Then There Was You (43 page)

Just then, a booming voice spoke from around the corner. “I believe she asked you to leave.” Chris stepped through the doorway of the kitchen wearing a hoodie, a Yankees cap, and his favorite sunglasses. I’d forgotten that I’d given him a key to my house a week ago. He must have come through the back door.

“Who are you?” Graham sneered.

Chris took off his sunglasses and slid his hood off the back of his head. “Recognize me now, asshole?”

Graham narrowed his eyes at Chris. “You’re that kid.”

Chris laughed, one of those over-the-top, dramatic guffaws, then quickly recovered. With a cool tone, he smirked, “Hardly.”

“You fucked my
wife
,” Graham hissed.

Stepping toward him, Chris scoffed, “Pretty sure the court documents state otherwise.”

“Chris, don’t,” I warned. I couldn’t speak for Graham, but I felt sure Chris wouldn’t hesitate to throw a punch.

Chris continued to stare Graham down. Graham didn’t flinch.

“As I said,” Chris repeated coldly, “I believe Salem asked you to leave.”

After a few intense moments of them glaring at each other, unflinching, Graham finally retreated and took a step toward the door.

Just then, Alexis came out of the shadow at the top of the stairs. I didn’t know she’d been listening, and I cringed immediately.

“What’s going on?” she asked innocently as she descended.

Graham gave her a sidelong glance. “Fine,” he said to Chris, still smoldering, “I’ll leave. For Alexis’s sake.” He jutted a finger at me. “But this is
not
over.”

I wanted to bite that finger off. I wanted to be rid of him forever. Unfortunately, he was still my daughter’s father.
Dammit.

Alexis looked at Graham, then swept her eyes toward Chris. “What’s going on?” she asked again, more firmly.

Chris relaxed and took a step toward her. “Nothing. Just a little misunderstanding.”

Graham nodded. “I was just leaving, sweetheart. I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Sure, dad,” she said, unconvinced. “This weekend.”

She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

“See you later, hon,” he told her. With a single glance toward me, he stalked out the door and hopped into his Audi. I breathed a sigh of relief as he peeled out of the driveway.

Alexis split a glance between Chris and me. “I’m not stupid, by the way.” She crossed her arms over her chest in typical teen fashion.

Chris’s eyes widened. “I never thought you were. Besides, why do you say that?”

“I see the news. It’s plastered all over the internet. It’s not true, is it, mom?” she asked, pleading for some kind of explanation. “You and Chris? You know, when he was a teenager and all?”

I shook my head vigorously. “No, honey. You know how that stuff is all lies. Just the media. None of it’s true.” I took her hand and led her to the couch. Sitting her down, I put my hand on her knee. “The truth is I did know Chris when he was a teenager. I was his counselor back then. He needed me, and I needed him for very different reasons. There was nothing inappropriate between us like the media is portraying. When we met again several months ago at the concert, everything changed. But, we’re both adults now. Okay?”

Alexis nodded. “Okay. I didn’t believe any of that crap anyway.”

I smiled, relieved. “I knew you didn’t. I just wanted you to know the truth.”

“Thanks,” Alexis said as I wrapped my arms around her.

Giving her a squeeze, I whispered, “As Abraham Lincoln once said, you can’t always believe the crap you read on the internet.”

She laughed. “I know, mom. You’ve always told me that, but I really get it now.”

For the most part, Chris’s transition from the tour had been a fairly easy one, except the occasional run-in with the paparazzi. I’d learned to cope with the sensationalistic media propaganda. Every now and then, a blurb would run in the tabloids insinuating an inappropriate relationship between a juvenile client and his former counselor, and for a few days, I wouldn’t be able to walk through town without all-knowing eyes glaring at me. We’d learned to ignore the judgmental stares from little old ladies in line at the grocery store. They’d glance at the celebrity gossip headlines then peer at us. Finally putting two and two together, they’d look down their noses in disgust at our clasped hands. It was exhausting and comical at the same time.

Chris loved living in his new apartment and working in the recording studio. We’d spent several weekends repainting and remodeling to get them ready. Jeremy and Tommy even came to visit for a week to check everything out and get some practice time at the studio before they started recording the new album. I’d kept my distance that week so they could get a lot of work done, but was eager to meet the guys for the first time that Friday night.

“Look guys, Salem will be here any minute. I need you to be on your best behavior.” I tore through the apartment, trying to clean it up a little before she got there. My band mates were slobs. Salem shouldn’t have to deal with the nastiness I’d had to put up with while they were here this week. “Damn, Tommy, ever heard of a trash can?” I griped as I tossed the half-eaten Chinese takeout box and empty beer cans in the garbage.

Tommy kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “Damn, Chris. What’s the big deal? She’s just a girl.”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Jeremy glared at Tommy, giving him the ‘I’d-shut-the-fuck-up-if-I-were-you’ look.

“What?” Tommy asked, ripping a bite of cold, leftover pizza off with the sides of his teeth like an uncivilized barbarian.

“You’re disgusting, man,” Jeremy groaned, and threw a pillow at him.

“What?” Tommy repeated. “I mean, who is this chick? She
is
just a girl, right?”

I hadn’t really talked to the guys much about Salem or my whereabouts during my free time since the day they gave me shit about her. They knew there was a girl, but they didn’t know much more than that. I’d just let them assume whatever they wanted. So I guess the fact that Tommy didn’t have a clue was my own fault.

“She’s not
just
a girl,” I stated, matter-of-factly. “She’s
the
girl.”

