When a Star Falls (Stars Book 1)

by Rachael Eliker

  “I’m really sorry I got you right on the head. I wasn’t watching what I was doing,” he murmured. I began to reciprocate another apology, but he took a step forward and put his hands up on the walls, casually trapping me between his arms. I could feel an electricity between us that woke me right up. It was generated by his pervasive and unique scent, the way his jersey shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, the passion of his gaze. What was wrong with me? I loved Collin. I tried to take a step back, fighting my body’s urge to yield into Troy but the wall was unforgiving and imprisoned me.

  “No worries. I’m fine,” I squeaked.

  “Your cheek looks awfully sore,” Troy said. His eyes trailed down from my eyes to my cheek and settled on my lips. They felt uncomfortably dry, and I licked them. A smile that looked awfully victorious graced his handsome features, and I mentally kicked myself for giving him the wrong idea.

  My breathing started coming out in little huffs while inside the battle waged ferociously. I squeezed my eyes shut willing someone to come rescue me from myself.

  I could feel Troy lean over. I held my breath and tensed, afraid of how this would change the trajectory of my relationship with Troy. With the faintest brush of his lips, he kissed my injured cheek. The sensation surprised me, and I rammed my head back into the concrete. I grimaced at one more bruise on my already battered head.

  “I thought a kiss on the cheek would help you feel better.” His golden eyes were burning with desire, staring intently staring into mine.

  Something caught his attention and he jerked his head around, peering back down the hallway while my heart jumped into my throat. I’d been caught lusting after Troy. Surely anyone could see that.

  My eyes focused, and the blood in my veins turned to ice. Jill stood at the end of the hall, her feet spread wide, hands on her hips as she studied us. I breathed out a nervous laugh, wanting to explain what had happened, but judging by the look on her face, I could tell there was nothing to say. She knew.

  I half expected her to taunt me, holding her little discovery over my head. I wished she would have said something—anything—but instead, a devilish smile crossed her lips, and she left without a word.

  “Are you an idiot, Ruby?”

  Usually, I brushed off Hannah’s curtness but I knew her question was valid. I was walking on my way to Harper Music, and though it was early, I knew Hannah would be awake. She hadn’t slept past seven more than a handful of times since having kids.

  “Yes, I am. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love Collin. So why am I feeling this attraction to Troy?” I whined.

  “Because you’re human,” Hannah explained. “But you need to get a hold of yourself before you lose Collin for good.”

  “What should I do? I mean, it was just a kiss on the cheek. Maybe Troy didn’t mean it as anything other than a peck to help my face feel better. Like you do for Chloe when she gets hurt,” I babbled, shoving my fingers through my hair. I sounded desperate.

  “I highly doubt Troy is thinking of you like he’s your mother. He’s trying to sneak his way in. I don’t like that.”

  I scoffed. “Seriously? You’re going to give me that speech? After how Sam stole you from what’s-his-name in high school?”

  “That was different,” she explained. “My relationship with John was toxic. Your relationship with Collin is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

  I sighed, rolling my shoulders, trying to ease the tension that was tying knots in my muscles. “What am I going to do?”

  “Start with telling him the truth.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “I’m guessing Jill already did.”

  “And if she did?”

  I huffed, “She could have spun it into something worse than it was.”

  “Back up here,” Hannah interrupted. “What are you really afraid of? That Collin trusts Jill more than you? Because that’s what it would come down to. Her word versus yours.”

  I pushed my fingers into my eyes. I was going to stop the tears from falling if I had to push them back into my tear ducts. “He spends so much time with her and she’s at his beck and call. They travel together. She’s smart, has sky-high legs, and she’s disgustingly gorgeous.”

  “Do you trust Collin to keep it professional?” Hannah questioned.

  “I want to believe that’s the case, but look at me! Lusting after Troy!” I caved and let the tears streak down my face and soak into my shirt.

  Hannah cackled on the other end of the line. “You’re such a drama queen.”

  “Takes one to know one,” I shot back. I could hear Hannah roll her eyes through the phone.

