Girl With Guitar (16 page)

“I
can’t accept this, Kylie. It’s sweet of you to offer, but it’s too much.” Tonya shoved the envelope back at her.

“Tonya, I’m almost positive he overpaid me.” Probably out of guilt. “That’s just the excess. I kept enough to pay first and last month’s rent at my new place and kept a bit for some studio time at Bluebird. Clive made some calls so they’re giving me a discounted rate.”

“Kylie, you worked hard for this. You deserve it.” Boy did she. But she wasn’t taking Trace’s guilt money, dammit. She could imagine how well that would go over, so instead of arguing with him, she would just put it to good use.

“If you hadn’t suggested I change my song, none of this would’ve happened.” On second thought, Kylie wondered if maybe she should be charging the woman for the years of gorging on mint chocolate chip it was going to take to get over what she’d been through. She sighed, trying not to think about it. She was fine, or at least she would be eventually. “And I left you high and dry with no one to help out. This should be enough for you to quit working weekends so you can be with your kiddo.”

“Kylie…”

“Take the damn money, Tonya.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Tonya rolled her eyes and held out her hand. “You’ll never get anywhere in this business if you keep letting your emotions make all of your decisions.”

“Thanks for the advice, cuz,” Kylie said, dropping the envelope into her friend’s hand. “Once again.” She smiled even though part of her felt guilty for not using it to buy her dad a headstone. But she knew he’d approve. And if everything went well and she was selected as the unsigned artist invited to join The Random Road Trip Tour, she would use that money to get her daddy the best headstone that money could buy.

“So Clive is riding everyone about this big birthday bash he’s throwing you. I swear, I’ve worked here two years and have never even gotten to take off on my birthday. You worked here two weeks and he acts like you’re his daughter or something.”

Kylie laughed. Maybe the old man could see that she needed someone to look out for her a little. “Don’t take it personal. He probably just knew a naïve hick from Oklahoma when he saw one.”

“Nah, Kylie, you’re a lot of things, but naïve isn’t one of them. In fact I was just thinking that you seem different, older somehow.”

Shrugging so her friend wouldn’t know how right she was, Kylie stood to leave. “Well, life on the road will age you.” She winked and said her goodbyes.

On her way out of the bar, her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. When Rae’s number and grinning face popped up on the screen, Kylie said a silent prayer.
Please let him be okay. Do not let this be a call telling me something bad has happened.

“Hey Rae,” she answered.

“Kylieee!” Ray squealed. “How are you? How is recording going? I heard you were doing the Random Road Trip Tour and ohmygosh, I am totally coming to see you in Atlanta with all of my friends! Please tell me we can come back stage!”

“Um…” Kylie hesitated, unsure of which question to answer first. “I’m okay, just scheduled my recording time. Not entirely positive about the tour yet, but if I get on then yes you can.”

Rae laughed. “See, that’s why I love you. Trace would’ve just told me to slow down and ask one question at a time before he got a migraine!”

At the mention of his name, Kylie’s heart gave a little squeeze and made it hard to breathe normally. And then she was like an addict, ready to beg for more.

“Yeah, um, Rae? How is he? He’s not exactly speaking to me.”

“What? Oh no, so my acting skills didn’t help?” The girl sounded so dejected, Kylie was instantly overcome with guilt for burdening her with her problems.

“No, Rae, you did great. It’s just…complicated.”
I lied about having an evil stepmother, who is now blackmailing him, which he thinks I may be in on, got caught in a lie to get him where I wanted him, and now he hates me.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t complicated, just screwed up and hopeless.

“Actually I haven’t talked to him much either. He’s been busy and hasn’t been around much. But when I do, you want me to tell him you said hi?”

“Uh, no. That’s okay, but thanks.” Kylie fumbled her keys trying to hold the phone and unlock the door to her apartment at the same time. “Dammit.”

“You okay?” Rae asked.

“Yeah I’m fine. Just dropped my keys.”

