The Rock Star Next Door, a Modern Fairytale (8 page)

“You read those lame romances
where Mr. Right rides in o
n a white steed and sweeps the
girl
off her feet, carrying her away to his castle to be ravished forever:
you devour them
. Embrace life, Jess, stop hiding from it.”

“
I can’t believe
you’re
siding with him
.
”

“I’m not siding with him
.
Maybe he was drunk, maybe it just slipped out. I’ve been there, gone goo-goo over some girl and made an ass of mys
elf in public. Just quit freakin’
out and give the guy a chance. Maybe he’s your prince. You won’t find out hiding in my room.”

“I’m not hiding
.
” Jessie vaulted from the bed and turned to confront him with her arms crossed, her feet firmly
planted on the carpet. Lex
called earlier to invite
her to join him for lunch next door.  S
he wasn’t sure she could face him after last night. 

Jack merely looked at her.

“Okay, so maybe I am.” She turned on her heel and left her brother’s room. “Come on, Duncan.”
The Scottie followed her to her own room.  Once there, Jessie glanced at
herself in the
mirror briefly. If Lex imagined
he wanted to marry her, he should see her like this, hair wild, face bare, lacking even the slightest traces of mascara or concealer.
She was pretty much betting the cat that he wouldn’t be attracted to a plain girl like this when his
las
t girlfriend had been that glitzy fashion model.

“Hey, Duncan, time for your walk
.
” The Scottie did his usual Celtic jig, jumping and turning himself about in circles.
Ozzy
came tromping out from Jack’s room, barking with excitement. “Okay, I guess he should meet the whole clan
.
”

*    *    *

“It was brilliant, Lex, pure genius.” His manager’s voice
crowed over the phone.

Lex sighed, castigating himself yet again for his rash sta
tement to the press.

“It made front page news. CNN and the Today show picked it up. Our office is getting calls like you wouldn’t believe.
People are tweeting it, for God’s sake!
” 

Damn it
.
Lex cursed for the hundredth time today
as Dave’s voice rambled on, praising his bold play at publicity, once again extolling the virtues of exploiting the press to your own advantage. It was an old
lecture;
one Lex never tho
ught he’d paid too much mind to it
, until last night.

“So, is there goi
ng to be a wedding, you old dog? Or is this just a media stunt
?”

“
It’s real. But
I have yet to convince the girl.”

“Well, either wa
y, it won’t hurt your career
.”

Just my chances with Jessie.
Lex groaned inwardly.

“I have to go. I have company.” Lex hung up the phon
e and went to the glass patio
door to gre
et Jessie and her dogs.

“S
orry I’m late.” She smiled shyly. “Too much champagne. I overslept.”

“I thought maybe you forgot
.”
Or were scared off.
  Lex fingered the small ring in his ear, turning it around as he drank in the sight of her, fresh and unpreten
tious in an oversized Brewers T-Shirt and baggy cargo pants. Casual. Perfect. H
er glorious hair
was
swe
pt up in a neat ponytail. “W
ho is this?” He bent to pet the dogs
as their leashes wound about both their
legs. 

“
Ozzy
, down.” Jessie snapped as the little pug jumped up to his knees to lick his face at the slightest inking of attention. “Sorry, this is Jack’s dog,
Ozzy
. And this--oh--no--
Duncan
.
Stop that
.
” She yanked the chain
but not before the Scottie lifted his leg and
let loose a golden stream on Lex’s pant leg and his foot.
 

Lex stood from his crouched position
with a grimace.

“I’m
sorry
.
He’s never do
ne that before.” Jessie smirked. Her cheeks grew pink
as she restrained the
obvious
laughter bubbling up in her eyes.

“I’l
l just change into something else
.”  Lex smiled, backing inside to make his escape. After rinsing his leg
in the bathtub,
he donned a pair of
denim shorts and flip-flops
, intending to suggest a walk with the dogs before inviting them into his home. 

Just the
mention
of
the word
walk
transformed the lethal black urninator into a whirling dervish. He cocked an eyebrow at the silly little dog dancing in circles and jumping two feet off the patio as if he had springs on his feet.

“It’s the magic word.” Jessie explained. “We don’t dare say it, unless we intend to carry it out. Right Duncan
?
  Go for a
walk
?”  She laughed as Duncan’s efforts became that much more
pronounced;
he added barking to the sideshow while his companion,
Ozzy
, emitted a string
of pathetic
groans, wiggling with delightful anticipation.

Jessie’s amused smile lifted from her pets to grace Lex. An incredible warmth swept through him as he silently smiled back at h
is beauty. She was beautiful
, possessing that
classic
girl next-door innoce
nce with no make-up and no
glamour this morning.

“Would you mind taking one of them?” She lifted the leashes in each hand.

Lex arched a brow at the small black terrier who had christened his leg. “Which one should I take?  I’m without armor, wearing shorts.”

Jessie gave him a repentant look.
“I’m so sorry. R
eally, he’s never done that before.
Well, not to a person, anyway. Take
Ozzy
. He’s harmless
.”

