Chapter Four
Griffin thought it was really cool to have a sister with the gift of music. It was like his dad lived on, but in a better way. Kelly had a brittle hardness about her, no surprise given what he knew about being a lonely only child of Ron King, but when she played that guitar, it opened up something beautiful that he knew was her soul shining through. Nothing was more powerful than the music of your soul. Just ask the millions of fans that bought his last album.
Kelly emerged from her bedroom in a new outfit for their night out—a white sheer shirt that displayed her cleavage and her bright pink bra, a miniskirt, and high heels.
Griffin cleared his throat. “Err…are you really going out like…that?” he asked, shocking himself with his fuddy-duddy dad-like vibe.
“Like what?”
“You need a sweater.”
“I’ll wear a coat.”
He took off his black leather jacket and settled it around her shoulders. It covered her nicely from neck to upper thigh. “There. Now you look more rock ’n roll.”
She smiled. “Yeah? I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo.”
“If you do, make it mean something.”
“So all yours have meaning?”
“Yup. First wife, first recording contract, first million records sold. Lotta firsts.”
Kelly frowned. “I haven’t had any cool firsts like that.”
“So then wait until you do. Ready?”
She pouted for a moment then seemed to rally. “Don’t you need a coat?”
“I’ll be fine. Just a short walk from the heated car to the next heated place, right?”
“I guess. Can I drive your Hummer?”
“Sure.”
He scooped up his guitar case and followed her out the door. It was friggin’ cold out, but no way was he taking his jacket back. He quickly unlocked the Hummer, got in the passenger side, and started it, blasting the heat. Kelly hopped into the driver’s seat and made the short drive, the tires crunching over the dirt roads of town and onto Main Street. When they got to the end of the five-block downtown, she parked in front of a small restaurant with a yellow awning above the door, Sue Ann’s Café. She quickly got out of the car, seeming eager to get inside. He took in the wooden sidewalks and row of quaint shops with wooden storefronts that reminded him of the Wild West. He kinda wished he had boots with spurs just to hear them jangle as he walked. He hoped the bar she’d mentioned had some of those swinging Western doors so he could make a big entrance.
Kelly gestured excitedly. “Come on!”
He opened the door and leaned out. “Should I bring my guitar?”
“Save it for the bar.”
“All right.” He got out and quickly joined her. She held the door of the café open for him, and he stepped inside a cozy place with about a dozen tables with mismatched tablecloths. Shelves lined the back wall with knickknacks. Framed photos and newspaper clippings seemed to be commemorating local events. A young waiter hustled between tables along with a grandmotherly woman with gray curls, wearing a light blue button-down shirt with matching cardigan sweater and a long, flowery skirt. Maybe he could find out where she got that nice modest outfit and buy one for his sister. He chuckled to himself over his overprotective brotherly instinct. He was really digging feeling like he had family.
A hushed silence fell over the place as, one by one, the customers noticed him.
He raised a hand in greeting. Kelly stood by his side, beaming. The grandmotherly woman hustled over to them. Griffin waited for her to ask for his autograph or picture, but instead she only looked at his sister. “What are you doing here on your night off, hon? You should take it easy after the funeral.”
“I’m here for dinner with my brother, Griffin Huntley,” Kelly announced a little louder than was necessary. A buzz of whispered chatter spread throughout the restaurant.
“You have a brother?” the older woman asked.
“Nice to meet you,” Griffin said.
“Oh, this is the owner of the café, Sue Ann,” Kelly said, making the introduction. She looked around. “Do you know where Ryan and Karina are tonight?”
“I imagine they’re at home,” Sue Ann said. She squinted at Griffin. “You do resemble Kelly a bit around the eyes.” She didn’t seem to know who he was. A strange experience for him.
“He’s a very famous rock star,” Kelly put in. “We have the same dad.”
Sue Ann patted Kelly’s arm. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. Can you take a picture of us?” She handed over her cell.
Sue Ann dutifully snapped a picture. Kelly looked at it with a big smile.
“All right,” Sue Ann said, waving them in. “Don’t just stand there, take a seat. There’s a table for two left by the kitchen.”
And with that she left. So much for the star treatment. He took a seat across from Kelly. A few customers looked over at them, but no one approached.
