Hung Out: A Needles and Pins Rock Romance (58 page)

Was it conceited to know she was? Although she only managed a lesson from Seth every other week, she practiced by herself for hours. She had also found a few favorite guitar lesson channels on YouTube. The magic was often a tangible tingle, surging from her soul to her fingertips.

“I’ve got to go. Sorry to not hang around for Caroline, but it’s getting late for this girl here who has a six a.m. casting call.”

“I guess I can forgive you.” Scarlette teased. Excited for her friend who had so far had a minor part in a movie and now a lead in a pilot, she asked, “When will you know if the show is picked up?”

“Months.” Ivy pulled a face.

Scarlette’s fingers continued their dance on the strings for a few seconds more before she put the instrument aside and walked Ivy out. She waved to her neighbor who was smoking on the porch and sprinted back upstairs.

While she was downstairs, Caroline had texted that she couldn’t make it after all due to something going on with Jeter. As for Henni, her dear mother hadn’t returned her text or call.

Even though it was an hour later in Belize, she decided to phone her again.

“Scarlette! Thank God!” Her mother gushed as if she had been the one trying to call all day. “Honey, we need to talk.”

“I’m listening.” Something told her she needed to sit down, but she didn’t. She paced.

“Will your graduation ceremony be the last week in May or the first in June?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m joining some friends on their yacht for a few days, and they were asking me―”

“Is this what you needed to talk to me about?” Impatient with trivial talk of floating on the ocean, Scarlette interrupted.

“Yes… Why? You sound upset, dear.”

“Because I thought you were going to explain to me what my freaking stalker paps is doing at Cochina’s with you!” She screamed out the restaurant where she’d been told her mother and Ketchum had dined. Here, she kicked at her couch and ignored the tears filling her eyes when she stubbed her big toe.

“How do you know that?” Henni’s reply was barely a whisper.

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell me.”

“I can’t tell you that. And I resent being spied on. Just because you’re paying my rent―”

“I wasn’t spying on you! I was spying on
him
! Any person who sits outside my house practically twenty-four-seven for months now is a concern to my security team. They’re good at what they do. Shit, Mother! Just answer.”

“Scarlette, don’t dig into this.” Henni suddenly sounded contrite—and tired. “I’m taking care of it. I’m going to make it go away like I always have.”

“You have always what? Make what go away?”

“Call the security off. Trust me on this.”

“Mom, you have to tell me what is going on…”

“I will. But now is not the time. Now about your graduation―”

A jab at the end button disconnected the call. She was about to call Mike back and have him look into it more, when she realized how late it was and opted to wait.

Her phone lit with a text.

How? How was she to trust the woman who had never told her she had an inheritance? Who had stolen her debit card more times than she probably knew?

But the next morning, she didn’t call Mike. It wasn’t because she trusted Henni. It was because she didn’t. If Henni had flirted and given her number to Ketchum on Christmas day, and a relationship had sprung from that, there was no sense in investigating further.

C
olt blew out a breath of smoke, and before vaporizing into the spring day, it drifted in a cloud over his pool where Jeter and Seth and their ‘girlfriends’ were involved in a splashing war. “When are you going to ask her?”

“I’m not.” Gage was quick to correct the misunderstanding. And damn, just the thought of talking with Scar made his pulse throb in delicate places. “Jax is going to meet with her.

“Think she’ll do it?”

“No. Fuck no. Not without some convincing—by someone who is not me.” Gage rubbed his eyes and crossed his bare ankles when he slouched down more in his chaise. “She hates me. And if she thinks the offer has anything to do with me—as in, if she thinks I suggested she be my freaking babysitter on tour—she’ll decline.”

“So it would make it worse if I talked to her.” Colt let the statement hang as a semi-question.

“Yeah. But thanks. Logan is going to work on her.”

“Tell me he’s not still going out with her.” When Gage didn’t answer, Colt puffed his cheeks out with the next smoky exhale. “How are you so fuckin’ stupid? This is going to blow up in your face.” Colt glanced back to the now empty water and thrust the smoke to Gage when he hopped to his feet. “Hey! Where is everyone? Seth!” Striding to the edge of the terrace overlooking the second pool, he muttered, “Damn kids. Always disappearing the second I quit looking…”

While his friend chased down the horny teens, Gage resisted a hit, ignored Colt’s forecast about the Logan situation, and instead contemplated the Rattler tour.

The circuit with Rattler hinged on tour support for two recovering addicts—Gage and the drummer. At this point, Gage had already committed to the tour, but Jewelstone was looking to acquire a professional in the rehab field before committing Rattler to the open offered dates of several large festivals and scheduling surrounding venue dates in the spring, summer, and fall.

Over the last several weeks, Jax had spoken at length about bands who self-imploded due to substance abuse. It had happened with a few of the bands on the Jewelstone label, and they were more careful now about the artists they signed. This certainly explained the vibes he’d been getting from the man.

He knew Jax, who was owner and producer of the label, was impressed with his work. Yet, he’d done everything but talk about a future solo project once Gage’s non-compete clause in the Fire Flight contract ran out.

