You're Still the One (22 page)

Chapter Twenty-One

I’m fine. Really.

Arabella jabbed the send button on her phone, hoping Lana got the point that she needed space right now. God love her, but her best friend was out for blood, ready to kick Charlie’s ass for the pictures, the article, and the band’s stupid response, and as awesome as all that was, Lana couldn’t grasp that anger didn’t help right now. Ella was
devastated
…but then, how could her best friend realize how much this hurt? She never put her heart on the line. Whenever she was done having fun, she always left before things ever got to this point.

In hindsight, Lana’s approach had some merit.

Arabella Stone and Charlie Tucker are nothing more than good friends.

Ella sneered. The official response had come out that morning, sent via Blue’s verified Twitter account and Facebook page. The release went on to praise Arabella’s work ethic and accomplishments, trying to put to rest the rumor that she’d somehow gotten the internship through questionable means, and to say that Charlie, while fond of the CEO’s daughter, wasn’t in the market for a relationship.
His energy is focused on the music and on his incredible fans.

As for the steamy moment captured in the photos? No comment.

Well, then. That answered that.

Ella tossed her phone across the room, and when it hit the wall with a muted
thump
, she wished it’d been a vase, something made of glass that could shatter and match her mood.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door, and Sherry pushed it open. Glancing at the wall near her head she asked, “Everything okay in here?” When Ella raised her eyebrows, she scrunched her nose in response. “Yeah, stupid question.”

Sherry came in and closed the door, then leaned back against the wood to study her. “I take it you’ve seen the band’s response.”

Ella blew a raspberry. “Seriously?
That’s
what the best publicist in the business came up with? We are kissing in the pictures, Sherry.
Heavy
kissing. Epic even! How can Arianne expect people to buy the whole ‘good friends’ routine? Does she think the American public is dumb?”

Sherry shrugged. “I asked Tyler the same thing. Apparently, ‘friends’ do all kinds of crazy things in this industry. A kiss, even if it’s hot as hell, is nothing.” She shoved a section of purple dyed hair behind her ear. “Personally, my friendships are much more vanilla, but Tyler thinks this approach is best for everyone, especially you.”

Offering Arabella a comforting smile she said, “It’ll blow over soon.”

“Yeah, for Charlie, maybe,” Ella muttered, and tugged a pillow onto her lap.

To that, Sherry didn’t respond. She sighed and then walked over to the bed, hitching her hip onto the mattress beside her. After a couple moments of silence she asked, “Have you spoken to him yet?”

“Nope. Not since yesterday morning.” Strange Wheel had been a zoo when Arabella arrived. The paparazzi were relentless. “We saw each other for a second, but once Mike offered me the option of finishing my projects at home, I jumped on it. I grabbed my stuff and fled out the back before Charlie could say anything.”

In other words, she’d been a coward. The cruel words the photographers had hurled at her stung, but truthfully, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t expected. Arabella knew the game, and she’d been coached from an early age never to react. But seeing Charlie looking rumpled and sleep-deprived with dark circles under his eyes had gutted her.

Who told him he had the right to show up that way?
She
was the one devastated, not him. How dare he look like he cared! It messed with her head, and she had enough craziness going on in there without the added drama.

Mike’s offer to cut out early had been a godsend, as much as his assurance that her real name hadn’t made much of a difference for him. She’d been more than qualified for the internship, he’d said, and had proven her value in every aspect at the studio. It was exactly what she’d needed to hear. After a teary display of gratitude, she’d packed up her things and flown out of there, headed straight to the same place she’d crashed the night before.

Sherry wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but a friendly piece of advice from someone who’s been at the center of paparazzi insanity before? Avoiding life gets you nowhere.”

Arabella appreciated the support for what it was, but shook her head. “I’m not avoiding life. I’m simply taking a momentary break.”

They were quiet after that, and the sound of Tyler’s faint singing crept underneath the door. It was a song he’d written about his wife, how they were meant to be and how meeting Sherry had changed his world. Her new friend smiled softly, listening to the words before turning to Ella.

