AKA Lexi Frost (Lexi Frost Series) (4 page)

Since Cassie and Tiffany were inseparable
, Teri already felt like she was raising three teens instead of two. With the band adopting Dev, she inherited three more.

A few weeks ago
, Teri learned Kenny and Jess had been sleeping in the back of Kenny’s van for the last couple months. As much as the band made Teri want to scream, the boys had been a good influence on Dev. He fought less with his sister now, and the boys were at her house all the time anyway. In truth, she was just rationalizing her maternal instincts. Teri invited them to move in.

“
Don’t stress about it,” Nicholas counseled after a moment. “You’ll drive yourself nuts.”

“
Speaking of nuts,” Teri was happy to push her ongoing drama about having a house full of teens aside and move on to happier, or less insane, subjects. “Did you see that email about the proposed underwater shoot?
Underwater
, Nicholas! I don’t have a camera for that.”

“
Quit complaining and expand your horizons. Get a camera for it, let her be a mermaid.”

Days after Teri mailed off the prints to Paul Lovett
, Nicholas arrived at the office to find a bouquet of red roses waiting for her. Teri ignored them, so later that week white roses arrived, then pink.

Nicholas was secretly rooting for Paul to break Teri out of her
‘I’m a widow, my life is over, I’ll be forever single’ mentality. Unfortunately, Teri wasn’t having it and Paul needed a hand. Nicholas sent an email to tell him Teri preferred daffodils. When daffodils arrived the next day, Teri paled and started shaking. Concerned she was going to have a breakdown, Nicholas admitted he told Paul, and in her fury she didn’t talk to him for nearly a week. Nicholas sent Paul one last email detailing Teri’s reaction and informing him he was minding his own business. Since then, Paul was a sensitive subject and they avoided discussing him by unspoken agreement.

Teri still seemed unnerved
, so Nicholas started considering options to distract her as soon as she finished the mermaid shoot. That was enough of a fiasco to warrant a vacation in its own right. The clients were happy, but listening to Teri rant about kelp floating wrong or bubbles showing in her shots was enough to make Nicholas want to pull his hair out. Only his own upcoming project saved his sanity.

In Like Flynn
was a big name in the music industry and Nicholas was beside himself to be able to interview a photographer during a photo shoot of the band in Miami. Speaking to Troy Burnett alone should help magazine sales, but he was also hoping to get to speak to members of the band about their perspective on dealing with a variety of photographers. If he could swing that, he could get the teen crowd to buy that issue and easily keep them in the black for a couple of months.

It wasn
’t hard for Nicholas to convince Teri to come along. He knew her well enough to know what buttons to push. Nicholas reminded Teri of her photography interests prior to becoming Lexi Frost. Plus the kids were out of school for the summer. Not only did she buy into his second sales pitch, she changed the reservations to arrive a day early.

Teri was still in play mode when they arrived at the beach. Nicholas talked with
Troy while the photographer set up for the band’s arrival. Teri wandered off snapping shots of palm trees and waves breaking on the sea wall. Finally Nicholas wrote her off as irrevocably distracted and proceeded with the interview on his own. When the band arrived, Nicholas stepped back to let Troy do his work. He noted his observations diligently, taking occasional pictures of Troy in action with the band in the background. Nicholas hoped he wouldn’t have to crop them out.

“
He’s not really good about working with them.”

Nicholas jumped as Teri
’s voice came from behind him.

“
What makes you say that?” he asked, camera up to his face again as he covertly took some pictures of the band. The lead singer, Flynn Peterson, was threatening to strangle Drew Little, the drummer.

“
They’re putting on a good show, but the smiles aren’t real. They’re not having fun.”

Nicholas turned to question Teri further
, but she was already walking away, taking a picture of a seagull sitting on the roof of the band’s limo. Nicholas dismissed her criticism and returned his attention to the shoot in progress.

Watching the band
, Nicholas realized Teri was right. Flynn and Drew frequently fooled around for the cameras, but this time they were just going through the motions. Troy wasn’t encouraging playful behavior either. He kept putting them back into structured arrangements, which were good, but the band was restless and wouldn’t maintain their poses or positions.

