Ruby Tuesday (11 page)

Rod brushed his offer aside. “I’m fine, Sky. No worries. I’m just kidding. So, you still at the Irish pub?”

Sky had filled his friend in on his adventures with the paparazzi the previous week during their last call. “I’m still here.”

“How are the songs coming?” his friend asked.

“Great. Freaking brilliant.” Sky grinned as he heard Teagan’s footsteps on the stairs, feeling like a teenager with a crush at the excitement he felt over seeing her again. “Hey listen, man. I’ve gotta get going. Thanks for looking after the place. I’ll talk to you in a few days.”

He hung up and watched as Teagan entered the room. His smile dimmed when he saw her pale, worried face.

“Teagan?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Outside. Cameras.”

He moved quickly to the window, standing off to the side to peek down without being seen.

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“They know you’re here.”

He was amazed by the sheer number of cameramen lining the sidewalk. He crossed the room and peered into the back alley. It was also jam-packed with press.

“How?”

She shrugged and he felt the same anger rise, the same frustration that besieged him whenever confronted with the paparazzi. “You must have some idea, Teagan. Who did you tell?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Well, I haven’t talked to anyone. Someone in your family must have let it slip.

Maybe Riley.”

“She wouldn’t do that. None of them would do that. They know how much your privacy means to you.”

“Sure they wouldn’t. You’d be amazed what an easy buck will make people do.” Teagan’s face flushed and he cursed his harsh words, but he couldn’t shake the idea that someone in the Collins family had betrayed him. He was surprised by how much that thought hurt.

“My family isn’t like that,” she insisted. “How do you know it wasn’t your manager? He was pretty pissed off when you said you were leaving the band.”

“He doesn’t know I’m here.”

“He’s the one who sent you to Baltimore.”

“A hotel in Baltimore, yes. He has no idea I’ve been staying here the last week.”

“Your friend Rod knows about this place. He was here with you,” she said.

“Rod wouldn’t betray me.”

“Oh right. You can say that about Rod and I’m supposed to accept it at face value, but when I tell you my family didn’t tell anyone—”

“Dammit, Teagan. No one else knew I was here. Fine. Let’s say for argument’s sake it wasn’t your family. Who else could it have been? Mrs. Tibbs?” 84

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“She didn’t recognize you. I’m sure of that.”

“Fine. One of your pop’s old cronies. One of the men watching the contest.” She shook her head. “They don’t know you’re still here. As far as they’re concerned, you went back to your hotel the night of the contest.”

“Great. Well, that really narrows it down, doesn’t it?”

“Holy fuck city,” Riley said, stomping into the room with a police officer behind her. “Hell has officially broken loose outside.” Sky lifted his hand, gesturing to the stranger in their midst. “Well, look,” he said, unable to hide the sarcasm in his tone. “Riley’s brought home someone else who isn’t supposed to know I’m here.”

Teagan walked over to him angrily and for a moment he was torn between guarding his ears or his balls. She was truly pissed off. “Aaron is a friend, you asshole.” Aaron stepped over to him with his hand outstretched. “I’m Aaron Young. I’m a friend of the Collins family. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mitchell. I’m a big fan of The Universe.”

Sky shook his hand, though his anger hadn’t abated. “I assume Riley called you in to disperse the crowd out there. I should tell you—”

“Actually, she called me to help get you out of here. Those cameramen won’t move until you do.”

“I’m not sure how they know I’m here. I’ve been quite diligent about remaining out of sight.”

Riley stepped forward, pointing out one of the living room windows. “One of the assholes down there managed to sweet-talk his way into an apartment across the street.

He has a pretty good shot taken with a long-range lens of you and Teagan working on the couch in here. The jig is definitely up.”

Pop came up the stairs and Sky could see weariness in the old man’s face. “Shooed everyone out and locked the restaurant,” he said. “Impossible to serve folks food and 85

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drinks with the crowd growing outside. Noise was unbearable and everyone was scrambling to get in. We were in danger of breaking the fire code for the number of people allowed in the place.”