“Send me that picture,” he told her. He gave her his cell phone number, and she texted it to him. He turned on his cell for the first time in days. He had a bunch of voicemails, texts, and emails that he ignored. That reporter, Ellie, had been hounding him. He just knew she was going to follow up on his botched proposal to Christina, and he wasn’t ready to go there. He tweeted the picture of him and Kelly to his fans with the caption, “At long last.”
He liked to be mysterious in his social media. It created more of a buzz. Kelly’s fingers flew over her cell phone, probably getting the word out about him. A few minutes later, Sue Ann arrived to take their order.
After they’d ordered, Kelly asked in a super sweet voice, “Could you tell Ryan and Karina that Griffin Huntley is in town and to meet us at JT’s Roadhouse tonight?” She turned to Griffin. “Ryan is Sue Ann’s grandson. You probably know his wife, Karina.”
Sue Ann pursed her lips. “I didn’t think you were all that friendly with them. What’re you up to?”
Kelly huffed. “I just think the biggest pop star in the world might like to meet my brother, the biggest rock star in the world.”
“Karina Black?” Griffin asked, putting the pieces together. “I do know her. We’ve met a few times at benefit concerts. Cool. Yeah, I’ve heard some of her stuff with Ryan too. I’d love to play a bit with them.”
“Karina doesn’t like to put on a show at home unless it’s for an official event,” Sue Ann said. “I’ll give Ryan a call. Can’t promise anything, though.”
She left. Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “What’s a girl got to do to get any love from the golden one?”
“You don’t like Karina?” Griffin asked. “She seemed sweet the few times I met her.”
Kelly waved that away. “That’s her public persona. She’s really snarky and I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out I’m your sister.”
“Jealousy gives you wrinkles,” he said, quoting Christina. Any time he got a little worked up that some other musician was getting better press than him or more concert dates, she’d lay that little gem on him. She knew he was a little vain about his face. He tried never to frown and wore a special moisturizing cream with hidden sunscreen in it to preserve his skin. No one idolized an aging rocker. They might respect them, but they’d always question when he was going to retire. He had no intention of retiring anytime soon. He’d only blurted that out to Christina in a desperate attempt to show her how serious he was about settling down. But now that he’d found family, it didn’t seem as urgent as it had only a few days ago.
Kelly’s lower lip stuck out in a pout. “I’m not jealous.”
“Tell that to your face.”
Her hands immediately flew to her face, feeling for nonexistent wrinkles.
“Gotcha,” he said with a wink.
She gave him a small smile. “Can I show you off?”
“I get the feeling I’m small potatoes around here. They’re used to Karina Black.”
“They’re just being polite. Come on.” She stood and grabbed his arm, dragging him from table to table. Once they got to a table, people gave him the warm reception he was used to with handshakes, pictures, and autographs. Nice little town. Reminded him of Clover Park, where his ex had settled with her family. He and Christina visited regularly because of their two-year-old nephew, Michael. He got a pang, thinking about Christina. She’d left a message on his voicemail, demanding to know where he was, but she still sounded really mad. He wasn’t sure what to do about her. Should he drop the whole marriage thing? Maybe she was right and they didn’t need a piece of paper. But some part of him wanted to know that she was his forever. They’d gotten stuck in this pattern of him pushing and her pulling away. Maybe he just needed to get off this crazy ride and let it be.
Kelly pulled him to the next table, snapping him out of his melancholy thoughts. He’d just enjoy this time away. Maybe Kelly was the family he’d been looking for all along. The only family he really needed.
~ ~ ~
Kelly was having the time of her life. Everyone loved her brother, and she felt like a total badass wearing his black leather jacket. He’d even tweeted a picture of the two of them together and it was getting all kinds of attention. She felt like she was finally somebody, and even if it was just from standing in Griffin Huntley’s glow, it felt good. He seemed to get her too. Guess blood ties could do that. Clearly they both took after their dad.
After dinner, she sped over to JT’s Roadhouse just outside of town. Sue Ann had reported back as they were finishing up their meal that Karina and her friends—Amanda, Samantha, and Lauren—would be there along with their husbands. The “Fab Four” as the women called themselves, leaving everyone else out of their tight little clique, were eager to meet Griffin.
