Elle swallowed as her eyes shone with
tears.
“Wow,” Donny whispered, seemingly afraid to
break the spell. “Weren’t you afraid to fall in love with a woman like Elle?”
“A woman like Elle?” Caleb played dumb, but
he knew exactly what Donny meant. Elle could have any man she wanted, any time
she wanted. Assuming just because she wanted him today she still would tomorrow
was emotional suicide.
“In case you haven’t noticed, she’s pretty
much a goddess.”
That’s when Caleb realized the reporter’s
animosity toward Elle stemmed from his desire to cross the professional line.
But Caleb didn’t care whether men were lining up to ask Elle out. Tonight she
was with him, and he intended to enjoy it for as long as it lasted, which he
hoped would be forever. “I have noticed.”
“Stop,” Elle said, blushing. “I’m hardly a
goddess. You haven’t seen me with bed head and stained sweats,” she said to
Donny. “You’d quickly change your tune.”
No, he wouldn’t
. She looked every bit as beautiful wearing sweats and Chapstick as
she did in the ten-thousand-dollar designer gown she wore tonight.
“I’m sorry I’ve given you such a hard time,
Elle,” he said, turning off his recorder. “I know I’ve been a real pain in the
ass to you. Truth is, it pissed me off when you gave me the brush off.”
“I didn’t—”
“Yes, you did.” He gave her a wry smile.
“You probably don’t remember the first time we met. I was ballsy enough to
invite you out for coffee so we could talk about your debut album, but you just
looked right through me.”
“I don’t remember that,” she admitted. “I
thought you hated me because of that whole paparazzi-celebrity love fest.”
Donny chuckled. “You’d think since we have
to co-exist, we’d all try to get along.”
“I’d like to try and get along with you,”
Elle said, extending her hand. “Truce?”
“Truce.” He shook her hand with a smile.
“From now on I promise not to hound you for a quote or stick a microphone in
your face while you’re talking to someone else. I’ll be a perfect gentleman and
wait my turn.”
Elle smirked. “That I’d like to see.”
Donny lifted a shoulder, appearing amused.
“Just remember I still have to make a living.”
“About Ricky,” Elle said, leaning forward.
“What exactly did he say to you?”
“Not a lot,” Donny said. “I didn’t give him
a chance. I always got the sense the guy was a loser, like he was hanging
around you to avoid getting a real job.”
“So you told him you weren’t interested in
what he had to say?” Elle appeared stunned. “That doesn’t sound like you. If
there’s a story, you’re all over it, especially if it has the potential to be
scandalous.”
“In spite of what you apparently think, I
do have some integrity. I’m not interested in paying someone to feed me lies. I
want to give my readers the truth.”
“I’m glad you feel that way. Your instincts
were right, by the way. You’d never get the truth about me from Ricky.”
Donny stood. “I knew he just called me
because he had an axe to grind. I told him I wasn’t interested in being a part
of his smear campaign.” He laughed. “He was shocked. He said he thought I hated
you as much as he did.”
“What did you say to that?” Elle asked.
“I told him I didn’t hate you. You may not
be one of my favorite people, but I still respect you.”
“That’s something I guess,” Elle said,
standing. “Did Ricky tell you where he was, whether he’s still in Nashville?”
“No, we didn’t get that far.”
“Do you know if he was calling from a cell
phone?” Elle asked.
“The number was blocked,” Donny said,
pocketing his recorder. “Sorry I can’t give you more info.”
“That’s okay,” Elle said, looking dejected.
“I appreciate that you refused to talk to him.”
“I don’t think he’ll stop there, Elle. The
guy sounded pretty desperate, and there’re a lot of people who don’t care
whether what they print is true. I have a feeling Ricky will spill his guts to
one of them if the price is right.”
“You’re probably right.” Elle leaned into
Caleb when he stood and put his arm around her. “I’ll tell my team to prepare
for the worst.”
“That’s a good idea. It was nice meeting
you,” Donny said, offering Caleb his hand. “I hope things work out for y’all.”
“Thanks,” Caleb said. “So do I.”
Donny grinned. “Promise you’ll let me come
to the wedding and bring my camera?”
Caleb laughed while Elle blushed. “It’s a
deal.”
Elle nearly passed out when
the
Trey Turner congratulated her at the after party. People may call her country
music royalty, but Trey still made her feel like an amateur. Trey had retired
several years ago, but his music had earned him legions of loyal fans who would
never forget the mark he made on country music.
“Thank you,” she said, smiling politely as
she tightened her grip on her champagne glass. “You must have enough awards to
fill an entire room.”
“I don’t know about that,” he said,
disarming her with a genuine grin. “Guess I’ve collected my fair share.”
He was old enough to be her father, but
Elle felt a little weak in the knees when he revealed those dimples that still
made grown women scream his name.
Trey raised his water bottle to Caleb. “You
look familiar. Have we met before?”
“Your nephew invited me to a stag he was
hosting a couple of weeks ago. I believe Drake introduced us.”
Elle was impressed that Caleb could act so
cool in Trey’s presence. It made her realize some people would feel the same
way in
her
company. While she still felt like the same small town girl,
terrified of flunking out of school and missing out on her one chance at the
big time, the world only saw her rise to fame.
“That’s right,” Trey said, snapping his
fingers. “I didn’t realize Elle was your lady.”
Caleb slipped his arm around Elle’s waist.
“We haven’t been seeing each other all that long, but I’m hoping it’s the start
of something special.”
“If you’re smart, you’ll hang on to her.”
Trey winked at Elle. “Girls like this don’t come along every day.”
“Don’t I know it,” Caleb concurred.
