He immediately started heading for the sales office.
“Wait – we can just rent a car!” I said, running after him. “I can rent a car! Wait – no I can’t – ”
Damn credit card was back on the bus.
“We’re already here,” he said as he opened up the front door. Like it would be an annoyance to go anywhere else at this point.
“What the hell, Derek?” I whispered as I followed him inside the glass-and-steel showcase building. “We can’t just buy a car!”
Derek looked at me like I’d said the most ridiculous thing ever. “Sure we can.”
I was just about to launch into all the reasons this was a terrible idea when a twenty-something salesman in an expensive three-piece suit walked up. “Hi – I, uh – sorry to bother you, but, uh – are you Derek Kane?”
Of course it was going to happen like this. Of course it was.
“Yes I am,” Derek said happily.
“Oh, man – oh my gosh!” the guy laughed, and put his hands on his head as though somebody had just informed him he’d won the lottery. “Whoa, this is crazy – I was at your show last night, man!”
“Cool. Hope you had a good time.”
“Had a good time?! You guys rocked – you were freakin’ awesome! Holy shit, Derek Kane, here!”
I don’t like talking about it, because I don’t want to sound conceited – but I’m pretty attractive. I get a lot of male attention. Lots of stares, lots of double-takes. Most of the time it’s not welcome, but it comes with the territory.
With Derek by my side, I might as well have not even been standing there.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly at my best without makeup – but come on.
The guy just kept going on and on about Derek and Bigger and how awesome the show had been and how he had both their records and a couple of bootlegs and –
And then the guy paused, as though it had just now dawned on him why Derek Kane might be in this particular car dealership. “Hey, uh – I just realized… can I help you with anything?”
“Yes you can.”
And then Derek proceeded to buy a car.
Well… not so much ‘buy’ as ‘acquire.’
48
It happened pretty quickly.
First Derek said to me, “I liked those kids’ convertible last night. You want to get a convertible?”
“No,” I said loudly.
Derek ignored me. “I want a convertible. Show me the best convertible you’ve got on the lot,” he said.
The salesman – who, after he got over the worst of being star-struck, introduced himself as Tad – showed it to us.
It was absolutely gorgeous.
I about choked on the price tag, though: $78,000.
But Derek saw something else a few rows away, and walked over to check it out.
It was a beautiful little retro convertible with rounded lines and powder blue paint. Perfect condition.
“Oh yeah – sorry, I forgot about that one. 1969 Mercedes convertible,” the guy said. “We just got it yesterday – guy got divorced, had to sell it and get a cheaper car to pay off his lawyer. My heart broke for him when he gave me the keys, man.”
“I’ll take it,” Derek said.
“Don’t you want to know how much it is?” I asked, my mouth agape. There wasn’t even a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window yet.
“How much is it?” Derek asked.
“I think we’re listing it for $95,000,” the salesman said.
“I’ll take it.”
And just like that, we wound up in Tad’s office.
What followed was a comedy routine.
But as it turned out, the joke was on me.
“So, how did you want to pay for this?” Tad asked. “I could let you talk to our finance guy if you want.”
“Well, see, the thing is, I’ve got to be in San Diego for a show tonight, so I need to get out of here, like, an hour ago.”
The guy nodded sympathetically. “Uh huh, uh huh.”
“And it turns out I don’t have my bank card or anything on me right now.”
“Well, we could fill out the paperwork and run a credit check – which I’m sure would be excellent – ”
“Probably not. I don’t have any credit cards.”
I stared at Derek in disbelief.
He felt me staring at him and stared right back. “What? I told you, other people take care of all that.”
It was true: the rich really were different.
Especially the rock star rich.
“Could you just fill out all the paperwork and bill me later?” Derek asked.
“Ohhh,” Tad winced. He grit his teeth and made a sympathetic noise of sucking air into his mouth. “Oh, man, if it were up to me, I would totally front you the car, dude. But… I can’t. I’m so sorry, bro, but, see, the manager, he’s a real hardass – I need to run a credit check and file the paperwork and – ”
“I’m good for it, man, I just need to hit the road,” Derek explained impatiently.
Tad put his hands up like he was afraid he might have offended his hero. “Oh, hey, I wasn’t suggesting anything – I mean, you’re Derek Kane – of course you’re good for it! But, see, my manager – ”
Derek gave me a raised eyebrow. “See why I don’t like managers?”
“Because they reign in irresponsible behavior?” I asked sarcastically.
“Exactly,” Derek grinned, then turned back to the salesman. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“Sure!” Tad bubbled, and turned around the multi-line phone system on his desk so Derek could reach it.
“I thought you didn’t have Miles’s number,” I said as Derek punched out a number.
“I don’t,” he said, then put the call on speaker as it started to ring.
It took a few seconds, but finally a voice answered.
“Hello?”
Ryan.
I leaned my head against my hand. I felt a headache coming on.
“Hey, Ryan!” Derek called out.
Tad the salesman just about lost his mind. He bounced up and down in his chair like a five year-old on a sugar high and kept mouthing, Is that Ryan Miller?! Oh my god, you’re shitting me! Is that Ryan Miller?!
