Rock Star: The Song (Book 1 of a Bad Boy Romance) (13 page)

I took the check and in front of her face, ripped it up.

“You don’t get to buy people out of his life. You think this is all I’m worth?”

“Listen, Meghan.”

“No, you listen. You might boss Chase around and call the shots with his life. But you don’t call the shots with mine. Or the song I have written.”

“Ah my love, that’s where you are wrong.”

“You know what. I don’t care about it. Keep the damn song. Tell Chase he can use it.”

With that I tossed the small ripped pieces of the check at her feet and stormed off.

O
n my way
back from Ashton Falls, I thought about dinner with Mia. Once again it had been another intense conversation. As usual she was prying into my personal life. I had told her many a time, I drew a line at what I did on my own time. She had full rein to make business decisions, but she wasn’t going to be involved in who I could or could not see. What few realize is that she wasn’t just my agent. She was my manager and like many managers, she wore many hats. It was a position I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. They had to know when to step up to the line and pull you back from falling over the edge.

That edge might be drugs, alcohol, women or simply a bad attitude that was tarnishing the persona they had created. You see, to the public, they had an idea in their mind. This was always formed early. Everyone in the business knew that it only took one scandal to send a career off the rails. She had made it very clear that if a sex tape ever surfaced our business relationship would be over. Few recovered from those. It didn’t matter that people all over the world were recording themselves having sex. Celebrities weren’t mean to do it.

Though this time, it wasn’t about sex tapes, drugs or any of the usual vices that had caused me to stumble before. It was Meghan. She didn’t like the idea of me being involved with her. It was a distraction that she didn’t think I needed. In many ways I agreed with her. I already had enough on my plate as it was, trying to meet my obligation to the existing contract.

I had for a short while considered if she was just another girl. It felt different, though. Or was I just fooling myself? Didn’t all relationships start out that way? Magical, a sense that the other partner could do no wrong until time elapsed and their cute mannerisms soon became irritating. But other girls weren’t like her. They didn’t possess even an ounce of her talent. She wasn’t just a wannabe that was hoping to hook up and use me as an inroad into the music business. She hadn’t even approached me about wanting help. In fact she had initially withheld the fact that she was in a contest. Had I not pressed her, or shown up at the café that night, I wouldn’t have even known that she could sing and write.

No, I could make this work. We release the song together, she submits it to the contest. It could be a win-win situation for everyone. Heck, we could probably even create an album together. With her talent, coming up with new songs would be easy. Also it would allow me more time to be with her. I could stay longer in Lakeside. Experience more of small-town living, and really get to know her on a deeper level. I was certain that was what she would want too.

Upon returning to the cottage, I was perplexed to find several of the bodyguards carting out my belongings and loading them into the back of an SUV. I killed the engine and hopped out.

Mia was in the middle of giving one of them instructions, when she caught sight of me.

“Ah, finally. You have the song?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“OK. So we are good to go. I took the liberty of getting your stuff, I hope you don’t mind, it’s just we have a long journey ahead of us. I have a flight booked for this evening. We should be back in Nashville by midnight.”

“And what about Meghan?”

She waved me off as if the question wasn’t even worth answering.

“Mia?”

“She’s good. She’s fine with it.”

Mia kept looking at her phone, checking her messages.

“Fine as in?”

“As in she wants you to use the song. She’s not going to use it for her contest, or whatever that lame show is.”

I contemplated what she was saying. It didn’t sound like Meghan. I’d seen the drive in her eyes. She was stoked to have made it to the next round. This song no doubt would have landed her a place in the contest.

I turned to leave. I wanted to hear it from her. Something about it sounded off.

“Where are you going?”

“I need to see her before I leave.”

“There’s no time. Phone her. Message if you have to. But if we don’t leave now, we are going to miss the flight.”

“Mia, it’s a private jet. We pay them to fly us. I think they can wait.”

“Maybe they can. But the suits can’t. And they are waiting for us in Nashville.”

“Send them the song, I’m not leaving without seeing her.”

I charged away.

“Damn you, Chase.”

I shook my head as I got in her vehicle and left her in a plume of dust.