“Okay, wellll,” Rae drawled, “the reason I called is because my Sweet Sixteen party is tomorrow night and I would really love it if you could come, Kylie. The pool’s open and we will probably have a bonfire and maybe dancing in the barn, kind of like Trace’s party but minus the alcohol unfortunately. ”

She couldn’t help but laugh, and the invitation made her grin like an idiot. And then it made her want to cry. Because she couldn’t go.

“Rae, I love you and I would love to come but—”

“Aw, Kylie. Please don’t say no,” Rae whined. “I know you’re busy but geez, girl. Take a night off! You need to have some fun before you go on the road!”

Good point. And he might be there. Her hopes rose into her throat and then plummeted to her gut. That was exactly why she couldn’t go. “Rae, I am going to send you an awesome present, I swear. And I am going to wish the coolest girl I know a happy birthday on Twitter and everywhere else, but like I said, Trace and I are not exactly on great terms right now and he was really mad about me using you to get him back to the bus the other night.” Was that really just a week ago? Seemed like a lifetime. “Which I can see now I shouldn’t have done, and I am truly sorry for asking you to lie like that,” Kylie finished.

“Oh for crap’s sake, he was acting like an idiot, and you were upset and worried about him. It’s not like we lied to lure him into a sniper attack!”

Only Rae could make Kylie crack up in the middle of a conversation about something that had broken her heart. “True, but there’s other stuff, Rae, and it’s just not a good situation right now.”

“Because of the thing with your stepmom? That’s what everyone is saying online, that you lied to seduce him and then you were going to sue or blackmail him or something.”

Kylie’s knees went weak as her stomach plummeted. “Please tell me that you and your family don’t believe that,” she choked out.

“No, of course we don’t. And I don’t think Trace does either…so what’s the deal? Did you guys break up or what?”

“We weren’t exactly
together
.”

“Uh huh.” Kylie could hear the girl smirking. “Really? ‘Cause he’s never brought a girl home to meet us, like ever, and he took you breakfast in bed and he hasn’t done that since I was six and had the chicken pox and—”

“Rae, I get it. He’s a nice guy, and I am so glad I got to know him and you and your family.”
Even though missing all of you is killing me slowly and painfully right now.
“But I don’t think he wants to see me and I know he doesn’t want me at your party.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing he won’t be there.” Rae’s voice was triumphant; this was her ace in the hole. “He’s writing and recording up at his cabin. He told Claire Ann that he just couldn’t get away this weekend, so he’ll never even know.”

“Rae…”

“Kyyyllliiiee….”

Kylie surveyed her empty apartment. She planned to run by a thrift store or some estate sales and get some furniture soon, but she hadn’t yet. Ordering pizza in and sitting home alone versus hanging out with Rae and her friends at her favorite place in the whole world. Really wasn’t much of contest. Even though the very sight of that place was going to carve another wound into her severed heart.

“Okay, Rae, I’ll come,” she relented. “What time and more importantly, what should I wear?”

Rae’s answering shriek was almost deafening but Kylie was all smiles. Now she had to go shopping for something to wear and rent a car for the drive.

I
t
was a five-hour drive to Macon but Kylie needed the time to think, time to prepare herself for going back to the place where Trace Corbin had altered her irrevocably. Plus, she’d rented a bad ass Jeep Wrangler and rode with the top off for most of the way.

Her ponytail was a tangled mess but she was excited to see Rae. And the feeling was mutual. “Kylie! I’m so glad you made it!” Trace’s younger sister greeted her with her typical enthusiasm.

Kylie had come early to help set up. After hugs from Rae and even Claire Ann, she busied herself with setting up tables in the barn to keep her mind off where she was. Not that the ragged hole in her chest was going to let her forget that easily.

