Marking Time (28 page)

Aidan looked amused. “I’m trying to picture you as a bartender.”

Clare grinned. “Only in the summer. The rest of the year I taught third grade in Mystic, Connecticut, but I gave up teaching when I moved to Boston to live with Jack. When Maggie went to school, I became a Realtor.”

“That I can see, definitely.”

“I don’t do that anymore,” Clare said and was relieved when he didn’t ask why.

“Was he successful as an architect?”

“Very. He started out working for Neil Booth in Boston.”

“Wow.”

“Neil’s son Jamie was Jack’s best friend at Berkeley. They worked for Neil for seven years, and then they started their own business in Newport. The firm was more successful than we ever imagined it would be.”

“I’ll bet you have a fabulous house of your own, don’t you?”

“I do. He built it as a surprise for me. It sits right on the coast. When I first got to Stowe, it took me a couple of weeks to get used to sleeping without the roar of the ocean.”

“He sounds like a hell of a guy.”

“He is.”

“So what happened? How’d you end up divorced?”

He’d given her the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth, but when Clare opened her mouth, nothing came out.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that, but there is one other thing I really need to know.”

“What?” she asked.

“Are you still in love with him?”

Clare thought for a moment. “No,” she said, startled to realize it was true. “Not anymore.”

That night, Aidan carried Clare up to bed after she dozed off while watching a movie. Hours later he was asleep with her in his arms when the phone woke them up. He reached for the extension next to his bed and sat up when he heard his brother Colin’s voice.

“Aidan,” Colin said. “Da’s had a heart attack.”

B
uddy Longstreet was grumpy. He and Taylor were enjoying a rare lull in their schedules before rehearsals started for their summer tour. Other than a joint appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show next week, they were free and clear for the next little while. He’d rather be home in bed with his gorgeous wife than trucking into Nashville to be fawned over at Mabel’s.

Back in the day, Buddy would’ve sold his soul to be famous. Now it was just a pain in the ass. They couldn’t go anywhere without the three-hundred-pound hunk of meat who was driving them into the city in Buddy’s Cadillac Escalade. Buddy tolerated the meat only to keep Taylor safe from the crazies. When he was by himself, he usually left the security at home.

He reached for Taylor’s hand, and she rewarded him with the hundred-watt smile that still turned him to mush after ten years together. She’d insisted on coming with him tonight to keep him company, and he was glad she had. He hated going anywhere without her.

No one but Reid Matthews could have gotten Buddy to Mabel’s tonight to see some unknown singer. But Reid was the one person from his life before stardom—other than his mother—who’d never asked him for a goddamned thing after he struck it rich. In fact, Reid had given Buddy the money to record the demo that led to his first record deal. There was nothing Buddy wouldn’t do for that son of a bitch.

Buddy also had to admit he was curious about this girl singer after the way Reid had talked about her. There was definitely more to the story than Reid was letting on, which was just one more reason Buddy was on his way to Mabel’s.

“What’s the matter, baby?” Taylor asked. “You’re all tense.”

“I’d rather be sweet talking you into bed than going to town.”

When she leaned over to kiss him, her silky dark hair brushed against his face and sent a jolt of desire straight down to where he lived. “Don’t start anything, sugar, we’re almost there.”

He put his arm around her to bring her closer to him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him—better than all the success and money, better than the music and the fame. None of it would mean anything to him if he didn’t have her to keep him grounded. The luckiest day of Buddy’s life occurred when his opening act came down with mononucleosis right before they were scheduled to hit the road. His tour manager tapped the then-unknown Taylor Jones to take her place. Buddy took one look at her and he was done—flattened, struck down,
gone
. She’d given him a run for his money that summer, but fortunately he’d won her over.

The pairing had been a personal and professional home run. They’d scored five number-one hits with their duets, in addition to a dozen solo records between them that had gone platinum, and in a few cases, double platinum. And despite what the tabloids incessantly reported, they were more devoted to each other and their four children than ever.

“Here we are, Mr. Longstreet,” the meat said.