Apparently Jeremy had been keeping tabs better than I thought because he chimed in, waving his hands in Tommy’s face, “Earth to Tommy. Remember the girl? The one he met in Charlotte a while ago. The one he didn’t want go out with us that night for. The former counselor. Ring a bell?”

Tommy’s face lit up with understanding. “Oh shit.
That
girl?”

I nodded. “Yes. That girl.”

“Damn. I thought she was just a thing. I thought you moved here to be closer to your family, not because of some chick.”

I shook my head adamantly. “I told you a while ago, she’s different.”

A moment of clarity hit him like a ton of bricks. I knew what he was thinking. He was remembering all the hell I’d been through over Kaitlyn and how I never let another girl get to me like she did—until now. “Well, hell,” he said, throwing the half-eaten slice back into the box. “That changes things.”

Tommy didn’t have the emotional capacity to understand my feelings for Kaitlyn because the right woman just hadn’t come along for him yet. But he did see how shattered I was after she left the beach all those years ago. He watched me mope around the apartment, unable to eat or sleep. Those first few weeks after she was gone, he played the bass next to me on that stage, sensing the hollowness in my music. He bought me round after round of alcohol, trying to help me wash the pain of losing her away. He stood by me the day we signed with our first agent, and he watched me take that downward spiral into stardom. Yes,
downward
. There’s just something ironic about the phrase ‘rising to the top.’ That’s the thing about becoming a star. One day you’re this average, down-to-earth, good-hearted, talented artist and then suddenly you find yourself in a crazy whirlwind of money, parties, women, and alcohol. You become so wrapped up in it all that you don’t know which way is up or which way is down. You do things you never would have done in your average world because somehow becoming a star makes you feel larger than life. So, yeah, Tommy was with me every step of that downward spiral, helping me cope with the heartache of losing Kaitlyn in the only ways he knew how—women and alcohol.

“So, this girl’s the one, huh?” Tommy asked, tossing his pizza box in the garbage.

I nodded.

With a huge smile, and firm handshake that turned into our usual intricately choreographed display of hand movements that ended with a fist bump, he said, “I couldn’t be happier for you, man.”

“Thanks, man,” I said, giving him a one-armed side hug.

Just then, we heard a soft knock at the door.

I jogged to it, swinging it open. There stood Salem, beautiful as ever in a soft, black off-the-shoulder shirt, some skin-tight dark wash jeans, and some sexy as hell high heels.

My eyes raked over her exquisite body. “You look stunning,” I told her, wrapping my arms around her. “I’ve missed you this week.”

She buried her head in my chest, inhaling a deep, staggering breath. “I’ve missed you too.”

I ran my hands through her hair and across her back, feeling her warmth against me.
Damn, I so wish we were alone right now.

Remembering that we weren’t the only two people in the room, I interrupted the moment by blurting, “Oh yeah, come on in. I want you to meet my boys.”

She stepped inside and it was as if all the oxygen were sucked out of the room. You could almost hear a pin drop. The guys stood there with their hands in their pockets, wide-eyed with that deer-in-headlights look. I knew they were just as blown away by her classic beauty as I was.

“Guys,” I said, snapping them to attention, “this is Salem. Salem, this is Jeremy and Tommy.”

Salem extended a hand to Jeremy first. “It’s so nice to finally meet you… uh…”

Taking her hand and giving it a shake, he responded, “Jeremy. It’s nice to meet you too, Salem. We’ve heard a lot about you.” Jeremy shot a sidelong glance in my direction.

Salem chuckled. “All good stuff, I hope.”

“Oh definitely.” Jeremy released her hand and immediately stuffed it back into his pocket. I never knew a woman to make him so nervous.

Tommy reached out, taking Salem’s hand. “And I’m Tommy. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Salem,” he said, branding the top of her hand with a kiss… something he did to all the ladies. He really knew how to turn on the charm around women.

“So nice to meet you too, Tommy.” She curtsied in response to his gentleman’s kiss.

Breaking up the awkward introductions, I said, “Sit down. Stay a while. Anybody want a beer or soda?”

Salem took a seat on the sofa. “Sure, I’ll have a soda if you’ve got one.”

I walked into the kitchen with Jeremy following close behind.

“You didn’t tell us how fucking hot she is,” he hissed
. I didn’t know I was obligated to.

“Watch it, now,” I teased, opening the fridge.

“No, seriously,” he said in a hushed tone. “So, this is the counselor? The
juvie
counselor?”

“Yes,” I whispered harshly, then called out to Salem, “Coke or Sprite?”

“Coke, please,” she answered. Thankfully she was far enough away that she couldn’t hear the ramblings of my asshole band mates.

Turning back to the refrigerator to grab a can, Tommy leaned over the open door.

“So, this is your fucking juvie counselor?” His voice was low, like I was doing something dirty.

I shrugged, annoyed that this was such a big deal. “Yes. Why is this such a hard concept to understand?”

“Because we expected her to be ancient,
not
sexy as hell,” he murmured, glancing in her direction as she stared out the window.

Asshole better watch it.
“I told you guys, she was only twenty-four when I was almost eighteen. There wasn’t that much of an age difference. And besides, I already told you she was smokin’ hot.”
Now back the fuck off.

“Yeah,” Jeremy looked wistfully her direction as she stared out the window. “We just didn’t expect her to be
this
…” He stopped himself before he got himself punched in the throat.

I flashed my best ‘back-the-hell-off’ look, and pushed past his stupid, horny ass to give Salem her soda, leaving them both gawking by the fridge, jealous as fuck.