She stepped into the crowded bar with a sense of satisfaction. It was a Monday night, so this crowd must’ve been on account of her brother. Word spread fast in a small town. The tables in the small dining area were full, the three pool tables in the back were busy, and the bar, big enough to hold fifty people, only had a few stools open. She spotted Karina and Ryan at the bar, sitting with Amanda and Justin (Kelly’s former crush, but she was so over him), Samantha and Luke, and Lauren and Ben. She’d been envious of the Fab Four and their tight-knit bond in high school. They were almost like sisters, something Kelly had always longed for. But now look at her! She had a brother. And not just any brother. The famous—
“Ah! It’s Griffin Huntley!” Karina screamed, hopping off her bar stool.
Griffin threw his head back and laughed. “It’s Karina Black!”
The two hugged and then Karina whipped out her cell and took a selfie of the two of them, beaming their superstar smiles into the camera. Karina was beautiful with glossy straight black hair, deep brown eyes, and perfect olive skin. Kelly bristled. A crowd formed around Griffin, pushing her further and further away as more people got close, wanting a piece of him. A lump formed in her throat. She’d thought this time would be different, but here she was on the outside once again.
“Kelly!” Griffin called. “Where’d she go?” The crowd parted and then there he was—the biggest rock star in the world and her newly found big brother—looking right at her like she mattered.
He crossed to her side. “I just met the one and only Kelly King,” he announced to the crowd before dropping an arm over her shoulders. “My sister. You should hear her play guitar.”
She flushed with pride and embarrassment in equal parts.
Karina cocked her head. “I heard you were related from Sue Ann, which is shocking, but double whammy, you play too?”
“You think you’re the only one who knows music,” Kelly snapped.
“Wrinkles,” Griffin whispered in her ear.
“There’s the Kelly we know and love,” Karina said, looking to her friends, who nodded knowingly.
“Sorry,” Kelly mumbled.
Karina put a hand to her ear. “Say what?”
Kelly silently seethed. She knew Karina was just trying to drag a big old apology out of her. Where was her apology for years of being treated like a second-class citizen? Griffin squeezed her shoulder.
“Old habit,” Kelly said by way of apology. “Our dad taught us both guitar. I’m not nearly at Griffin’s level—”
“She sings like an angel,” Griffin said, raising a hand to the sky. “Pure soul music.”
Her cheeks burned, remembering the embarrassing time she’d sung in front of Karina and Ryan for the community talent show auditions and majorly choked. She’d tried to cover up with a lot of fancy dance moves, but she’d nearly died of humiliation over her own choked, off-key voice. Everyone stared at her in shocked silence.
Ryan, Karina’s gorgeous blond, muscular husband in faded jeans and cowboy boots, moved forward and clapped Griffin on the shoulder. “Hey, man, we’d love to hear you play tonight.” He turned to Kelly. “You too.”
She didn’t think she could pull off a performance in front of people she knew, especially not the talented Karina, Ryan, and Griffin. Not only that, she and Karina had a bit of snippy history due to Kelly’s secret jealousy of Karina’s stage charisma, and Karina not liking the way Kelly used to flirt with Amanda’s now husband Justin. Was it her fault that she and Justin had hooked up off and on in high school? He hadn’t been with Amanda then. That, in a nutshell, was the problem with small towns—a history that always smacked you in the face.
“We will,” Griffin said, answering for both of them. “But first a drink. It’s been a helluva week.”
After an hour of sitting in the glow of her brother, Kelly actually found herself enjoying being with everyone. She still felt a little on the outside, missing some of the inside jokes, but Griffin’s casual inclusion of her in his conversation kept her in the inner circle.
Griffin finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the bar top. He turned to her. “You ready to play?”
She stiffened. It would take a lot more than one dry martini to get her to play in front of the hometown crowd. “They don’t want to hear me,” she said.
“Sure they do. Anyone would.”
“They just want to hear you. Maybe you and Karina could play.”
“I get the feeling Karina’s not the attention hog that I am.” He gave her a cheeky grin that had her smiling back.
“I didn’t bring my guitar,” she said.