Buddy pulled his signature black Stetson down over his eyes and helped Taylor from the car. Mabel had her own side of beef working the door, and his meatball eyes almost popped out of his head when Buddy and Taylor emerged hand in hand from the black Escalade.

Buddy slipped the bouncer a fifty. “Keep it cool, man. My wife and I just want to have a good time. Can you get us a corner by ourselves where we can watch the Rafters?”

“Sure thing, Mr. Longstreet. My pleasure.”

Buddy’s own security guy followed behind them, and the two refrigerator-size men paved a path through the star-struck crowd. A minute later, Buddy and Taylor were settled at a secluded table in the back corner of the second floor. Buddy’s guy stood off to the side in case anyone got too close to his boss.

“Shit, I remember playing here when I was in high school, and no one gave a flying fuck about me,” Buddy said. “Now it’s a goddamned production to walk in the door.”

“Well, we’re in, so relax and enjoy it,” Taylor said. “When was the last time we were out on a date? You can start things off right by buying your best girl a drink.”

He tipped his hat back so he could see her. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Chase away my foul mood without breaking a sweat.”

“I know how to handle you, that’s all.”

He guffawed. “
Shit!
Handle me. I’ll give you something to handle.”

“Not ’til we get home, baby,” she said in the little-girl voice that drove him wild.

Buddy laughed until his sides ached, and all at once he was thrilled to be out on a date with his best girl.

Backstage, Kate was having a meltdown. The whole place was abuzz with the news that Buddy Longstreet and Taylor Jones had come to see the Rafters.
What the hell do they want with us?
Billy and the guys in the band were flipping out. They were due on stage in thirty minutes, and Kate was hyperventilating. She rummaged around in her bag for her cell phone and called Reid.

“You’re
not
going to believe it,” she said, still disappointed that he was working late and couldn’t come to the show.

“Believe what?”

“Guess who’s here? At Mabel’s?”

“Who?”

“Buddy Longstreet and Taylor Jones!” Kate shrieked.

“Get out, really?”

“I swear to God. And we heard they asked for a table where they could see us!”

“Wow.”

“I can’t.”

“What?”

“I can’t go out there with them here.”

“What do you mean? Of course you can. This could be a major break for you.”

“What if I freeze when I get on stage?”

“Has that ever happened before?”

“No.”

“So what makes you think it’ll happen tonight?”

“Reid! It’s
Buddy
and
Taylor
! How am I supposed to sing with them watching? I’m not good enough to sing for them.” Her eyes flooded with tears.

“All right, now you’re making me mad. You’re just as good as they are. So you’re going out there to do what you do best, you got me? I don’t want to hear another word about you not being good enough.”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice.

“You’re fabulous, you’re talented, and I love you. You can do this.”

“Yes. I can do this. Okay, I’m taking a deep breath. Thank you.”

“Will you do one thing for me?”

“Anything.”

“Sing my song for them?”

“I will. I wish you were here.”

“I do, too. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

Reid’s heart raced as he ended the call. He’d stayed away from Mabel’s on purpose, even though he was dying to see Kate perform for Buddy and Taylor. He knew Buddy was suspicious of his involvement with Kate, and Reid didn’t want to confirm it for him by being there tonight.

Feeling like he was the one about to perform for royalty, he got up to pour a scotch to calm his nerves.

“Come on, Kate,” he whispered, sending her every ounce of love and support he could muster. “Do your thing, honey.”

The Rafters had never played better. They created pure magic from the first note to the last, and by the time they came off-stage just after midnight, they were sweating and euphoric.

Kate wiped a towel over her face and neck, trying to come down from the high of performing. She was higher than usual tonight as the guys jumped all around her, calling for beers and celebrating their successful night.

Billy Weston, the band’s lead guitarist, came over to hug Kate. “Great show, Kate,” he said with a loud kiss to her cheek. “You picked the right night to be on fire, baby!”

“Thanks. You, too.” She wanted nothing more than to kick off the cowboy boots that felt like hundred pound weights and get the hell out of there. As she watched Mabel’s manager, Charlie Sledge, push his way through the crowd of band members, their friends, and stage crew, Kate plotted her escape so she could get home to Reid.