  “Look, in all seriousness, you need to talk to Collin and let him know. As fabulous as a therapist as I am, there’s no substitute for being honest with Collin.”

  “I know,” I grumbled.

  “Glad to see we’re on the same page.”

  “As much as I enjoy being reminded of your superiority, I have to go to work.”

  “Have fun conquering the world of music.”

  “I am.”

  “Oh, before I forget, we’re having a gender reveal party. You know, mom hasn’t fully recovered from you skipping out on Easter.”

  “I was busy,” I groaned. “I wasn’t trying to miss her favorite holiday.”

  “Now’s your chance to redeem yourself. Be at mom and dad’s in three weeks or I’m disowning you as a sister, celebrity or not.”

  With that, Hannah hung up.

  I couldn’t do it. I chickened out when I tried to tell Collin the truth. After speaking with Hannah about my predicament, I pulled up my big girl pants and dialed Collin. I knew the chances of him answering were minimal, but when he picked up on the other end and was so incredibly happy to speak with me, I knew that Jill had kept my little secret, and I didn’t want to dampen his mood with my confession. Then I lost myself at work and my guilty conscience was picked apart by logic until I justified that what Collin didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

  While we’d put the finishing touches on recording, my Dark Clouds music video had been released to rave reviews (Kiki probably had something to do with that—her endorsement was the golden seal of approval that slung it to insta-success) and another, much more low-key video without risk of kicking or being kicked had been recorded. Harper Music had hired an adorable actor and actress to be the couple in Sun and Shores, while I only had to sing, no crowds, no other musicians, just me. If anyone asked, that was the way to record a music video.

  Then, three weeks to the day, on a humid, gray spring afternoon, I was standing on my parents’ front porch. A dozen cars were parked along the driveway, and only a few of them looked familiar. Nothing like being surrounded by a bunch of strangers in a place I would have otherwise been completely at ease.

  My phone rang, and I fished through my pocket. “Hello?” I always answered like it was a question even though I knew it was Mandy, calling to hound me about some urgent matter or another that I needed to attend to in order to keep Mr. Drake content.

  “Did George give you your itinerary? You’re lined up to start debuting Dark Clouds on some national morning shows. You’re going to have to fly out tomorrow to prep.”

  “Yes, Mandy, George filled me in.” A zing of excitement whipped through my stomach. “It’s really happening, isn’t it?”

  Mandy must’ve been taken aback because she didn’t say anything for a moment. That or she was endlessly multitasking and was talking to someone else on the other line while I was being all girly and giddy about my dreams coming true.

  “It is. I hope you’re up for it. I don’t think Mr. Drake can take another disappointment.”

  The happy butterflies of anticipation died and hit my stomach lining with a thud. “I hope so, too. I’ve got to go Mandy. I’ll be in Denver tomorrow.”

  I hung up and decided to let myself in. It was my parents’ house after all. I shouldn’t feel like I had to knock, but for some reason I did, like I was intr
uding on a normal family’s party. I latched the door before Murphy had the chance to scramble down the hall and out the front in search of the nearest cottontail.

  I scratched his head and sent him back to the party. I shrugged my jacket off my shoulders and hung it on the rack which giggled back at me. Peering through the mounds of coats piled beneath mine, I came face to face with Chloe, who was eating a cupcake with a blob of pink frosting on the inside. She peered innocently at me with her big blue eyes and grinned with pink smearing all over her teeth.

  “Are you supposed to be eating that?” I said in my best motherly tone. Silently, she shook her head, but never stopped smiling. She wasn’t one little bit sorry. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” Her smile grew wider. “Just don’t get it on anyone’s jacket.”

  I dropped the heavy fabric and left Chloe to her cupcake, then snuck my way to the gathering, hoping to go unnoticed. It didn’t work. The conversation was buzzing in the kitchen where women congregated around my sister, admiring the bump growing under her shirt. The older women reminisced about their own babies and some of the younger ones were sporting similar pregnant bellies as Hannah. The men were all gathered in the living room around a football game, and they didn’t much notice my entrance, but all the ladies in the room stopped their chattered and stared.

