Haunted (11 page)

“How long are you staying?” Harry asked.
“Maybe we can have you over for dinner tomorrow night?”

“As much as I’d love that, I’m afraid I
have to get back to work,” Elle said. “I’m in the studio working on a new
album, and I can’t afford to take too much time off.”

Dora took her hand. “We understand
completely. We heard you were nominated for female vocalist of the year.
Congratulations. I just know you’ll win.”

Elle blushed. “I don’t know about that.
There are some incredibly talented women in my category. Honestly, I’m just
thrilled to be nominated.”

“The awards ceremony is next week, isn’t
it?” Dora looked excited when Elle nodded. “Does that mean you’ll be escorting
Elle to the awards, honey?”

Mortified his mother had put them on the
spot that way, Caleb said, “I don’t think—”

“I’d love it if you would,” Elle said. “Win
or lose, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have by my side.”

Caleb didn’t know what kind of game she was
playing, but he intended to find out as soon as he got her alone. “I’ll have to
check my schedule and get back to you.” He knew he’d clear the decks to be
there with her, but he wanted to make her sweat a little.

Dora and Harry exchanged a troubled look.

“Maybe we should leave,” Dora said. “It’s
getting late, and like you said, it’s been a long day for you and Elle.”

“You don’t have to go,” Elle said, touching
Dora’s forearm. “You just got here. Besides, it’s Caleb’s birthday. Stay and
help us celebrate.”

Dora touched Elle’s cheek and smiled at
her. “You’re so sweet to offer, but I’m sure you two would rather be alone.”

His mother was right on that score. “Let me
walk you out,” Caleb said before Elle could think of another reason to prolong
their visit.

They said their good-byes at the door. Both
of his parents hugged and kissed Elle before they wished her luck at the awards
ceremony next week. Elle closed the door as he walked his parents to their car.

“She’s so sweet,” Dora gushed, “and down to
earth. Honestly, you’d never even know she was a big celebrity.”

“Not to mention beautiful,” Harry piped up.
“I thought they airbrushed those girls to make them look so good, but Elle’s
even prettier in person.”

“Yeah, she sure is.” Caleb wished his
parents would stop singing Elle’s praises. He didn’t know how much more he
could take.

“Oh, your gift,” Dora said, touching her
face. “I can’t believe I almost forgot again. I was just so excited about
meeting Elle.”

Harry reached into the car and pulled a
small silver box out of the glove box. “It seemed like the right time to give
you this, son.”

Caleb looked from his mother to his father,
hoping for an explanation. When they didn’t provide one, he tore the paper off
and gasped when he opened the black velvet ring box. It was his grandfather
Wright’s ring. Caleb remembered admiring the oval stone as a child, asking his
grandfather what kind it was. His granddad had told him it was a Tiger’s eye.
He said you had to have the eye of the tiger to be successful in life.

“Dad, you should keep this,” Caleb said,
trying to hand the box back to his father.

“No,” Harry said, getting teary eyed. “You
should have it. You and your grandfather were cut from the same cloth. You both
had that fire in your belly, that desire to succeed.”

Caleb swallowed, caught off guard by his
father’s assessment. His grandfather had been the first in their family to go to
college, but after his second failed business attempt, he’d suffered a massive
heart attack and died just short of his fifty-third birthday.

Harry gripped his son’s hand. “I just don’t
want what happened to him to happen to you, son. I know you’ve worked so hard
because you wanted to take care of us, to give us a better life. We couldn’t be
more proud or more grateful, but it’s time for you to take a step back. Focus
on taking care of yourself. Find a good woman and settle down.”

“I know you—”

Harry held up his hand to silence Caleb.
“Just hear me out. I know you think making money and making a name for yourself
is important, but there’s more to life than that. Your grandfather spent most
of his life chasing the almighty dollar, and he sacrificed his family to do it.
We gave you that ring because we want to remind you how precious life is. You
may think you have all the time in the world for the things and people that are
important to you, but it doesn’t always work out that way.” Harry kissed Caleb
on the cheek. “Just something to think about. We love you.”

“Love you too,” Caleb said after clearing
his throat. “Thank you for this.”

Dora blew him a kiss over the roof of the
car before slipping inside. Caleb watched their black Cadillac pull out of the
drive. He’d bought it for them as an anniversary gift last year, insisting it
was time for an upgrade. They had been perfectly happy with their old Ford
though.

He’d been busting his butt to give them all
the things they didn’t want or need. Stumbling up the walk, he was stunned to
realize that was the message his parents had been trying to convey with their
gift. They just wanted him to be happy and find love. They didn’t need the
material possessions he thought would make them happy.

Elle reached for him as soon as he closed
the door. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.” She touched his forehead.
“Are you feeling okay?”

He stared at her a long time as things came
into focus. “I love you.”

She dropped her hand, looking shocked by
his admission.

“I know what you said, but I don’t care.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I want you to know how I feel about you. You may
not feel the same way and that’s okay, but I need you to know.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m
sorry for the things I said earlier. I didn’t mean them.”

He lifted her off the ground and buried his
face in her neck. “What made you change your mind?”

It wasn’t until he set her back down that
she responded. “Hearing your ex-girlfriend is still after you.”

Caleb laughed. “I can’t believe Elle Morgan
thinks she has reason to be jealous of another woman.”

“I saw her picture in your bedroom
earlier.” Elle looked at the ground. “She’s beautiful.”

Caleb hadn’t been here since his break up
with Vana, and he hadn’t thought to ask the housekeeper to take down the
pictures. “She’s a part of my past.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, flattening her
palms on his chest. “You don’t have feelings for her anymore?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Is she a country music fan?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Looking satisfied, Elle lifted her head. “I’ll
have to remember to give you a big kiss when the camera pans to me on Tuesday
night. You know, just to make sure she gets the message you’re taken.”

