressing the urge to throttle her.
“Lilly May Morris why are you out here causing a fuss?” I force my voice to sound playful and light. It’s fake as hell, but she doesn’t know that.
I watch as her blurry eyes search for me. She can’t help herself. She always focuses on any male in her vicinity. Inwardly cringing, I watch understanding gather in her eyes as she looks me up and down again. I’ll shower the feel of her undressing me with her eyes away later. Right now, I just want her out of the street so Chloe can relax again.
“Well, ‘lo there, Raif. I didn’t see you come over.” She places one hand on her cocked-out hip and attempts to bat her eyelashes at me. I don’t laugh at her, which I feel is commendable.
I keep a friendly smile on my face and offer her my hand. “Why don’t you come with me and we’ll get you back home where you belong?” I can feel the tension radiating from Chloe behind me, but I pretend that Lilly May is the only thing I see. Chloe’s mother tilts her head at me, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“You’re just doing her bidding.” She finally whines, her eyes skating beyond me to her daughter. She steps closer, trying to get closer to Chloe but I stay between them. “She’s just plain old selfish, trying to keep what’s mine from me.” Her voice is growing louder again, and I step closer, taking hold of her elbow.
“Hush now with that nonsense and let’s go. You can come with us or we can wait for the sheriff. Again.”
Her lower lip trembles as she watches my face carefully, trying to figure out if I’m serious or not. Finally settling on a pout, she mutters, “Fine.” She flounces forward unsteadily, and I reach out and take her elbow to keep her on her feet. She not-so-graciously allows me to lead her to Chloe’s truck where I deposit her inside, then follow her in.
Chloe climbs in the driver seat, her lush mouth set in a thin line, and faces forward, asking through her teeth, “Where are you living now?”
Lilly May presses herself against my side and I move closer to the passenger door in response. I don’t want to give her any ideas. She whines and huffs at my silent rebuke and then turns to her daughter. “I’m staying with a friend. Over on Sycamore. You can just drop me at the corner. I don’t want to put you out.” Her voice is dripping with some false inflection I can’t quite figure out, but I see Chloe’s jaw tense and her hands go white-knuckled on the steering wheel.
“It’s no more trouble than you showing up where you know you’re not allowed on my only night off in three weeks was.” Chloe snipes at her mother, her voice uncharacteristically hard. “Just give me the address.” She sounds exasperated after mere minutes in her mother’s presence and I can’t really blame her. Lilly May was never much of a mother and there were far too many nights when Chloe climbed through my bedroom window, seeking solace and protection from whatever man her mother had brought home with her.
Lilly May pouts once more and rather than play into her mother’s game, Chloe slams on the brakes, making us all jerk in our seats. She jerks the wheel, pulling over and putting the truck in park as she says, “Fine, don’t tell me. You can get out right here and just go… wherever. But if you go back to the saloon, I’ll make sure you spend tonight in a cell.” She pauses and looks her mother in the eye, her eyes colder than I’ve ever seen them. “At least tonight.” I watch Lilly May swallow and clench her own jaw and for a moment, I can see the resemblance between the two of them.
Chloe meets my eyes, nodding at me to let her mother out of the truck. I nod back and hop out, gesturing for Lilly May to follow. She looks murderously back at me before she scowls and starts swearing angrily at us both. “You are a spiteful, ungrateful little bitch.” She snarls at Chloe as she scrambles out of the truck and stomps away barefoot, cussing the whole time.
I stand outside the truck, shocked, watching the angry woman depart until Chloe’s voice sounds from inside. “Yep, that’s me.” She sighs. “C’mon cupcake, let’s get out of here.” She sounds exhausted, but when I turn to look at her, she’s smiling wanly. All I want is to hold her and bring back the sunshine she was giving off earlier.
I climb back in the truck and grin at her. “Yes, lets.”
Chapter 9
Raif
The next night, the crowd at the Saloon is electric, their energy frenetic as we move through our set. The dance floor is full, the bar hopping, and the applause is off the charts as we finish a Garth Brooks medley. You can never go wrong with Garth. About ten minutes into our set, a dark-haired man I’ve never seen before came in and took a seat in front of Chloe at the bar. He stood out like a sore thumb in his very expensive looking suit. He has divided his attention between the band and Chloe ever since. I can’t look away from them.
I’m mesmerized by the scene at the bar. Chloe’s long brown hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail. She’s wearing that damned denim mini skirt that hugs her rear end again. She’s paired it with a short-sleeved blue flannel knotted above her belly button, leaving her midriff on display. The gleaming expanse of her bare tan legs flash as she moves behind the bar, her feet in simple black flip flops. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and the suit at the bar seems to share my opinion because he’s not moving.
