Elle dropped her head. “Please tell me he
didn’t say that.” Elle loved Evan and Ryan Spencer, but sometimes they took the
big brother routine a little too far. Between Evan, Ryan, and Drake, it was a
miracle she dated at all.
Caleb smiled. “He did. At first I thought
he was into you, but then I spotted the wedding ring. It sounds like he cares
about you a lot—as a friend, I assume?”
Elle was thrilled to know Caleb may be
jealous. “Evan and his brother Ryan are happily married. Their wives are
sweethearts. Trust me, they have no interest in me or any other woman.”
“Good to know,” Caleb said, looking
satisfied. He looked around the large room, zeroing in on the oversized stone
mantel. “No family pictures or personal effects. Why is that?”
She took a deep breath. “I cut ties with my
family a long time ago.”
“You want to tell me about it?” He sat down
and laced his free hand with hers. When she didn’t respond, he said, “If it’s
too personal—”
“My parents adopted me after years of
trying to conceive.”
“Go on.”
Elle set her tea down when she realized her
hand was trembling. “My mother got pregnant when I was about five. Everything
changed after that. I didn’t fit in anymore. They had their
real
daughter, and I was just an afterthought.”
“God, that’s terrible.” Caleb put his mug
down so he could edge closer. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “It was okay. I just tried to
stay out of trouble and out of their way. It’s not that they were bad parents.
I mean, they weren’t abusive or anything. I just knew they didn’t love me the
same way they loved my sister.”
“That’s why you cut ties with them?” he
asked gently.
“It wasn’t really a conscious decision.”
She rested her head against his arm. “I moved to Nashville, and they stopped
calling. So did I. I got busy with school, and once my career took off, I was
too focused to think about much else.”
“So you’ve had tunnel vision ever since?”
“Something like that.” She didn’t want to
admit she was a workaholic with no time in her life for anything or anyone
else. Though it was true, she didn’t want to deter him.
“I can relate to that. I’ve been working
hard for a long time too. That’s why I decided to buy the place in the Keys. My
ex said I needed to make time for R&R. She thought it would be the perfect
place for us to get away from it all and spend some quality time together.”
“And was it?” Elle wasn’t thrilled to hear
about his relationship with another woman, but she was interested to learn what
made him tick.
“I enjoyed the time away from the rat race,
but it didn’t help our relationship. We just found reasons to argue on water
instead of dry land.” He smirked. “It didn’t take long for me to realize we
couldn’t save that relationship. She blamed it on the fact that I was a
workaholic, but I just don’t think we were compatible.”
“Did you end things on friendly terms?”
“I guess you could say that. She’s a nice
girl, and I have no doubt she’ll find the right guy someday. It just wasn’t
me.”
Elle was almost afraid to ask, but she felt
compelled to hear his answer. “You’re sure that wasn’t you? I mean, you don’t
have any regrets about ending the relationship?”
His smile faded, and his eyes darkened with
an intensity she hadn’t seen before. “If I hadn’t ended things with her, I
wouldn’t be here with you, and something tells me this is exactly where I need
to be. Do you believe in fate?”
“Fate?” She swallowed her trepidation. She
wanted him to feel what she was feeling, but she was afraid of the next step.
“I guess so. Why?”
“I can’t shake the feeling that you and I
were destined to meet. Do you feel that way too?”
She felt as if she was playing truth or
dare. Given the choice, she would have taken the dare, no matter how
outrageous, because acknowledging her feelings for him was frightening. Opening
her heart meant trusting someone she barely knew, and she didn’t know how she
could contemplate that after she’d been betrayed by a man she’d known and
trusted for years.
“Answer me.”
“I do.”
“Good,” he said, kissing her hand. “I just
wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
Caleb shut his computer down and
waited for Drake to enter his office after his receptionist had announced
Drake’s arrival. Caleb had been trying to put Elle out of his mind all morning,
but Drake’s arrival just moved her to the forefront again.
“Hey, buddy,” Drake said, entering the
office. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“I could use the break,” Caleb admitted,
closing his hands over his face. “I was just going to ask Deb to grab me a
sandwich from the deli. You want anything?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.” Drake claimed one
of the guest chairs across from Caleb. “I just wanted to find out how things
went with Elle last night.”
“It was good.” Feeling uncomfortable under
Drake’s inspection, Caleb crossed the office to retrieve two bottles of water
from his mini fridge. He tossed one to Drake. “Why do you ask? You were
expecting problems?”
“No, not at all.” Before uncapping his
bottle, Drake said, “Evan Spencer called me this morning. He said he met you at
the club last night.”
“Yeah, we met.” Caleb didn’t know where
Drake was going, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t like it. “What about it?”
“He said he got the feeling you were into
Elle. Is that true?”
Caleb wasn’t surprised Drake was on to him.
He just expected to have more time to prepare his defense. “Elle’s got a lot
going for her. She’s talented, smart, sexy, and successful. We’re both single.
Are you surprised there’s some chemistry between us?”
Drake smiled. “No. I was kind of hoping
there would be. I think you’re exactly the kind of guy Elle needs. Someone
solid to keep her grounded when things seem too overwhelming.”
Caleb didn’t like to think of himself as
just temporarily helping her through a rough time, but he had no problem
supporting her when she needed a strong shoulder to lean on. He thought about
their good-night kiss, the one that had made him want to carry her into her
bedroom and lock the door. “I don’t know where things are going with Elle, but
I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
“Did she open up to you about what’s been
going on with her?”
