Duchess (11 page)

“That’s funny,” he said as he gave a derisive snort. “She’s not really free, is she?”

“Huh?” Katie looked confused enough to forget her anger for a moment.

“You say she helps everyone feel free to do as they please, yet she isn’t free to do as she pleases, is she?” Chase’s voice was soft as he finally began to see what kind of life the pop diva led. “She’s stuck in a lie. No one knows who she is, and to keep it that way, she sealed herself up into a cage of tall wigs and big dresses. Never free to let anyone know what she really thinks or who she really is.”

Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes as she opened her mouth to say something, but the music stopped, and people began to clap for the band. Chase clapped along, but Katie just turned on her heel and left him alone on the dance floor.

Chase wondered at the emotions that had crossed Katie’s face. It was more than a job to her. There was an underlying passion involved, kind of like the patriotism he felt as a soldier. The mystery deepened, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to meet Duchess. Maybe he could see what drew Katie to her.

When Duchess showed up, everyone swarmed around her, making it difficult to get too close. Pushing his way forward, he saw the problem. Her dress must have had a ten-foot diameter. It was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever seen. A period gown fit for a queen, except that a triangle in the front had been cut out to reveal a tight mini skirt and tall, black “hooker” boots. And the more he looked at her, the more ridiculous it got. Her white wig probably gave her another two feet in height, and she wore big sunglasses. In the dark ballroom! How could she see?

He supposed the hoop of her skirt probably held her up. He didn’t think she could fall down if she wanted to. He could have sworn that the closer he got to her, the farther away she tried to move. Not that she could go very far in that getup.

When he finally got to the front of the crowd, he suddenly wasn’t sure what to do. What did he expect? That she would know who he was just because he knew Katie? Katie! That was it. He looked around for her, but didn’t see her anywhere. Wouldn’t she be close by?

“Dahlings!” Duchess wore a mic that gave her a robotic-sounding voice. “I really must leave now.” She started to walk forward. Chase wasn’t sure what he had wanted to say, but he knew this was his only chance to say anything.

“Where’s Katie?” he shouted, and she turned toward him. When she looked at him, she paused for a moment before walking away. He hadn’t expected that response, and he clenched his fists as he took a calming breath. If he wanted to know why Katie was so devoted to Duchess, he needed to talk to her. Look into her eyes, try to find what it was Katie saw in her. He hurried to the front, cutting off her escape. “Hey, um … I mean hi. I’m Chase.” He stuck out his hand, but she only looked down at it. Finally letting his arm fall, he continued, “I’m putting on a benefit concert for wounded veterans. Thank you for agreeing to be one of our acts.”

She paused before responding, “I know who you are. You are welcome. Now if you will excuse me, I must leave.”

There was something familiar about her voice, even though it was synthesized, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Do I know you?”

She stood up straight and looked away. “Everybody knows me, dahling! I’m Duchess!”

He opened his mouth to say more, but Kyle was at his side.

“Hey, Chase. What’s up?”

“I was just having a conversation with Duchess.” He turned back to ask her another question, but only saw a hoop cage on wheels draped with material. She had escaped from her dress and disappeared into the crowd.

“I think Katie went to the ladies’ room, but I’m sure she’ll be back soon if you want to say goodbye.”

Chase stared at the crowd, unsettled at the encounter. Nothing about that woman had explained why Katie would be so devoted to her.

“Did you meet her?” Amber’s squealing voice next to his ear jolted him out of his thoughts.

“Who?”

“Duchess, of course.” Amber paused as she noticed the half dress that had been left on the floor. “Is that hers? That’s so cool!”

Chase wondered what had frightened Duchess enough to make her walk right out of her skirt. What was it about this mysterious pop star that had everyone excited? He still had so many unanswered questions, and an unsettled feeling inside.