Lex nodded, his face scrunched up with regret.

As they meandered down the beach, conversation lagged. Duncan pulled her away from Lex time and again, chasing birds,
and the waves, barking happily and
stopping every other rock or pile of seaweed to lift his leg. 

Ozzy
, on the other ha
nd, huffed and puffed beside Lex
like a little locomotive. Whenever Lex would pause to wait for Jessie and Duncan to return to them, the squat little dog would sit down, wheezing and puffing, his to
ngue hanging down to his chest. The dog would
look up at Lex
every time they stopped with his clown face
as if to say
‘aren’t we done yet?
’  Lex couldn’t help but smile
at the ridiculous creature. The dog was  ugly with
bulging brown eyes,
a deep wrinkled brow and a
nose so pushed in it made him look as if he’d run into a brick wall.

He reached down to pet the beastie while Jessie let Duncan
mark
yet another s
tone
a few yards behind them.
The little pug
lunged at him, licking his hand and then his bare shins with
gratitude.

“Car
eful, he’ll lick your skin
off.” Jessie returned from their jaunt. “He’s Jack’s little brat. I’m surprised he hasn’t pu
lled the usual
and made you carry him.”

“The usual?” Lex repeated.

“When he gets tired of walking beside you
, he’ll just sit down
so you’re dragging him, the little
pud
ge
.”

“W
e’ve stopped
often enough for you
. H
e’s taken his share of breaks.”
Lex smiled. “How did you get these
two?”

“Steve bought them for Jack and
me
two years ago, a birthday present. Jack always wanted a Pug, and I always admired Scotties. They’re like
best friends, brothers.”

Lex sat down beside the irrepressible pug, stroking his fawn colored head as the tightly curled tail waved back and forth
. As he’d hoped, Jessie sat in the sand
next to them. Duncan stood at attention, measuring Lex with
his
tail and ears
high. The dog even had
what a
ppeared to be a frown forming over
hi
s bushy
brows.

“Oh-oh.”

“It’s okay. H
e’s just full of energy.
It’s the testosterone.”

“Why isn’t he neutered like his friend, here?”

“So he can hose my prospective boyfriends.” Jessie teased. 

“I see. A
n attack dog.” 
Not only was the brother protective, but the dog, too. 

“Exactly. Duncan, settle
.” She comm
anded. Duncan lay down on the sand with his little legs extended fore and aft.
His little pink tongue sagged from his mouth as he panted lightly.
“Good boy.” Jessie stroked his wiry head
. “I don’t know if I want to have him fixed.
Ozzy
’s put on weight
since he was neutered last year
and all he does is sleep and eat. Of course, that’s about all Jack does, too.”

“Why the name Duncan?”

“
He’s
Duncan Mac
leod of th
e Clan Mac
leod
.” Jessie stated emphatically, giving Lex a long measuring look
.

“I don’t recognize the reference.
” He arched a brow
slightly
.
“A Scottish Poet?”

“No, he’s named after the guy in the old Highlander TV series? You know,
the g
uy who whips out his sword and says
‘I’m Duncan Macleod of the Clan Mac
leod
.
’”

“Oh, yeah. Right.” He vaguely recalled
the advertisements on late night ca
ble, and might have watched an episode or two when on tour years ago
.  “What about
Ozzy
, is he named after the rocker or Ozzie and Harriet
?”

Jessie laugh
ed, ruffling the pug’s back. “The rocker, definitely the rocker.
” 

“It fits him. He’s so . . .” Lex searched for the right adjective
.

“He’s so ugly he’s cute.” Jessie bent to give the pug an affectionate pat. “Our sad little clown.”

Having exhausted the dogs conversationally, silence descended once more.  Lex stroked
Ozzy
’s velvet ear, summoning the courage to broach the subject of last night as the waves lapped back and forth and the south wind caressed their faces.

“Jessie . . . about last night . . .” He began. Jessie was looking down, at the sand, but her head bobbed slightly, letting him know she was listening.  “I’m sorry if I embarr
assed you. T
he cha
mpagne went to my head
and . . . I
just forgot
how ravenous the media can be. I’d hate for that to end our friendship.” 

It wasn’t true
. The champagne hadn’t gone to his head, and he
had
meant it. He was a consummate showman, used to the bright
lights and media hype. He did
it on purpose but he couldn’t let her know that.

“It freaked
me out a little. Sort of borderline stalker, don’t you think?
”

Lex shook his head.
“No. I don’t.” He
propped his chin in one hand
and stroked the dog with the other.
“A stalker wouldn’t do anything in front of a camera. It’s all about hiding from the world with a guy like that. I did it in front of everyone. Without shame. You don’t believe I’m stalker, do you?
”

“Well . .
. no.”  She grew pensive. “But we went to dinner one time
and t
he next thing I know
you
’re
tell
ing
Ruby Star that you’re
going to
marry me.” She pulled her gaze from the sea to give him a penetrating look. “What am I supposed to think?”