When I arrived at the café, I didn’t bother to worry with the media. I parked out front and pushed my way through the remaining paparazzi. Most of them had dispersed, no doubt they had got their story and were on to the next. The remainder tried to pester me with questions but I ignored them. You learned to shut them out. They became like flies buzzing around you on a hot day.

Sophie was behind the counter. Her eyes widened.

“Where’s Meghan?”

“I haven’t seen her.”

I cast a glance around. Charging towards me was Spike. I could tell he was in a foul mood, and somehow I was responsible. I was about to ask him the same question, when he cracked me in the jaw with a right hook. I collapsed to the floor, completely caught off guard. Pain shot through my head, and for a second I saw stars. Once I steadied myself, I hauled myself up. A few photographers were snapping photos, a couple of the decent ones were holding Spike back.

“What did you do to her?”

“By her, I gather you mean Meghan?”

“I knew this would happen. You come on in here, thinking you are all that. Break a heart and leave. Why don’t you just get the hell out of here?”

“I don’t know what is going on here. But I came to see Meghan before I had to leave.”

“Of course you did. You are full of shit, man. All your kind are the same! You think life owes you a living. Hell, once I get my band together, you can kiss opening for our band goodbye.”

“Listen, I just want to speak to Meghan.”

As I tried to move forward, Spike pushed back, throwing one of the photographers to one side so he could get a free hand. A table screeched as we all stumbled into it.

“Enough!”

We all froze.

Over the top of their heads I could see Meghan standing by the entrance to the stairs.

“Let him through.”

“But, Meghan.”

“Spike. I appreciate it. But let it go.”

He scowled, and gave a disdainful look.

Upon reaching her I took hold of her arms, but she backed away. Her eyes dropped. For whatever reason she wouldn’t look at me.

“Look, I don’t know what Mia said, but…”

“It doesn’t matter, Chase. You are leaving.”

“What about the contest?”

“Forget about it. It was a stupid idea anyway. I have responsibilities here. I can’t step away from this place so I can go and try out for something that may never lead to anything.”

“Then don’t, come with me. I’ll introduce you to some of the suits down in Nashville. Once they know you wrote this song with me, there is a good chance they would be open for us to write an album together.”

“I don’t think I want to be with you.”

“What?”

It felt as if something broke inside me.

“I don’t want to be another girl. Someone that you take along for the ride, and then drop once you are bored. Or you’ve had your fill.”

I shook my head in disbelief. I didn’t know what had come over her. What had Mia said to her? Talking to her now was like night and day.

“But the song?”

“Screw the song, Chase. I told Mia you can keep it. Use it. Do whatever the hell you want with it.”

I moved forward, but she stepped back. I wanted to hold her. Reassure her that I wasn’t her enemy. That whatever Mia had said, or implied, it wasn’t true. I wasn’t going to drop her, or forget or let her become just another girl. She meant more to me than that.

“Just go.” She turned to leave.

“Meghan?”

“Spike,” she said without looking back.

My eyes widened. Spike had obviously been waiting for this. Permission to intervene. He was over like a flash. Before I could get another word in edgewise, we were back to shoving one another.

“Get out, now.” He pointed toward the door.

“Listen.”

“Do I need to call the cops?”

I saw her disappear up the stairs. She didn’t glance back.

“OK, man, I’m going.”

“And don’t come back.”

I left, feeling completely gutted. A few more cameras flashed and I nearly lashed out at them. As I got back in the car and peeled away, I couldn’t help wonder what Mia had said. What would have led her to just give up that song? Sure, I had contributed the music, and a part of the chorus, but the rest was all her. Why would she just walk away?

I didn’t know what had gone down. But I was damn sure going to find out.

It wasn’t going to end here. Not like this.

Not this time.

R
ain had been falling
for the past two days, almost non-stop. Outside it was dark and overcast. It reflected how I felt inside. The leaves had fallen from the trees and we were officially on our way towards winter. The town would soon be covered in a sheet of white snow. Icicles would hang from the roofs, and no doubt, I would experience landing on my ass. It happened every year, without fail.

It had been a month since I had last seen Chase. It took me a few days to get my head back into working. I wanted to stay curled up in bed, eating bowls of ice cream and watching romance movies with Sophie.

