CHAPTER EIGHT
Meg inspected the contents of the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, trying to formulate a plan for dinner. At least Trey left me with a stocked pantry. If only I had a clue what Sky likes to eat. She decided to channel her role model. What would Aunt Grace make in this situation?
She busied herself for the next hour preparing dinner. I hope he enjoys it, she thought as she sliced the tomatoes for the salad. I want him to like it. And, God help me, I want him to like me.
“Something smells amazing.”
Meg jumped at the sound of Sky’s voice. “You scared me! Why aren’t you in bed?”
“I woke up from my nap and was lured in here by the aroma. What are you making?”
“Chicken Milanese. I know it’s fried, so it’s not exactly healthy, but it’s served over a big arugula and tomato salad.”
“Sounds perfect,” Sky said, as he sat down on one of the two counter stools. “Those pain pills really knocked me out. I’m so groggy.”
“Then they’re doing their job. Are you feeling any better?”
“A little.”
Meg drizzled some home-made lemon vinaigrette over the arugula and tomatoes. She divided the salad between two plates, and topped each with a golden, crispy chicken cutlet. “Enjoy,” she said with a smile, as she placed a plate in front of Sky before sitting down next to him.
Sky dug into the chicken. “Mmm…this is delicious. I’m gonna have to thank your mother for teaching you how to cook.”
Meg’s stomach sank. I can’t have this conversation now. This isn’t the right time. “Actually, my Aunt Grace taught me how to make this. It’s one of my favorite go-to dishes.” Changing the subject, Meg said, “I hope your father had a safe trip back home.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“He does seem to care about you, you know. I don’t know how he learned about the accident, but he flew right up here to be with you.”
“Jack called him. He’s the emergency contact in my phone.”
“Why don’t you have a family member listed?”
Sky closed his eyes, and answered, “Jack is like my brother. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten. I’m closer to him than I am to anyone in my family.”
Meg cringed as she watched Sky concentrate on cutting his chicken cutlet. It’s sad that he feels so alone in the world that he lists a friend, and not a family member, as his emergency contact. But, then again, I don’t even have an emergency contact in my phone, at least not since Craig broke up with me. There’s no one within hundreds of miles that I could call on if something happened to me. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t right of me to pry.”
“It’s okay, really. You already know so much about me, more than most people know. Like I said to you the night we met, you’re so easy to talk to. I feel comfortable being with you.” He reached out and brushed her hair out of her eyes, and let his fingers lightly trace a trail down her neck.
Meg’s sharp intake of breath let him know he was on the right track. “My beautiful guardian angel,” he said, as he leaned in to kiss her.
As his lips lightly brushed hers, Meg’s stomach fluttered and her knees became weak. God help me. I’ve never wanted a man as much as I want you.
“Oh, Meg, baby,” Sky whispered into her ear. “You have no idea how much I want you right now.”
Meg snapped back to reality. “Oh my God, what are we doing?” She jumped off the stool, and scurried around the kitchen island.
“I think they call it foreplay,” Sky said, grinning.
Shaking, Meg replied, “We can’t. I’d lose my job if anyone ever found out that I slept with a patient.”
“No one would have to find out.”
“I can’t take that risk,” Meg said. “And besides, you’re not nearly healthy enough. You’d be in tremendous pain.”
“Oh, baby, I can think of ways we can do it that won’t cause me any pain.”
Meg rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you can, but it will have to wait.”
“Then what are we supposed to do tonight?”
“You’re going to go back to bed, and rest.”
“It would be better if you came with me.”
Maybe one day. “You’re incorrigible, Sky.”
Later that night, once the dinner dishes were cleaned up, Meg joined Sky in front of the fireplace for a game of Scrabble. She watched him count up the points after laying down a double word score, and observed, “You’re really good at this.”
He smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. Words are the foundation of my business, I guess.”
“Songwriting, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
At the end of the game, Meg was impressed with Sky’s score. “Wow…you really beat the pants off me tonight,” she said, as she picked the tiles up off the board.
Sky grinned. “Now there’s a great idea. Next time we’re gonna have to play strip Scrabble.”
“Strip Scrabble?” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Once again, you’re incorrigible.” She stood up and added, “You must be tired. It’s time for you to get some rest.”
He stared at her for a moment, before standing up and walking towards his bedroom. Just before turning down the hallway, he did an about-face and watched as she placed the lid on the Scrabble box. “I’d give anything to drag you off to bed with me right now,” he whispered to himself.
After putting the game away, Meg joined Sky in his bedroom. She took his vital signs and noted them on her chart, before giving him a pain pill and a glass of water. “This should help you sleep,” she said, as she picked up the chart and pill bottle and turned towards the door.
“You don’t have to take them with you each time you leave the room,” he said, referring to the pills and the chart. “You can leave them in here.”
She glared at him. “No, I can’t. I have to account for each of the pills, and I’d lose my job if there were any unaccounted for at the end of the week.”
“You take your job seriously, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Don’t you take your career seriously?”
