Things Lost In The Fire (29 page)

He struggled for something to say back to her, but came up empty.

“Right. I should go.” She turned and disappeared down the hallway that led backstage, leaving him standing alone to stew in his guilt.

S
O, HOW’D it go?” Tess asked, a giddy smile on her face. She sat at the dining table across from Sadie and handed her the newspaper. “Don’t be modest. I already read every word the paper had to say on the topic. ‘A brilliant, almost bittersweet addition that brought fresh light and splendor to an already killer rock band.’ They loved you, not that it surprises me. You’re a natural.”

Sadie stirred her coffee absently, her mind elsewhere. “It was fun.”

“Fun? Honey, this was your first show being yourself. Don’t you think it deserves a better adjective than ‘fun’?” Tess laughed, retrieving the paper so she could look at the picture released by the venue from the night’s performance. It showed Ben and Sadie standing side-by-side looking at each other and singing. She sighed. “I wish I could’ve seen it. If stupid Richard hadn’t kept me working late—”

“I kissed Brody,” Sadie blurted out, covering her mouth the instant she said it. She eyed Tess warily, gauging her best friend’s reaction.

Tess’s eyes widened. “Oh. Well, then…how was it?”

“Amazing.” Sadie bit back a smile, knowing she was blushing. “But then we kind of argued or something and I left…I don’t really know where we stand.”

“What’d you fight about?” Tess asked, concern creasing her brow. “Do I need to go kick his ass?”

“No,” Sadie replied, winding a strand of hair around her finger anxiously. “In fact, that’s exactly why he was upset. None of you trust him around me.”

Tess scoffed. “Well, duh. He’s—” Sadie’s hurt look had her pausing. She rolled her eyes as she continued. “Okay, fine. I’ll play nice and back off a bit if that’s what you want. He hasn’t given me any real reason to distrust him so far, so maybe he’s okay.”

“I care about him, Tess. A lot,” Sadie admitted, realizing it even as the words poured out of her. “He and I shared something I never had with anyone else. He understands me and doesn’t treat me like I’m going to fall apart all the time. Instead he makes me feel like I did before Walker hurt me. Things weren’t perfect back then, but at least I wasn’t broken.”

“You’re not broken now, Sadie,” Tess cut in, reaching for her hand. “And if I treat you like you are then I’m sorry. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

Sadie attempted a smile. “I know. And you push me to do things outside my comfort zone, so thank you. I would have never performed onstage last night if you hadn’t pushed me to break out the first time.”

“Well, you’re welcome.” Tess squeezed her hand and released it, looking down at the paper once again. “You really should read this whole thing. I think it’ll give you a good boost in confidence.”

“Maybe.” Sadie tilted her head to look at the image of her with her father as her cell phone began to ring. She saw her mother’s phone number and a jolt of dread shot through her. “Give me a minute, Tess.”

She rose to her feet and retreated into the guest bedroom before answering the call.

“
How could you?
” Valerie cried, sounding miserable and furious. “
Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you were onstage with Albatross? I don’t even know what to say I’m so upset.
”

Sadie lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, closing her eyes as guilt swam over her. “I’m sorry, Mom. It was all very sudden. Tommy called me the night before the show and asked me to join them onstage. It was just for one song.”

“My
song,
” Valerie shot back. “
Ben had no right having you sing my parts like that.
”

“I’m sorry. It was a one-time thing.”

“
So you’ll perform with your father but you won’t do a duet with me? Do you even understand how that makes me feel? I offered to make you a star and instead you go behind my back and betray me like this.
”

“Betray you?” Sadie repeated, stunned. “All I did was sing one song as a favor to the band. That’s a far cry from letting you write music for me.”

For a moment Valerie said nothing. When she spoke again, there was added venom in her voice. “
Fine. But don’t come crying to me when Ben throws you out like garbage the way he did to me.
”

She hung up, leaving Sadie holding the phone and cursing under her breath. She fell back against the bed, wishing things weren’t so complicated.

FIGURING SHE could win over her mother if she brought something more than just apologies, Sadie stopped in at the quaint coffee shop she’d visited a few days earlier. This time she didn’t bother covering her eyes with sunglasses, knowing she couldn’t hide forever. If someone recognized her, so be it. She had more important things to worry about.

She walked from her car up to the entrance of the shop, coming to an abrupt stop when someone opened the door for her. Her lips curved in a thankful smile, only to falter when she recognized the man before her.

“Drew. Hi,” she greeted, flustered and uncomfortable. “T-thanks.”

“Welcome.” Drew smiled and followed her inside. “I was hoping I’d run into you again.”

She gripped her purse strap tightly with one hand, the other immediately snaking through strands of her hair. He came up behind her when she got into line and she had no choice but to address him. “I’m just grabbing something to go.”

“Me too. Hey, I heard you performed last night with Albatross. I bet that was amazing.”

Her eyes met his as she struggled not to feel so horribly awkward. “Yep, it was cool,” she replied lamely.