“Some. We talked a bit about her career and
her estrangement from her family. We also talked about places we’ve both been
and places we’d like to go.” He smiled when he thought about how easily their
conversation and laughter had flowed. He felt as if they’d known each other
forever, and that sense of familiarity convinced him he needed to know more.
“That’s it?” Drake asked, looking uneasy.
“I’m sure there’s a lot more she hasn’t
told me, and I’m okay with that. We just met, Drake. I’m not interested in
forcing things. I’m happy to just let things evolve naturally.”
“If this were a regular relationship, I
might agree that’s the best course of action, but Elle is a musician. She
spends half of her life on the road. Before you know it, she’ll be back out
there, and if you two aren’t on solid ground, she’ll be leaving you behind.”
Caleb narrowed his eyes. “Were you so
adamant about me taking this assignment because you were hoping Elle and I
would hook up?”
Drake crossed his ankles and laced his
hands over his stomach, not looking the least bit guilty. “You guys are my
friends. Do I think you’d be great together? Yes. But I really do think you’re
the best person to watch her back the next few months. If it evolves into more,
great. If not, at least I’ll know she’s safe.”
Now that Caleb knew Elle a little better,
it made him sick to think of anyone harming her, especially on his watch. “You
don’t have to worry about Elle. I’ll take good care of her.”
“I know you will.” Drake stood. “So she’s
at my brother’s bar tonight. You can take her and stick around, right?”
“You sent me her schedule. I agreed to the
dates. You don’t have to check in every day to remind me, you know.”
“I know. I just wanted to find out how
things went last night.”
“Fine. Are you happy now?”
“Did you…?” A slow smile spread across
Drake’s face. “Let her know you’re interested?”
“None of your business.”
Drake laughed. “Ryan and Evan are throwing
a stag party for one of their buddies tomorrow night. Elle doesn’t have
anywhere to be, so Evan wanted me to invite you.”
“Why?”
“He wants to get to know you better.”
“Why?”
Drake laughed as he made his way to the
door. “Because he thinks you and Elle have a thing, and he wants to make sure
you won’t do anything to hurt her career, thereby damaging his label. He’s a
business man. His first priority is protecting his talent and their interests.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. He didn’t care
whether the Spencer brothers approved of him or not. If he and Elle were
interested in pursuing a relationship, they would, regardless of what some
record executives thought. “Tell him I’m not interested.”
“Ryan and Evan are great guys, trust me on
that. They love Elle. They want to protect her. If you want to be a part of
Elle’s life, you’re going to have to get used to her world. This might be a
good opportunity for you. Come on, what do you say? It’ll be fun, I promise.”
Caleb would rather hit the gym and watch a
game on TV, but if going to this party would give him insight into the people
who made up Elle’s inner circle, he would take the bait. “Okay, I’ll get one of
the boys to take us so we can have a few drinks. What time do you want me to
pick you up?”
“Make it eight and pick me up at the
office. I’ve got a late meeting.”
“You got it. See you then.”
***
Elle walked into Jimmy’s on Caleb’s arm,
feeling calm and steady in spite of the pushy reporters and patrons trying to
take her picture and stick a voice recorder in her face as they fired questions
at her about her upcoming album and tour. Having Caleb’s hand wrapped around
hers, reminding her he was there for her as he edged people out of the way, made
her feel safe and cherished, a feeling an army of bodyguards couldn’t evoke.
“Thanks again for being here tonight,” she
said. Spotting Drake’s brother, Lee, behind the bar, she smiled and waved.
Caleb gave her hand a squeeze. “You don’t
have to thank me. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. Hell, I’m a huge
fan. How lucky am I to get front row seats to all these intimate concerts?”
Elle laughed, flattered that he counted
himself among her fans. “It’s hardly a concert, just a song or two to get some
feedback on my new material. That’s probably why Evan was front and center last
night. He wanted to gauge the crowd’s reaction.”
“I doubt that was the only reason he made
an appearance.” Caleb led Elle to a table in the back. Security personnel had
been stationed nearby to keep anyone from trying to get too close to Elle.
“He’s not giving you a hard time, is he?”
The last thing Elle wanted was for someone to scare Caleb off before she had a
chance to get to know him.
“He invited me to a stag he’s throwing for
a friend tomorrow night.” Caleb smirked. “I guess he wants to figure out what
I’m all about.”
Elle dropped her head into her upturned
palm. “Oh God, I can’t believe he’s doing this. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him,
tell him to back off.”
“You don’t have to do that.” He reached for
her hand just as a photographer snapped their picture. “I told Drake I’d go to
the party.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked, trying
to ignore the guy edging past the doorman and trying to look inconspicuous.
He was one of her least favorite paparazzi.
He thought she and every other public personality owed him a living, and his
dogged determination made Elle uneasy. He was unscrupulous and didn’t think
celebrities were entitled to personal lives. If anyone could break the story about
what had happened with Ricky, it would be him.
“I have no problem if they want to dig a
little deeper. Like Drake said, Evan and Ryan are only trying to protect you. I
can respect that.” When Elle didn’t respond, Caleb followed her gaze to the
reporter. “You know him?”
“Unfortunately.” She tore her gaze away
from Donny, hoping he wasn’t there to intrude on her time with Caleb. She’d
been looking forward to seeing him all day. Plus Donny could be volatile when
provoked, and she knew he would love nothing more than for her or Caleb to
start something with him so he could splash it across the front page of his
magazine. “He’s a reporter for some gossip rag.”
Caleb glared at Donny. “Sounds like you
don’t have much use for him. Has he given you reason?”
“He’s pushy, arrogant, and aggressive,”
Elle said, touching Caleb’s face to turn his attention back to her. “But enough
about him. I’d much rather talk about you… and me.”