“Listen, I’m not trying to get up in your business, but I recognize a woman in love when I see her. I know that you’re in pain, and that you probably won’t believe me when I say this…but you’re not the only one hurting. In spite of what that press release said, Charlie feels more than friendship for you, Ella. That much is obvious to anyone with a lick of sense. He’s just scared.”

When Arabella scoffed, Sherry chuckled. “I said you wouldn’t believe me. But honey, I have an older brother, a brother-in-law, and a music-man husband, so you’re gonna have to trust me here. Men are a lot more sensitive and vulnerable than they want us to believe. Charlie just needs time to realize how he feels about you.”

Arabella took a deep breath and rested her head on Sherry’s shoulder. “I’d love to believe that, but Charlie told me from the start that this was only for the summer. He never once led me on or encouraged me to think this could ever be more than friendship. Just like that stupid statement said. My silly schoolgirl hopes confused things.”

It had been a valiant effort, Ella thought, in trying to sound strong, but Sherry’s cocked eyebrow implied she hadn’t bought the story for one second. Luckily, she appeared willing to let it slide.

“Come on, enough angst.” Standing up, she tugged on Arabella’s hand. “We’re getting out of this damned house. Tyler’s got Tony, my old security detail, stationed out front so we’ll be safe wherever you want to go. I know you’re leaving soon, so is there anything you want to do in New Orleans before you head on back to Nashville?”

Ella thought about it. The city was incredible, and she’d seen so much during her stay. But the last couple weeks in Charlie’s arms distracted her from her original goals. While it was happening, she hadn’t minded. Being with him, experiencing true passion, had been worth every unchecked activity on her list. But now, in light of her dad’s bribery and faced with embarrassing photos, they were glaring reminders of how much she’d lost her head.

Grabbing her phone from the floor, she smiled and said, “Actually, there is one thing.”

…

A hesitant rap on the door had Charlie vaulting off his sofa.

Arabella
. The rush of relief made his legs weak. Tyler’s responses to his constant check-in calls were getting strained, and Charlie had been only an hour or two away from storming over there so he could see for himself that she really was okay. And yes, he did get the irony in going from
receiving
annoying check-in calls to
making
them.

He threw open the door, eager to see her face again, to hear her honeyed voice, but came up short when he saw the key in her hand.

“Hey, Tucker.” Arabella bit the corner of her lip. “Got a second?”

He nodded reluctantly. “For you, I’ve got two.”

Arabella didn’t even respond to his pathetic attempt at a joke. “I didn’t quit,” she told him. She smoothed the fabric of her dress and shifted her weight. “I finished the work Mike had for me early. I think it’s best for everyone if I head on home now.”

Charlie wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. Magnolia Springs had turned into a circus. The security holding back photographers along the street only proved that. But there was still so much left to say. “Why don’t you come inside for a minute? We can talk…”

Arabella shook her head. “No, I’m not ready for that. I just wanted to grab my stuff, drop off my key, and tell you not to worry about me. I’m a big girl. Broken hearts take time to heal, but I promise you, I’ll be fine.” She held his gaze. “You never once misled me about us.”

Guilt sat like a rock in his stomach. They both knew that wasn’t true. Maybe he hadn’t misled her about what really counted, his feelings or where he saw them going, but he’d misled her plenty. Brushing aside the regret, he stared into her eyes and searched for a hint of the woman he knew. The Arabella standing in front of him now was closed off and guarded. The sweet girl who never met a stranger was treating him like an acquaintance, and it hurt. Charlie had the urge to shake her just so he could see how she’d react.

Instead, he took the key from her hand and noticed the white bandage on her forearm.

“You got a tattoo?”

Somehow, out of everything,
that
hit him the hardest.

Charlie had been involved with every other activity on her list. They’d met at Country Roads because of it. They’d drank beer at the biker bar, went skinny-dipping at Tyler’s, two-stepped at Mudbugs, and shared the toe-curling kiss that signaled their downfall on the Fourth. As jealous as he’d been, Charlie had even watched her ask for Evan’s number, and he’d accidentally stumbled upon her naked mirror show. It had been a source of pride, watching her meet her goals with every activity she checked.

