Only The Beginning (Rockin' Country) (2 page)

Harmony rolled her eyes and grabbed the hanger from Shell’s hand. “Yes ma’am.”

Used to bossing her friend around, Shell had a seat while Harmony changed. “So tell me, did you meet anybody interesting at this awards show?”

“I did. Did you see any of the show?”

“I didn’t get a chance too, no. I wish I had, but there was a lot going on back here,” Shell answered from behind the door that Harmony had closed to change.

“I’m so sorry, Shell. I know how hard you work, and you’ll never fully know how much I appreciate it. You’ll be excited to hear that I finally met the guys from Black Friday.”

Harmony heard the squeal and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“I am so damn jealous. That lead singer—was he as hot as he looks on TV?”

“Even more so. I actually said a few words to him. Top moment of my life this year—for real.”

She finished changing and let herself out of the dressing room. Coming out, she turned around in a circle, making sure everything looked okay. For the show, Harmony had wanted to keep it classy and her dress had been very Old Hollywood. This dress, however, was young and fun. Sparkles and glitter reigned. The hot pink color showed off the tan she had been able to get during a short vacation before awards season ramped up.

“Does this look okay?” she asked, turning around again so Shell could see her from every angle.

“You look really good. Hoping to meet anybody at this party?”

“You never know,” she shrugged. “Maybe the guys from Black Friday will be there, and I’ll be able to say something else to them. I was kind of a blabbering fool earlier. Are you coming with me?”

Shell wrinkled her nose up at her friend. “I don’t know. This hasn’t been a stellar day for me.”

“All the more reason for you to raid my closet, find something hot, and come out on the town with me.”

“Why are you trying to corrupt me? Usually it’s the other way around. You’re the belle of the country ball, and I’m the one trying to get you to do Jager shots,” Shell laughed.

“Maybe I’m ready to let my hair down. It’s time. I am twenty-four years old, and I’m not gettin’ any younger. If I keep goin’ at this pace with the music, I’m not goin’ to be married before thirty, and that’s never who I wanted to be. I’m the type of girl who wants a boyfriend, wants to be in love. I’m gonna have to make that a priority.”

Shell knew that Harmony was telling the truth. She was one of those women who were made to be in love, but she wasn’t for sure that her friend had ever felt those feelings. Her one serious relationship hadn’t ended well and left her feeling disconnected. It was nice to see that she was beginning to look past that time in her life. “Okay, okay. If I need to be there to keep you from asking the first man you meet to marry you, I’ll be there to save you from yourself.”

“You, Shell, are the best friend a girl could ask for.” She reached over, kissing her on the cheek.

*     *     *

“You sure we can leave in an hour?” Reaper asked he unfolded himself from the backseat of the limo they had taken to the party location.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Train answered with a huff. Reaper didn’t miss the way he wiped the back of his hand over his nose. It was a sure sign that some things never changed. He raised his eyebrows as Train admonished him. “Dude, when did you become such a fucking killjoy?”

“I told you already, I’m just not feeling this tonight.”

They got into line with the rest of the celebrities and the other members of their band to walk the red carpet that lead into the venue that housed the party for the night.

“Hey.” Train hit his friend’s elbow. “Isn’t that the little country girl from earlier?” He pointed further up the carpet.

Reaper couldn’t see for shit, so he squinted his eyes together, trying to bring the person in front of them better in focus. “Fuck,” he mumbled, pulling the wrap-around sunglasses he normally wore on stage up to his eyes. They were part of his persona, but in actuality they were prescription and without them—he really couldn’t see. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“Cute, isn’t she?”

“Seriously man, we already talked about how cute she is.”

At that moment, they walked onto the main part of the carpet. Flashbulbs went off as they plastered smiles on their faces. Photographers called their names from all around. A little further down the aisle a photographer yelled at Reaper.

“What sweetheart? Didn’t hear you.” He cupped his hand over his ear.

“Take a picture with Harmony. It’ll be a good photo op.”

Harmony heard the exchange from where she stood and laughed. “He might not want to be seen with someone like me,” she smiled as she glanced back at him.

He couldn’t tell if she was flirting with him or not, but he figured he would seize the day. “Nah, darlin’ maybe you don’t wanna be seen with someone like me.”

A blush covered her face, and she turned around so that she faced him. “I’m a fan, seriously. I’d love to take a picture with you.”

The smile she gave him made his stomach dance. He had faced huge crowds before overseas. Hundreds of thousands of people he had performed in front of and not been nervous. Approaching this woman with the smile on her face made his legs shake. He strode over to her and easily put his arm around her waist. Even wearing heels she only came up to his shoulder.

“Where do you want us to look?” he asked.

The amount of people screaming at them was so deafening neither one of them could understand what anyone was saying. “Let’s just start looking to the left and then look to the right,” she said as she gripped his waist.

They stood there for long minutes as everyone got their pictures—and when it was over, the two of them were reluctant to let go of each other.

“Thanks Reaper and Harmony,” the original photographer told them.

“You’re welcome,” Harmony answered. She pulled her arm from around his waist and turned to face him. “Thanks for taking a picture with me. I guess I’ll see you inside and maybe, just maybe, I’ll learn what people call you besides Reaper?”

