A couple in love.
He pushed the phone away. ‘Apparently we both have a future in the movies if we want it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make up the beds for our impromptu guests.’
He couldn’t start believing there was anything more to this relationship than a good publicity opportunity. Jay didn’t want to dwell on possibilities that could only break his heart again. Not when he was only just recovering from the last time.
Harry would have to understand that.
* * *
Daisy had been looking forward to waking up to the silence of the villa on the cliff top again, after the busyness of Rome. But instead, she woke the next morning to a headache, an empty bed, and someone shouting about a goat.
‘Calm down, Nico,’ she heard Jay saying, out in the hallway. ‘It’s only Genevieve.’
She grinned to herself. At least her gatecrashing guests weren’t getting everything their own way. Genevieve was clearly staking her claim to the place, too.
Snuggling back down under the duvet, Daisy grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Jay would probably see the goat back outside, then hopefully come back to bed again. Maybe she’d pretend to be asleep, so he could wake her up properly...
But while she waited, she might as well check in on her notifications.
She scrolled straight past too many reposts of yesterday’s star photo—the one of her and Jay in Rome looking a little too loved up for her comfort—to see if there was anything new to report. And stopped as soon as she saw Milli Masters’ sugary-sweet smile in her feed.
Why was Milli talking about her?
Apprehension pressing on her chest, she clicked the link.
Jay and Daisy love-fest a fake, claims ex.
Milli says, ‘Jay and I are soul mates, even if we can’t be together right now.’
Oh, hell.
A message notification pinged—Aubrey.
Anything you want to tell us?
The message was linked to the photo of Daisy and Jay.
She sent one back.
It’s a long story. Can I fill you in later? I kind of need to talk to Jay right now.
Aubrey sent back a reply immediately.
I bet you do. And don’t worry—looks like Jessica has a ‘long story’ for us too. I just hope my summer adventures are half as exciting as you two have been having!
Daisy pulled a face at the phone screen. She wasn’t sure she’d class this as ‘exciting’. More probably a terrible mistake.
She clicked back to the story about Milli. It didn’t get any better on full reading.
Anger surged up inside her. This woman had led Jay on, dumped him on social media, broken his heart—and now she had the audacity to come trampling over their relationship? Yes, technically she was right—it was fake. But what if it weren’t? What if Jay really had found happiness again? Then she’d be purposely trying to ruin it.
Witch.
Had he seen it yet? Was that why he’d already been out of bed when Nico started yelling about Genevieve?
Suddenly, Daisy’s lazy morning in bed wasn’t looking so likely.
The bedroom door opened and Jay slipped in.
‘You look tired,’ she blurted without thinking.
‘Just what every guy wants to hear.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘I couldn’t sleep last night. I was thinking about—’
‘Milli,’ she finished for him.
He gave her a curious look. ‘That third song we couldn’t get right, actually. I think I’ve got an idea that might fix it.’
He was focussing on the music. That was a good thing. She should encourage that. ‘Want me to grab my guitar? We might have to work on it in here though, if we want anything approaching privacy.’
‘Good idea. I gave Harry a shopping list and encouraged him to take the others down to the village with him when he went foraging, by the way.’
‘An even better idea. Wait here.’
Daisy crept out into the living area, hanging back until she heard the front door close behind Harry and the others, grabbed her guitar and ran back to the bedroom. Maybe they didn’t have to hide in there with the others gone, but she liked the more intimate vibe it gave their work. Plus it meant they wouldn’t be interrupted when the others returned.
‘Okay.’ Settling cross-legged on the bed, she pulled her guitar into her lap and tightened up the tuning. ‘Tell me what you were thinking.’
This part was so easy, she realised as he started talking—a flow of thoughts on the tone of the song, the way the words and harmonies twined around each other. Here, in the music, was where they understood each other best. Music and sex, that was what they had.
And as she listened to him, as he took her guitar from her hands and played her what he meant, then handed it back so she could repeat it back, with her own flair and additions, she wished they could stay in this bubble for ever.
Just the two of them, the music, and the goat. Here in the middle of nowhere, forgetting about the rest of the world.
Time passed differently when they were lost in the music; Daisy had noticed that before. Still, when the knock on the door came, she was startled out of her concentration.
‘Must be Harry back with the shopping,’ she said, stretching her arms over her head to work out the kinks in her back—and enjoying the way Jay’s gaze hovered around her breasts as she did so. ‘How long do you think it’ll take them to realise that the door’s not locked?’
‘If the damn goat can get in here unaided, I’m sure my brother can manage it,’ Jay answered, still watching her stretch. ‘Do you think this one is ready for Kevin yet?’
Daisy waggled her head from side to side. ‘Maybe. It’s definitely miles better than it was last week. I can’t help but think it’s still missing something, though. A last stanza, maybe. It feels...unbalanced.’
Jay shrugged. ‘It’ll come.’
