Game On (5 page)

Brianna raised an eyebrow at Avery’s
enthusiastic endorsement. “Let’s not get carried away with this. We don’t want
everyone talking about us by morning.”

“I think it’s too late to prevent that,”
Avery said with a wave of her hand. “The press has been snapping pictures all
night. I’m pretty sure they’ve already uploaded some of them.” She tapped her
screen with a manicured fingernail. “Just as I thought. Look at this.” She
turned the screen to reveal a shot of the two of them kissing on the dance
floor.

“Oh no,” Brianna said, pressing a hand to
her cheek. “I don’t want…” She looked up to see Clint looking down at her. He
looked hurt and adorably confused. “I’m sorry, it’s not that I’m not thrilled
to be here with you; I am. But when I appear in court, the last thing I want
the judges and other lawyers talking or thinking about is my love life. It’s
still not easy for a lawyer fresh out of law school to be taken seriously, and
I really don’t want to get caught up in some scandal when my career is just
getting off the ground.”

Clint took her hand, holding it firmly.
“Brianna’s right. We need to figure out where this is goin’, if anywhere,
before we decide to go public with our relationship.”

“Perhaps you should have thought about that
before you decided to make out on the dance floor.”

Brianna’s cheeks burned with shame. She was
a grown woman, yet the thought of her parents and brothers seeing her engaged
in a heated kiss with someone who was still a stranger to them was humiliating.
“We were
not
making out.” Sure they had kissed once or twice, but they’d
never crossed any lines.

Avery laughed. “I know, I’m just teasing
you.” She looked behind her and beckoned to Ryan. “Ryan is going to be there
fielding questions on behalf of the label.”

“Where’s Evan?” Brianna asked. Though they
hadn’t exchanged a word, she could tell her friend was going through something.
It wasn’t like him to drink heavily, especially not at a party he was attending
to promote one of his artists.

“Apparently he wasn’t feeling well. He
decided to head out early.”

Clint frowned. “I didn’t even get a chance
to talk to him. A few photographers have asked if they could get a couple of
shots of me with both Spencer brothers.”

“Ryan can handle it.” Avery offered a
reassuring smile. “Trust me, he’s a one man show when it comes to public
relations. I love Luc like a brother, but he was very brusque and had a
reputation for being kind of hard-nosed. Evan is a lot like that, but everyone
loves Ryan. He’s a sweetheart, always the life of the party, and the press eats
it up.”

“Did I hear my name?” Ryan asked, slipping
an arm around Avery’s shoulder.

Brianna knew, in Ryan’s mind, Avery was family.
Everything Avery told Clint about Ryan was true. So many times over the years
she’d secretly admired his ability to befriend people effortlessly. Within
minutes of meeting someone, Ryan found a way to put his new acquaintance at
ease, making them laugh at a joke or commiserate about a shared challenge. She
loved that about him.

“I was just telling Clint that you could
handle this little press conference in your sleep,” Avery said, looking up at
him.

Ryan chuckled. “I don’t know about that,
but I’m not worried.” He nodded at Clint, his smile slipping for a fraction of
a second before he said, “You shouldn’t be either. We’ve got this thing covered.”

Brianna couldn’t help but notice that Clint
looked at Ryan with a bit of hero worship. Even though they were roughly the
same age, Ryan was everything that Clint wasn’t: wealthy, sophisticated,
educated, with a personality that made people forget he was all those things
and more.

Clint had confided in Brianna earlier that
he’d barely managed to get his high school diploma. He worked at several menial
jobs, pumping gas, washing cars, and working on his parents’ ranch, before he
decided to move to Nashville to pursue his dream. He said if he hadn’t made it in
the music business, he probably would have returned home and learned a trade to
get him through the lean months on his family’s struggling ranch.

Brianna smiled and praised the courage it
took him to follow his dream, but a small part of her wondered if she would
have been attracted to him if they’d met while he was still pumping gas at a rural
service station.

She didn’t think of herself as a snob. Her
family wasn’t wealthy, just comfortable. They’d never lived the luxurious
lifestyle some of their friends enjoyed. Her parents were just regular people
who worked hard and tried to raise their children to do the same. But Brianna
had always been driven and she appreciated that quality in other people. Especially
the men she dated. Good was never good enough for her. She always hoped to meet
a man who felt the same way and would encourage her to follow her dreams and be
the best she could be.

Clint grinned as he extended his hand to
Ryan. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Brianna silently berated herself for
thinking Clint was kissing up to management. He was just trying to forge the
kind of relationships that would help him build a successful career in a highly
competitive business. Of course he would want Ryan and his brother to like him.
They
were
Titan Records now, and the artists they believed in would
undoubtedly make it to the top.

Had Brianna not known Ryan almost as well
as she knew herself, she may have missed that hint of derision in his eye as he
accepted Clint’s handshake. He was used to people sucking up to him because of
his last name and he’d always hated it. In fact, she’d often heard him
introduce himself as just Ryan. When people asked his last name, he’d laugh and
say, “It’s just Ryan, kind of like Cher or Madonna.” Of course, they knew he
was joking, but the name Spencer meant something in this town. It was
associated with money and power, and though Brianna had never given it much
thought before, she imagined it must be a difficult burden to bear. Maybe
that’s why Ryan worked so hard to be so different from his father and brother,
because he didn’t want anyone to associate him with
those
Spencers.

Ryan smiled at Brianna, a genuine smile
that made her grateful to be a part of his inner circle. “Shall we get this
over with so we can get on with the party?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Avery said, leading
the way to J.T.’s office.

Ryan tried to fade into the background so
his artist could claim center-stage during the press conference, but it was
painfully obvious that he didn’t have the experience to handle reporters with
the finesse of their seasoned pros, so Ryan stepped in several times when he
heard Clint faltering.