  Hannah and my mom were the only ones who carried on with what they were doing. Of course, Mom was leaning over the kitchen sink, forever washing dishes, and when Hannah spotted me, she jumped from her seat and skipped over to me. She pulled me into a hug, and I whispered in her ear, “Feeling better I take it?”

  “I always do once the first trimester is over.”

  “Having another girl, huh?” I murmured smugly.

  Hannah pulled back and looked shocked for all of a nanosecond until her brain figured out who the culprit was. “Chloe,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing. “Did she tell?”

  “She didn’t have to. She found the cupcakes.”

  Hannah sighed and mumbled something about dealing with Chloe later. She pulled me along behind her and sat back down at the long kitchen table. My mom had put in both of the leaves, and it stretched from one end of the kitchen to the other. I recognized a few of Hannah’s longtime friends from way back in high school, who watched me with curiosity. For the longest time, I was just the annoying little sister and now, signed with a major record label, my music on the radio, friends with Kiki Loveless, they weren’t sure what to make of me. Part of me loathed the constant attention and whispers and for just an afternoon, I wanted to feel normal again. The rest of me didn’t want to steal any of Hannah’s thunder. It was her special day. So, I quickly found an empty seat next to Ms. Osborne and sat down.

  “Anything new with you?” she asked, resting her chin on her fist.

  I laughed at her sense of humor and filled her in on bits and pieces of what life had been like while Hannah’s friends leaned in, trying to appear not to be listening, but listening all the same.

  “Haven’t they been feeding you?” Ms. Osborne asked. “You look like you haven’t had a good burger in a while.”

  “You’re right. Far too long since I’ve had a burger. It’s all protein shakes and running on the treadmill.” I laughed, “I guess they don’t want anything jiggling on me that they don’t approve of.”

  Ms. Osborne pursed her lips. “You’re a pretty girl, Ruby. Don’t let them make you feel otherwise, or I’m going to have to have a word with your record label executive.”

  I smirked at the thought of Ms. Osborne chewing out Mr. Drake. I had a feeling he hadn’t had anyone tell him off in a good long while and she wouldn’t mind one bit being the one to do it. “I might have to take you up on that.”

  The doorbell rang and I volunteered to get it. Too many peering eyes had me unsettled. Opening the door, I don’t think I would have been any more thrilled if the clouds parted and a heavenly host of trumpeting angels descended.

  “Collin!” I screamed and leaped into his arms, making us stumble off the patio and into the shrubs crowding the front sidewalk. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

  “Hannah invited me and we thought it would be fun to surprise you. I tweaked my schedule a bit so that I could do some work in Indianapolis. Jill planned it out perfectly.”

  Ignoring his comment about Jill, I nuzzled my chin into his neck and muttered, “I’ve missed you.” Despite what Hannah had counseled me to do, I hadn’t uttered a word about Troy’s kiss on the cheek. It had been innocent enough, and maybe Jill hadn’t really seen anything incriminating. If she had, she certainly had kept it to herself. That was making me the most nervous of all.

  Collin wrapped one arm tighter around me while reaching up and tilting my chin so our lips could touch. It was so light and tender at first. I sank into him as the kiss deepened and fireworks went off in my whole body. I could have died happy right then and there.

  The door opened, and Ben peeked outside. “Mom! I found Aunt Ruby!” I struggled to get off Collin’s chest, making him groan with pain as I unwittingly elbowed him in the stomach. “They’re—” Ben stopped, and his face twisted in disgust. “Ew! They’re kissing!” He screamed and slammed the door behind him.

  “I guess that’s our introduction.” Collin laughed the deep, throaty laugh that had a way of lightening my soul.

