Red Lines (2 page)

“I’ll be fine. Stop worrying.” She reached for her backpack and slipped it over her shoulder. “I’ll let you do all the sweet talking and I'll just watch you in action.” She poked him in the side.

“I’m glad you find the humor in all of this.” He shoved the book into the side pocket, pulled the zipper on his bag, and stood. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You never do.”

She clutched his hand as they waited for the flight attendant to open the door. “I know that. Stop worrying.”

Despite the private jet and the private terminal, the press was still allowed to congregate. Evan usually flew out at abnormal times, missing the frenzy, but ever since the breakup story of Emmy Harper and Evan Carlson made headlines last week, the reporters were anxious to catch a glimpse of him, maybe even snag a quote.

He and Haven would have to walk down the plane’s stairs, through the private terminal, and reemerge through another set of doors before they could duck into the car. Alone, he could manage the system effortlessly. With Haven, it was going to be a completely different experience.

Unlike Emmy, who sought the cameras, spoon-fed reporters tantalizing quotes, and dazzled her audience, Haven was new to this twisted game.

“Mr. Carlson, you may exit the plane now.” Ally, the flight attendant, smiled brightly as she swung the door to an open position. “It was a pleasure flying with you, sir.”

Evan nodded at her and thanked both pilots. He looked past the door. The ground crew had already attached the stairs. There wasn’t anything keeping them on the jet. Still, Evan felt as if his boots had lead soles weighing him to the threshold.

It had already been said, but he felt like he was pushing her into the very thing that ruined every relationship before this one. He had to ask again. “You’re ready for this?”

“If you don’t get off this plane, I’m going to start thinking you don’t want to take me home.” Her eyes flared.

“All right, all right, pretty girl. Let’s do this.”

He clasped her hand in his and pulled Haven behind him as they descended the steps, leaving the safety of the jet and diving headfirst into tomorrow’s headline.

N
O HANDBOOK
can prepare a girl for her debut into the public spotlight. It’s a sink or swim situation. Haven knew as long as Evan kept his hand wound around hers she’d be on the swimming end. If he let go, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to come up for air on her own.

She clasped a little tighter around his palm. She felt steadier this way. Evan wouldn’t let them drown her like they did in the store parking lot. He was here this time.
Together
. They were together.

She hoped she had convinced him with enough smiles and laughter that she could take on the press. Although, with the crowd gathered below, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The flashes came in rapid succession until she felt her feet hit the runway pavement.

“Evan, where’s Emmy?”

“Is this the new girl?”

“Welcome back to Texas.”

“Is Emmy still heartbroken?”

“Have you spoken to her?”

“Do you feel responsible for ending the relationship, Haven?”

Her head whipped in the direction of the last question. The inquiries and comments flew from all angles. The tenseness started in her shoulders, rounded her elbow, and locked in her fingers. Evan’s knuckles were probably white from her grasp.

She studied him amid the flashes, looking for the same panicked look that had crept across her face, but he was smiling.

“Hey, y’all. Just happy to be back home.” He grinned, his white teeth in perfect rows forming a killer smile. He slapped one of the reporters on the back as if they were buddies. “There’s no place like Texas.”

The comment stung a bit, but she reminded herself he had to play the part for the reporters. He was a professional. There was a reason the press liked him so much.

“What about
Red Lines
, Evan? Have you signed yet?”

“The author tweeted today she wants you for the movie.”

“Did you hear Chip Heart is up for the role too?”

Haven followed Evan as he weaved through the crowd, navigating a path like an expert. He didn’t acknowledge the
Red Lines
questions.

He threw his free hand in the air to wave to the group. “We’ll see y’all later. Have a good night.”

He held the glass door open and shuttled Haven inside the private airport.

“You did great.” He smiled at her. “One more door and we’ll be on our way to the ranch.” He started down the tiled corridor, his boots echoing off the walls. “Haven?”

Maybe this is what stage fright felt like. Maybe it was what rookie singers dealt with before a performance; it was one of the reasons she stuck to songwriting. She couldn’t form a word. Her throat was dry, and if she was supposed to take another step forward, she wasn’t sure how to make her legs execute the movements. The resolve she had felt when they were on the plane melted as soon as the reporters started pelting them with questions. All she could think about was the day they assaulted her in the Owen’s General Store parking lot. It was sickeningly familiar.

“Darlin’, what’s wrong?” Evan’s hands were on either shoulder, his grip firm. “Hold on, let’s sit down for a second.”

He led her toward an open door, maneuvered her into the room, and placed her in a recliner. It didn’t look like a regular lounge room. She noticed the navigation charts on the walls, the warming coffee pot, and the low hum of the news channel running in the background. This must be where the pilots congregated before flights.

Evan shoved a cup of cold water in her hand. “Take a sip.”

She did as he commanded, as if under some kind of hypnosis. The water felt cool on the back of her throat, soothing the dryness.

“Ok, I know that was a lot to handle out there, but if we can make it through one more door, it will be over.” He knelt in front of her, brushing the hair away from her face. “The ranch is gated, and there are twenty acres between the road and the front door. No press there, I promise. But you take your time. We’ll stay here as long as you need.”