“Kate!” Charlie called. “Kate, come here.”

She tossed her towel into her tote bag and took a long drink from a bottle of water before she turned to Charlie. “Hey, what’s up?”

Charlie leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low tone. “Buddy and Taylor want you to come by their table for a drink.”

“They do? Let me tell the guys.” Her heart galloped with excitement.
Holy shit!

“Just you, Kate,” Charlie whispered.

Kate looked over to where the other five band members were partying. “But the guys—”

“Just you. Come on, they’re waiting.”

Following Charlie to the table in the corner, Kate heard Ashton’s voice telling her not to talk to anyone in the business without him.
Surely he didn’t mean people like Buddy and Taylor, did he?

“Buddy, Taylor, this is Kate Harrington,” Charlie said.

Buddy jumped up and extended his hand to Kate. “Great to meet you, darlin’. That was a damned impressive show you put on tonight.”

“Thank you,” Kate managed to say.

Taylor shook Kate’s hand. “Have a seat, honey.”

Still trying to catch her breath, Kate saw Charlie signal to Butch behind the bar to bring them a round of drinks.

“Well, I’ll leave y’all to get acquainted,” Charlie said. “You let me know if y’all need anything.”

“Thanks, Charlie.” Buddy turned to Kate. “I gotta tell ya, darlin’, I’m blown away. You were
smokin’
up there tonight.”

Kate felt her cheeks get hot. “Thank you, Mr. Longstreet.”

“Oh, please, honey, call me Buddy.”

“You’ve got an amazing voice,” Taylor said. “Buddy and I are hoping you might want to work with us.”

Stunned, Kate starred at her. “Are you kidding?”

They shared a laugh. “Hell no, we’re not kidding,” Buddy said. In the same casual tone a regular person might use to ask the time of day, he added, “How about you let us make you a star. Would you like that?”

Kate’s mind went blank. She’d fantasized about how this might happen. Would she meet someone at a party? Would there be a message one day from a producer who received a copy of the demo she sent to every record company in town? She never could’ve imagined this.

“Darlin’? Y’all right?” Buddy peeked out from beneath the famous Stetson.

“Um, yes,” Kate stammered. “I just… I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, then how about I do the talking for a minute?” Buddy said.

“That’s one thing my Buddy’s good at—talking,” Taylor said with a grin.

He scowled playfully at his wife before he continued. “Here’s what I’m thinking. Every summer, Taylor and me, we take a new act on the road to open for us. We’ve been auditioning people for weeks, but we haven’t found anyone who speaks to us the way you did tonight. We’d like to take you along if you’d like to come. We’ll work with you and get you ready. We’re also real impressed with your songs, and we’d like to release ‘I Thought I Knew’ on our label to get you some buzz ahead of the tour.”

Kate’s head was spinning. Was this really happening? Or was she going to wake up to find she’d dreamed the whole thing?

“Buddy, honey, you’re overwhelming her. Kate, why don’t you think about it and come out to the house in the next week or two. We’ll hash it out when you’ve had a chance to process it.”

Taylor Jones was inviting her to come to her house?
“That would be great. I just… I don’t know what to say. Thank you. I’m so honored you want to work with us.”

Taylor and Buddy exchanged glances.

“Sweetheart, we want to work with
you
,” Buddy said. “Not the band.”

“But I can’t do that to them,” Kate protested.

Taylor put her hand over Kate’s. “Honey, the band’s great. Y’all are fantastic together. But the reason Buddy and I are still sitting here right now rather than on our way home is because of you. We want to work with
you
. I want you to think really hard about this. I admire your loyalty to the band, but if one of them were being offered what we’re offering you, they’d take it and run. They’d never look back. That’s what you need to do.” Taylor turned to her husband. “Buddy, honey, give Kate your card, and put our home number on the back. I’m ready to go.”

“Give us a call, darlin’.” Buddy handed Kate his card and stood up.

Kate took the card and got up to shake their hands. “Thank you. Thank you both so much.”

“Think about what Taylor said, Kate. She’s right. We’ll take good care of you.”