“Just so you know,” Trace’s older sister began quietly as they lifted a round white table and shifted it towards the edge of the barn to make room for a dance floor. “We don’t believe anything we hear from the media. If we did, we’d have disowned Trace long ago.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Kylie told her, overcome with gratitude for Claire Ann’s kind words. She was quiet and reserved and Kylie knew she didn’t like to pry into Trace’s life. “I would never hurt him, not intentionally,” she swore.

“We know that. If anything, you helped him. The last few times we talked he seemed more focused on his career than he has ever been. And he’s planning a big benefit to kick off some program he’s working on to help out single working parents.”

Kylie’s whole body went weak at the woman’s words. “He is?”

He’d read her lyrics about Tonya, and they’d talked about the unfairness of her dad trying to go it alone after her mom died. He’d really been listening.

“Yeah, but missing Rae’s birthday is going to land him in the hot seat with her no matter how many charities he sponsors.” Claire Ann was smiling but Kylie couldn’t return it.

When Trace’s sister saw Kylie’s eyes filling with tears, she promptly lowered the table and stepped around it. “Kylie, I don’t know what’s going on with you two, and frankly, it’s really none of my business so I’m not going to ask. But why don’t you go on inside and freshen up? You’ve had a long drive. I’ll tell Rae you’ll be out in a little while.”

Kylie sucked in a breath and dammed up her tears. “I swear I am not this girl. I don’t get all weepy over some guy. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. Just being here with all of you and missing him and—”

“Shh, I understand. Things will work out however they are meant to. Sometimes we all just need a little time. Trace has never been very good at talking about his feelings or hammering things out. He just…well, you know.”

“Yeah,” Kylie whispered. “Thanks. I think I’ll go inside and clean up a bit.”

G
oing
into the house where she’d made love to Trace was a horrible idea. Good call, Claire Ann.

Kylie took a quick shower in Trace’s master bath, trying to keep the images of what had happened last time she was in there out of her mind. It wasn’t really working. Especially since the shower door bar she’d broken was lying on the side of the tub screaming “exhibit A” at her.

After she’d cleaned up and put on the short peachy-pink belted dress she’d bought, she slipped on her boots and decided to let her hair air dry out in the Georgia heat. No more crying, she promised herself. It was Rae’s night and she wasn’t going to ruin it by acting like a lovesick idiot. Even if she was one.

Most of the party had arrived by the time Kylie walked out to the pool. A flash of being thrown into the pond farther out on the property threatened to crash into her, but she held it off. Some annoyingly catchy pop song blared from a radio nearby and the sounds of laughter and splashing reminded Kylie that she was here to have fun.

Striding purposefully over to sit by Rae, she glanced around. Several girls were in bikinis and a few were dressed like her. Most of the guys were in swim trunks. A couple of each were giving her some serious side-eye but mostly they just kept goofing around in the pool. Being friends with Trace Corbin’s little sister probably required a good bit of discretion. But someone had leaked information about her last visit here so she was wary. Kylie slipped her feet out of her boots and sat them next to her.

“So which boy is the one you like?” she whispered as she lowered herself to the slate surrounding the pool and dipped her feet in the cool water.

“Teal Hollister trunks,” Rae whispered back.

“Ah, very cute.” Kylie smiled and nodded her approval. Lulu would like Rae very much. The thought of them all hanging out made Kylie smile.

“What?” Rae asked, leaning away from her. “Don’t be hitting on my man, Kylie Ryans. I’m serious.”

At that Kylie burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Rae. But I was thinking, now you have to come to Nashville next Monday for my birthday. My best friend Lulu is coming up from our hometown and we’re going out dancing. Think Claire Ann might come too?”

“Um, hell yes!” Rae squealed, giving Kylie a damp hug. “And I promise, I won’t tell Trace.”

“You promise you won’t tell Trace what?” his voiced boomed from behind them.

Kylie squeezed her eyes shut as her insides slid to the tips of her toes. She wondered for a second if she’d been set up, but she could tell from the way Rae leapt into his arms that it was a surprise to both of them.