“Sure.” He nodded his head and patted the mattress. “Come here.”
After Meg sat down on the edge of the bed, he continued, “Yes, I take my career very seriously. Johnson Bishop, Inc. is so much more than just playing music. So many guys depend on us to put food on the tables for their families, from the roadies and crew, to our bus drivers and tour manager.”
She nodded her head. “The weight of the responsibility must be overwhelming at times.”
“It can be, but it’s nowhere as overwhelming as your job. You save lives. You saved my life.” He paused for a moment, before looking Meg in the eyes and adding, “Thank you.”
“I’m glad that I was there for you,” she said, stifling a yawn while standing up. “I’m going to turn in for the night. Remember, if you need anything, just ask. We’ll be able to hear each other through the baby monitor I set up.”
Meg closed the door to Sky’s bedroom, and walked next door to the guest room. She washed up, then changed into a camisole and yoga pants before crawling under the sheets of the old white iron and brass double bed. She lay on her back and stared out the window at the moon just above the tree tops. When she turned onto her side, she was surprised by the loud squeaking sounds coming from the bed. This bed must be an antique, she thought. I’ll have to see if Sky has any oil for the springs.
“Meg? Can you hear me?”
Meg snapped to attention. “Yes, I can. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to test the monitor,” Sky replied. “I heard the squeaking of the bed springs, and thought you might still be awake.”
“Sorry. If you have some oil, I’ll fix the bed tomorrow so it doesn’t squeak anymore.”
“I never noticed it before, because I’ve never slept in there. Hope it doesn’t keep you awake.”
The only thing that will keep me awake is the thought of you in bed in the next room. “I don’t think anything will keep me awake tonight. It’s been a long day.”
“Sweet dreams, my angel Meg.”
“Sweet dreams, Sky.”
After breakfast the following morning, Sky gave Meg a tour of the house. “Sorry I didn’t show you around yesterday,” he said, as he pointed out the two other guest rooms and his den.
“I like this room,” Meg said, referring to the den. Pointing to the books on the built-in bookshelves, she asked, “Do you like to read?”
“Yeah. It passes the time out on the road. But now I mostly use an e-reader. It’s easier to tote around with me.”
“Lots of awards, too,” she said, looking at the trophies on the shelves. “What are those for?”
“These are some CMA awards,” he said, pointing. “And those are some ACM awards, a Billboard Music Award…”.
“And that’s a Grammy award, right?”
“Yeah, for last year’s Best Country Album.” Sky watched as Meg inspected his other awards on the shelves, before adding. “Let me show you my favorite memento in this room,” he said. He picked up a framed photo and handed it to Meg. “This is a photo from the day Jack and I decided to form Johnson Bishop.”
“You’re so young here.”
“Yeah. We were in high school. Sometimes it’s hard to believe we were ever that young.” Sky placed the photo back on the shelf before looping an arm around Meg’s shoulders and steering her back towards the living room. “There’s also a recording studio downstairs in the basement, along with a full gym. Come with me,” he said as he opened the sliding glass door near the kitchen and stepped out onto the deck. “I want to show you the outside.”
Meg followed Sky onto the large back deck. “Ooh…I didn’t notice the pond yesterday.”
“Want to know a secret?”
“Sure.”
“It’s not a pond. It’s a pool that’s designed to look like a pond, so it blends in with the surroundings.”
Meg’s mouth fell open. “Really? It looks just like a pond.” She walked towards the end of the deck, kicked off her shoes, and dipped her toes in. “But there’s no edge here.”
“No, there isn’t. You can walk right into it from over there,” he said, pointing to the lawn area just off the deck. “The deck hides the edge of the pool at this end, and rocks surrounding the other end conceal the edge and the filters.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s stunning. I can’t believe you keep it open in the winter.”
“Yeah, well…it’s expensive to heat, but worth it for those few days when it’s warm enough to swim in the winter.” He sidled up to Meg, and draped an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s take a little walk, before I get too tired to show you the rest of the property.”
They walked together in silence to the far end of the pool, where Sky pointed out a built-in fire pit, and a large barn in the distance. “I’ve got to sit down for a while. I’m a little winded, and my ribs are killing me.”
“You need to work on getting your stamina back, otherwise you’ll never be able to jump around the stage when you get back out on the road. Let’s walk a little more, then you can rest.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sky said with a chuckle. “Whatever my guardian angel says.”
As they walked around the cleared portion of the property, Sky gestured towards the barn on the edge of the woods. “I keep my ‘toys’ in there,”, he said.
“Toys?”
He grinned. “Yeah. Boys need toys. My motorcycle, dirt bike, and other cars are in there. I believe in working hard and playing hard.”
Meg nodded her head before pointing towards the woods. “How much of this is yours?”
“I have a hundred acres, but only three of them are cleared. I like that the rest is woods, because it gives me privacy.”
Meg turned to look at Sky. “Out of the prying eyes of fans and the paparazzi?”
Sky’s eyes clouded over. “Yeah.”