by A. P. Jensen
Regan pursed her lips. “We’ll assess the store first and then I’ll set up a label for you.”
Bethany’s eyes widened in alarm. “A label?”
“Yeah. Think of a logo. I have to look at some sites to get an idea of what your website should look like, but I can—”
It was Bethany’s turn to make the stop sign with her hand. She was clearly panicked. “Regan Lee, I want you to look at Ever After, not establish me as a designer. It’s a hobby, not—”
“That,” Regan said and pointed at the gown, “is not a hobby. Don’t put yourself down like that.”
“But I—”
“I’ll see where Ever After is at financially and then I’ll make your dreams come true. Where are the reports?”
Bethany was clearly torn between relief and unease, but she led them into a small office that looked like a tornado blew through it. Papers were tossed on the floor and the desk. There was a fine layer of dust over everything and although Regan warned her, Demi’s heart sank when she didn’t see a computer, file cabinet or even a calculator. Regan gave Demi a long look before they began to gather the papers off the floor and shuffle them into manageable stacks.
“Sorry it’s such a mess. I don’t know how my mom or Grandma Pat find anything,” Bethany said from the doorway. “I’ve been so backed up with alterations—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Regan said shortly as she held up a faded receipt and examined it with narrow eyes.
Bethany hovered in the doorway for a few minutes before she left. Demi wasn’t sure why Bethany doubted her skill with the needle, but she sided with Regan. It was wrong to create beauty like that and never have anyone wear it. They would have to figure out a way to open Bethany’s eyes and embrace her dream, but first they had to clean up this office.
Chapter Five
Demi and Regan spent an hour trying to make the office hospitable. Demi felt like a giant in the small space and kept hitting shelves or the rickety desk, spilling papers everywhere. Regan finally sat her down and gave her a stack of papers, ordering her to file them by dates. Demi felt a thrill of dread when her eyes fell on a shelf of stained ledgers. Surely, Regan wouldn’t have to go through those old records, right?
Within two hours, Demi wanted to pull her hair out. How could anyone run a business this way? Everything at The Ashton Hotel was electronic. She couldn’t remember the last time she wrote a check, but the desk was riddled with them. When Demi got her first paper cut, she silently damned paper to hell.
Regan was meticulous and focused. She looked at each piece of paper as if they were puzzle pieces to a treasure map rather than receipts and figures that didn’t make sense yet. It was clear to Demi why Regan had risen to the top in Martin Hotels. When she was working, Regan adopted a Type A personality that was almost scary to behold. If her father hadn’t been the same when it came to business, Demi would have thought Regan was bipolar.
Bethany pattered around the workroom. The sound of the sewing machine became a familiar background hum. Voices echoed into the back from the shop and Bethany immediately stopped what she was doing to attend to her customers. Every moment Bethany wasn’t in the shop, she worked on a seemingly endless rack of garments that needed to be altered.
The morning went by quickly. It was mindless, repetitive work. Bethany made coffee, which they accepted gladly. The three of them worked in silence. She and Regan had the damnedest time trying to figure out which papers were important since all of them were handwritten and covered in scribbles for dress measurements, random phone numbers and peppered with loose threads, material or a lone rhinestone.
“You two ready for lunch?”
Johnny stood in the doorway with Bethany who looked uncomfortable and kept a large gap between them. Johnny was dressed casually in jeans and a white shirt and his eyes were fixed on her. Despite not wanting to be around Johnny, she was more than ready for a break and dropped the stack of papers she was working on.
“I’m starved,” Regan announced as she stood and stretched.
“Make sense of anything yet?” Bethany asked.
“There’s a lot to go through,” Regan said, “and your grandmother doesn’t have the best handwriting.”
Bethany bit her lip and then her concerned look vanished and she was composed once more. “Have a good lunch.”
“You’re coming with us,” Regan stated.
