Trapped Under Ice (10 page)

“Afraid?”

“Being with another man terrifies me.”

Cali thought about this. “Or is it loving another man that really scares you?”

“Maybe. I went through hell when I lost Paul. I’m not sure I could do that again.” She sighed loudly. “So that’s why I’ve been like I’ve been lately. I think I need to be medicated.”

“Well, I told you that a long time ago.” Cali laughed. “Seriously,
hon, I’m sorry this hurts.”

She hopped to her feet again, agitated. “This sounds like a conversation you should be having with a
teenaged daughter, not a grown woman.”

“Hey. Love’s hell at any age. I know that.”

“Well”—Beth blew her nose on a tissue she had retrieved from her purse—“now that you have your information, Miss Inquisitor, do you mind if I bail on you? I’m exhausted.”

“Sure. Go home and get some sleep.” Cali walked her friend to the door. She shook her head as they passed through the hall. “Just like a man.
Love ‘em and leave ‘em. I hope he gets what he deserves.”

Beth brushed the comment off. “Well, I don’t know...” She stopped under the disabled smoke alarm, looking up. “You’ll have Patrick look at that?” Patrick was the cute, single guy who lived next door. He was always ready to do a favor for Cali.

“You betcha.” Cali winked.

Beth hugged her. “Thanks for listen to me ramble on.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Drive safely,” she added, eyeing the snow.

Cali hugged her, and then closed the door on the cold. Beth hurried to her car and started her engine, rubbing her hands even though she wore gloves. She glanced back at the house, noting her friend still watched through the window. She smiled and shook her head. Maybe Cali couldn’t cook worth a damn, but she was right about this. What she had with Chad was one night, one very special night, but it was over. She needed to forget him and move on. Starting tomorrow, they’d see a new Beth. She’d get back to her day job and her writing, and there would be no more mooning over Chad Evans. She took a deep breath, and pulled out of the driveway to head home.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Chad woke up alone and unhappy. Even his friends who knew him as perpetually out-of-sorts noticed a difference, but no one was brave enough to ask him what was bothering him. They chalked it up to writer’s block. He was supposed to be working on a new album, but he’d sit down at his desk and all he could think about was Beth. He tried to channel his feelings into a song about her, as he did in the past with his problems, but he’d start and quit, then start and quit again. These songwriting sessions usually ended with the loud sounds of him breaking something, or on good days, with a flurry of curse words.

However, after weeks of breaking things, getting in fights, and getting stinking drunk, they all had had enough. Chad was making everybody miserable, Roger realized, and something needed to be done.

***        

Chad cursed after forgetting the words to the group’s first big song, “Out of Touch.” Practices hadn’t been going well and this one was no exception.

“I’m done!” Keith finally announced, laying down his drumsticks.

“Keith—”

“No, Roger. I’ve had it! You call me when Chad here decides to quit being such an asshole.” He stormed off the stage without looking back.

Everyone stared at him, but Chad only picked up the beer bottle by his feet and took a swig. David glanced at Roger. Roger nodded at him and David followed in Keith’s wake. He glanced over his shoulder and then waited in the footlights to see what would happen.

Chad turned to peer at Roger. “So, aren’t you going? Surely you must think I’m an ass, too?”

Roger set down his guitar, contemplating. “I think you’ve been
acting
like an ass, yes. What the hell’s gotten into you?” Chad ignored him and took off his guitar, moving to put it in its stand. “You’ve been on a slow burn since…St. Louis.” A sudden look of recognition crossed his face. “Since Beth.” Chad’s eyes flitted to him, but he said nothing. “That’s it, isn’t it?” He saw his words were hitting the mark, and decided to try another tactic. “You slept with her didn’t you? What? Was she that good?”

“Shut up, Roger.” Chad moved closer, his jaw clenched.

“A little hot mama like her must have been a good screw, huh, Chad?”

“Shut up!” He stepped up and pushed his friend, anger written in blazing lines across his face, but Roger didn’t back down.

“So where did you do her? In some seedy hotel room, or maybe in the dressing room? Or maybe you didn’t take a lot of time with it, just gave her a little poke backstage—”

Chad launched himself at Roger, taking him into a stool and a cymbal stand. David came running from backstage.

“CHAD, STOP!”

It took all David had in him to pull his bigger brother off Roger after the three scrambled around on the floor for a little while. Finally, Chad got up, shook David off, and turned around, marching away and standing with his back to them.

Roger got up wiping blood from his mouth onto the back of a hand, but wearing a huge grin. “You love her, don’t you? The impenetrable Chad Evans fell in love. And let me guess, you haven’t talked to her since, have you? HAVE YOU?”

“I don’t have her number,” he mumbled.

Roger moved forward and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, guess what, buddy? There’s this new thing called the Internet. I could probably get you her number and find out what she ate for dinner last night. Let’s go back to the bus.”

“Nah, man. I don’t know if she even wants to talk to me.”

“Now, that’s the ten-million-dollar question, isn’t it? But there’s only one way to find out the answer. Come on.” Roger left the stage, and David followed, throwing Chad a backward glance. The big man hadn’t moved. He stood studying a guitar pick, turning it over in his hand. David shook his head, and walked off.

***         

When Chad entered the bus, Roger sat at a table with his laptop open. Michelle stood behind him, leaning over the bassist to read what was on the screen. But when Chad saw her, she slid away. Keith sat on an L-shaped couch, his back in the corner, one leg bent, one leg stretched out, tapping a set of drumsticks together, not making eye contact, but obviously still peeved. David stood by the window appearing somewhat nervous.

