Chronicles of a rockin m.., p.5
Chronicles of a Rockin' Mess, page 5
I hear the door open, and I look up at Kade.
“I’ll put your bags in your old room. Call me if you need anything. I wrote the new passwords for stuff in a notebook on the desk for you. You can start by touching base with Gwen’s new assistant, Bailey, to confirm the press tour deets,” Kade says.
I salute him with my middle finger and walk off toward my room with my bags.
“Lark, come on, I’ll help you,” Kade says following me.
“Kade…just, go, OK? I’ll figure it out,” I say to him.
“Lark—” I hold up a hand, and he stops speaking.
“I. Will. Figure. It. Out,” I say through gritted teeth.
“OK, then. I’ll let you get settled in. I’m in the guest suite at the far end of the hall upstairs, if you need me,” he says.
I want to ask about Savannah, but I just turn and walk away.
Lincoln
My brain tries to comprehend that Lark is back in my home. I locked down all hope of seeing her again eighteen months ago. I pace in my room. She looked pissed, like really fucking pissed.
I’m not mad at her though, I’m furious at Kade and Harry. They had no right to hire her.
I sink onto my bed and put my head in my hands. I sigh and curse at myself because I know why she’s here. I’m a fucking mess, and they don’t know what to do with me.
They’re right. I built a wall around my heart when she left. I never let anyone get close to me, ever. Even Kade and Harry, who are like my brothers don’t know everything. The only one I’ve ever really talked about Carrie with is Lark. Lark reminds me of Carrie in some ways. The way she cares about everyone around her more than herself. The way she’d do anything for a loved one.
I’m fucked, and I know it. I can feel it in my chest as it constricts. I still love her. I never stopped loving her. Sending her away didn’t change a fucking thing. And now, I have to figure out how to win her back.
Lark
My room looks exactly the same. Not one thing has been changed. I frown. It’s like no one has even stayed here, which makes zero sense. I start unpacking. It doesn’t take me long. And when I finish, I put my hands on my hips and survey the room.
“It’ll do,” I mutter.
“It should,” I hear Lincoln say from the doorway. I jump.
“Jesus, Lincoln. You scared the shit out of me,” I say to him as I clutch my chest.
“There’s food downstairs. Maria cooked dinner. I mean, if you’re hungry,” he adds as he turns to leave.
I take a breath. “Lincoln?” I say.
He stops but doesn’t turn around.
“I’ll call and confirm all the press stuff, but is there anything you need?” I ask him.
He’s silent for a beat. “No,” he says quietly and walks back downstairs.
I sigh. I don’t want things to be awkward between us. I want to help him. I decide to just keep my head down and do my work. That’ll be the best way to get through this. And if things don’t turn around, then I can always head back to New Orleans.
Chapter 10
Gwen has debriefed me that Lincoln has been seeing Celia Birch. I have to admit, Celia is perfect for Lincoln. I happen to see that they have a date tonight. I roll my eyes as I continue to answer emails.
One hour later, my phone buzzes.
Lincoln: Need you now
I sigh.
Me: Why?
Lincoln: Get your ass up here NOW!
I trudge up the stairs and into his room. He’s standing by the sound controls. I roll my eyes. Some routines are not easily forgotten. And here we are again, back to our favorite game of “choose the sexy music.”
Lincoln smirks and presses a button on the screen. The music starts, and I laugh.
“Seriously? Marvin Gaye?” I choke out.
“What? Millions of kids have been made to this song,” Lincoln protests as he crosses his arms and sways subtly to “Let’s Get It On.”
I roll my eyes. “Nope.”
“OK, Miss Know-It-All, what would you put on?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.
I walk over to his phone and pull up the perfect song, pressing play while whirling around and staring up at him. Our eyes lock as “I Want to Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd comes on. I swear I see a glimmer of lust in his, but it quickly vanishes.
He shakes his head. “No,” he says and grabs his phone. I try to reach for it, but he holds it above my head and furiously types out something. “Need You Tonight” by INXS plays loudly as I pause.
I shrug. “I like this song, but I think you should play something…more…slow sexy.”
He arches his eyebrow again. “Slow sexy?” he repeats.
I put out my hand, and he slowly places the phone in it. I scan through music and hit play on “Thank You” by Dido.
He cocks his head to one side, considering the song for a beat, and then shakes his head. “No, not feeling it,” he says.
He holds up a finger and takes back his phone. “How about this?” he says confidently as George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex” plays.
“This is not romantic!” I cry out.
“Sure, it is, and it totally makes it clear that…you know…I want your sex,” he says barely suppressing a laugh. The doorbell rings, and he suddenly looks panicked.
I quickly put “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz to Men on and look up at him. He freezes and then winks at me before heading downstairs to let in Celia.
I sigh and quickly exit his room. I head back to my room but decide to go lie on a lounge chair by the pool. I’m really getting quite tired of this sexy song game. I didn’t think it would be this hard to be around him. When I agreed to come back here, I thought enough time had passed. I thought I could just be his PA. I thought my feelings for him would have diminished with time. I was so very wrong.
I throw myself on the chair and look back at the house. I can see his bedroom light turn on. I force myself to pull up a book on my phone, and I curl up to read it.
