Someone to Watch Over Me (12 page)

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Authors: Anne Berkeley

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Carter
nodded in answer.
“She isn’t going
anywhere.”

The hell I
wasn’t.
I waited until Tate was half way
across the yard before I turned to gather Levy from the ball
pit.

“He’s not in there. Jess took him for a pony
ride.”

Gritting my
teeth
, I scanned the yard for Levy. I
found him perched atop Freckles back, an acre away and still
retreating. Successfully routed, I collapsed onto the lawn chair
across from Carter, and dropped my bag beside me. A bead of sweat
rolled down the back of my neck. Yet, my face felt cold and clammy.
The half of the Slim Jim I ate threatened to reappear.

Shane
pushed a glass across the table. Reconsidering,
he pulled a flask from his back pocket and added a large swig to
the iced tea then nudged it again in my direction.


A little
liquid courage. You look like you could use it.”

Because I
needed it gravely, I lifted the glass and took a long
drink.


He won’t
get custody of your boy,” Richard told me in a tone
th
at he’d meant to be reassuring. I
wasn’t in any way reassured. Grant didn’t give two shits about the
law.


Not
legally.”
I downed the rest of the glass,
feeling the warmth spread through my veins. Liquid courage.
That
it
most definitely was. My hands grew a shade steadier.

Richard cocked a brow. “Are you even
drinking age?”


I have my
own apartment. Have for two years. I work two jobs. I have a
two-year-old son that I raise alone. And yes, I’m twenty-one. I
know the hardships of life. I’m entitled to a drink when I need
one.”


You’re
entitled
to a lot of things. Living
without fear is one of them.”

Sitting back
in my chair, I crossed my arms over my chest
, watching the other guests laughing and smiling, not a
care in the world. I wondered what it would be like to live so
freely, unburdened with Grant’s threats. “Unfortunately, I don’t
have that luxury.”


Tell me a
little about your ex. His name, particularly.”

“Why are you asking?”

“Tate asked me to look into him.”

“I have a lawyer.”


It’s free
of charge. Tate’s a friend. And friends help friends.”


Thanks for
the offer, but you really don’t need to involve yourself. Like I
said, I have a lawyer. I’ve done everything that can be done.” The
rest was up to me. Now if they’d just leave me go on my merry
little way, I could make the calls I needed to make and start
searching for a new residence. The sooner the better.


You can’t
run your whole life, honey.”


I’ll do
whatever I have to do to keep my son away from his
father.”


What about
Tate?” Carter inquired
, as if the brief
fling Tate and I had might somehow factor him into my life. Despite
Tate’s umbrage over my situation, it wasn’t any of his
concern.


What about
Tate?” I countered. “You’re on tour. You’ll all be gone in a few
weeks. He’ll move onto the next strawberry girl.”

Slowly
, a dubious smile spread
across Carter’s face. “You know what I think?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me
anyway.”

Leaning
forward, Carter placed his elbows on the table. “I think you
brought
our boy Tate home for a road gig,
and then you shared your little story to scare him off when you
realized he was serious about you.”


You’re
right,” I said, rising from my chair
. “I
did. I took him home for a night of mutual sex, and then I cut him
loose because I didn’t want to burden him with my problems.”
Turning to Richard, I proffered my hand. “His name’s Grant Hayes.
I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding his name once you obtain
the records, which I know you’ll do despite my protests. You’ll
find the restraining order along with a number of accounts where
he’s defied it. The last time I heard from him was ten months ago,
which was the last time I moved. He sent me several texts
containing images of my apartment, pointing out all the ways he
could break inside if he wanted. Trust me, they were subtle
compared to some of the gifts he left on my doorstep. Share them
with Carter if you like. I’m sure he’ll find them
entertaining.”

That said, I
walked. I thanked Jess stiffly for her hospitality, plucked Levy
from t
he pony and headed for my car.
Carter followed, closing the distance between us as I reached the
door.


Cooper
.”

Ignoring
him, I
tucked Levy in his seat and began
buckling his harness.


Hey, what I
said, I didn’t mean it that way. I wasn’t finished. You took it out
of context.”


You sure
you don’t have bipolar disorder?” Though he was doing a poor job of
it, he sounded like he was trying to apologize again. Jess was
right. The guy was an emotional enigma. “I really can’t keep up
with your mood changes.”


Can you
give me a minute to explain? Jesus. Tate’s gonna kick my ass if I
let you ru—” Doing the wrong thing, Carter grabbed my arm. His
fingertips dimpled my skin and something in me snapped. Something
instinctual and defensive that lay dormant inside me, two years of
aggrandized fear that emerged at the wrong moment. His breath left
in a whoosh as my knee connected with his groin. It was a knee-jerk
reaction, no pun intended.

Bending at
the waist,
Carter fell against the
neighboring car, cupping his balls. I stared in shock for a split
second, surprised with my response.


I’m sorry,”
I said, and y
anking the door open, I
dropped into the driver’s seat. I barely took the time to adjust
the seat before I threw the car into drive and pulled away. A small
pang of guilt settled over my chest as I coasted down the driveway
and spotted Tate in the rearview mirror staring back at me, but I
quickly bottled it away. He’d recover faster than I
would.

Chapter
6


M
y God, look at you,” said Em,
watching the video, eyes glittering with admiration. “I think my
eyes are actually tearing up.”


I think
you’re missing the point, Em.”
She wasn’t
listening to me, or rather she was, but just in total disagreement.
“This is bad.
Really
bad.”