“I’m sorry, Pat,” Sky said. “I didn’t mean to disrupt your business.” He knew in his heart of hearts the old man hadn’t given away his location to the press. Teagan’s pop was one in a million. He’d listened to their work in progress each afternoon, offering genuine advice and kind encouragement. He tended to look at Sky as if he’d offered his daughter the moon on a platter and he knew exactly how much her father wanted to see Teagan succeed in the music business. He wouldn’t jeopardize her future for any amount of money.

“Oh, don’t be silly, son. It’s just a minor setback. I could use a day off and besides, do you know what this could mean for business when folks learn Sky Mitchell wrote all the songs on his next album in this pub? You can’t buy advertising like that.” Sky grinned and hoped that proved to be true.

Tris and Ewan came upstairs, followed closely by Teagan’s older sister, Keira.

“Sean and Will are downstairs guarding the doors,” Keira announced. She looked at Aaron and smiled. “Thanks to your friends on the force, the press and the crowd have been pushed back across the street. I was afraid someone was going to get shoved through the window for a few minutes. We’ve got to figure a way to get Sky out of here and somewhere safe.”

“I can see why you’re so anxious to stay out of the public eye,” Ewan said, sympathy written on his face. “This shit must drive you mad.”

“I’m sorry about all the fuss,” he repeated as all the siblings sat down in various chairs around the living room. He could see by the stress on their faces they were genuinely worried about him. He felt guilty about his earlier accusations. “I’ll grab my stuff and call for a car. The hotel is better equipped to fend off the press.”

“Now son, I appreciate you trying to remove yourself from the pub, but we need to look at the long-range plan. Have you and Teagan finished writing your songs?” 86

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“No,” he answered. “We’ve made some good headway on a few—”

“Well, then we need to find somewhere for the two of you to finish the job.”

“She’s not going to the hotel with him,” Ewan interjected quickly.

Teagan rolled her eyes at her brother’s overprotective comment. “I’m twenty-six, Ewan. I think I can decide where I go and don’t go.” Tris scoffed. “You go to the hotel, I go to the hotel.” Pop shook his head. “I have to agree with your sister on this one, Tristan. She’s an adult and, what’s more, it’s time she moved forward with her life.” Teagan’s head popped up at her father’s words and Sky could read the slightest bit of fear in her eyes at his pronouncement. He considered what that look could mean.

The family erupted into conversation, every Collins sibling throwing in their two cents on how they could get Teagan and Sky out of the apartment and away from the paparazzi.

“I have a suggestion,” Aaron yelled, trying to be heard over the dull roar. The police officer had been quietly standing behind Riley since the conversation began.

“Shut up,” Riley yelled, when her brothers and sisters continued talking. “Aaron’s got an idea.”

Aaron grinned at Riley and then looked at Sky. “My family owns a small cabin on the Shenandoah River. The house is small, but the amount of land surrounding it isn’t.

It’s a very private place. If you and Teagan could get there undetected, you could finish your songs with nothing but the sound of the river to disturb you.” Sky was touched by the man’s offer. “That’s very generous of you,” he said.

Aaron shrugged. “Teagan’s been like a sister to me for most of my life. There’s nothing I’d like more than to hear one of her songs on the radio.” Teagan rose and kissed Aaron on the cheek. “That’s a very sweet offer, Aaron.” Her words were calm, but Sky thought he detected a slight shaking in her hands.

Was she afraid of being in a secluded place with him or afraid of leaving home? Until 87

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her father’s words, he would have assumed the former even though she had his promise and he’d held true to it. Then he considered what he knew of Teagan. She did seem to be a creature of habit. She’d flat-out refused his offer to buy
Maybe Tomorrow
the first night they’d met, despite the fact she was a songwriter. Was her lack of ambition actually the symptom of a deeper fear? If so, what was she afraid of?

“So the trick is moving Teagan and Sky without the paparazzi following,” Tris said.

