Playing the Game (21 page)

I sucked back my tears. “All I’ve ever done
is sing.” I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I want to
try college, Jess. I’d like to take a few classes and figure out if
there’s something else out there that I’m good at. Maybe I’ll be a
doctor or nurse.”

He laughed, earning a glare. “You passed out
in Biology when you tried dissecting a worm. Remember?”

“
Okay,” I said with a
slight blush. “Maybe the medical profession is out but there are so
many other options.”

He brushed the hair off my forehead and
kissed me.

“
Then you should check it
out.” His lips curved. “I’m pretty proud of you.”

I ducked my head as heat touched my cheeks.
“Well, I haven’t done anything yet.”

“
I know. But you will.” He
pulled me to his chest. “What about that recording
contract?”

“
I’ll meet with Jon on
Monday and tell him my plans.”

Jess kissed the top of my head. “What about
your mother?”

My heart fell as I tucked my body in his
arms. “I have to give her a little time to cool off before I talk
to her.”

“
That’s probably a good
idea.” He rubbed his hands up and down my back. “We’ll discuss Mama
later. Why don’t you tell me about this college idea?”

I smiled in his chest. I loved this rare
side of Jess and wanted to hold on to it as long as possible. “I’ve
actually made an appointment with a guidance counselor at the
community college. I meet with her Wednesday. I think I’ll just
take it one semester at a time.”

He edged me back with a frown. “Are you
sure, Aubrey? I’m not trying to talk you out of this, but I don’t
want you to pass up an opportunity you may regret later.”

I laughed a little hysterically. “Of course
I’m not sure, Jess. I’m not sure about anything right now except
that I don’t want to live under my mother’s thumb any longer.”

He studied my face for a moment then leaned
in to kiss me, knocking me breathless. “Let’s go shower,” he
mumbled on my lips. “After you call your sister and assure her
you’re fine.”

***

Although Jess wasn't pitching, I still
enjoyed the game. I sat next to Kendra and she regaled tales from
the animal shelter to keep the mood light and fun. I was grateful
for I definitely didn’t want to discuss the show or my future. I
just wanted to live in the present for the weekend. On Monday, I’d
jump feet first into the real world.

After the game, Jess and I went to Troy’s
house for dinner along with a couple other players and I relaxed,
an overwhelming feeling of belonging filling every pore of my
being. Jess’s friends accepted me readily, although a few girls did
flash me a jealous look or two.

Jess gave me a little
space but didn’t forget I was there. And it was just so
nice
. No one bugged me
about the show. I wasn’t forced to meet someone because he or she
knew producers or song writers. I was just plain old Aubrey
Quinn.

“
Aubrey,” Kendra called as
I stood near the deck rail, admiring the horses grazing in the
paddock. “I convinced Troy to adopt another horse. Do you want to
go see her? She’s in the barn.”

“
Sure,” I said. I followed
her down the path to the handsome red building. She pulled the huge
door open and the scent of hay and horse manure hit my nose. I
grimaced, slightly, but welcomed it. It didn’t smell like day old
coffee in a green room back stage of some theater.

“
Here she is,” Kendra
announced proudly, stopping before a stall. A thin, bay mare poked
her nose over the door, searching Kendra’s palm for a treat. With a
laugh, she gave the nose a fond pat. “She was abandoned because the
price for feed rose so rapidly and her owner couldn’t afford to
feed her. We found her wandering a park on the outskirts of town.
She scared some little kids.”

“
That’s terrible,” I said
as I moved closer, offering my hand to the mare. I didn’t know if
you were supposed to let horses sniff your palm like a dog but I
was too embarrassed to ask. The horse’s bristly nose tickled my
skin and I smiled. I had little experience with animals but this
one seemed very affectionate for a horse. “She’s
beautiful.”

“
She’s a lover,” Kendra
smiled. “She’ll be perfect for beginning riders once she’s back to
normal weight.”

“
I’ll keep that in mind
next time you convince me to go riding,” I laughed. She grinned
nervously and I furrowed my brow. “Is something wrong?”