“I usually just grab a salad from—”
Regan hooked her arm through Bethany’s and led her out of the office. Realizing Regan wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Bethany snatched her bag on the way to the door and asked Demi to lock up the shop. Bethany tried to get away from Regan who marched her down the sidewalk like a parole officer. Demi shook her head as she followed with Johnny.
“Is Regan always like this?” Demi asked.
“Like what?”
She glanced at him and saw that he looked honestly bewildered. “Never mind.”
“Hey!” Regan shouted and waved.
A big man dressed in jeans, work boots and a trucker’s hat smiled broadly at them. Regan released Bethany, ran across the street and threw herself at the mountain man who caught her up in a hug. Demi was so busy watching Regan that she nearly ran into Bethany who headed back to Ever After.
“Diner’s the other way,” Johnny said, tossing an arm over Bethany’s shoulder and forcing her back around.
Bethany looked up at him and then away. “I brought my own lunch.”
“Save it for tomorrow,” Johnny said carelessly. “What’s your name? I’m Johnny.”
Bethany scrutinized Johnny with a stern look on her face. Demi gave her points for not fainting when Johnny gave her the smile that made his fans swoon.
“I know who you are,” Bethany said quietly.
Johnny wasn’t fazed by her faintly hostile tone. “And your name?”
“Bethany.”
“And you run Ever After? Never been in there before now.”
“You wouldn’t need my services,” Bethany said.
“You never know,” Johnny said cheerfully.
“Who is that?” Demi asked, gesturing to Regan and the man up ahead.
“Wade. His family owns the hardware store.” Johnny jerked his chin at the large building with all the trucks in front of it. “Wade is Gwen’s brother.”
How would she ever be able to keep up with the connections in this town? Who knew a superstar like Gwen came from a small town where her family owned a hardware store? How fascinating.
They entered the same diner that she and Regan had breakfast in yesterday. Lunch was in full swing and the hostess dragged two tables together for them. Demi was not happy when Johnny took the chair beside her and draped his arm over the back of her chair as if he had every right to. She shoved his arm away and perused the menu, determined to ignore him as he chuckled.
“I made it.”
Missy, Brooks, Gwen and Trey appeared out of nowhere and dragged another table over to connect it with theirs.
“You guys order yet?” Gwen asked.
“No,” Johnny said.
“Wade, you cooking tonight?” Gwen hollered along the table.
“Yeah, yeah,” Wade said. “I’m thinking some kind of casserole.”
“We’ll come around six.”
The server appeared, took their orders and whisked away. Johnny was turned slightly away from Demi, which was a relief. She just wanted to eat and relax before she had to go back to sorting dusty, coffee stained scraps of paper that made no sense.
“You working on anything?” Gwen asked Johnny.
“No, this tour was a killer. I think I’m gonna take some time off,” Johnny said.
Gwen grinned and her eyes flicked to Demi. “That sounds like a great idea.”
“Your album is doing well,” Johnny said and she beamed.
“Yes, I’m happy.”
“You should have kept some of the original tracks,” Johnny said casually.
Trey scowled at him and said in a forbidding tone, “No.”
“Gwen and I are going to collaborate in the future, Trey. Get over it,” Johnny said.
“You can do duets together, but I don’t want you singing a part that’s supposed to be mine,” Trey said.
“My voice sounds better with Gwen’s than yours,” Johnny contradicted.
It was clear that Johnny was pulling Trey’s leg, but Gwen’s husband wasn’t amused. Brooks had his arm draped over Regan’s shoulders and smiled at her as they talked. It was clear that they were in love and Demi was happy for her. Regan left Daniel Martin the billionaire to be with Brooks and she was clearly content. Surely, Demi could have that as well. Demi noticed that Bethany had her eyes focused on her napkin. It was clear that Bethany was ill at ease with the present company and didn’t want to be here. Wade sat across from her, watching her through narrow eyes.
“How long are you in town, Bethany?” Wade asked.