He plastered a fake smile on his face when
reporters asked questions about Clint’s relationship with Brianna, and he thought
he was doing a pretty good job of pretending the question didn’t turn his
stomach until Avery shot him a curious look from across the room. Apparently
his poker face wasn’t as convincing as he thought.

Ryan was finally able to breathe a sigh of
relief as he watched the reporters and camera crew load up their gear. “I
thought that went well,” he said to Avery when she approached.

“We have a lot of work to do with him,” she
said, speaking between clenched teeth so the man in question wouldn’t overhear.
“He’s a nice enough guy, but he lacks that star quality most artists seem to be
born with.”

“Come on, Avery,” Ryan said, crossing his
arms as he leaned against the edge of the desk. “It doesn’t come as easily for everyone.
Some people are at ease with reporters from the start and others take a little
more coachin’.”

She looked at Clint, who was deep in
conversation with Brianna across the room. “I don’t know what it is about him,”
she said. “I’m just not sure he has what it takes.”

Titan had just signed him to a multimillion
dollar record deal. Ryan couldn’t afford to start second guessing their
decision now. “You met him before we signed him. If something didn’t feel right,
you should have spoken up about it then.”

“I thought he was just nervous about the
prospect of being thrust into the limelight.”

“You know we do background checks on
everyone associated with Titan. Mike said Clint’s story is pretty typical;
small town, hard workin’ family. Nothin’ out of the ordinary.”

“I’m not saying I think he’s disreputable.
Like I said, he’s a nice enough guy.” She narrowed her eyes as she watched him
tuck a lock of hair behind Brianna’s ear. “I just think he seems kind of uneasy
around the press. And the way he kisses up to you and your brother…”

Ryan grinned. “Actually, I kinda think
that’s one of his more endearin’ qualities.”

She rolled her eyes and tried to hide a
smile. “You’re too much.”

“Yeah, but you love me anyways.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

Not everyone.
From where he stood, the person who mattered most was falling in
love with someone else. He couldn’t resist the urge to sneak a peek at them,
but immediately wished he hadn’t.

“Looks like they’re getting cozy, huh?”

The last thing Ryan wanted to talk about
was Brianna’s budding relationship with another man. “How’re Nick and Anna?” he
asked, referring to Ty and Avery’s kids.

She crossed her arms and stared him down,
much like the third grade teacher who used to reprimand him for chewing bubble
gum in class. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to change the subject?”

“I’m askin’ because I care,” he said,
smiling. Avery was shrewd. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe she was buying his
act. “So, how are they?”

“They’re good. Nick’s busy with the ranch
and Anna’s looking for a teaching position. She’s just supply teaching for now,
until she can find something more permanent.”

“I’m sure it won’t take her long to find
something. She’s a smart girl.” Ryan winked. “And I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt if
she happened to mention her daddy was Ty McCall.”

“Don’t even joke about that,” Avery said,
holding her hand up. “She’s determined to find a job on her own. You know how
uncomfortable she is being in the spotlight.”

“No doubt, it can’t be easy livin’ in Ty’s
shadow.” Ryan knew from experience that famous parents often cast inescapable
shadows.

“We just want her to be happy.” She smiled.
“She’s so sweet and shy, not at all like Nick.”

Nick McCall was a few years younger than
Ryan, so they barely crossed paths in high school, but Ryan respected his work
ethic. Ty bought back the land that had been in their family for generations
when Nick agreed to try his hand at making it a successful enterprise again. Ty
was thrilled when his son attacked the challenge as though he was born to do
it.

“I should give Nick a call, see if he’d
like to get together for a beer.”

Avery smiled. “I’m sure he’d love that.”
She watched Clint leave the room. “I should catch up with him before he
leaves.” She reached up to give Ryan a kiss on the cheek. “Just for the record,
I know you and your brother are working hard to make your father proud.”

“Thanks, that means a lot comin’ from you.”
Avery had been with the company since its inception three decades ago and she
remained one of his father’s closest friends. He knew she wasn’t one to blow
smoke. If she didn’t mean it, she wouldn’t say it. “You mind tellin’ the old
man that, so he’ll quit questionin’ every artist we sign.”

Avery laughed as she patted his arm. “Some
habits die hard, kid. Your dad’s letting go; it’ll just take some time. You
have to remember, this company was his life. It’s not easy to hand over the
reins, not even to your own kids.”

“You ever think about retirin’?” Ryan hoped
not. She was still the best in the business, and he knew they wouldn’t be able
to find anyone with her skill and connections to assume the role.

“Are you kidding? I’d go crazy if I
retired. I’ve already told Ty I plan on working until I can’t work anymore.”

Ryan grinned. “I’m glad to hear it.” He
glanced at Brianna, who stood off in the corner checking her emails.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at the office, Ry.”
Avery waved to Brianna as she crossed the room and closed the door behind her.

Brianna looked up and smiled at him.
Damn
those dimples.
“I’m surprised you didn’t head out with Clint,” Ryan said.

“He said he needed to have a word with his
drummer.”

“You havin’ fun tonight?”

“Sure.”

She didn’t sound convinced. “You sure about
that?”

“He asked me to meet his parents tomorrow
night. They’re in town to take him out to dinner to celebrate.” She frowned.
“Doesn’t that seem kind of weird to you? I mean, we’ve only been out on one
date.”

Ryan thought it sounded like a man who’d
already decided what he wanted. This was worse than he thought. “So, are you
goin’?”
Please say no.

“I guess so. I couldn’t think of a good
reason not to go.”

Ryan could think of several. I need you. I
want you. I’m in love with you, girl. Can’t you see that it’s tearin’ me to
shreds, watchin’ you fall for someone else? “You could’ve told him the truth,
that his invitation creeped you out.”