“Dude – what the hell happened to you?” Ryan asked.
“Life.”
“Is Kaitlyn with you? Because we can’t find – ”
“Hi Ryan,” I said meekly. “I’m okay.”
There was an awkward pause. Then –
“Uhhh… hi, Kaitlyn.”
I’m sure I was blushing scarlet. I was just thankful Ryan wasn’t there to see it.
“Miles is about to crap a brick,” Ryan continued.
“Tell him I’ll be there for the show tonight,” Derek said.
“I’m not sure that’ll be good enough. I’m pretty sure he wants a human sacrifice.”
“Remind him he works for us, not vice versa.”
“Derek – ”
“I said I’ll be there.”
“Yeah, I remember you saying that another time, too. This isn’t going to be a replay of the Cleveland incident, is it?”
I frowned and looked at Derek. “What’s the Cleveland – ”
“I SAID I’ll BE there,” Derek said testily. “Look, I need a favor.”
A loud sigh. “What is it? You need me to send somebody to pick you up?”
“No, no… but can you put something on your credit card for me?”
Ryan’s voice immediately became super-suspicious. “…what, exactly?”
“A car.”
He relaxed. “Oh, yeah, sure. Where are you – Hertz? Enterprise?”
“No, a dealership.”
There was a long pause.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“Dude, you know I’ll pay you back – ”
“Why don’t you just RENT one?”
“That’s what I said!” I called out.
“Listen to Kaitlyn, sounds lik
e she’s the only grown-up there – ”
“Uh, I’m a grown-up,” the salesman volunteered. Then, excitedly: “Hi, Ryan!”
“What? Who’s that?”
“That’s Tad. He’s going to sell me a 1969 Mercedes convertible.”
Stunned silence. Then –
“…what?!”
“It’s beautiful, man. You gotta see it,” Derek enthused.
“It really is beautiful,” Tad agreed.
“And how much IS this beautiful car, exactly?”
“Ninety-five,” Derek said.
“Ninety-five hundred? That’s not so – ”
“Thousand,” I spoke up. “Ninety-five thousand.”
There was a choking sound on the other end of the line.
Derek and Tad both just scowled at me like I was the big spoilsport of the party.
“Ninety-five thousand DOLLARS?”
“Dude, you have an American Express Black Card – you can totally put this on there,” Derek cajoled him.
“Derek – this is CRAZY – ”
“Come on, man.”
“Get something cheaper!”
“But I want THIS one.”
“Derek – ”
“Come on, you handle my money – just take it out of my account and pay yourself back.”
I frowned. “He handles your bank account?!”
“Derek – ”
“I’d hate to miss the show tonight,” Derek said nonchalantly.
There was a pause on the other end.
“You DICK,” Ryan said, though he didn’t sound quite as outraged as the bare-bones words might suggest.
“Just sayin’.”
“This is Cleveland all OVER again – ”
“Not if you help me out, it isn’t.”
Another sigh – this time, resigned. “If I do this for you, do you PROMISE me you’ll be at the show on time?”
“Yes. Uh… where’s the show?”
“This is NOT inspiring my confidence.”
“I’ve got to know where to go, don’t I? So where’s the fuckin’ show?”
“Viejas Arena. San Diego State University.”
Derek looked at Tad. “Can you get me directions to that?”
Tad could not have been happier to help out. “Oh, yeah, for sure!”
“Okay. I’ll be there,” Derek reassured Ryan.
“I’m NOT messing around, Derek – ”
“I’ll BE there.”
“FINE. Uh… what’s the sales guy’s name again?”
“Hi Ryan! It’s Tad,” the salesman said cheerily.
“Mm,” Ryan muttered. “You take American Express, right, Tad?”
“Yes we do!”
Fifteen minutes later, we were on the road to San Diego in a powder-blue 1969 Mercedes convertible, fully paid for.
And I have it admit…
…it was pretty fucking awesome.
49
We took the 5 freeway south along the coast and drank in the sunshine and views. Derek drove, and I relished the warm wind in my hair – although I hated to think what I would look like after we stopped.
No makeup and a fright wig. Ugh.
“I want to stop and see the ocean. You want to stop and see the ocean?” Derek asked.
“But the show – ”
“We’ve got plenty of time.”
“But you told the sales guy we had to hit the road so you could make it in time!”
He made a pffff sound. “Who the hell wants to hang out all day in a car lot?”
Which is how we wound up in Carlsbad, California for a few hours.
I wasn’t exactly dressed for the occasion, so once we got off the interstate we found a beach shop and bought a sundress thing and flip-flops for me to wear – plus a cheap pair of sunglasses. Derek was already wearing his Maui Jims, as always.
I switched clothes in the changing room while Derek asked the clerk about the prettiest, least crowded spots nearby. Once I joined him, we were off to the races.
We reached a semi-deserted cove that was apparently a favorite of the locals. Derek took off his boots, rolled up his jeans past his calves, and held my hand as we walked through the sand, the water rushing over our feet.
“You’re really impulsive,” I said as we strolled along.
“What do you mean?”
“Buying a car out of nowhere, just because you felt like it?”