With a sigh
, Nicholas went to go sit on a bench where he could watch and wait for the session to end. A warm breeze blew a page of newspaper to him. Nicholas bent to pick it up, intent on putting it in the garbage. It was a page from the entertainment section and the headline caught his eye:
Friction between Flynn’s guitarists. Rumors of breakup abound.

Nicholas looked back to the band. Sure enough
, Zane Burkin, lead guitar, and Charlie Vostra, bass, were sitting quietly with weak smiles painted on their faces while Flynn and Drew ensured the attention was focused on them.

Teri sat down beside him. Nicholas showed her the headline and pointed to the band.
“Not Troy’s fault,” he said smugly.

Taking the paper
, Teri scanned it briefly and handed it back. “That was from two weeks ago. Although they really don’t look happy, do they? He should distract them. Try something different to wake them up. These guys can do a photo shoot in their sleep and it looks like they are.”

“
Troy Burnett is a professional photographer. Do you really think you can do better?” A voice behind them interrupted their casual observations of the shoot.

Teri and Nicholas turned to look at the man the voice belonged to. He was deeply tanned with sun-kissed hair. If he were in a swimsuit
, he’d look like most of the bystanders who’d stopped to watch the photo shoot.

“
Ah, Mr. Daley, you’re here to interview Mr. Burnett. I would have thought you’d be more impressed with your subject.” The man focused on Nicholas.

“
He is. I’m the one with reservations. I’ve seen Troy’s work. He’s good. Maybe he’s having an off day. But he’s not getting the most from the band.”

“
And who are you?” The man’s snide attitude made Nicholas cringe. He noticed Teri bristle and knew what was coming.

“
Lexi Frost. I’m more of a specialist than Troy is, but I’ve made a small name for myself.” Teri smiled as the man’s face betrayed recognition of her alias. “And you are?”

“
Chris McKenzie.” He held out his hand and Teri stood to shake it. “I’m
Flynn’s
manager.”

“
Well, I stand by my observation: they’re faking it.”

“
And your professional suggestion would be?” Chris prompted.

Teri shrugged.
“Call a time out, let them decompress. Or explode. Either way has to be better than this.”

“
I’ll do that,” Chris nodded, motioning for a red-headed young woman to join him.

Nicholas eyed the woman apprehensively. He was sure she was a natural redhead
. No one would deliberately choose that shade. Her designer dress bared her shoulders and chest to the Florida sun that would soon burn her fair complexion. Once she left the sidewalk, her strappy stiletto heels made walking in the sand difficult. She grimaced as she struggled to Chris to see what he wanted.

“
Tell Troy to call a break. Let the guys wind down a bit and get drinks,” Chris instructed. He turned his back on her as she tried to make her way to Troy as gracefully as she could.

“
Take off your shoes, you’ll balance better!” Teri called after her. Nicholas laughed and turned his attention back to Chris. There was an opportunity here, he just had to take advantage of it.

Flynn was bored as he stood for the photo shoot. He should be ecstatic, Zane finally let up his months-long lecture to him and Drew in favor of a lingering irritation with Charlie. Normally Flynn just chalked it up to Zane’s controlling nature. Unfortunately, he was starting to think there really was something going on with Charlie. Drew was trying too hard to smile, meaning something was bothering him too. Smiling usually came naturally to Drew.

So he stood there: turned left
, leaned right, tilted his head more, now less. It was all so boring. Usually he and Drew could have some fun. This time Zane came down hard on them. Like some overbearing mother hen. The thought made Flynn irritable. He and Drew had been through a lot together through the years. Fame equated to lack of privacy and not all the attention Flynn drew to himself was good for him. He had a problem staying faithful and Drew was his rock. He never judged Flynn. Drew just listened and gave advice for what to do next. Like making up with Wendy. Flynn’s third marriage was crumbling.

“
Flynn! Try to look like you
like
having beautiful young ladies banging on your door every night.” Troy brought Flynn back to reality when his smile faltered. He could almost hear Drew cringe. Flynn smiled again and tried to look like he would if he actually
wanted
women banging on his hotel room door. It wouldn’t be so bad if Wendy understood, or if he had the strength to turn them away.