“Wish I could’ve seen it. You should’ve called me, given me a heads up.”

She flushed as she realized she couldn’t admit to losing his number on purpose. “It was a surprise, anyway. I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone.”

Drew nodded, looking sheepish. “I get that. So, what do you usually get to drink here?”

Relieved he wasn’t going to press her on the issue, she smiled. “They make a good cinnamon vanilla latte.”

“Yeah? I’m partial to the mocha myself.” He flashed those perfectly white teeth at her, sending her mind into a frenzy of cluttered thoughts. She watched him brush back his length of brown hair and couldn’t help but once again catch a hint of the cologne he wore. “I’d like to pay for your drink, if you don’t mind.”

Sadie blinked, taken aback by his offer. “Oh. No, that’s okay. I need to get something for my mom, too.”

“For Valerie Ryan?” Drew’s mouth spread in a wide grin, his voice loud enough to catch the attention of a few other customers.

Sadie bit her tongue, wishing she’d thought up some kind of excuse instead of blurting out the truth. “Um, yeah. Anyway, I can get it.”

“It’s no trouble, Sadie,” Drew replied, coming up beside her as she approached the barista. She didn’t know how else to say no, so she placed the order and stood by uncomfortably as he paid for her.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” she told him as he got the receipt and led her to a nearby table. She lowered into the seat but remained perched on the edge, ready to go the second the drinks were ready.

Drew sat across from her, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’re worth it. Besides, consider it repayment for all the hours of pleasure I got from listening to your music on YouTube.”

A strange feeling licked at Sadie’s insides, somewhere between discomfort and delight. “Hours, huh? You must be my number one fan.”

“I probably am.” He grinned again, an odd sort of arrogance in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Which is why I’d hoped you’d call me.”

“I’ve been busy.” She turned away, wanting nothing more than to leave. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that bothered her. Maybe she just needed to get used to being fawned over by fans, she realized. Her mother didn’t seem to mind it when fans approached her. In fact, she seemed to thrive on it.

“Looks like the drinks are ready. Let me grab them for you,” Drew offered, rising to his feet. She watched him wander over to the counter and thank the barista, returning seconds later with a trio of tall paper cups.

She stood, not wanting to get suckered into another long chat. She accepted two of the drinks from him. “Thank you, again. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“It was my pleasure.” Drew stared down at her intently, as though admiring her. “Take care, Sadie.”

“You too.” She clutched the coffee cups tightly in her hands as she retreated away from him, catching the curious stares of a few customers as she passed. Thankfully, none of them stopped her from leaving the coffee shop and getting into her car.

She turned on the engine and pulled onto the road, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. “Well, that was weird,” she mumbled to herself, shaking off the strange feelings she felt. She wanted to chock it up to just social awkwardness over being recognized in public, but somehow she had a feeling there was more to Drew than met the eye.

Shrugging off the thought, she drove up Laurel Canyon on her way to her mother’s home. She sipped her coffee as she hit the buzzer and pulled into the driveway, parking behind her mother’s Corvette. Grabbing the hot tea for her mother, she made her way to the front door and knocked.

Carla opened the door, looking distracted. “Miss Sadie. Come in.”

“How’s she doing?” Sadie asked.

“She’s in her room, resting. I can let her know you’re—”

“I’ll just run up and bring her this,” Sadie cut in, lifting the cup of tea. “I won’t be long.”

She climbed the long stairway, wishing her heart would stop trying to beat its way out of her chest. Nerves at facing one of her mother’s notorious moods brought back all sorts of childhood memories she’d long ago tried to forget.

When she came upon her mother’s bedroom door, she knocked lightly. Hearing no response, she opened the door and peered inside.

The drapes were drawn, cloaking the room in near darkness. She spotted her mother sitting in her four-poster bed, knees pulled up to her chest with her face buried in her arms. Pity washed over Sadie as she entered the room.

“I brought you some tea,” she said, approaching the side of the bed and sitting down.

Valerie lifted her face, her eyes bloodshot and mean. “I don’t want your apology. I won’t accept it.”

Sadie pursed her lips. “Then at least drink the tea I brought you.”

Valerie turned away. “I saw a picture of you from last night. You wore my dress.”

“Dad had it.” Sadie shrugged. “He asked me to wear it.”

“Oh he did, did he?” Valerie fired back, looking at Sadie again. “I guess you’ll be my official replacement now.”

“It’s not like that,” Sadie reasoned, hating to be—yet again—caught between her parents. “What can I do to convince you?”

Valerie pouted, not seeming to know the answer. She grabbed the tea from Sadie’s hands and took a long, thoughtful sip. “You hurt my feelings. It’s like you don’t care about me at all.”

Sadie’s hackles rose, the question she’d been wanting to voice for days finally erupting from within her. “If I don’t care about you, then why am I here? God knows I’d rather be back in Tahoe than dealing with any of this.”