What’re
yo
u talking about? This is
great
. A
lot of people sound like trash live, but you actually sound good.
You’re an effing star. Why haven’t I ever come to one of your
shows?”

“I’m going to have to move.”


Bunkum
, you’re not going
anywhere.”

I snorted at
her chosen term of scorn.
“Can you please
not say that? It just sounds all sorts of wrong.” I almost
preferred she just say
bullshit
in front of
Levy.


You’re the
pervert.”

Popping a
fresh DVD into the player
, I pushed play
and sat Levy in front of the television, then began collecting the
crayons he dropped on the floor. Em pushed the laptop closed and
turned in her seat. I could tell by her expression that I wasn’t
going to win this argument.


You can’t
run forever, Cooper. You’d be stubborn to deny what a blessing this
is. Run with it. Bet the ranch. Make some real money. You’ll be
rich enough to hire a team of bodyguards, and a house with a big
metal gate. You’ll never have to be afraid again.”


Easy peasy
lemon squeezy.” A
wriggle of my nose and
all my problems would go away. “I wish life was that
simple.”


It’s what
you make of it.
And I promise you
this—you will regret it for the rest of your life if you let this
pass you by. You’ll
never
get an opportunity like
this again. This, right now,” she pointed to the floor as if it
held some palpable line, “is your second chance. Most of us don’t
even get a first. So don’t waste it.”

I
perched on the windowsill, stared out the
window, watching the limbs of the white oak sway in the breeze. The
small wooden birdhouse bobbed on its branch, innocently
deceiving.

Normal people had picnics in their backyard;
I had thirty-five caliber birdhouses.


Just
because Carter posted that video doesn’t mean that an agent will
see it, and if they do, there’s no guarantee I’ll even get an
offer, let alone a contract. I could be a washout.”


Petty
fears, wouldn’t you say? I’m not telling you to quit your day job.
All I’m saying is give it a chance. See what happens.”


I can’t
place Levy in danger on a misguided whim.”


Misguided?”
Em snorted. “When have I ever steered you wrong?”


Yesterday
when you told me to sleep with Tate Watkins.”
I gave her the stink eye, silently admonishing her for her
foolhardy advice.


I repeat,
when have I ever steered you wrong?” Grinning like the Cheshire
cat, Em squealed as she grabbed my shoulders as if she could shake
some sense into me. “Tate Watkins! Ha! I knew it! How was it? Tell
me everything. I mean it. Every little detail.”

Fighting my
own smile, I gave an apathetic shrug. “Meh.”


Liar liar
pants on fire. I could hear through the walls as if they were made
of paper, and you didn’t sound a bit disappointed.”


You could
not,” I choked, mortified.


Could too.
He’s not so quiet either. I love the way he swears right before he
comes. Though, you might want to break him of that.” She inclined
her head pointedly in Levy’s direction.


Oh
god.”
She
could
hear.


Yep, that’s
what you said last night.” Dropping onto the sofa, Em laid on her
back, draping her legs over the upholstered arm. Her lacquered red
toes curled in delight. “Tell me everything, every orgasmic little
detail. Remember, I’m living through you.”


Bullshit!”

A few feet
away, Levy gasped
. “Das a bad
wood!”


Sorry,
Lev.” I cut an accusing glare at Em. “Don’t even try and tell me
there’s nothing going on between you and M—Garrison. I saw him
climbing the stairs to your apartment last night when I was
leaving.”


There’s
not.” Em kept such a stolid expression, I couldn’t doubt her.
Almost. “He has no interest in me.”


What makes
you so sure?”

She gave
an
indeterminate shrug and deflected the
subject back at me. “Enough about me. I want to hear about you and
Tate.”


According
to you, you heard everything already.”

“Don’t make me pry it out of you. What’s he
like?”

“Fun. Spontaneous. Carefree.”

“He scares you.”

“Like hell.”

Smiling
widely, Em looked satisfied.
“Good. That
means you like him.”


Too
much.”
Staring out the window, I sighed
in lament. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Em. It’s overwhelming.
There’s too much to think about, too much at stake. Sleeping with
him was supposed to be uncomplicated. This is anything
but.”

I didn’t
want to enter a relationship with Tate and learn to depend on him
only to have him walk away in the end. I had Levy to
thi
nk about. Could I put him in danger
for an extended fling, or allow him to form an attachment only to
be equally devastated when Tate disappeared from his life? Then
there was the possibility that everything might work out, that this
wasn’t just a fling. He still had a tour to complete. When would I
see him again? And what if something did come out of Carter’s
video? My God, what if I
did
get a contract? How would we
juggle a relationship when we were both on the road? Worse yet, how
would I protect Levy from the media, and ultimately Grant? Whether
successful or not, dating Tate or not, staying instead of running
would have huge ramifications. I supposed I should’ve thought about
all this beforehand, but hindsight was always clearer than
foresight.


Take one
thing at a time, Cooper. You’re overthinking this.”

I don’t
know.
Maybe Em was right. Maybe my
worrying was moot. “I don’t know if he even wants to see me again,”
I said, surprised with how much the notion bothered me. “The way I
left back there…maybe he took the hint I didn’t want him
around.”


He came
poking around once; he’ll come poking around
again
,” Em assured. “And when he does,
you’ll plead temporary insanity due to stress. You’ve got the story
to corroborate it.”

“He’d be smarter if he didn’t.”


Oh, stop
it. You’re worth it. You have to stop thinking about yourself as an
anchor and start thinking about yourself as a human being. Stop
allowing Grant to define who you are.”

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