Bethany’s eyes were carefully blank as they met his. “Not sure.”
“It’s been a long time,” Wade observed.
Bethany straightened a little. “Yes, it has. I hear you have a son.”
“Yeah, Ben. He’s a good kid. A bit quiet.”
Bethany tilted her head to the side and her expression was disbelieving. “Quiet?”
Wade grinned. “Ben looks like me, but we’re opposites.”
“How odd.”
“Maybe when you get off work, we can have dinner or something for old times sake.”
Bethany gave him a distant smile. “I’m really busy right now. I don’t have time, but, thanks.”
Bethany leaned towards Regan, effectively ending their conversation. Wade was clearly pissed, but Bethany kept up a determinedly intense conversation with Regan. Demi wondered what their history was and transferred her attention to Gwen who was smiling at Trey. Their hands were clasped on the table and Trey’s finger smoothed over her wedding ring. Trey proposed at the CMA’s over a year ago and declared his love for Gwen in front of his peers. Demi watched the clip five times in her office on a day when she thought she couldn’t handle anymore bad news. She couldn’t believe she was eating lunch with them. Life was bizarre.
“Well, wait until I get back.” Missy snapped into her phone. “If Mr. Patrick refuses to give me a lunch break, I’m suing.” Missy tossed her phone on the table.
“And what do you do?” Demi asked.
“She’s a legal secretary that thinks she’s a lawyer,” Regan said helpfully.
Missy glared daggers at her sister. “You know I’m the only reason Mr. Patrick wins his cases.”
“Then maybe you should set yourself up as a lawyer and see if anyone hires you,” Regan suggested.
“Maybe I should finish my degree,” Missy muttered and then rolled her eyes. “When would I have the time when I have three kids and a mortgage?”
“I can—” Regan began, but Missy pointed a finger at her nose.
“Hell no. Stay out of my business, Regan Lee!”
“Why should I? You never stay out of mine.”
“Isn’t this cozy?” Johnny whispered in her ear.
Demi suppressed the urge to shiver when his warm breath caressed her cheek. She refused to show any reaction to his antics. “Are they always like this?”
“This is just the beginning. When it escalates to throwing things then you know its time to go.”
“Throwing?”
“You have no idea. Missy’s uptight and can be just as crazy as Regan when she’s riled.”
“I believe that.” She turned her head and looked into his eyes, which were too close for comfort. “I need some space.”
“I think thirteen years is enough, don’t you?”
She remembered the blonde wrapped around him. “Not even close.”
Johnny shrugged. “You’ll get used to me again. It took me months to get you to talk to me in class.”
“I couldn’t understand why’d you try,” she said tightly.
Johnny lounged in his seat. She was disconcerted when his fingers began to play with the ends of her hair.
“I was always attracted to you,” Johnny said easily.
She snatched her hair from his fingers. Ever restless, Johnny transferred his attention to her bare ring finger.
“Why did you leave your fiancé, Demi?” When she didn’t answer, he shrugged. “Not that I’m complaining.”
Her mouth tightened. “That’s none of your business.”
“Your dad must have approved of him. That’s the only way you’d stay with him, right?”
Demi’s temper flared and she leaned into Johnny and hissed, “My dad loved me. He wanted what was best for me.”
“If he approved of this guy, why’d you leave him?” Johnny challenged.
Demi refused to answer. She didn’t want to talk about Barry. He was out of her life, period. Demi took a sip of water because their sparring was getting to her.
“You’re pissed,” Johnny said, clearly not deterred by her silence. “Your eyes get dark when you’re pissed, sea green when you’re happy.”
She was so surprised by this that she turned to him. Johnny looked satisfied that her attention was back on him. She remembered this now. Johnny may be fawned over by many, but when he was with Demi, he wanted her focused exclusively on him. He didn’t settle for half measures. He was affectionate and possessive. It was something she discovered when she dated him and it was all flooding back. Beneath the cool facade, Johnny was human and needed touch as much as anyone else—probably more since he grew up in such a broken family.