At first Gage had felt affronted. But now he was fine with it. He’d made his bed with sheets of mistakes and duvets of bad decisions. He had no problem lying in it now that he knew that was what he was doing. Maybe after this temporary stint with Rattler and a year of remaining clean, he would be taken seriously again by those he respected in the industry.

Colt returned and seconds behind him, four disgruntled teens trailed from the lower pool back to the upper pool. As his friend resettled with a cold beer, Gage eyed the teens and spoke of Seth. “He pulls a Houdini as good as his daddy.”

“Yeah. Sorry about the other night.” But Colt didn’t sound remorseful for his vanishing act at the party around this very pool the previous night.

“And the night before. And New Year’s Eve.” Gage reminded, still curious and even pissed about times he was left sitting with Colt’s date while Colt went missing for an hour. And then it hit him! Watching his friend for even an eye twitch, he probed. “You’re seeing someone! Someone who is
someone
. Or someone who is married.” There it was. A muscle in the other man’s jaw flexed, but he covered it quickly with a sip of beer. “Who is she?”

“Delusional much? You’re crazy. Know that?”

“Is it a
he
?” Gage added this part to rile any homophobic tendencies Colt might have, but the other man only grinned and drained the last of the beer in his bottle.

“Worry about your own fucked up love life.”

“I have no love life. And I like it that way.”
Liar… Scar, my sweet darlin’ love…

“What?” Two mocking brows shot upward, disappearing beneath Colt’s long messy bangs. “I thought you and Allison were true love!”

“Shut the fuck up…” He’d tried with Allison. He truly had. But she wasn’t girlfriend built. The trouble was she thought of herself as a girlfriend. Probably, because he’d broken so many of his own rules with her lately. He knew she was expecting to go on tour. But there was no way that was happening. Especially not if Scarlette came along…

The beers enticed him from their bath of icy water, but he resisted. He was limiting himself to one or two a day, and he wanted to wait until he was home making music with one of his six string loves in his hands.

“So…” Colt chaperoned the brood of kids as he spoke. “We’ll be on tour together briefly this summer.”

“Yeah.” Gage thought of the festival where Fire Flight would be the main act and Rattler one of the opening on the same stage. “Look, man. I’m glad things worked out for you. I know I never said it. I was bitter for a while. But I’m glad I didn’t fuck things up for the whole band. You guys are killin’ it.”

“It ain’t the same without you though. The new guy—he’s cool. But we all wish it were back like it was. With you.”

And why wasn’t it? There had to be a reason he’d screwed up so badly and derailed his life. He believed in fates--in windows opening and doors closing. If Fire Flight was closed to him, something better was going to open. Right?

“Hang in there.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t look so glum. Hang in there. You’re on the brink of something good. Jewelstone doesn’t poach lightly. You can bet they’ve got big things in mind for you.”

“They’re not having to poach me,” Gage reminded.

“Don’t kid yourself. Jax took an interest in you before you were out of Fire Flight.” Colt sat up straight and frowned at the water. “Really? They’re going to do that shit right in front of me?”

Gage eyed the teens who had coupled off to two corners of the pool and were making out. “Give ’em a break, Dad.”

“Sure. And then Dad becomes Granddad…”

 Gage was no longer listening. His thoughts had wandered to horny teens of another time, around another pool…

“…Remington’s sister. Hotter than a firecracker! Think that cherry’s been popped?”

Wham. Gage’s fist met his friend’s chin.

When the ‘friend’s’ parents called his father, his father had patted him proudly on the back after hearing the story.

I’m proud of you, son. She’s your sister. Always look out for her.

T
he studio was cozy and at the same time chic. Noise City—Scarlette’s only other glimpse of a recording studio—had been dark and cluttered with stained carpet and dusty corners. Jewelstone—she gazed around—was in pristine condition and sunlight spilled into the main room through skylights.

A couple of months back when Jax had explained his vision of ongoing, on location rehabilitation, she had taken weeks to contemplate his proposal. Going on the Rattler tour as an addiction consultant and specialist was considered even more carefully knowing Gage was to be one of her clients. In his initial phone call, Jax had referenced the ice bar and a conversation where she’d told him her field of study, but truth be told, she was certain Gage had recommended her. In fact, she’d never been more certain than when Logan subtly added his support to the proposal.

Jax had spoken with her about using this tour as a model to build a rehab clientele with others in similar need of a sober companion. Labels looked bad when their bands had to cancel shows and tours due to drug and alcohol addictions. He wanted to minimize that ever happening to Jewelstone again, and he sounded as if he truly worried about throwing his artists on the road right out of rehab. He’d said someone of her allopathic skills traveling with band members who battled addictions might come to be as popular as chefs and other specialty entourage. She’d quickly warmed to the idea and agreed.

The tour was already underway and had been for a few weeks. She would intersect with their itinerary next week after her graduation ceremony. Technically, she’d just this week completed graduation requirements at the top of her class. She wasn’t required to attend the formal ceremony, but had decided with Logan’s input to enjoy the pomp and circumstance she’d earned.

What she hadn’t discussed with Logan was the truth behind this quick trip to Dallas. Ivy and Caroline were the only ones she’d confided in. As well as speaking to her about her allopathic therapy methods, Jax had also questioned her extensively about the songs she’d performed in the documentary and had seemed surprised they weren’t to be included in the soundtrack release.