“
No,” she said, stroking
the horse’s long nose. “I asked you to come out here for a reason.”
She shuffled her feet and my anxiety mounted. “I don’t really have
a lot of girlfriends, even among the players’ wives. I always
related best to animals.”

I nodded, understanding. I’d never had many
friends, either. I never had much of a chance and the few friends I
had made were because of some performance or another. And they
never lasted long.

“
I know what you
mean.”

She laughed again, the sound hoarse. “I know
you do. We’re a lot alike but totally different.” She patted the
mare’s nose and squared her shoulders. “I just wanted to ask if
you’d be a bridesmaid in my wedding this fall. I know we don’t know
each other very well, but I really like you and I know we’ll become
the best of friends with time.”

My heart flipped. I was struck speechless.
“I’m…honored. Are you sure?”

“
Yes, I’m sure.” Her eyes
lit up but I could see the uncertainty lingering inside them. She
was afraid she’d overstepped her boundaries.

“
I’d love to.”

She squealed, startling the mare, and hugged
me. “Thank you so much, Aubrey. You don’t know how stressful this
wedding stuff is. Troy has been an angel about the whole thing,
telling me we can just elope, but I want to do the church
thing.”

“
Just tell me what I need
to do and when,” I said, unable to prevent my lips from curling
into a happy smile.

“
We’re not getting married
until October but my sister in-law told me that I really should
have all this stuff done already.” She groaned. “I’m supposed to be
picking out bridesmaids dresses but I only had one bridesmaid and
that’s my sister in-law!”

***

“
I understand you’re going
to be in Troy and Kendra’s wedding,” Jess said that night as I
cuddled into his side.

“
Yeah.”

“
Kendra’s something else.
I didn’t think anyone would ever tame Troy.” He sighed and kissed
my head. His lips traveled to my temple as he shifted me away from
him. He crawled over me, his kisses turning a little more urgent.
His lips brushed my jaw and down my neck. Shuddering, I clutched
his shoulder, a trail of fire following his mouth. He’d already
shed his shirt before climbing into bed and I allowed my hands to
roam his bare chest, admiring the complicated muscles that flexed
with his every move.

He tugged my nightshirt over my head and
continued to assault my overheated skin with kisses as my hands
moved back to his shoulders, gripping them tightly.

“
But I’m the lucky man,”
he murmured against the skin of my stomach as he kicked off his
boxers.

Later, as his snores whispered in the dark,
I contemplated what I would do about my living arrangements. Jess
had mentioned that I could live with him but I wasn’t sure if that
was what I really wanted. I loved him with all my heart and enjoyed
the mornings when I woke up in his arms - but I’d never lived on my
own. I wanted to find my independence before I tangled my life with
someone else.

I’ll need a
job
, I sighed. My savings would get me by
for a few months but I didn’t want to depend on that. And if I did
start classes in the fall, I’d have to pay for that somehow. I
didn’t want to ask my parents to help and I certainly didn’t want
to go to Jess for money.

I flopped on my back, quiet groan escaping
my lips. This wasn’t going to be easy.

“
Stop thinking and sleep,
Aubrey,” Jess mumbled. His hand fell on my stomach and I squirmed
closer to him. His lips found my face in the dark and he kissed my
cheek. “Worrying about things won’t help.”

“
I know,” I whispered. “Go
back to sleep.”

His fingers trailed up my side and wound in
my hair as he pressed his lips firmly to mine. “We’ll talk
tomorrow. Sleep now.”

“’
kay,” I said, closing my
eyes. I flipped to my side and scooted my back into his chest. His
arm tightened around my waist and I pushed my worries aside,
concentrating on Jess’s soft snores. Finally, after midnight, I
drifted off, secure in Jess’s arms.

Chapter Seventeen

“
Are you sure you don’t
want to come with me?” Jess asked as he slung his bag over his
shoulder. Shaking my head, I tried to smile. Today I would venture
into the real world and Jess would be on a plane for the east
coast. He wouldn’t be here to hold my hand.

