Finding Forever (Living Again #4) (11 page)

Brant swung his truck into the park where the photo shoot was being held. He saw a line of trailers, and knew he had found the right place. He was going to be featured in a national magazine article about Nashville ‘stars’. He didn’t see himself as a star, but apparently that was his new status. He knew that there were a few other people as part of the shoot, one being Samantha Kerrigan-Warner, who he was excited to meet, a local author that had hit the big time, another female model and an actor who was going to be in a major blockbuster film. He was honored to be chosen to be part of the feature, but was just not in the frame of mind for this today.

Looking for his cell phone, he realized that he hadn’t seen it since yesterday afternoon when he left the hospital. That wasn’t good. What if something happened to his dad today while he was here? He’d never forgive himself. He looked at the clock and knew he didn’t have enough time to get all the way back across Nashville to get it, and dread settled in his stomach. He had to just get through this day.

“You’re ready,” the hair and makeup girl announced. “Head on over there to wardrobe so they can get you all set to shoot. They’re going to want you out there in less than thirty minutes.”

Brant nodded, not in the mood for idle chit-chat. As he made his way to the wardrobe trailer, his mind wandered. Before his absent, exhausted brain could register it, he ran straight into someone, sending them both stumbling.

He stuck his arm out automatically, and they both righted themselves. It was then that he noticed who it was. Samantha Kerrigan-Warner. Shit. He had just almost railroaded the hottest country star since Carrie Underwood.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized. “Totally my fault. Stupid me wasn’t looking where I was going.”

She laughed. “No worries, hon. You here for the shoot too?”

“Yes,” he said, trying not to be tongue-tied. She was beautiful, yes, but that wasn’t why he was feeling that way. He was flat out star-struck. Everyone in Nashville and beyond loved Sam Kerrigan and the whirlwind superstar she had become. He realized he hadn’t even introduced himself, and he was just staring at her like some little boy. “So sorry. I’ve had a long week. Brantley Tucker.” He stuck his hand out to shake hers.

A look he couldn’t quite place crossed her face as she reached her hand out. “Sam Warner,” she said. As if she needed an introduction.

“I know,” he laughed. “It’s an honor to be here with you. I’m a big fan.”

“Is that so?” she teased. “Well, I think we have ourselves quite a coincidence here, because I think you’ve become a fan of my best friend very recently.”

He didn’t understand what she meant, but panic started creeping through him. Her best friend? Who?
Oh, please tell me that her best friend isn’t someone I’ve been with in the past
.

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow you.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t place the name,” she said, laughing. “When she told me about you, I knew the name was familiar, but I just figured it was because your family has been around here forever. Now I know that it’s also because I had seen your name on the agenda for today’s shoot.”

When he was silent, still staring at her like she had three heads, she giggled. “I’m not making any sense. You met my best friend, Dr. Lacey Russell, this week, right?”

He blinked, unable to formulate words. Her best friend was
Lacey?
What? “You’re kidding me,” was all he could muster out of his mouth. What were the odds?

She shook her head, her dark hair bouncing around her face. “Lacey and I have been best friends since we were kids. She told me about your dog, and your dad. I’m so sorry you’ve had a shitty week. How are they doing?”

Lacey was Sam’s best friend. She had told Sam about him. This was a good sign, right? “She talked about me?”

Sam smiled. “She sure did. Several times. This week has been hard for her, too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, her birthday is the day her mom died, right? I told her that she should make her birthday the day after. I actually saw her and her sister at the river also, the same day that Max—that’s my dog—got hit by the car. I swear, it’s such a small world.”

“Yes,” Sam agreed. “It sure is. I’m going to tell you something, Brant. My best friend, she’s jaded. This is nothing she doesn’t already know and readily admit, so I’m not telling you something I wouldn’t say to her. She’s spent the last fourteen years keeping everyone at bay as much as she possibly can. What I can also tell you, though, is that I sensed a difference in her when she talked about you. She’s fighting it, because that’s what she thinks she needs to do, but if you really do want to try to get to know her, don’t give up.”

“I haven’t talked to her all week, not since the night I was supposed to cook her dinner,” he said. “With everything that’s happened, I didn’t want to bring her into it. I know she’s already suffered enough, and I didn’t want to put pressure on her to do something she wasn’t ready for.”

“You’re going to need to pressure her a little,” Sam said. “That’s just the way you have to do things with Lacey. I’ve talked to her, and I’ll continue to talk to her. Just, be careful. She’s skittish. And…” Sam looked away, and he wanted to plead for her to keep talking, but he waited.

“And what? I can take it.”

She looked back at him, her dark eyes boring through his. “Don’t break her heart. If she gives you a chance, I mean really gives you a chance, don’t give her any reason to doubt you. I know how this lifestyle,” she indicated around them, “can influence a lot of decisions, but just know this. Lacey is a strong woman. The strongest I’ve ever known. But she needs a soft spot to land. She can’t take someone who just wants a conquest. She’s never
wanted
a relationship, but if I had to bet on it, I would say she wants it more now than she will admit.”

Ah, so there it was. The whole ‘model’ bit. He understood it. When he had first started modeling and the beautiful women were plentiful, he took full advantage of that. But after a while, that had gotten old, and while the innuendos and offers still existed, he no longer wanted that. Sam thought that Lacey wanted a relationship now? Because of him, or just in general? He couldn’t ask.