“That’s actually the easy part,” Sky said. He’d dodged the press for years. “I’ve sort of adapted an idea I took from an old magician’s trick. The one where you have to guess which cup the ball is under. Only we perform the trick with cars.” As he explained what they would need to do, Teagan drifted over to the window, covertly peeking down at the street below. She appeared to be genuinely disturbed by the paparazzi and he cursed himself for thrusting her into his crazy life.

Once the plan was laid, the family separated, each ready to do their part to help him escape with Teagan in tow. He and Teagan were charged with packing while the rest of the family went back downstairs. All of Sky’s belongings had been retrieved by Ewan his first day in residence, so there would be no need to return to the hotel at all.

* * * * *

Teagan stood by her guitar and tried to figure out when she’d lost control of her life. A week ago, she’d thought she had her future sorted, her path laid. Now, as she bent to put her beloved guitar in its case, she realized everything was changing and she felt helpless to stop it.

“How was music class?” he asked.

“What?” She looked up, surprised by Sky’s strange choice of conversation. They were about to try to pull the wool over the paparazzi’s eyes and he was calmly asking about her music lesson with a bunch of preschoolers.

“Your class?” he repeated.

“It was fine.”

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He moved closer and she fought against the instinct to take a step back. She mentally shook herself for her foolishness. She wasn’t afraid of Sky and yet she had to fight to hold her ground. His hands reached out to grip her waist loosely and she felt the familiar melting that occurred whenever he touched her. She was putty in his hands and she feared how far she’d go to keep him close. How much she’d sacrifice for him.

Except he’s a rock star.

She’d been repeating the mantra for a week now and it hadn’t helped. Fact was, she’d fallen head over heels for the man. He was charming and sexy and everything she’d ever hoped of finding in the man of her dreams.

He’s a rock star. This isn’t forever to him. Just a casual affair.

He leaned back a couple of inches, his eyes traveling down her body in a way she should have become accustomed to. The man had studied every square inch of her these past few days—clothed and unclothed. The tension in her body rose higher and for a moment, she considered slapping the smug, possessive smile that sprung to his lips.

“I bet every three-year-old boy in that preschool is in love with you.”

“What?” she asked, taken aback again by his odd comment.

“Look at you. You’re a beautiful, wild bird. A scarlet ibis. If I were a young boy, I’d want to capture you and put you in a cage, just so I could look at you and listen to you sing.”

“If you were a boy?” she asked, her throat constricting on the words. His charm was lethal.

“I’m not a boy anymore. I’m a man and I know better.”

“How so?”

“Your true beauty lies in your freedom. You sing to children and old people because it makes you happy. That’s a precious gift you give. So,” he paused and took a step back. For the first time since she’d met him, his face wasn’t lined with laughter. It 89

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was serious, intense, and she felt herself becoming ensnared even tighter in his net. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m releasing you from the bet.”

“What?”

“I want you to write these songs with me, Teagan, but I don’t want you to do it because your pop is pressuring you. Because your family is forcing a way of life on you that you may not want. Come with me and write them because it’s what you want. If you don’t want it, stay here. Stay with your family.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not about to yank you out of the safety of your home, the security of your family’s arms, because of a bet. If you choose to come with me, you come with the knowledge that in all likelihood, your life is about to change. You have a very real talent and once it’s discovered, I have no doubt the music world will be beating down your door for an original Teagan Collins song. I’d like to say your life will change for the better because of that exposure, but I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and roses.

The worst part of it is standing outside on the sidewalk.” She looked toward the window, listening to the yells of the press and fans clamoring for a glimpse of Sky.

“But Teagan,” Sky continued, “even dodging the paparazzi is worth it when you hear one of your songs on the radio or you stand on a stage before a packed stadium, everyone screaming and singing along to a song that you’ve written. It’s just awesome.

Amazing. God, I’d love to share that with you.”

“Share it?”

“I was thinking perhaps we could turn
Maybe Tomorrow
into a duet. It’d be a cool way to kick off your singing career,” he said ruefully.

Her knees went weak at his words and for a moment, she felt as if she might faint.

“Singing career? You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” Sky shrugged. “I’m just laying down your options.” 90