“
I have appointments this
week,” I reminded him.

He pursed his lips, regarding me carefully,
head tilted to the side. “Stay here while I’m gone.”

“
Sure,” I muttered.
“Because you need someone to water your plants, right?”

Laughing, he pulled me into his arms. His
lips moved over mine slowly until I had to pull away to gasp for
oxygen.

“
Nah. When I come home I
want to find you in my bed.” An impish sparkle glinted in his eyes
making my heart melt. He kissed me again.

“
Call me if you need me,”
he whispered so lightly I almost didn’t hear him.

He started to ease out of my arms but I held
him tighter. I didn’t want to let him go. How was I going to do
this on my own? Fear riddled my heart as I gaped at him, clinging
to his waist.

“
Aubrey, I’d love to give
you a quickie but I have a plane to catch,” he said. When I didn’t
laugh, he sighed and loosened my grip. He dropped his bag to take
my face in his hands. “Don’t do this. You’re stronger than you
think. It’s sink or swim time.”

“
I know,” I said, biting
my lip.

He held my head tighter and pressed his lips
to mine. “Get your stuff done. After you finish, if you want to
join me, give me a call.” He kissed me again. “I really have to
go.”

“
Okay,” I said, a little
disappointed in his pep talk. But Jess usually was a man of few
words. “Good luck.”

“
Yeah.” He drew me to his
chest and kissed the top of my head. “Behave yourself, Aubrey Rose.
Don’t pick any fights with your mother.”

“
I love you,” I murmured,
closing my eyes and inhaling as much of him as I could.

“
I know,” he grinned,
releasing me to pick up his bag. He gave me a wink as he walked out
the door. “I love you, Aubrey. See you soon.”

***

“
It’s nice to see you
again, Aubrey,” Jon said as he ushered me inside his office. He
pointed at a chair in front of his mahogany desk. I sat on the
edge, nervous anxiety shooting through my body.

“
Thank you,” I muttered. I
glanced at all the official-looking certificates hanging on the
sage walls. I wasn’t sure what they meant but I was betting if my
mother had been there she’d know. I pushed her from my thoughts and
concentrated on Jon’s words.

“
So, why don’t you tell me
why you’re not interested in signing a contract?” he asked, leaning
back in his leather chair. He folded his hands under his chin as if
preparing to hear an interesting story.

“
Well,” I said, swallowing
the lump in my throat. I drew an unsteady breath. Where to begin?
“You see, I’ve been singing most of my life. My mother has
orchestrated every performance, every contest, just about
everything in my life.” I paused, not wanting to bad-mouth her at
all.

“
I see,” he said. He sat
forward and sprawled his hands on his desk. “So, you didn’t really
want to participate in the show then?”

“
I did,” I said slowly,
“but not as much as she wanted me to do it.”

His smile was genuine, bringing brightness
to his kind eyes. “And you’re not sure that you want to be a singer
now, huh?”

“
Exactly,” I said,
relieved. “I was thinking about taking a little time to try other
things. Like college.”

“
That’s a good idea,” he
nodded. He sat back again and studied me so I hard I began to
squirm. He exhaled loudly. “I’ll tell you what; why don’t you take
a year of college classes or whatever else you want to try then
come back and see me and we’ll see how things are
going?”

“
Seriously?” I asked. I
couldn’t believe I’d actually have a second chance.

“
I like your sound and
your look. I want to sign you, Aubrey, but I don’t want to sign you
if you’re not prepared to put your heart and soul into
it.”

I nodded. “That’s very generous of you.”

He laughed. “Not really. I’m just trying to
cover my butt – be the nice guy. I’m sure other labels will be
knocking on your door and I’m hoping that you’ll remember me when
you do decide to sign.”

“
Of course I will,” I
said, standing. A wide smile stretched across my face. Maybe I
could do this. “Thank you so much.”

He walked me to the door. “No, thank you.
And you know, you don’t have to wait an entire year. If you decide
sooner you’d rather sing than do anything else, just call me.”