I’m caught slightly by surprise when Luke leads us into our last song for the night, his fiddle flying through the intro. His dark hair falls into his eyes as he focuses all his energy on coaxing the melody out of the instrument. I break in with the vocals on one of our original songs and there is a female whoop from the crowd as one of our fans recognizes the tune. I haven’t quite got used to the fact that there are people out there who know our songs by heart and come out to see us and sing along.
I look over and once again, Chloe is gracing the suit at the bar with one of her brightest smiles. Damn it, no. He’s all wrong for her. I can just tell. I’ve been watching throughout our performance. I know better, I’ve felt Troy’s and Luke’s eyes on me a few times when I’ve been too engrossed in watching what Chloe’s been doing instead of looking out over the crowd of people in front of the stage. But the guy in the nice suit who’s been bending my girl’s ear all night is stealing my good sense. I tell myself I’m just looking out for my best friend, but I don’t believe it, and neither will
the guys when they inevitably question me about my behavior later.
I belt out the last line of the song and Luke thanks the crowd for coming. The dark-haired man smiles at Chloe, who beams her brightest smile back at him and all sense flees my person. I make a beeline straight for Chloe, my eyes never leaving her. I come up next to her, behind the bar where only the employees are supposed to be and wrap my arm around her slim hips. I tug her into my body and can practically feel the confusion rolling off her in waves at my behavior.
“Hello there, Chloe Jane,” I say, my voice deliberately intimate. “Who’s your new friend?”
Chloe looks up at me, her green eyes wide and I smile at her as if she’s the only person in the bar. She blinks at me and opens her mouth but before she can respond, the suit stands up, a strange grin on his face.
“It was great talking to you, Chloe,” he says, dropping some bills on the bar. “I’ll definitely be coming back again.”
She reaches out a hand to him, sounding slightly panicked. “No, no. Wait one moment, I have something for you, Dell.” Dell? She knows his name? She has something for him? My hand tightens on her hip and she elbows me sharply in the ribs. She glares up at me. “Behave yourself, Raif.” There are two spots of color high on her cheeks, and I’m caught off guard all over again by how pretty she is, even out of sorts. “I’ll be right back.” She steps out of my reach and disappears into the office before I can respond.
The way-too-handsome stranger smirks at me and I glare harder at him. He’s gotta be in his forties, there’s no way he’s right for Chloe. She just turned twenty-four in June. “You’ve got the wrong idea, cowboy.” I feel my jaw clench tighter.
“Somehow I don’t think so.” I say through clenched teeth.
Chloe comes back out in time to hear my response and shoots me one of her death glares. She moves her laser eyes to the suit and hands him a cd.
“Here you go. Come back.” She says, sounding so earnest I feel my chest ache at the loss of her. I hadn’t even got up the nerve to tell her what I’d been thinking lately, and I’ve lost her.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Chloe. This is a wonderful place you have.” He grins at me and gives a little two finger salute wave thing and leaves. Luke and Bran meet us at the bar in time to see Chloe glaring daggers up at me. She points wordlessly at the closed office door and I gulp.
“You two, too. And grab Troy, this concerns him as well.” Chloe orders and Luke complies immediately.
“Yes, ma’am,” he says, before wading into a sea of women currently vying for Troy’s attention. I hear Luke mutter, “I need a damn whistle.” Before Chloe tugs me into the office behind Bran.
I lean against the wall and watch her stand behind her desk, arms crossed over her chest staring me down. Bran is using a bandana from his back pocket to mop the sweat off his face, the room is dead silent. Luke ducks inside towing Troy in behind him a moment later. Troy’s chambray shirt is half unbuttoned, his red hair a disaster. Clearly, he’d already chosen his bed buddy for the night. I’m kind of surprised Luke was able to pull him away.
Chloe waits until Troy closes the door behind him with a heavy sigh. “This better be important, Chlo, I was busy.”
“You’ll be busy again in five minutes, Troy. Don’t start.” Luke retorts before Chloe has the chance.
Planting her fists on her hips, Chloe turns her fury towards me. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking he didn’t leave your side through the whole set. He was clearly after something.” I say, my face hot as I dig myself further into this hole I’ve started. Her face flames with what I think is anger.
“He was a record producer, Raif!” Chloe hisses at me. “He was talking to me about you guys!” She swallows and lifts her chin. “And even if he was after something else—that’s my business.”
Luke’s eyes dance back and forth between us as Chloe stands there silently daring me to retort with anything but an apology for my boorish behavior.
“A record producer?” Bran clarifies into the tense silence, and Chloe nods.
“Yes. Dell Xander from Music City Records. He seemed impressed by you guys. I gave him your demo before he left.”
Luke cuts a look at me. “What exactly transpired between you and the record producer that has sweet tart so pissed?”