Chapter Thirteen

Katie sat in the foyer of Duchess’s mansion. Funny how it didn't feel like
her
mansion. Marble covered the floors and stairs, broken up only by mahogany baseboards. The spiral staircase and copper balustrade wound up toward the high, stained-glass ceiling above. Marble columns stood guard at the end of the staircase, also stretching up toward the ceiling. The walls were painted in a soft earth tone lightly covered with a coppery paint technique, giving the foyer an elegant atmosphere. The faint scent of lavender hung in the air from the aroma therapy diffuser in her mother’s room.

Katie looked up to the second floor and could see the closed door to her mother’s empty room. Her throat grew tight, and she hugged her arms together. Chase had been right at the charity ball. She was trapped in a cage of her own lies and deception, but her mother was trapped in a body riddled with cancer. As long as Katie had any hope that her own cage could free her mother, it was a cage she couldn’t leave.

A loud knock brought Katie out of her thoughts. When she opened the door, Chase stood there in his usual jeans and a T-shirt. She suddenly felt overdressed in her dark red blouse and gray slacks. As their eyes met, her pulse began to race. She remembered the feel of his arms around her as they danced at the charity ball. His nearness had made it difficult to think. She’d allowed herself to imagine for one moment what it would be like to belong in his arms. To have someone who loved her enough never to leave her. To have someone to share her secrets with. But Duchess ruined all that. There was a moment when she thought he’d figured out her secret. She couldn’t let her defenses down again. A business relationship was the only relationship she could have with Chase.

“You’re late,” Katie said as she strode past him toward the driveway without looking back.

“Nice car.” Chase had followed her.

“Yes, you said that last time you rode in it,” she answered curtly.

“Is it yours or Duchess’s?” Again, the sound of his voice triggered the traitorous reaction of her stomach flip-flopping inside.

“It’s mine." She knew the words came out harsher than she'd meant them to.  

“It’s a ’65 Mustang, right?”

“A ’64 and a half,” she corrected him. She realized that the only way to stop his voice from wreaking havoc on her senses was to keep talking. “My father used to talk about his dream car being a ’64 and a half cherry-red Mustang convertible.” Katie unlocked his door first. “We’d play a game driving down the road. Anytime we saw a Mustang, we had to see who could name the year first. I always won.”

“So you bought this car in his memory?” Chase asked.

“More to spite him.” She sent him a mischievous smile. “He left me and my mother after my brother died. Everything we have right now is despite of anything he’s ever done.”

“So you don’t even like this car?”

“Oh, I love this car. It’s strange how when you’re a child, your parents’ dreams can become yours.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. My parents’ dreams were to get high as often as possible,” Chase said with a grimace.

“Oh.” She fell silent, and tension hung in the air. “That must have been a difficult childhood.”

“It’s no big deal.” He shrugged. “I joined the Army as soon as I could and never looked back.”

Katie felt her defenses start to crumble and quickly reminded herself it could never work.

“So, how is Shirley doing this morning?” he asked, and she was grateful for the change of subject.

“She’s fine,” she answered as she buckled her seatbelt and decided it was time to talk about the concert.  “Here is a list of places in the Los Angeles area we could check. The number of people they hold is listed as well.” She handed over a paper with pictures of concert venues and their descriptions before starting the car.

“They all look pretty easy to secure. Can’t we just do eeny meeny miny moe?”

Katie rolled her eyes. “Sure, if you’re twelve!” She snatched the paper out of his hand and put it in the backseat before pulling out of the driveway. “Our biggest problem right now is finding a venue that isn’t already booked. Duchess usually plays at the Staples Center, but they don’t have any available nights for the next year. That’s why it’s usually best to plan things like benefit concerts ahead of time. But since Amber is in a crunch, we’ll have to see what we can get.”

“What’s our first choice?” he asked.

“The Hollywood Bowl, if we could get it. I have a call in to the County of Los Angeles, but that might take forever, so we’ll go look at some other venues. Some are pretty small, but if we charge enough for the tickets, you could still get the profit you need for the charity to get the new building.”

He nodded while turning to look out the window, and she wasn’t sure he was even paying attention. She sighed as she pulled into the gas station near her house. His indifference bothered her, but she didn’t know why. She wanted it this way. She wanted to keep everything strictly professional.