“Taken, huh?” Caleb’s heart swelled. “I
think I like the sound of that.”

“You’d better.” She stood on her tip-toes
and rubbed noses with him before dropping a kiss on his lips. “This won’t be
easy. You know that, don’t you?”

“I’m not real big on easy. I tend to think
anything worth having is worth working for.”

“I am willing to work at this,” she
whispered. “Telling you it would never work made me feel sick. Then when your
mama mentioned your ex, I realized I’d never forgive myself if I let you go
without even trying.”

“No more talk of walking away,” he said,
sliding his hand over her glossy auburn hair. “Promise me? When things get
tough, and they will, we’ll talk about it. Communicate. Figure out a way to fix
things.”

“What about when I go on the road?” she
asked. “What happens to us then?”

“We’ll figure that out when the time comes.
For now, let’s just enjoy our time together.” One thing was certain, he had no
intention of letting her go without one hell of a fight.

Caleb and Elle were having so much
fun, they decided to extend their getaway one more day. They’d had lunch with
his parents and were hosting a barbeque for Ewan, his wife, Tia, and their two
daughters.

“They’re so cute,” Elle said, watching the
two little blond heads bobbing.

The girls chased each other along the sandy
beach, squealing with delight as one filled a plastic bucket with water and
tried to dump it on the other.

Tia laughed. “Thanks. Everyone thought we
were crazy for having two so close together, but I think it’s worth it. They’re
so close. I hope they’ll grow up as best friends.”

“I’m sure they will.” Elle thought of her
own sister, her parents
real
daughter. She wished they could have seen
past their differences and developed a loving relationship.

“So, you and Caleb,” Tia said, squeezing
Elle’s forearm. “That’s so cool! I can hardly believe one of my best friends is
dating the reigning queen of country music. The other moms at my play group
will go crazy when I tell them I met you.”

Elle laughed at her enthusiasm. She still
had a hard time believing people got so excited about meeting her. When she
looked in the mirror, she saw the same simple girl she’d always been. Okay, she
had a better hairdresser now, and her skin had never looked better thanks to
her high priced aesthetician. And who could forget the celebrity dentist who’d
talked her into laser whitening? Maybe Elle didn’t look the same, but she
definitely
felt
like the same person.

“I’m really glad Caleb came into my life.”
She watched him flip burgers with Ewan. “He’s a great guy.”

“He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?” Tia
asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Tia was a pretty, petite brunette who made
jokes about her extra baby weight and had an infectious laugh. She clearly
loved being a stay-at-home mom. She made Elle question how her own life would
have turned out if she hadn’t found her place in the music business. Would she
be living the suburban dream complete with the mini-van, kids, and a dog? Would
she be content just to have a man like Caleb by her side, or would she be a
frustrated musician who felt she’d sacrificed her gift to be a mom?

“He does mean a lot to me,” Elle said.
“I’ve never met anyone quite like him. He’s so giving. So compassionate. The
way he treats his parents—”

“You know what they say,” Tia said. “Pay
attention to the way a man treats his mama. It’s a good indication of how he’ll
treat his wife.”

Elle coughed and sputtered when her wine
went down the wrong way.
Wife?
No way. She liked Caleb, and they had a
great time together, but she didn’t see their relationship ending with a trip
to the altar. She had a commitment to her label and her fans. Her music had to
come first.

“Did you know his ex-girlfriend very well?”
Elle asked, trying to change the subject.

“Well enough to know she wasn’t right for
him.” Tia’s eyes tracked her daughters’ movements. When the younger one picked
up a fistful of sand and prepared to throw it at the other, she yelled, “Put
that down, young lady! You know the rule about throwing sand. It could get it
in your sister’s eyes.”

Elle waited until the drama on the beach
died down before she asked, “How can you be sure she wasn’t right for him?”

Part of her felt guilty for monopolizing
Caleb’s time. His ex-girlfriend obviously wanted a second chance with him, and
for all she knew, she could be the only thing standing in the way of their
happiness. As much as Elle hated to think of him with someone else, he deserved
to be happy, and he clearly loved the quiet life of domestic bliss his friends
enjoyed.

“She was all about the show,” Tia said.
“She only cared about looking good, not about the way Caleb made her feel or the
way she felt about him. The appeal for her was the things his money could buy
her.”

“Sounds like he’s lucky to be rid of her.”
Elle felt infinitely better after hearing Tia’s take on the situation. Knowing
she was protecting Caleb from a gold-digger cemented her decision to continue
their relationship as long as they could.

“You can say that again.” Tia laughed when
Caleb chased her girls down the beach, threatening to throw them in the water.
“He’s gonna be a great dad someday.”

“You think that’s important to him?” Elle
felt a tightening in her stomach that resembled guilt. Sort of like the time
she’d wished her co-opener would get the stomach flu that was going around so
Elle could extend her set. “Being a dad?”

“Sure.” Tia rearranged her ponytail. “He’s
a family man. He loves kids, hearth, home, and all that.” She laughed. “I sound
like one of those feel-good novels I read when I want to escape real life.”

Elle could imagine Caleb living that life,
but it was so far removed from her own reality. “I worry that he’s wasting his
time with me.”

“Why do you say that?” Tia asked, looking
concerned.

“I’m sure you’re right about the kind of
guy Caleb is. You know him better than I do, but everything he’s said and done
leads me to believe he’s looking for a woman who wants the same things he does.
That’s just not me.” She smiled when Caleb swept the youngest girl up in his
strong arms and pretended he was going to toss her into the ocean.