Things between her and Spike hadn’t changed. He still was adamant about his feelings toward me. Despite me telling him I would completely disown him if he didn’t put things right between him and Sophie.

I didn’t expect him to start dating her again. The heart wants what the heart wants. But I missed seeing them both laugh. I think that’s why I crawled my way back to existence. Or maybe, it was the ever-increasing bills that were piling up. Hate is a strong motivator. The wolves at your door, even stronger.

I continued offering deliveries to locals in the town. Though my mornings were not the same anymore without that little detour out to the cottages. I hadn’t been out there since he’d left. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, until now. As I passed by there this morning, I pulled in. The cottages were usually empty over the winter. There had been talk of a new highway being built, which would bring more people through our town, and increase the population. Despite the work and tourists it would bring, City Hall was still undecided.

As I stood outside the cottage, leaves blew across the ground and the sound of Chase’s music flooded my memory. I walked up to the front door and remembered the first day I saw him. I chuckled to myself and took a seat on one of the rockers.

I had thought about my decision countless times since that day. What I had given up, both with Chase and my song. There was no certainty with either, but at least I had hope in those few weeks that I spent with him. I knew it was unrealistic to take off and pursue a dream without giving thought to how I would manage to keep my business afloat.

The café across the other side of the town hadn’t lasted. It closed up shop within a month of being open. Apparently someone in management had made a very bad decision in picking our town to open up their franchise. Locals, as I knew it, didn’t want to pay five dollars for a coffee. These were hard-working folk, who counted every cent they had. This change had benefited my business, allowing me to regain my balance.

It made me realize that nothing lasts forever.

Even great ideas soon find their way into the bargain bin. Great love can be tossed aside or replaced by someone new. Things by all accounts had returned to normal. I still saw Kyle and his loyal followers, or pets as Spike liked to call them. Kyle had made a petty attempt at apologizing. His father had got him into a rehab clinic and he said he was trying to turn things around. Whether I believed him or not, it took courage to admit he was wrong.

As for my parents’ cottage, that was the strange part. Everything had gone through with the cottage. The lawyers had closed on the exact date they said they would. In fact that’s where I found myself this morning. My next stop was the offices of lawyer Andy Jenkins.

“I just need you to sign off on these, and that should be it.”

“So the money will go into my bank account?”

“Money?”

“Yes, I know that we didn’t make much from it, but there should be at least ten thousand.”

He shuffled in his seat and leaned back.

“Oh, the money will go into your account. But, I thought you were aware of the agreement?”

I rose an eyebrow. “You’ve lost me.”

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a brown envelope, and slid it across to me.

I stared down at it, before opening it.

Inside were the keys to the property.

“It belongs to you.”

“What? They don’t want it? Did they back out?”

“No, Meghan, there was no couple who bought it. It was Chase Bryan. And his lawyer gave explicit instructions that you were to keep the property.”

“He bought it, but he’s given it to me?”

“Guess he wanted to keep it in the family.”

I was speechless. My jaw hung for a moment before I closed it.

“Well, that should be everything. If you have any other questions, feel free to give me a call.”

“OK,” I blurted out. My mind was still chewing over what had just taken place. I hurried to my truck and jumped inside. Rain hit the front window like bullets. It was coming down in sheets. The street had become like a river of water. I sat for a few minutes looking at the keys and thinking about what he had done that day. I smiled. Then felt a deep sense of loss and regret. What could we have been if I hadn’t been so hasty to end it? Why did I allow Mia to put me in a position that made me think that they could do whatever they wanted?

It was in the past. I tried to push the thoughts from my mind as I drove back to the café. Switching on the radio, I tuned into my favorite country station and allowed myself to be content with the situation. Who else could say they got to sleep with Chase Bryan? Those and many other thoughts went through my mind on the way home. How many others could say they wrote a song with him? Did any of it matter now?

As I turned the final bend that took me onto the street where Steamy Beans Coffee House was, I experienced shock on two levels. First, the song we wrote together began playing on the radio, next I spotted him outside the café.