The gas station was busy, with lines at the pumps. Pulling up behind a truck, Katie cast about in her mind for something to say.

“So … you don’t speak to your parents?” Katie could tell by the look on his face that she’d said the wrong thing, though he was quick to wipe his features of any emotion.

“No,” was his clipped answer. “Do you speak to your father?”

Katie knew he only asked because she’d asked her intrusive question. “No.”

Silence reigned while Katie wondered where the man who owned the pickup truck had gone. It was like he’d just parked at the pump. Didn’t he know other people needed gas? Looking around, she saw there were cars behind her now. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. There weren’t any free pumps, and she couldn’t back up—she was trapped. She was sick and tired of feeling like she had no choice. Like her mother had no choice, like cancer was going to take away the one person she had left. Tears pricked her eyes, and she cleared her throat as she blinked them back.

“Are you all right?” Chase’s voice cut through her thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m just wondering what kind of jerk parks in front of a pump and makes everyone else wait, like they’re the only people who matter.”

Before Chase could respond, a man made his way to the truck.

“Finally!” Katie got ready to pull forward, but instead of climbing into his truck, the man took a big bite out of his newly purchased candy bar and set his coffee on the hood before reaching for the nozzle.

“Seriously?” Katie hit the steering wheel with the palm of her hand.

“Hey, the pump ahead of him is open.” Chase pointed. 

Katie flattened her lips into a thin line as an idea popped into her head. She began to pull around the truck and head toward the free pump, but instead of just backing into position, she parked right in front of the pickup, making it impossible for him to pull forward.

“What are you doing?” Chase asked, looking confused.

“Let’s see how he likes being trapped,” Katie answered, feeling vindicated somehow.

“Um, until the person behind him gives him enough room to pull around you,” he answered.

Katie realized he was right. Was there no justice in this world? How could she teach this man a lesson if the person behind him would just let him go when he was ready? Another idea formed in her mind, and she couldn’t keep the mischievous smile off her face while she dug in her purse. After finding what she was looking for, she opened the door.

“Where are you going?” Chase asked.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.” For some reason, he looked doubtful despite her reassurance. But she ignored him as she got out and headed to the car behind the truck.

She made sure to skirt around the truck so she didn’t have to cross paths with the man. When she reached the car behind the truck, she found a middle-aged woman behind the wheel. The woman looked up, startled, as Katie gently knocked and motioned for her to roll down her window. “Yes?”

“Hi! I really hate to bother you, but I wonder if you could do me a favor. Will you could pull forward a bit so the truck in front of you can’t leave?”

“Huh? Why?” The woman looked skeptical. “I don’t want any trouble. I just want to get my gas and go to work.”

“I know, and there won’t be any trouble. I’ll even give you these tickets to the Duchess concert in December. They could be a Christmas present for someone, if you don’t want them.” Katie held out the tickets so the woman could see all the details. “They’re for the front row.”

The woman’s face went from indecision to acceptance. “Well, all right.” She snatched the tickets out of Katie’s hand before she could change her mind.

Smiling, Katie stepped away as the woman pulled forward. The owner of the truck noticed the movement and came toward Katie.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?”

Katie swallowed. The man looked annoyed. She hated confrontation and wondered what made her think this was a good idea, but she couldn’t back down now. She asked herself,
What would Duchess do?

“You, sir, are rude! Don’t you see how many people are waiting to pump gas? And you decide to take your time buying a candy bar and coffee while your truck blocks others from going on with their lives. What makes you more important than everyone else here?” Katie stood tall and made a sweeping gesture with her hand, realizing that she was mimicking Duchess. It made her feel more powerful.

“Don’t get your panties in a wad.”

Now that he was up close, she could see he was young, probably barely twenty years old. His manners needed some refining, and for some crazy reason, she thought she was the person to do it.

“Have you no respect for other people at all? Were you raised by wolves? This is a great big world, and I have news for you—you aren’t the only person in it!”