Elle was uncomfortable listening to them
talk about her as if she wasn’t there, but Trey was one of her idols. She’d
gladly listen to him recite the dictionary.
“Speaking of my nephews,” Trey said to
Elle, “I hear y’all have gotten pretty close since they signed you to Titan.
I’m surprised we haven’t met sooner.”
Elle had been after Ryan and Evan to
arrange an introduction, but Trey was always out of town when they tried. “I’m
just happy I finally got to meet you.” Elle knew she sounded like a fan-girl,
but she couldn’t help herself.
“I’m actually real glad we ran into each
other tonight,” Trey said. “I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition?” Elle’s voice came out high
and squeaky, and she silently cursed her inability to play it cool. She
performed in front of thousands of screaming fans every night, but one country
music icon had reduced her to a bumbling idiot. “What kind of proposition?”
“You’ve heard about our reunion tour?” Trey
asked.
“Of course, everyone at Titan is really
excited about it.” Elle was pleased when she managed to bring the champagne
glass to her lips and take a sip without spilling a drop. “You’re heading out
soon, right?”
“That’s the plan.” Trey grimaced. “But
wouldn’t you know our special guest, Clint Davis, came down with mono. Doesn’t
that just beat all? He’ll be out for at least six weeks.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Elle said. Clint was
a label mate, friend, and fellow workaholic. She knew it would kill him to be
out of the game so long. “I hadn’t heard.”
“They’re keeping it under wraps for now.
But that means we need someone to fill his shoes.” Trey looked down at Elle’s
strappy five-inch heels. “You don’t look like you wear his size, but I’m
willin’ to bet you could get the job done just as well.”
If Elle had thought she was short of breath
before, she was on the verge of hyperventilating now. Tory Warner, Nikki
Spencer McCall, Trey, and Ty McCall were the headliners, and sharing the same
stage with them would be an experience she would never forget. “Are you asking
me to take Clint’s place on your reunion tour?”
“I’ve cleared it with the powers that be,
including your management team. If you’re interested, they’re on board.”
“Oh my God,” Elle said, laughing
breathlessly as she pressed her palm to her chest. “Of course I’m interested.
When do we leave?”
“Next week. Is that too soon for you?”
“No, I can be ready. Thank you for this
opportunity. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Trey leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You
don’t know how much it means to me that you said yes. My nephew had his
doubts.” His gaze drifted to Caleb when he pulled back to squeeze Elle’s
shoulders. “I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be takin’ her away for a while,
man?”
A muscle in Caleb’s jaw jumped, but
otherwise he showed no emotion. “The lady makes her own decisions.”
Oh God, Elle thought.
Caleb.
How
could she have made a decision like this without asking his opinion?
Because
this is your career
, a little voice chided her.
Trey is giving you the
opportunity of a lifetime.
“Well, y’all enjoy the rest of your night.”
Trey tipped his black cowboy hat. “I have to go find my wife.”
After Trey had walked away, Elle turned to
Caleb. “I’m sorry, Caleb. I should have—”
“I’m ready to call it a night. If you’re
not—”
“Please,” she said, touching his forearm.
“Don’t be upset with me. This is an incredible opportunity. I couldn’t say no.”
“You did what you had to do.” Caleb looked
over her head instead of into her eyes. “I get it.”
“My manager reserved a room for me
upstairs. Can we go up and talk about this?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said,
setting his glass on a passing waiter’s tray. “You made your decision.”
He was crazy if he thought she was letting
him get away that easily. Elle had never thought she’d fight for a relationship,
but Caleb made her see things differently. He made her believe her life didn’t
have to be so one-dimensional. Maybe her life could have room for her career
and a man who loved her.
“I beg to differ.” She took his hand and
pulled him toward the exit. He wasn’t exactly digging in his heels, probably
because he didn’t want to make a scene, but she could tell he wasn’t thrilled
at the prospect of being alone with her. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
Elle knew if she didn’t tell Caleb the
truth about her feelings for him now, she wouldn’t get a second chance. As
difficult as she expected it to be, she just had to buck up and spill her guts,
hoping he would pull her into his arms instead of walking out the door. Caleb
remained silent on their assent to the top floor. At least he wasn’t railing at
her to let him off the elevator.
“It’s this way,” she said, stepping out
into the hall and reading the gold wall plaque. She held her breath when she
feared he was debating whether to stay. “Please don’t go.”
She reached for him. Her plea must have
swayed him, because he gestured for her to precede him down the hall. As soon
as they were inside her room, Elle made her way to the mini-bar. She wasn’t
much of a drinker, but she needed something to calm her nerves.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked,
holding up a mini bottle of vodka.
“No, thank you.”
He obviously didn’t intend to make this
easy, not that she could blame him. She would likely feel the same way in his
position.
After pouring the contents of the little
bottle into a glass, Elle took a fortifying sip, then another, resting her
trembling hand on the wood table. “Thank you for coming up here with me, for
giving me a chance to say my piece.”
“It’s not like you gave me a choice. I
wasn’t about to make a scene with all those reporters downstairs.”
“So you came with me because you had to,
not because you wanted to?” She couldn’t deny that hurt. She was willing to do
almost anything to make this relationship work in spite of her decision to go
back on the road, yet he seemed ready to throw in the towel.
“I would have preferred taking some time to
cool off.”
“Then you admit you’re angry with me?” She
poured the rest of the liquid fire down her throat and waited for the burn.
“What the hell do you want from me?” Caleb
asked, his voice tight as he loosened his tie and removed his jacket. Tossing
both on the bed, he heaved a sigh. “You had to know I wouldn’t be thrilled with
you leaving so soon. I feel like we’re just getting started, and you decided to
take off before we can figure out where this is going.”