  After pulling him from my mother’s meticulous landscaping, I looped my arm through his and walked him inside. Murphy was waiting right behind the door, whining and scratching to see who was visiting. Without hesitation, Murphy went right for Collin’s crotch but Collin was fast enough to swipe away his ill-mannered nose. The happy-go-lucky greyhound didn’t mind the slight and went bounding back into the living room where apparently, a touchdown had been scored and everyone was cheering.

  “So nice of you to join us,” Hannah teased.

  Collin rubbed the back of his neck and looked a bit flustered. “I took a stumble off the porch and might have smashed one of your verbenas, Mrs. Harkward.”

  Mom beamed at the fact that he even knew the name of the plant and batted her hand at his apology. “It’ll be fine. Come in and make yourself at home.”

  With Collin by my side, I felt an immense relief, and my confidence bloomed. Suddenly, the party was fun. I clung to him, feeling his warmth along my side, admiring the strain of his thighs in his jeans when he squatted down to say hello to Chloe, his clean-shaven face. I soaked in his eyes, having almost forgotten how brilliant and beautifully blue they were.

  I heard the front door unlatch and turned to see Jill step in, perfect looking as ever in a well-tailored maroon skirt suit and patent leather pumps. Did she ever dress down? Her heels clicked along the tile, alerting Murphy that someone new had arrived. He tore down the hallway and jumped, landing his paws squarely on Jill’s bony shoulders. She shrieked and pushed Murphy off, who snuck in one slobbery lick across her cheek before relenting. I didn’t even bother trying to hide my mocking laugh.

  With his feet on the ground, Murphy realized that past Jill’s skinny legs, the front door was open, and in his mind, that meant freedom. He took the opportunity.

  “Shut the door!” I screamed, but it was too late. Murphy bounded out the front door, ears perked, looking for something—anything—to chase. He found it, and took off down the road. I ran to the front, pushing Jill aside just in time to hear the squeal of a car’s brakes and the sickening thud of Murphy’s body hitting the pavement.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I cried for hours. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” I sniffled, burying my face into Collin’s chest. “I know he was always eating out of the garbage and digging up my mom’s flowerbeds and sniffing people’s crotches, but really, he was a sweet boy.”

  Collin pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. “He was a good dog,” he agreed.

  After Hannah’s party, which was basically ruined while I choked back tears and glared at Jill, who nonchalantly scanned her phone and kept to herself, Collin had taken me out f
or dinner. We ended up getting takeout because I kept bursting into tears when I’d see something that reminded me of Murphy. Everything from old ladies walking their yippy white poodles to bumper stickers of dog silhouettes kept sending me over the edge.

  We found our way to a park bench and ate our hamburgers out of Styrofoam boxes while watching the sun set.

  “Thanks for helping my dad bury Murphy,” I muttered miserably.

  “I was happy to help. I’m just sorry that’s the way I was able to be useful.” He stroked his fingers through my hair and an unintentional shiver rattled down my spine. I loved the feel of his fingers as he tenderly worked the snarls out.

  Collin had been my saving grace on the worst day I’d had in a long time. I just hated that lately, where there was Collin, there was Jill. Another surge of anger toward her bubbled up and escaped my lips. “Why did you have to bring your secretary anyway?”

  I could feel Collin looking at me, but I kept poking at my cold, barely nibbled food to avoid his gaze.

  “She’s with me almost all the time because she’s required to travel for work, too. She has to keep me on schedule and make sure deadlines are kept and meetings are attended. I thought I was being polite in inviting her so she didn’t have to sit in her hotel room all evening.” He stalled for a moment, then asked, “Does she bother you?”

  I let out an exasperated, slightly manic chuckle. “Isn’t that obvious?”

  Collin sat up straighter and hooked his finger under my chin, forcing me to look into his forget-me-not blue eyes. “Why?”

  I turned away again, watching the geese grazing on the open field nearby. Drawing in a deep breath, I confessed, “I’m jealous, plain and simple. She’s flawless and bubbly and smart, and I think you’ve spent more time with her overall than you and I have spent together in our whole relationship. That and she always has her hands all over you. I want to claw her face off when she looks at you with her bedroom eyes.”