Troy pipes up, “What the hell is a music producer from Nashville doing in White Oak?”
I look at Chloe’s fiery eyes and swallow down a plea for forgiveness. I can do that later, after the boys have left. “I fucked up.” I say simply. “I was worried he was messing with her, and I was rude.”
“Of course you were.” Luke mutters.
“Smooth.” Troy mumbles as he pushes a hand through his unkempt hair.
“He was smiling when he left. Maybe it will be okay.” Bran interjects before Chloe can savage me with the fury I see simmering in her face right now.
Troy cuts to the heart of the matter. “So, this guy came to listen to us and Raif got all alpha male asshole?”
“Excellent nutshelling.” Luke chimes in unhelpfully.
“If he doesn’t come back it’s on me.” I say, still holding Chloe’s gaze.
“It’ll be fine.” Chloe says suddenly, her voice tired. “Just… it’ll be fine.” She straightens up, opens the top middle drawer on her desk and pulls out the saloon’s checkbook. “Great job tonight, guys.” Her tone is all business now. She writes out the check, detaches it and hands it to Luke. “There you are.”
Luke scowls at her. We hate that she insists on paying us for playing here. She won’t take any money for all the managerial stuff she does for us. “Have a good night, boys. I have some work to do.” She continues, and I can tell from her tone she clearly means this as a dismissal of all of us. She’s reached the limit on her patience and needs time to herself.
Luke looks daggers at me, but motions for Troy to open the office door. Bran looks around frowning, but Troy’s already gone, so before he follows suit, he says, “Thanks for everything, Chloe.”
Luke goes to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Can I do anything to help?” His voice is quiet and he’s not looking at me anymore. I can feel something I can’t name swelling from within him. Chloe looks up at him with such sadness in her eyes that it hurts to see it.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you. You get on home. I’ll see you.” She pats his arm comfortingly, her eyes killing me.
Luke nods and wraps her in a quick, fierce hug. “I’m just a call away if you change your mind.” I feel the jealousy flare back to life inside me at his soft, sincere words. I don’t like this. I don’t get jealous, damn it. I definitely don’t get angry at my friends over how well they treat Chloe. This is nuts, I am nuts.
Luke glares at me and nods towards the open door, “C’mon, Raif. I’ll drive you home.” That nameless emotion is back in his voice, in the set of his jaw, and I finally realize what it is. Laughing, affable, easy going Luke is pissed. At me if his glare is any indication. I open and close my mouth, unsure how to proceed.
Chloe meets my eyes, hers are full of confusion and I frown, feeling like a cad. “I’ll walk it, brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Luke looks as though he’d like to argue with me, but he just nods and leaves after another long look at Chloe.
The silence in the room is thick with the weight of unspoken words once Luke leaves and I go to Chloe. I stand in front of her trying to find the right words to say to make this right. She looks up at me after a few long quiet moments pass between us.
“What is wrong with you?” she asks finally, her voice shaking.
I run my knuckles down her cheek and frown. “I’m sorry. I was an ass. I just…panicked.” I tell her honestly.
Her eyes search mine, looking for truth maybe, or sanity, I’m not sure. But she eventually sighs. “Why are you panicking? Even if he was after something from me, Raif, we would still be friends. I don’t understand.”
I reach out and pull her
into my arms, hugging her close, inhaling the sweet scent of her. She’s rigid against me for a moment before her body goes pliant, relaxing against me. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” I lie. I know what my problem is, I’m just too chicken-hearted to admit it to her. I can’t lose her. “You’re just important, Chloe. I know it’s not right. You deserve better. I will do better. Okay?”
She looks up at me from within the circle of my arms and shakes her head. “Stop apologizing. Just don’t do it again. You know I’m not going anywhere, Raif.” She reaches up and lightly touches my jaw. She holds my eyes as she says with total sincerity, “No one is ever gonna take me out of your life.”
I force a grin, cover her hand on my jaw with my own. “I know.” But I don’t. Not really. Heaven knows she deserves so much more than me, so much more than anything anyone in this podunk town can give her. But I’m selfish enough to hope that she will settle for me someday.
“Can you drive me home later?” I ask, threading our fingers together and then bringing hers to my lips.
“Of course,” she murmurs, and I feel a shiver run through her. Hope springs to life inside me. Maybe I do have a shot.
Chapter 10
Chloe
Pulling up outside of Raif’s house, I turn to him and smile, hoping I don’t look as tired and confused as I feel. Raif is tapping his feet against the floor, a nervous tick of his. I don’t know what’s up with him, but he’s been acting strange since the rest of the band left the saloon earlier.
I don’t want to kick him out of my truck, that would be mean. But all I want in the world right now is a hot bath and a cold beer. Preferably at the same time.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Renegade Heart (Renegades Book 1) Page 6