“Sam,” he said. “Thank you for being a great friend. I assure you, as I will her as well, that I’m not at all a player. I have no desire to sleep with the models that I have to work with. As you know, sometimes I’m put into situations that are very sexual for selling purposes, but that’s all it is. I’ve lived that life, and it’s not for me anymore. I’m old enough now to know what I want, and that’s someone to love me for me, not because of my body or what I can do for them in their career.”

She nodded. “Well said. I often felt the same about my career. There were so many people in my life, back when I first started singing, that I had no idea if they were there for the right reasons or not. I still struggle with that sometimes. But now that I’m married with a little girl of my own, I know better how to make decisions that are best for me and not just listen to everyone around me. Sounds like we’ve both had to get smart in this business.”

The door to wardrobe opened and an impatient looking woman motioned them both in. “We’re running out of time! Come in!” Sam looked at Brant and they both stifled laughter.

Brant slipped on the pair of low rise jeans, open button down shirt, cowboy boots and hat they wanted for the first part of his shoot, thinking about what Sam had said. He still couldn’t believe it. She was Lacey’s best friend.

He stepped out from around his wardrobe rack and saw Sam across the room. She smiled at him. They had her dressed in a white dress paired with a denim jacket, and her trademark colorful cowboy boots and hat. Today’s selection were baby blue.

“Ready?” He could see why everyone loved Sam. She had a genuineness about her that was very refreshing.

“Ready as I’m getting,” he admitted. “To be honest, I just want this day to be over. It’s not been the best week.”

“Did Lacey ever call you?”

Brant shook his head. “I haven’t talked to her since the day after her birthday, when I took her to lunch and then everything happened with my dad. I feel terrible that I haven’t called her.”

Sam’s brow furrowed as they walked towards the set together. “I thought she was going to call you. She told me she was.”

“Well, I haven’t seen my phone since yesterday afternoon, so she could’ve called me yesterday.”

Sam shrugged. “I hope she did. It’s hard to push that girl, truly, but I sure did try.” As they walked up together, they were pulled in two different directions. He hoped that he would get to talk to her again, and wanted to kick himself again for not having his phone. He wondered if she really had contacted him and he had missed it.

“Brant, I want you to take your shirt off and pull your bathing suit a little lower,” the photographer instructed. The shoot had been going on for two hours longer than he wanted it to, with multiple wardrobe changes. He knew he had the wrong attitude about this, but he wanted to be any number of places other than here. And the female model that was part of the shoot with him was being very grabby, despite his hints that he wasn’t into her.

“Lizzy, go on over and I want a seductive, I-want-you look with your bodies pressed together. Brant, I want your hand on her lower back, right above her bathing suit. Lizzy, wrap your leg around Brant’s. Yes, great. Now look at each other. Lean in a little closer to each other. Lizzy, put your left hand on Brant’s chest and lean in, like you’re going to tell him something.”

Brant checked out, going through the motions and smiling or looking serious at the right times, but he was no longer there. Heather was at his house with Max, Brooke was with their mother at the hospital, and he wanted nothing more than to talk to Lacey and explain what an ass he had been, not contacting her all week.

“That’s a wrap!”

Brant breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back from Lizzy. Tall and blonde with obviously fake breasts and a killer body, a few years ago he would’ve taken her back to his trailer and had his way with her. But not today, and not ever again.

“I’d like to show you a good time,” Lizzy said, just loud enough for Brant to hear. She stepped back closer to him, pressing her scantily clad body to his again. “You game?”

Brant took a deep breath. It would be so easy to use her to forget this crappy week, but he knew that wasn’t what he wanted. “Lizzy, it was great to work with you today, but I’ve got to run.”

She ran a finger down his bare chest, and he didn’t mistake the heat in her eyes. “Let’s go back to your trailer. You look like you need some stress relief.” She leaned her head in, closer to his. She was tall and was wearing heels, so it was easy for her to whisper in his ear. “I’m really good at relieving stress, in many ways.” With that, she reached her hand around and squeezed his ass.

He stepped back, effectively putting space between he and Lizzy for what he hoped was the last time. “No thanks, Lizzy.” Before she could respond, he turned to walk away, and what he saw had him stop in his tracks, his mouth open.

Lacey stood there, off to the side, her eyes trained on him. He knew the look in her eyes. Mistrust. Disgust. Anger.

Shit. She thought he had been coming onto that model. When he finally could make his feet move, he moved towards her, hoping with everything in him that she didn’t run away. What was she doing here? He had to explain.

“Lacey,” he smiled, getting close enough for her to hear him. “What a surprise! What are you doing here?”

Her eyes flicked back to Lizzy, still standing where he had left her, then back to him. “Guess it was quite a surprise,” she said, and he didn’t miss the sarcasm. “Sam asked me to come by. I guess I know now that she met you, right? This was a setup.”

“I had nothing to do with it,” Brant said. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

“Really?” She looked back at Lizzy again.

He chose to ignore that. “Want to go find Sam? I’d like to say goodbye to her before I go.”

Lacey eyed him, not saying a word. Finally, she said, “How’s your dad? I texted you last night.”

Damn. Wherever that stupid phone was, he had missed her contacting him. “He’s stable. Has a long road, but he’s doing a little better every day. And sorry. I don’t know where my phone is.”