For a few moments, she felt her lungs fill then relax as they were depleted of air. Was it only this morning she had packed her bags for Austin, prepared to make this journey alone? There was no Evan. There was no
us
. No
we
. She was tackling this trip on her own. Diving headfirst into her songwriting career. All that changed the second he spotted her on the ferry.

“Haven?”

His voice urged her to answer.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to try it? The car is right outside the door. We’ll be out of here in a second, baby.” His hands rested on her knees as she sipped the last drops of water.

He had warned her about the Emmy questions, but hearing them still startled her. When she was with Evan, she didn’t think about anyone else, especially not his ex. But Emmy was clearly on everyone else’s mind. The cocoon they had lived in on the island all summer was over. From now on, she would be sharing Evan with the prying eyes of the world. The problem was, she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.

He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, keeping a steady warm gaze on her.

“Ok,” she whispered.

“Ok?”

Haven nodded. “I’m ready. One more door, right?”

Evan stood tall in front of her, and then pulled her against him. “One more door. That’s it. You’ve got this.” He led her to the corridor.

It was a simple glass door. The kind that allowed people to enter or exit the private terminal. There was a single doorknob on it, with a chime that rang every time someone opened it. Haven stared through it as she and Evan walked closer, knowing there was more to this door than any other she had faced. The camera lights bounced around them. Evan ushered her into the passenger side before jogging to the driver’s seat. An airport worker handed him a set of keys, gushed a few fan words, and then closed the door behind the star.

Evan’s hand slid to her knee. The paralysis that had gripped her was finally subsiding. It wasn’t normal, but breathing felt easier.

“Ready to see the ranch?” He winked then shifted the car into drive. “You just made it through the hardest part.”

T
HE ONLY
ranches Haven was familiar with were in movies. There was nothing even close to resembling a ranch on Perry Island unless you could call Ben Jordan’s place a beach ranch.

Wagon wheels, rustic fences, and open fields with running horses were the first images she associated with Evan’s home, even though she had never seen a single picture of it. It was a clichéd stereotype, but it wasn’t as if he had given her anything to go on.

She should know these things about where he was from. They had spent an entire summer together. When you spend that much time with someone, shouldn’t you know what his house looks like? What color his bedroom is? If he even has a single houseplant? She wondered if there were more things she didn’t know than she did.

So much had happened since this morning. They had put themselves back together. It felt real and secure, but at the same time, Haven knew it was delicate. She only had four days in Austin to work out her contract with Blue Steel before she was scheduled to return home. What if she and Evan couldn’t make all the broken pieces fit together the way they did before?

“Hey, what’s going on over there?” Evan turned down the radio.

“What do you mean?” Her gaze had been set out of the window ever since they pulled away from the terminal curb, but she couldn’t recall anything she had seen on the drive.

“You look like you’re thinking about something, and I have a feeling it’s not lyrics.” He slowed the car to a crawl and turned onto a dirt road. “But if there’s a song in there, I want to hear it.”

Haven shrugged, not wanting to sour his happy mood. This was part of the delicate stage they were in. She was still trying to find her footing. “No song. Just taking in the scenery. Are we at the ranch?” She looked at the big C displayed over the gate’s archway.

“Yep. This is it.” He rolled down the window and entered an access code into the keypad.

Haven watched as the iron fence separated just enough for the car to pass through. He waved at a man stationed in a small hut by the gate. The gates closed behind them as Evan drove over the threshold of the Carlson estate. She tried to quell the excitement that had started to bubble. She prided herself on not getting wrapped up in celebrity, or in this case, all the perks of being with a movie star, but it was becoming more evident that Evan lived a completely different life than she did.

“Tomorrow, when we have some daylight, I’ll show you the whole place. I know it’s kind of hard to see right now.” Evan pointed out a few of the fields and ponds along the way, explaining what kind of fish he had stocked or where the particular cattle came from.

Haven listened and watched as the acres rolled under the tires and the car drove deeper into the ranch, turning around sharp corners and following the fence line.

“All of this is yours?” Haven asked.

“Sure is, darlin’. And see? Those reporters can’t get in here. The perimeter fence is wired, there’s a gate, and I have a security system on the house. You’ll be as far away from that mess as I can get you.”

His eyes focused on the driveway that had sprung up out of the gravel. Haven stared at the house in front of her. If you could call it that. It wasn’t a house. It was a resort.

“This? This is your ranch?” She pointed to the sprawling set of buildings. It was bigger than South Fork; it was bigger than the White House. It was a monster ranch.

“What do you think?” He waited while one of the ten garage doors opened and he could steer the car inside.

“When you said ranch, I thought you meant a little house out in the open. This-this is…” She didn’t know how to finish the statement without hurting his feelings.

Now that she was here, she could see what a contrast it was for him to spend an entire summer in a camper. Silver Belle was probably the size of his pantry. How could the same person live in this mansion?

She stepped from the car and waited for Evan to direct her. There were multiple doors surrounding them, and she didn’t know which one would take her inside. Suddenly, she felt off balance again.