Lincoln
Celia’s beautiful. I should be enjoying making out with her right now, but I can’t keep my head in the game. Every damn song that comes on makes me think of Lark.
I was worried when I first saw Lark. Well, I was pissed also, at Kade. He doesn’t know that I sent her away on purpose, so it’s not really his fault for bringing her back. But I was still angry. And Lark looked thin. Lark was never a waif, supermodel girl. She’s always had curves, the type of curves a man wants to feel. She doesn’t look bad now, just thinner, leaner. A few times I’ve seen her flex a muscle, and I can tell she’s been working out. That made me feel better. If she’s going to lose weight, I’d rather it be because she’s hitting the gym than not eating.
I internally curse myself for not having checked in on her more. I kept dibs on her from afar. I knew she was singing with Magnolia Tear, and I watched some videos online of them. She’s amazing, just like I knew she’d be. My girl is amazing. I don’t realize what I’ve just thought until it slaps me in the face. My girl.
“Hey, everything OK?” Celia asks, stopping mid-kiss and pulling back.
“I…uh…sorry,” I stutter, not sure how to tell Celia that I’m in love with another woman.
Celia leans back against my headboard and looks at me.
“There’s someone else, isn’t there?” she asks.
I’m surprised by the fact that she neither looks upset nor sad by this possibility. I’m momentarily confused until it dawns on me. She’s found someone else as well.
“Would that be a bad thing?” I ask her slowly.
She shrugs. “Truth?” she asks, looking up at me from beneath her long lashes. She really is quite beautiful.
I nod.
“I’m sorta getting feelings for Greg,” she admits.
“Greg Harris? From your show?” I ask her.
She bites her lip and nods.
“I sort of have feelings for someone else too,” I say to her.
“Well, I guess that means we probably should end whatever this has been,” she replies as she motions between us.
“I guess…Gwen’s gonna hate it,” I say to her with a half grin. She laughs.
“Oh, come on, everyone loves your bad-boy persona. I’m just cramping your rocker style,” she replies.
I place my hand on her cheek. “I’m glad we met, Celia. And I’m sorry this isn’t it. But I’m glad we are both on the same page about it,” I admit. I always hate having to end it with women, and this time I would have felt like a real ass because if I wasn’t head over heels in love with Lark, Celia would surely be my dream woman.
Celia smiles at me. “I’m glad we met too, Lincoln. Truth?” she asks again. I nod.
She leans in close to me. “You’re not as bad as everyone thinks you are,” she whispers before kissing my cheek and pulling back.
I give her a sad smile because I’m not sure I agree with her, but I also know I need to sort some things out before I can have Lark.
“Can we keep this on the down-low for a few days?” I ask her.
“Uh…sure, why?” she asks.
“I…well, I…need some time,” I start.
Celia’s eyes suddenly get very large. “You are in love with Lark, aren’t you?” she gasps, clapping her hands together. I’m taken aback by her guess and also by how this entire conversation has gone.
“Uh, yeah,” I admit as I run a hand through my hair.
She squeals. “I knew it!” she exclaims. “Oh, you two are so perfect for each other!”
“Really?” I ask. I’m surprised Celia remembers Lark from before since it’s been a while.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes, you don’t see it?” she questions.
I shrug. “I…Lark is…perfect,” I say.
Celia places her hand on mine. “You’re pretty perfect yourself, Lincoln,” she says to me.
I don’t normally blush, but I feel the heat rise in my cheeks because it’s not every day that one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood says you are perfect.
“I’m working on it,” I respond.
“Sooo…how are you going to tell her?” she asks.
“Tell…who, what?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “Tell Lark that you are in love with her, silly,” she says, giving me a playful punch on my arm.
I move so I’m sitting next to her, leaning against the headboard. “I don’t know,” I admit. “I was thinking of doing something for her when the tour ends.”
“When’s that?” she asks.
“In a few weeks,” I say.
“Well, shit, we have some work to do then,” she says.
I turn to look at her.
“I mean…that is if you still want to be friends and all,” she adds.
I laugh. “Celia, we may not be a romantic match, but I think we are going to be a very good friend match,” I say.
She grins. “Me too,” she replies and with that, we begin to brainstorm.
Chapter 11
Lark
I am walking out toward the office when I hear the front door slam.
“Lucy, I’m home,” Coop calls out. I run around the corner and launch myself into his arms.
“Well, hello there, sexy!” he says as he looks down at me. “Damn, you are looking fine.”
I laugh.
“I guess New Orleans does a body good,” he says. I slap his shoulder.
“Don’t be an ass. How are you?” I say as I grab his hand to take him into the kitchen. I all but ignore Lincoln who’s at the breakfast bar as I grab a drink for Coop and one for myself.
“Hey, Linc,” Coop says as he sits down.
“Sup,” Lincoln answers without looking up from his tablet.
“So, our girl is back, huh?” he says, grabbing the glass from me.
“Yep,” Lincoln responds dryly.
Coop gives me a look, and I shrug.
“You got time to play today?” he asks.
Lincoln finally manages to look up from his tablet, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was going to pummel Cooper.