There was more hammering on the door, and Daisy rolled her eyes before sliding off the bed and heading for the door. ‘Harry, you’re officially dumber than a goat,’ she yelled as she made her way through the living room. At least living in the middle of nowhere meant she didn’t have to worry about answering the door in the boy shorts she slept in and Jay’s T-shirt she’d pulled on after rolling out of bed. The boys had all seen her in worse on the tour bus; privacy wasn’t really a thing for them on tour, and they’d just included her as one of the boys from the start.
‘You’d better have brought my limoncello,’ she griped as she opened the door—
And stopped.
Because Harry wasn’t there. Nor was Kevin or Nico or Benji or even Matteo or Lorenzo or Geraldine.
Standing on her doorstep, one perfectly manicured hand raised to knock again, was Milli Masters.
With half the world’s media waiting behind her.
CHAPTER TEN
‘JAY! IT’S FOR YOU!’
It was the strain in Daisy’s voice that made him jump from the bed and race through the cottage. But even then, he didn’t expect to see his ex-girlfriend standing in the Italian sunshine on the cliff top outside Daisy’s home.
Daisy stood aside the moment he arrived on the scene. ‘This is way above my pay grade,’ she muttered as she brushed past him, back to her bedroom.
Their bedroom.
He heard her shut the door behind her, and a horrible sense of foreboding flooded through him as he realised it might not be their bedroom any more. This whole charade might be about to crash to a close.
And he couldn’t do anything about it, because he had to deal with Milli and her media circus.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked in a sharp whisper as he angled himself out of the front door and shut it behind him. He wasn’t inviting Milli inside. This was Daisy’s place—their place, even—and Milli had no right to be there
. Kevin and Harry and the others were one thing, as was Genevieve. But Milli was definitely less welcome than even the bloody goat.
Milli’s large grey eyes widened innocently. He didn’t believe a millimetre of it. Whatever had brought her here, he knew for a fact that she’d have a plan.
‘Aren’t you pleased to see me? I just flew in from LA. After I saw you onstage in Rome... I just had to come, Jay. You can see that, can’t you?’
Was she really talking to him, or to the reporters behind her? Because while he’d kept his voice low, Milli was projecting to the seagulls on the roof.
‘No, I can’t see that. So I’ll ask you again. What, exactly, are you doing here, in Italy, and my fiancée’s house?’ It was amazing how easily that flowed from his mouth. Fiancée. Daisy. Strange how right it felt, when he knew full well it was a lie.
Milli didn’t look convinced, though. Some of the studied innocence fell away as her expression hardened, and she dropped her voice a little. ‘Oh, come on, Jay. Nobody really believes you’re going to marry that groupie of yours.’
‘Daisy is not a groupie.’ Was he snarling? He might actually be snarling. God, the media must be loving this.
Time to pull it back. What would that media-training woman Kevin sent him to see say? What about the counsellor after he broke Harry’s nose as a kid? Probably both the same thing.
Deep breaths. Only you are in control of your body, your emotions. Don’t give that power away.
He knew this. He’d worked hard at this.
Stare between her eyebrows so you’re not looking her in the eye but it looks as if you are. Smile, even if you don’t want to. Keep your voice even. Don’t let her know that she’s getting to you.
That was all media training. How to fake being a celebrity, rather than a human being with feelings. That was what he was now, right? It was what Milli had wanted him to be, what Daisy wanted. What his fans wanted, even.
It went with the job.
He still wasn’t inviting Milli inside, though. And actually, he kind of thought she didn’t want to go in, anyway. How would the press report on her every anguished facial expression if they couldn’t see her?
Right now, she shot him a warning look, then settled her expression back into earnest innocence. Her words, however, muttered too low for anyone else to hear, were anything but.
‘Come on, Jay, you know the game. We’ve had the dramatic break-up, now it’s time for the reconciliation. It’ll hit all the papers, boost record sales for the quarter, get us plenty of free publicity. We can probably start looking at rings and wedding venues if that’s what you really want—I agree, it’s definitely an attention winner, and if we go the “conscious-uncoupling” route in a few years we can probably both retain our images through the divorce.’
‘You dumped me. On social media.’ His insides felt as if they were falling through the porch steps. He’d known—he’d known that this was all just part of the show for her. But she’d never admitted it so clearly before. All those months wasted, thinking he actually mattered to her as more than a publicity prop.
Not a mistake he ever intended to make again.
Milli rolled her eyes. ‘Because it was time. People don’t stay interested in happy couples. They want the drama, the will they-won’t they. So I gave them that. I didn’t expect you to run off and start another fake relationship with the first girl who crossed your path—let alone take her rock shopping. Kevin must have been really worried about your tour figures to push you into that.’
Jay ignored the part about Kevin. ‘I thought you were gone. For good.’ He didn’t bother arguing against the ‘fake relationship’ accusation. She was right. And, even if she wasn’t, she’d never believe it anyway.
‘That’s because you never paid any attention to everything I was doing to build our profile as a celebrity couple!’
‘Because I thought we were an actual couple! In love!’ Shame burned through him as he admitted it. How much he’d fallen for her charms, for what he’d believed they could have together. He’d thought they’d be like his parents, still in love after forty years of marriage.
How wrong could he have been?