“That isn’t true,” Demi said, even though her family told her the same thing about her changing eye color.
“You always sleep on your side, you like your coffee sweet and you bake when you’re upset. You treated your siblings like your own kids since they were so much younger. You were the only one who honestly believed I would succeed. You never resented that I went on the road and invited me to every family gathering even though your dad hated it.”
Demi opened her mouth and then closed it without saying a word.
“Are you going to tell me it’s not true?” he murmured and then shook his head. “You inspired me to write and go after my dreams no matter the cost. Every song I wrote with you in mind and thirteen years later, nothing’s changed. I spent the whole morning writing.”
“That’s good.” She was determined not to get sucked into the giddy excitement surrounding him. He could make anyone do his bidding by infecting them with his enthusiasm—it’s what the crowds responded to at his concerts.
“I haven’t felt like this in a long time,” Johnny said, drumming his hands on the table.
“Like what?” His tattoos rippled on his forearms and she watched the display, mesmerized.
“Since I saw you at the show there’s been a dozen songs in my head.”
Is that why he was dogging her? Because she’d become his muse again?
“I’ve always been like that around you. I forgot that. Just having you around is making me—”
“I’m not going to be around you much longer if I can help it,” Demi interrupted tersely. He was so close that she could see herself reflected in his dark eyes.
“You’re fighting yourself, not me,” he said.
It was such an arrogant thing to say that she tried to rise from her seat. Johnny tossed his arm over her shoulders and tucked her against him.
“I meant what I said this morning,” he whispered into her ear, lips brushing against her sensitive flesh. “You feel it too or you wouldn’t fight me so hard.”
Demi opened her mouth to yell and jumped when the server dropped her lunch in front of her. Johnny released her as if nothing happened and she finally remembered that she was sitting with a bunch of people. She looked around and found everyone in the middle of intense discussions that gave her and Johnny a semblance of privacy—privacy she didn’t want or need. She glared at Regan and Gwen who grinned
like fools as they chattered about nonsense. Bethany was the exception. She stared at Demi as if she were an alien. Demi grit her teeth and concentrated on filling her stomach. When they got back to Ever After, she would grill Regan about affordable apartments.
The moment they finished their lunch, Demi hightailed it back to Ever After. She thought she was home free and smirked gleefully when Johnny came out of the diner and eyed her across the street. She hummed in satisfaction as she strolled and stopped dead when Johnny jogged across the street, stopping two cars to do so. He called out to the drivers who smiled and hollered back. She couldn’t believe his nerve. Demi double timed it to Ever After and stumbled to a stop when Johnny grabbed her. She looked down at their laced hands and wasn’t sure why the simple sight tugged at her heartstrings. She tried to yank away, but Johnny didn’t even acknowledge her struggles.
“Johnny, you can’t do this,” she said.
“Do what?” he asked as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
She squeezed his hand and got a squeeze in return. “This.”
“Why not?”
“This is what couples do.” It was something they’d done as teenagers and it roused memories of a simpler time before everything fell apart. Now, Johnny was an international celebrity and she was trying to pick up the shattered pieces of her life. They couldn’t have walked more opposite paths if they tried.
“We’ll get there, Demi.”
“I don’t want to get there, Johnny!” She yanked him to a stop. “Haven’t you been listening to me?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he took in her distraught face. “I don’t want to hurt you, Demi.”
“Then leave me alone!”
“I promise—”
“No.”
He shook his head. “The one woman I want won’t give me a chance.”
She refused to let the warmth in her belly spread. Bethany unlocked the door to Ever After and went in without looking at them. Regan gave her a thumbs up and winked before she followed.
“You never told me how you ended up at my concert,” Johnny said.
“Someone was selling tickets on the sidewalk. I planned to leave New York and start over. It seemed appropriate.” She shrugged since it sounded so foolish now.