In his peripheral vision
, Flynn saw Chris show up and start talking to a couple on a bench. Chris’s posture got Flynn’s attention and piqued his curiosity, but he couldn’t do much about it at the moment. Rachel joined Chris and started to walk across the sand. Flynn’s smile gained enthusiasm as he watched Rachel’s graceless progress. She was a bitch and he hoped she fell on her ass.

Drew nudged his foot and gave a barely audible chuckle. He
’d seen it too.

“
Take off your shoes, you’ll balance better!” the woman by Chris yelled at Rachel. Flynn lost composure and laughed, Drew quickly joining him.

“
I like her,” Drew whispered.

“
Who?” Flynn asked as he assumed his pose again.

“
Whoever that woman is who yelled at Rachel.”

As they watched
, Rachel struggled to remove her shoes and toppled over. Drew and Flynn lost it, their laughter magnified by Rachel’s glare in their direction.

“
Take ten!” Troy shouted to them, and their laughs died quickly as they all went to get a drink and some deeper shade.

Several minutes later
, Flynn faced away from the scene on the beach in favor of watching girls walking by in swim wear offering various amounts of exposure. Drew leaned against his back and gave him bits of information that he might find of interest so he wasn’t missing anything.

“
The little brunette who yelled at Rachel is heading for a car. She’s got a camera around her neck,” Drew narrated.

“
Fan? I can’t see Troy having an apprentice and keeping her on the sidelines,” Flynn asked, waiving at a pretty blonde.

“
She’s not Troy’s,” Zane said. “She was taking pictures of palm trees earlier.”

“
Who takes pictures of palm trees?” Flynn asked, finishing a bottle of water.

“
Tourists,” Zane answered.

“
Well, the guy she was with is with Chris and Troy, so I don’t think Chris was waving them off. Opinion, Charlie?” Drew asked.

“
Nope.”

Of course not
, Flynn thought. Charlie used to be friendly, but now he seemed bored and bitter. Not just at the photo shoot either. Half way through the tour they’d just wrapped up, he withdrew. He hardly said anything anymore. Kind of hard to have a bass guitarist that didn’t talk to you. Not as playful on stage either.

Flynn would love to have Drew on the front stage
, but drummers were always in the back. Of course they had a camera on Drew and screens, so the audience could see him making faces at Flynn or making fun of him. It was hard for Flynn to retaliate though. Someday he’d think of something. He wondered how hard it would be to put Charlie on drums and Drew on bass.

Though
ts of making a more interesting road show left Flynn’s mind as two girls paused by a stand of palms, beckoning him over with tempting smiles.

“
Drew, got a situation over here. Cover for me,” Flynn whispered and got up to rediscover a familiar kind of mischief.

Nicholas watched as Teri slipped quickly into her Lexi persona, somewhat amazed that it was visibly obvious, to him at least. She grabbed her camera and started snapping shots of the redhead’s tottering progress through the sand.

Chris overlooked his assistant
’s dilemma and focused on Lexi. “So, Lexi Frost. I certainly didn’t expect to meet you here.”

“
Probably because I’m not supposed to be here,” Lexi didn’t look at Chris as she answered, but Nicholas saw amusement all over her face as she watched the pretty redhead losing her battle with the sand. She stopped and tried to remove her shoes.

“
Oh! That was unfortunate!” Lexi muffled her laughter as the redhead lost her balance and fell over. Troy was close and he quickly moved to help her up and Lexi rapidly shot pictures to chronicle the event.

“
Well, that’ll make it easier for her to deliver the message,” Nicholas said.

Chris turned to look briefly
, but returned his attention to Lexi without giving the wellbeing of his assistant much thought. “So why are you here? Not supporting Troy Burnett, I assume. Are you a fan?”

“
In Like Flynn?” Lexi looked at Chris and shrugged. “I was a teenage girl once, but I grew out of it. I do have some of their early stuff. Some recent CDs too, I suppose.”

She turned to watch
Troy and the redhead, but the show was over and she lowered her camera.