He smiled. “Asking a girl you’ve just met to throw away her plans and stay with you, just because you fell in love with her?”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “…oh yeah…”
“…oh yeah,” he mimicked me, and I tickled him. We laughed and battled back and forth in the surf until the hem of my dress and the cuffs of his pants were soaked, and then we called a truce.
“So I guess you’ve always been impulsive, then,” I said.
“Yeah… I guess I got it from my dad.”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you, but I really liked you singing ‘Under The Bridge’ and dedicating it to your dad last night! That was really sweet,” I said, and squeezed his hand.
He just smiled serenely.
“Didn’t you say he lived in Southern California?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Did you invite him to the show?”
“No.”
“Oh… when was the last time you talked to him?”
“When he told me I should move with my mom and Trevor to Athens.”
I felt like I had stepped into a minefield. Four years ago, Derek had told me his father was an addict. When his father told him to leave Los Angeles and go with his mother and step-father, Derek was convinced that his mom had bribed his dad to say it with a couple of hundred dollars for drugs.
“Oh.” I tried to reach for a silver lining. “Maybe he found out about the show and came anyway.”
“No…”
“Why? Don’t you think he’d want to see his son be a huge star?”
“Probably… but he died a couple of years ago.”
I stopped in my tracks, horrified.
“Oh Derek… I’m so sorry…”
He turned around to face me. “It’s okay. I’m okay with it.”
“How did he die?”
“Overdose.”
“Oh my God… I’m so sorry…”
He pulled me to his side and we started walking again.
“It’s okay. I knew it was coming, one way or another. The last time I saw him, he was in bad shape. It was either going to be an overdose, or AIDS, or a drug deal gone bad, or owing money to somebody and getting shot. Anybody could see it coming from a mile away… but it was still a shock when it happened.”
“Did you… did you get to go to the funeral?”
He gave the barest hint of a smile, like the memory was bittersweet.
“Yeah, I did. My mother didn’t want to go – actually, Trevor didn’t want her to go, so she didn’t. And he wasn’t about to let her pay for my plane ticket, not after all the times I’d told him to go fuck himself. So I was in kind of a bind.
“It happened a few months after Killian and Riley joined the band. We weren’t playing frat gigs anymore, so I was basically broke. Couldn’t afford a last-minute plane ticket. Ryan saved me. He was on the outs with his parents, so he didn’t have the money to loan me, either, but we drove cross-country in his car, non-stop, taking turns driving and sleeping in the back seat. We made it in just under two days. He went with me to the funeral. There weren’t that many people there… just us, my aunt, and a bunch of my dad’s musician friends from back in the day…”
He was staring out at the horizon, caught up in another time, another place.
“Ryan’s a good friend, isn’t he?” I asked quietly.
He smiled at me. “The best.”
I leaned my head against him. “I’m sorry it happened. I wish he could have seen you the other night.”
“Yeah… me too. He would’ve gotten a huge kick out of it. If
he’d been there, I would’ve had him up on stage… so I could sing it with him one last time.”
We walked in silence for the next few minutes, him holding me, and me holding him, no sounds but the water washing in all around us and the seagulls above us in the air.
50
Things weren’t morose for long. We walked back to where we’d parked the car and found a Greek place with gyros.
“For old times’ sake,” Derek said, and winked.
The sun was getting low in the sky when we climbed back in the car and headed south for San Diego.
We got into the city limits just as the sun was setting. The sky was on fire with gorgeous oranges and reds, and I snuggled next to Derek as he drove along the freeway.
Somehow we missed our exit. We had to stop for directions (at my insistence – like most men, Derek couldn’t admit when he was lost, and did NOT want to ask anybody else), but we finally figured out how to get to San Diego University.
After the truck stop clerk drew us a map, Derek got a mischievous look on his face. First he bought a San Diego Padres ballcap, two red bandanas, and a flannel shirt. Then he motioned me over to a payphone and dumped in a whole bunch of quarters.
I could hear Ryan answer on the other end. “Damn it, Derek, where the hell are you?! The opening band goes on in fifteen minutes!”
“Ry, if I’m not there, I want you to go up onstage, okay?”
“What do you MEAN ‘if you’re not there’?! You PROMISED me you’d be here! I bought a 95,000 dollar car for you JUST SO YOU’D BE HERE ON TIME!”
“Just go up on stage on time, okay? Just do it.”
“DEREK – ”
“Talk to you later, man!” Derek said happily, and slammed down the receiver.
“What are you doing?” I asked, worried beyond belief. In my mind’s eye, I could see Miles getting that shovel out of his car and starting to dig a hole by the side of a lonely desert highway.
“Trust me,” Derek said, and lifted up his sunglasses long enough for me to see the twinkle in his eye.
51
We finally got to SDU at 8:50PM and pulled into the parking lot for Viejas Arena. I was on the verge of hyperventilating, but when we finally turned in, I was okay.
And then he went and parked way out in the middle of nowhere with all the concertgoers.
I stared at him. “Aren’t you going to go park with the tour bus?”
Rock All Night (The Rock Star's Seduction #2) Page 18