“If I tell you that, then I’d have to kill you. It’s highly classified.” He put his hands in the pockets of the pants he wore and rocked back on his heels.

She wasn’t sure if he was flirting with her or not because she couldn’t see his eyes, but she knew that they were staring right at her. “Well then, I guess I better figure out how to work on my security clearance.” She gave him a flip of her hair as she turned from him and walked towards the entrance of the club.

The pictures were already making their way all over the world.

*  *  *

“I
so wish I was able to get his real name before the end of the night,” Harmony groaned as she looked at the cover of a gossip magazine. She, like everyone else who passed the magazine rack at this grocery store, could see the picture of her and Reaper together. It was featured prominently along with a headline that made it seem as if she and the lead singer of Black Friday were dating.

“I wish you had too,” Shell commiserated with her friend as she took the magazine out of Harmony’s hand and looked at it. “The two of you make a striking couple.”

That was the truth. Harmony had even taken the time to read the internet gossip sites on her plane ride home to Nashville. Everyone made a comment about how hot the two of them looked together—didn’t seem to matter that they were polar opposites on the musical genre stick, something that surprised her.

“Is this an obsession? I may or may not have made that picture of the two of us my lock screen,” Harmony admitted, her face burning.

“Girl, you do have it bad.”

It was their turn in line next, and on impulse, Harmony grabbed the magazine out of Shell’s hands and threw it in with her other purchases. In this affluent section of the city, it wasn’t unusual to see stars out and about, so neither one of them had to worry about photographers or gossipers overhearing their conversation. With their groceries purchased, the two of them made their way outside to Harmony’s Land Rover.

“You wanna drive?” she asked, Shell, holding the keys up to her friend.

“You bet. Did you get an email from your producer?”

“Nah, but I have a total of 200 emails since last night, so I need to go through some of these. You know I tend to do that best riding in a car,” she grinned.

“I’ve never understood that either,” Shell shook her head. “If I’m letting someone drive me around, I want to be watching. If I’m gonna die, I wanna know it beforehand.”

“That’s the difference between optimistic and pessimistic,” Harmony laughed. “I just have a better outlook on life than you do.”

As they merged into traffic, Harmony giggled loudly.

“Do share.”

“My mother…my mother emailed me about that picture with Reaper. She asked me—who is that hot man with all those tattoos and why haven’t I met him yet?”

“Why didn’t she just call you?” Shell giggled along.

Harmony rolled her eyes, an indulgent smile on her face. “I got her an iPhone for her birthday a few weeks ago. She’s been working hard on getting tech savvy, so now she thinks she doesn’t have to call me. She either texts or emails just to show me that she can do it. Oh or she Facebook’s me. It’s cute.”

As they talked, her phone buzzed again.

“That thing is blowin’ up,” Shell commented.

“No crap. I wish my love life was exciting as everyone else wants to make it out to be.” Harmony got quiet as she looked at what had buzzed on her phone. “Oh my God!” she breathed.

“What?”

“This text message I just got. I don’t recognize the number, but it’s a California one. It’s the same area code as my producer, who lives out there. It says
Sorry we didn’t run into each other again. Just letting you know – it’s Garrett
.”

Not catching on, Shell screwed up her face. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“You know I hate when you use that word,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Girlfriend, if you wanna hang out with Black Friday, I’m thinkin’ ‘fuck’ is going to be the least of your worries. Anyway, what did that text mean?”

“I think its Reaper. We talked about knowing each other’s real names. How did he get my number? Why did he go to the trouble to get my number? What do I say?”

“Calm down there, Sparky. First, make sure it’s him.”

Harmony’s fingers actually shook as she texted back.
Who is this?

Within seconds, another text dinged and she saw that it was a multimedia message. She opened it and smiled as a picture of him flashed through. He smiled wide, his dimples showing, a warmth in his eyes.

“It is him.” She turned her phone so that Shell could see.

“So his name is Garrett? That’s much nicer than Reaper.”

The phone rang as the two gazed at the picture. “That’s him,” Harmony grinned.

“Well answer the damn thing!”

Shushing her, she put the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”

“So, I see you got the picture, and now you know who I am.” His voice was much deeper than it had been the night before, or maybe it was just easier to hear him without all those people around.

“I did. How did you get my number anyway?” She was very curious about that. It wasn’t like she gave it out to a lot of people.

“We know mutual people,” he commented mysteriously. “Anyway, the reason I called you is because we’re doing a secret show in Nashville tonight at the arena. I have a few hours before I have to do anything, and I know you’re in town too. Would you like to have a late lunch or an early dinner?”

He was asking her out? Was this real life? This kind of stuff never happened to her.

“Sure.” Harmony’s voice was high-pitched, even to her. “Where do you want to meet?”

“Where are you right now?”

“I’m in Green Hills.”

Shell sat to the side, trying to get Harmony’s attention by slapping her on the arm.

“Stop,” she whispered.

“I’m not too far from there. I’ll meet you in the mall parking lot? How’s that?”

“Sounds good. I’m in a Land Rover. It’s silver with black tinted windows. We’ll park in the back so that you’ll know it’s me. My friend, Shell, is with me, but I’ll just let her drive my car home.”