“Trace,” she said evenly as she stood to face him, ignoring the dizziness threatening to knock her back down.

“Kylie?” The surprise on his face said he wasn’t expecting to see her any more than she had been planning to see him.

“Rae said you weren’t coming, so I—”

“And now my two favorite people are here and we’re going to have so much fun!” Rae chirped. Kylie knew she was trying to dispel the awkwardness of the situation. Bless her heart.

“You didn’t really think I’d miss your birthday, did you?” Trace asked, turning from Kylie to Rae. God, why did he have to be so damned handsome? He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week and aviator sunglasses hid his eyes, but the man was practically radiating hotness in front of the setting sun. She slipped back into her boots, readying herself to make a quick getaway. Every beat of her heart was taking twice the usual effort.

“I know you’ve been busy,” Rae answered with a shrug.

“Never too busy for you, darlin’.” Trace kissed his little sister on the head. Kylie’s body shifted into fight or flight mode. The way he’d said darlin’ to Rae was the same way he’d said it to her.
Flight. Definitely flight.

“Rae, I’m gonna grab your present and then I’m gonna head on back. It’s a long drive. ‘Scuse me.”

Kylie walked as quickly as possible to the barn where she’d parked her jeep. She thought she heard someone say her name but she kept going. No way she could turn back now.

“A
re
you trying to turn my family against me?”

Just as Kylie leaned over the front seat of the jeep to grab Rae’s present, she heard Trace’s warm voice and frigid words.

“What?” she asked, grabbing the gift and turning to face him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Rae invited me. I tried to turn her down but she’s…persistent.”
And now I look like an idiot and like I’m stalking you, just like the media says.

“Yeah, I know she is,” he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“Anyways, she said you wouldn’t be here so I came but now you’re here and I’m going to give her this and go.” Kylie slammed the Jeep door shut and started to walk past him but he reached out an arm and then dropped it before touching her.

For a second he just stared at it, like it had betrayed him somehow. But then he looked up and slid off his glasses. Tired eyes ringed with dark circles stared her down warily. “You drove here from Nashville?”

“I did.” Kylie clutched the gift, grateful to have something to hold onto.

“Why?”

Kylie huffed out a sigh. She so did not want to do this now. This was Rae’s party. “Because I needed time to think. And I could just imagine what the media would say if it leaked that I bought a plane ticket to your hometown.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Trace sneered as if he didn’t really believe her.

“Yeah, well, underneath all this spray tan is a halfway decent girl, believe it or not.” Kylie hadn’t meant to throw his words back at him like that but there it was.

“Look,” he began, pulling off his baseball cap and running a hand through his hair before replacing it. “I’ve worked extremely hard to keep my shitty life choices from affecting them, so I’d appreciate it if you would just steer clear of my family altogether. Please.” His tone wasn’t hateful. It sounded like he was pleading with her actually, but his words jabbed and stung in all her weakest places. He’d called her a shitty life choice.

“Got it. Here.” Kylie shoved the Tiffany’s box at him and turned back to her Jeep. “Tell Rae I’m sorry.”

“Kylie, wait. I didn’t mean—”

But she didn’t hear the rest of whatever he had to say. She’d already slammed the door to the Jeep and was starting it up.
Do not peel out. Do not act like a psycho. Just leave calmly and do not ever, EVER come back.

O
ver
the next few days, Rae launched an attack on Kylie’s phone via text messages.
Where did you go? What happened? I didn’t know he was coming, I swear. Please don’t be mad at me. Am I still invited next week? Kylie, I know he’s an ass but he just wasn’t expecting to see you. I am very mad at him but he bought me a car so I have forgiven him. ;) Please, please call me so we can talk.

Kylie deleted each and every one of them without responding. She would not keep doing this to all of them. They were Trace’s family and he thought of her as just another shitty life choice he’d made, one that just wouldn’t take the hint and go away. She wished she could make herself think of him the same way.