“Welllll, that depends on my boss here,” I reply, glancing toward Lincoln.
“I’m not your boss. Why don’t you ask Kade?” he growls, and then grabs his tablet and storms out of the kitchen.
“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” Coop says in a low voice.
“What am I doing here?” I ask him as I bury my head in my hands and shake it.
I feel Coop’s hand on my arm.
“You’re helping an old friend,” he says.
I shrug. I peel my hands away when I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I spin around to find Kade standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Coop,” he says.
“Hey, Kade,” Coop replies. “Is it cool if we have the night off?” he asks.
“Sure,” Kade replies.
Cooper grins at me, and I wonder what shenanigans he has planned for me.
Chapter 12
“Scavenger hunt time!” Coop calls out as we pull up to the Santa Monica pier. I give him a look and laugh.
We hop out of the car, and Mason runs out to greet us. Mason is another crew member and also one of Cooper’s best friends.
“OK, here’s the list,” he says excitedly. Mason found some crazy website that gives you scavenger lists for basically everywhere you’d want to go.
I look at the list.
Cotton candy
A giant lollipop
An inflatable toy
A giant stuffed animal
Popcorn
A handmade craft
A souvenir
Neon orange sunglasses
A selfie with a person from LA
A photo on a ride
* * *
“OK,” I say, looking back up at them. “Time limit?”
Coop looks at his watch. “Two hours,” he says.
I nod. “Meet back here?” I ask.
He nods.
“Let’s do this!” I yell and run off with my list. I may be slightly competitive, but so are Mason and Cooper, which means this is gonna be fun.
We’ve done these in many cities on tour when we have downtime. It’s this or the pub crawls, and today’s great weather has me thankful that Coop opted for a scavenger hunt.
I decide to do the ride first. I get in line for a ride. A boy behind me yanks on my shirt. I turn to look down at him.
“Aren’t you a little old for this ride, lady?” he asks, snickering.
I look down at him. He’s definitely still in elementary school, and he is nowhere near hitting puberty yet. He’s clearly showing off for his friends.
“At least I’m tall enough,” I say to him with a wink as I point to the measuring stick. He looks over at it and his face turns red. I laugh at the thought that those boys just learned that karma is a bitch.
His friends start laughing until I see them gauging each other’s height. All three boys take off running, and I laugh. I get on the ride and ask a girl next to me to take my photo. Then I put my phone in my pocket and enjoy the roller coaster.
Next up, I decide to load up on the food. It takes me a bit to find the lollipop, but I come across it at the third candy kiosk I find. I fly through the rest of the list, occasionally coming across my competitors. No one says where they are on completing it. This is a high-stakes game, and we are in it to win it.
Ninety minutes in and I’m down to two last items, a giant stuffed animal and selfie with a person from LA. I groan. I walk up to one of those games where you throw the ring onto a glass bottle.
“How much?” I ask the teenage boy who seems indifferent to getting people to play his game.
“Three rings for five dollars,” he says. I hand him a five and take my rings. Fifteen dollars later, I sigh.
“Could I just buy one of those giant stuffed bears?” I ask him, looking around to see if there are any other games I could play. The water balloon one is filled with kids, so my odds aren’t good. There’s some whiz kid playing basketball, and the softball one is not my cup of tea.
“Sorry, lady. We only give them to winners,” he says with a smirk.
In that exact moment, I feel warmth against my back.
The kid’s mouth drops open. “Y-you’re Lincoln Grant,” he stutters.
I partly want to jab Lincoln in the ribs for sneaking up on me, and I partly want to laugh at the ridiculous look on the boy’s face.
“Do y-you w-want a bear, Mr. Grant?” the kid stammers as he points to the giant teddy bears, which he just told me were only for winners.
“Seriously?” I say to the kid.
He glares at me. “He’s Lincoln Fucking Grant, lady. He can have all my bears,” the kid says. I roll my eyes.
Lincoln laughs. “Thanks, kid, but I’ll win mine fair and square,” he says and tosses down a five-dollar bill.
“S-sure thing, Mr. Grant,” the kid says.
Lincoln picks up the rings and winks at the kid. “Call me Lincoln,” he says to the kid. He then grabs the kid’s cell phone and takes a selfie with him.
“Thanks, Lincoln,” the kid says.
I have to smile. The kid looks like he’s won the lottery.
Lincoln takes one ring and tosses it, landing it perfectly on a bottle top.
“Wow, you’re really good. Almost nobody ever gets it on the first try!” the kid exclaims.
He hands Lincoln the bear. He turns and sees a little girl with what looks like a grandparent.
“Here, why don’t you play my last two?” he says to her.
She’s clearly too young to know who he is, but nonetheless, she smiles up at him like he’s a golden god.
“Thanks, mister!” she squeals. He leans down and whispers something in her ear.
She nods. He says something to the grandmother, and she nods too.
He picks up the little girl, and she tosses the ring. It misses. She frowns. Lincoln whispers again in her ear and makes a motion with his hand. She nods and sticks out her tongue in concentration. She can’t be more than six years old and my ovaries are ready to explode from the adorableness of Lincoln and her.