I veered off to the side of the road, a short distance from the shop. Tears streaked my face as I listened to the song while peering out through the window that was covered in water. My wipers were on high, and even they couldn’t clear the window. I stared at his blurry silhouette. He was standing under the storefront awning. My heart was pounding fast. I swallowed hard and reached for some tissues to dry my face. I flipped the visor down and looked at my reflection. My eyes were red and puffy. Black mascara was all over my cheeks. I was a mess. I looked like Alice Cooper on a bad day. I adjusted my hair and reapplied some makeup, not that any of it would matter. The moment I would step outside I would be drenched.

What was he doing here? What did this mean? Better question, what would I say to him?

After receiving the keys to the property, I now felt indebted to him.

I took a few deep breaths, and drove on to the store. Parking outside, I hopped out. The rain was coming down hard. But I didn’t care. He was looking my way now. Dressed in tight jeans, a black shirt and jean jacket. He wore a baseball cap.

“You’re gonna get wet out there.”

He waved me over. I looked down at my feet, bit the side of my lip and trudged over. By the time I had made it under the awning my clothes were soaked through to the skin. The cold reached my bones, causing me to shiver ever so slightly. He smiled, and for a brief moment I forgot that I was cold. I could feel my teeth chattering.

“Hey, you.”

“Hi.”

We both went to speak at the same time and it just sounded muddled.

“Thanks for what you did with my parents’ house and all. I guess that’s why you’re here?”

“Yeah, um. I could have signed off digitally. But… well, I thought I would swing by, and see if you were around. How are you?”

“Good. I guess.”

“I see the coffee house we won’t name has no longer got a name.”

I smiled. “Yeah, closed up shop. They are opening in Ashton Falls. Apparently someone screwed up and thought this would be a good town to have a coffee shop. Not enough people to pay them their hefty price tag.”

“That’s good news for you, right?”

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“Meghan. Listen, I’m sorry about the way things ended.”

“Nah, it’s OK.”

“No it’s not. I found out what Mia had offered you. You need to know I didn’t even know about that. I would have never done that.”

I shifted from one foot to the next, pushing my hands into my back pockets

“Ah, it’s water under the bridge.”

“So you heard the song?”

I let out a slight laugh. “Actually yes, I just heard it a moment ago. Turned out good.”

“Would have been better with you on it.”

* * *

I
held his gaze
, staring into his butterscotch eyes.

“Maybe. What’s done is done.”

“And the contest?”

I shrugged. “I never sent anything in.”

I felt awkward talking about it now. I almost felt embarrassed, stupid even to be talking about a contest. “You want to come in for a coffee?”

“No, I have some business I need to attend to.”

“Right,” I said, feeling a twinge of disappointment.

“Actually it’s why I’m here. You remember I said I had a friend who had put the contest together? I submitted that song under your name as the official writer.”

“You did?”

“You’re in, Meghan.”

“What? Are you kidding?”

“No,” I said. “They loved it and well, I worked out a deal with them.”

“What kind of deal?” I raised an eyebrow thinking about the one he’d made with my parents’ place.

“Are you free tonight for dinner, we can talk about it? By the way, you’re not seeing anyone, are you?”

I smiled, and my lip curled up slightly.

“No, I’m very single.”

He reached for my hand, and rubbed his warm thumb over the top of my cold, wet hand.

“I’ve missed you.”

He moved in closer, my pulse was beginning to race even faster.

“Yeah, I missed you too.”

Then as if nothing had changed between us, he cupped my face in his hand and kissed me on the lips. At first it was soft, slow before he pulled apart. I could tell he was gauging my response. If me smiling like a complete goofball wasn’t clear enough. The next kiss was hard and passionate. His hand went in my hair as he pulled me in against him and embraced me. When we pulled apart a second time, he kissed me one final time.

“Where are you staying?”

“At your place if that’s OK.”

“Fine. Great. I mean. Yeah.” The words spilled out while my head was still spinning from his kiss.

“I’m kidding. As much as I would like to stay there, I can’t. They have us staying at the White Hart Inn.”

I was confused.

“OK, I have to get a few things done, I’ll be back later and we’ll go out.”

“Sure.” He was about to dash out into the rain. “Chase. Who is they? And what about this deal?”

“I was asked to be one of the judges.”

My eyes opened wide.

If that was not shocking enough, what came out next was even more so.

“Oh, and they’re going to be hosting it here. In Lakeside.”

* * *