The look Milli gave him was almost pitying.
‘Come on, Jay. Really? I knew you were naive, but not even you could have believed that.’
He didn’t answer. What else was there to say?
Over her shoulder, he spotted a small commotion at the back of the press pack—Harry, Kevin and the others returning from their jaunt into town. Excellent. Just what this situation needed—more people who thought they had a say in his romantic life.
Where was Daisy? He wanted her beside him, to show Milli how little he needed her now. How he’d found something better—more meaningful, more intense. He and Daisy were friends, they laughed together, they made music together.
But she wasn’t there, of course. Because everything he had with her was just as fake as what he’d had with Milli. The only difference was that Daisy had been upfront about that from the start.
Milli glanced back over her shoulder too. He wondered if she saw the thunderous expression on Harry’s face. Maybe that was why she said what she did next.
‘Jay, there’s only one reason I’ve come to Italy.’
Her voice carried out over the cliffs. He wondered if Daisy could hear it inside. If she couldn’t, he was sure the video would be on social media for her to watch within moments.
‘To win you back. We’re soul mates, you and I. And I can’t lose you to someone unworthy of your love. Come back to me, my love. We’re endgame. Meant to be. And I’m not leaving Italy until you admit it. You know how to find me when you’re ready.’
Then, with a swift kiss to his lips, she descended the steps like a princess, climbed back into the car that had brought her, and was driven away down the hill, followed by the scrambling media as they tried to keep up and file copy at the same time.
Leaving just his manager, his brother and his band mates staring at him.
And Jay with no idea what to do next.
* * *
Daisy heard the front door open again and people talking over each other as they came inside her house. Her home.
She couldn’t hear Milli’s voice amongst them, thankfully, but from what she’d been able to overhear through her open window, the pop star had left the ball thoroughly in Jay’s court.
She wanted him back. Of course she did. Daisy knew the type perfectly—never more interested in a guy than when someone else had him. Jay had been getting more publicity over his fake romance with Daisy than he had for months before his break-up with Milli. Of course Milli wanted in on that.
And Jay, bless him, would fall for it too. Because he loved her, even though he knew she only loved his fame. More evidence, if Daisy needed it, that love was a ridiculous, hurtful thing.
There’s always a price. Would Jay pay it?
There was a soft knock on her door. ‘Daisy? Kevin wants us all out here, if that’s okay.’ Harry’s voice, not Jay’s, apologetic but firm. Daisy knew it didn’t matter if it was ‘okay’ or not, whatever Harry said. This was part of the job.
Her heart was part of the job, now.
She dragged herself off the bed and into the living room, where the others were all ranged around the chairs and perched on the coffee table. She leant against the door frame, outside the group—she wasn’t a band member, she wasn’t management, and she definitely wasn’t actually Jay’s fiancée. She had no place here, for all that it was her house.
Jay sat in the armchair, hands folded in his lap, his head bent as he stared at the floor. Daisy willed him to look up, to meet her gaze, to show her what he was feeling, but he didn’t.
Kevin was holding court, pacing in front of the window. ‘This is actually great news! I mean, Daisy, you’ve been a real sport and all, but now we can call
an end to this fake engagement thing and Jay can get back with Milli! She’s a bigger star anyway—no offence, Daisy,’ he added, with a brief glance in her direction.
‘It’s the best of both worlds, mate,’ Nico agreed. ‘We all still get to tour with Daisy, and you get to sleep with Milli Masters. Living the dream, Jay.’ He held one hand up for a high five, which Jay ignored, so he turned to Benji to get one instead.
‘Sounds more like a nightmare to me,’ Harry objected quietly. ‘Jay, you can’t let her get to you again. Not when you have the chance at something more. Think about this, please. Think about Mum—and Dad. I know you. You’ve always wanted what they had together. The real thing. You’ll never be happy in a fake relationship.’
But Jay stayed silent. Daisy tried to read his face, what little of it she could see from the shadows of the angle he sat at, but there was nothing there. He’d closed off again, completely, the way he’d been when Milli first left.
Harry was right, Daisy knew. Jay wouldn’t be happy with Milli, not for ever. He wanted what his parents had, and that wasn’t on offer there. But she knew from watching her friends settle for less than their dreams, all because of love, that there was no telling a person in love anything logical. They just couldn’t hear it. They had to discover it on their own, as her mother had—eventually, and probably too late.
Kevin obviously took Jay’s silence as agreement with his plan. Had Jay ever argued back with him? she wondered. Or was he so focussed on staying calm and being Zen that he forgot to even fight for what mattered to him?
He sure as hell wasn’t going to fight for her, she could see that.
‘Okay, so what we need to do now is figure out the best way to break you two up—what line to take, so Jay can go back to Milli without there being any backlash,’ Kevin said.
‘Heaven forbid we fight over custody of the goat,’ she murmured—and Jay looked up for the first time and met her gaze.
She wished she could read what was going on behind those troubled green eyes of his, but she couldn’t. She had no idea what he was thinking at all.
Italian Escape with Her Fake Fiancé Page 13