“You could play mine. I noticed Dad got us the same one. Only he would blow a wad of cash on a Martin guitar for a couple of five-year-olds.”
Her throat got tight. She’d known the value of her guitar and had treated it like a treasure her whole life. “I’m not…” She trailed off. Good enough. She was nothing compared to him or Karina or Ryan or her dad. She didn’t have “it.”
“Not what?”
She forced a smile. “Not ready. You go ahead. You’re the one everyone’s excited about.”
His hazel eyes, so like her own, burned into hers. “No one has the music of your soul. Only you can bring that to the world. And I’m telling you, it’s worth sharing.”
She blinked rapidly, touched deeply by his words that showed a belief in her, however unfounded. She didn’t have what it took, and she knew it. “You go ahead.” She turned to the group sitting nearby, Karina and friends, and said, “You guys, Griffin needs a little encouragement to get up there and play.”
Griffin shot her a look.
Karina cupped her hands around her mouth to make her voice carry as she chanted, “Griff-in, Griff-in.”
Soon the whole room was chanting her brother’s name, and Kelly took a great deal of pride in that. Griffin stood with a smile and the room broke out in applause. He kissed her cheek, surprising her. “My fans await.”
He snagged his guitar and headed to the center of the space. Someone brought over a wooden chair for him. He pulled his guitar from its case and tuned it. The bar fell utterly silent.
She glanced over at the Fab Four. Karina caught her eye and smiled. She smiled back and quickly looked away, uncomfortable with the sudden friendliness. The first notes rang out of Griffin’s most famous song, “Crazy Thing,” when he suddenly stopped, hanging his head. The crowd erupted in whispered conversation. Something was wrong.
Kelly rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Is today catching up to you with dad and everything? It’s okay. I’ll tell them you need a break.” He met her eyes, and the pain she saw there made her heart clutch. “What is it?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I can’t play that one.”
“Play ‘Up on Top of the World.’” It was a rocking song with a building chorus that she was sure would get the crowd behind him. He needed that.
“Yeah. Okay. Could you stand to the right?” He pointed where he wanted her. “Right there. I just need someone in that spot.”
“Okay.” The request was strange, but she stood where he wanted her.
“Thanks,” he said, and then he launched into the song that soon had everyone on their feet and singing the chorus back and forth with him. He was smiling as he played, and it lifted her spirits up too. She was sure even the great Ron King would’ve been smiling right along with them.
Karina came over and snapped a few pictures of Griffin playing, looking right at Kelly, the two of them smiling. It might just be Kelly’s only fifteen minutes of fame, but she didn’t care, she was having the time of her life.
And she was extremely pleased the next morning to see her and Griffin’s picture splashed all over the Internet. People were asking about her online. Wondering who she was and if Griffin was with her. She loved having the secret of being his half sister. He’d promised to spend the day with her and let her show him off if she’d play some more of her songs for him. An even trade. As long as her playing stayed private. For once, everything seemed to be going right in her life.
But first, the show-off.
The next day, she held her brother’s arm, wearing his black leather jacket again at his insistence as they strolled down the wooden sidewalks of Main Street. For some reason he had a problem with her usual outfits and wanted her covered in his oversized jacket. She had a good body, probably her best asset, and wore form-fitting clothes to show it off. It was kinda cute to have him playing the concerned big brother. It wasn’t too cold out, just crisp and cool with the earthy pine scent of the outdoors she loved. Griffin seemed fine wearing his own gray hoodie as a coat. She made eye contact and smiled at everyone who crossed their path in a happy little bubble of her famous brother’s making.
And then her bubble burst when a petite brunette woman with choppy short hair abruptly stopped in front of them, her startlingly blue eyes shooting daggers right at Kelly.
“You messed around with the wrong guy,” the woman spat in a harsh New Yawk accent, slapping Kelly across the face.
The slap triggered every fighting instinct Kelly possessed. No one got away with treating her like that. She was Griffin Huntley’s sister! She was somebody! She grabbed the woman by the hair, was vaguely aware of her brother yelling something and gesturing, but it was all a blur as she took the smaller woman down to the sidewalk in a rolling tangle of claws and hair pulls and screams.