“What the hell is this?” he questioned. “A freaking intervention?”

“What was the name of her hometown? Bloomburg or Blooming City...”

“Huh? It was Bloomington, you moron.”

“I’ll let that pass since you’ve already beaten the crap out of me once today.”

“And you don’t want me to have to do it twice?”

“Exactly.” Roger typed. “Indiana or Illinois?”

Chad scanned the rest of the group again, all of whom were eyeing him now. “Illinois,” he replied slowly.

“And what was her last name again?”

“Donovan.”

“That’s right, Donovan.” Roger paused. “There’s four Beth Donovans in Bloomington.”

“Four?” He crossed to look at the screen. “In a little city like Bloomington?”

Roger handed him the phone. “Start dialing.”

He started punching in the first number. He turned around. Keith looked much happier now and swung his feet off the couch to lean in so he could listen better. The others were similarly posed. “A little privacy?” Chad growled. They all tried to look busy. He shook his head and turned back around. On the second number he reached her.

***
         

When Beth picked up the receiver she was shocked to hear Chad’s voice.

“Beth?”

Her heart caught in her throat. She thought it would be a friend or neighbor wishing her a happy New Year. The sound of his deep, gravelly voice filled her. She hadn’t been able to play any of his music after leaving St. Louis. She shut her eyes, struggling to find her voice. She had moved on, she had. And now, just the sound of his voice, and she was right back to that night on the riverboat.

“Beth? Are you there?”

“Chad,” she managed to get out.

She recognized his voice; that was a good sign, Chad thought.

“How are you?” she asked, her voice small.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his long fingers, the silver rings gleaming in the sunlight coming in through the windows. “I’ve been better.” Someone sniggered and Chad turned around to give them all a menacing look. “How are you?”

“The same,” she admitted.

Chad turned away from Roger’s prying eyes, leaning his clenched fist on the window. “I want to come to see you. No, I
need
to come see you,” he blurted out.

There was a long silence. “Oh, God, Chad,” her words came in torrents, as if the floodgate of her heart was shattered. “I’ve been so miserable. I can’t stop thinking about—”

“I know,” he stated simply.

“When can you get away?”

“I’m in Alberta now. We’ve got a couple of days of travel ahead of us, but…let’s see, we’ve got a show in Milwaukee Thursday night, one in Chicago Friday. I’ve got to sing the national anthem at the Black Hawks’ game Saturday afternoon. Then, I’m off until Monday. I could come down on Saturday, after the anthem.”

“I don’t want to wait that long. Could you leave tickets for me for Friday night’s show?”

“They’ve been waiting at will call in every city since St. Louis, just in case,” he admitted.

“Great! Oh…wait!” She moaned.

“What?”

“I really can’t. Ugh! I forgot that Cassie has a tournament game Friday! And then her friend, Jessica, is coming home with her after the game to spend the weekend with us. Her parents are going to Galena for their anniversary. I promised them I’d take care of her. I can’t break that promise and I can’t leave two sixteen-year-olds home alone.”

Chad thought fast. “Come Saturday then. Bring the girls. I’ll get rooms for all of you. We can spend the rest of the weekend together.” He held his breath.

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask Jessica’s parents, and I’m not sure that they’d approve of her spending the weekend with a rock star.”

“I’m not just a rock star,” he said desperately. “I’m a guy, Chad Evans.”

“It’s not just that. They don’t know you—”

“Come on, Beth! Say you’ll at least ask.”

“Ask them if it would be okay if I took their daughter, and my daughter, on a date?”

He sighed. “Ah, when you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“That’s what it is, isn’t it?” she insisted.

“Yes, but…we’ll have separate rooms.”

She hesitated. “We’d have to behave ourselves.”

Chad saw a glimmer of light. “I can do that!”

“I’m not sure I can,” she murmured.

He shifted, parts of his body becoming awake. “I want to see you.”

Her voice brightened. “I’ll ask.”

“Good!” He sighed. “So maybe I’ll see you in just a few days then. Call me tomorrow, if you can.”

“I will.” She paused. “I’m really glad you called.”

He smiled. “Me, too.”

He held on to the receiver for several seconds after she hung up. He turned to his friends with a huge grin on his face. “She’s going to try to come to Chicago.”

They all whooped and offered various phrases expressing their relief.

“Thank God!”

“Maybe now there’ll be some scotch left for the rest of us.”

“Yeah, and we can get through a set without Chad ‘accidentally’ breaking something.”

“Ahh, shuddup,” he returned with a smile, but he knew, in their own twisted way, they were all happy for him.

CHAPTER NINE

As Beth pulled into the circular drive her jaw dropped. The girls in the backseat gasped.

“What is this place?” Jessica whispered in awe.

She glanced at the paper beside her, double-checking to make sure they were in the right place. “The St. Ives-Augusta, I guess.”

“Holy shit!”

Beth frowned, though still staring out the window. “Cassandra Marie! Watch the language, please.”

Jessica giggled.

“Sorry,” Cassie mumbled.

In the rearview mirror, she caught her daughter elbowing Jess. They were both unbuckled now and breathing down her neck to get a look out the front.

She drove her late-model sedan slowly to better take in the sight, hunching over the steering wheel to look up through the windshield at the massive building that arced with the sweep of the drive. A wide, circular stone staircase curved up on either side of a long terrace in front of the brick structure. It was impressive.

“Holy shit!” she mouthed, careful to not let the girls catch her, eyes wide as she took in the architecture. She suddenly became aware of a man in a long wool coat at the edge of the roadway. She jerked and stopped abruptly for fear of hitting him. Where had he come from?