And this one, he’d missed.

“Can I see it?” he asked hoarsely, lightly skimming his finger over the bandage.

Arabella’s forehead wrinkled, but she carefully unpeeled the plastic. “Sherry came with me. Her brother is covered with tattoos, and he recommended I see his guy. After everything that happened, he also refused to let me pay for it.”

Charlie leaned down to read the raw pink outline on the underside of her wrist.

Je m’assume.

“I’m enough,” she said softly, and he raised his eyes. “That’s what it means. The artist helped me find the Cajun French translation, but he said it can also mean I accept what I am and I’m in charge of my own life.” She smiled faintly. “I like that.”

“It’s perfect,” he told her, hoping she could see how much he meant it.

“I’ve learned that I don’t need to prove myself to the world,” she told him. “They’ll see what they want to see, and all I can do is my best. If
I
know I’m enough, then I am. You actually helped me see that.” Arabella lowered her gaze to the white ink. “It doesn’t matter to me if no one else understands what it means, or even knows that it’s here. I understand.” She looked at him again. “I know.”

Charlie swallowed hard. “While you’re crossing off items, I’ve got another one for you.” His fingers glided across her palm and he took her hand, needing her to believe this if nothing else. “You said you wanted to make a difference in someone’s life this summer. Sweet girl, I hope you know that you did that for me.”

A light kindled in her eyes, and his heart thudded in his chest. “If it weren’t for you, Arabella, Life & Lyrics wouldn’t be a reality. I won’t lie and say your father’s money doesn’t help, because it does, but it’s
you
who made the difference. You took my dreams, my scattered thoughts and ideas, and you made them come true.” He squeezed her fingers with a smile. “Abby and I will always be grateful.”

Her smile dimmed, and Charlie clenched his teeth, sensing he’d said the wrong thing. “I’m glad to have helped,” she replied, taking back her hand. “Please tell Abby that she has an incredible voice and a courageous spirit. She inspired me this summer.”

“I’ll tell her.”

They were back to being awkward again. Arabella licked her lips. “I really should be going.” She took a step back and put on a fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again. I mean, you work for my dad, right?”

Charlie winced, and from the sudden pain flashing across her pretty face, he knew the barb had been unintended. But it hit its mark anyway. “Right.”

Arabella fluffed her hair and nodded, then glanced at the cameras clicking behind them. “Good-bye, Charlie.”

Those words. He couldn’t take it. A manic need pulsed through him, and before Charlie could think better of it, he reached out and grasped her slender wrist, spinning her back around.

“What do…?”

His mouth crashed down on hers, swallowing the rest of her question.

He sank his hands in her soft hair and tugged her close, cradling her head as he kissed her, demanding her surrender. She only hesitated a moment before she melted against him, her hands clutching his shoulders, and the relief was almost staggering.

This kiss wasn’t soft or romantic, and it for damn sure wasn’t
friendly.
It was messy and desperate…and Charlie didn’t give a fuck that the cameras were watching. If this was good-bye, then he was going to leave Arabella with something to remember him by. Something honest.

Where words had failed him, his actions wouldn’t. They’d speak loud and clear, showing her that regardless of what he’d said, or how they’d started and ended,
this
was real. Their connection wasn’t manufactured or fake. It was the truest thing he’d ever known.

Arabella moaned, and a sense of completeness flooded his chest. A piece of his soul that went missing the day she’d walked out of his bedroom suddenly clicked back into place, and Charlie sighed in relief, crushing her perfect body against him.

“Wait, no.” She tore her mouth away and planted a hand against his shoulder. Her eyes were glazed, her lipstick smudged, and when she took a step back, she stumbled. “I can’t do this again. I’m sorry.” She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “It’s not even about the cameras. I just…can’t.”

An unfamiliar pressure mounted in his sinuses. Charlie gripped the door to keep from going after her, from admitting that their time together had been so much more than the result of a bribe. That the thought of what his life would be like without her warm laughter, off-key singing, or blueberry scones terrified him.