Considering the guilt that had swept over me after I’d gotten off while fantasizing about Reb, it was probably a good thing that Habitat for Humanity didn’t have anything going on at the moment. I wasn’t sure I could take an entire morning of watching Reb doing construction work and be able to control myself.

Fortunately, I’d gotten ahold of Candra Hammel, a college classmate of mine who now ran a community program where kids could go both after school and on the weekends. While, most of the time, they had the usual games and such, sometimes they brought in people to offer specialized classes or workshops. Today, they were getting rock star Reb Union to teach music to the kids.

I just hoped I’d made the right call. If he showed up drunk or behaved like an ass, I’d be lucky to not get fired. Reb wasn’t the only one putting things on the line today.

“Candra.” I smiled at the woman standing by the front door. She looked just as polished and professional as ever. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You too,” she said as she gave me a hug. “It looks like all that hard work you put in is paying off. Representing Reb Union.” She let out a low whistle, her turquoise eyes sparkling. “I know a lot of women who’d give their right arm to get that close to him.”

I didn’t have to ask if she was one of them. Candra had been an out and proud lesbian since well before I knew her. She’d appreciate Reb’s beauty the same way I appreciated hers, but it wouldn’t be an issue. That wasn’t the main reason I’d gone to her, but it was definitely a bonus.

“He’s my first client,” I admitted. “The first one I have by myself, anyway. I have to get it right.”

Candra nodded. “At least you’ve got a good guy to work with.”

“You know him?” I was pleased to hear that I didn’t sound as surprised as I actually was. I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea, because I wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t her type. And even if he was, it wouldn’t have mattered because he wasn’t my type.

“Only by reputation. He has a good one.” She frowned, and her gaze drifted away from mine. “At least he did until recently. His break-up appeared to have really hit him hard. It’s good that she’s gone though. Mitzi was clearly using him.”

I stared at her. Candra hadn’t been as much of a workaholic as me, but she’d always been focused. The attention to the entertainment industry was new.

She laughed at the expression on my face. “My girlfriend works at Entertainment Weekly.”

“So, you know that I–”

“Leaked that Reb would be here today?” She finished. “I figured that’d be the case even before I got Lena’s message.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m using the program. I think it’s amazing what you do for these kids.”

She smiled. “I know. It’s okay. Generally, when celebrities come to something like this, it’s for publicity reasons, and I’d much rather have someone like Reb come in and actually do something other than write a check.”

“I’ll make sure he behaves himself,” I promised. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that, but I’d think of something. My ears grew hot as I remembered telling him that I’d make sure he ‘got something’ out of this. I’d come up with something appropriately professional. No way in hell would I give in to the thoughts I knew had accompanied his request for a ‘reward.’ I didn’t want that.

“Speak of the devil,” Candra said, looking past me.

I didn’t need to turn to know he was coming right for us. I could feel him staring and prayed that Candra didn’t read anything into it. The last thing Reb needed was rumors that something was going on between him and his PR rep. I didn’t even want to think what it would do to my reputation.

“I’ve got to get inside,” Candra said. “Two of my usual volunteers called in sick this morning. The kids that get here this early always have far too much energy, and if I don’t give them something constructive to do, I’ll end up cleaning paint off my ceiling.”

The expression on her face said that she hadn’t pulled something that specific out of nowhere. I really hoped Reb was up to this. Maybe scheduling things without talking them through with him wasn’t such a good idea. I’d figured making the decisions on my own would keep him from arguing about them. The longer this dragged out, the harder it was going to be to stop the momentum. He needed to do something as soon as possible to show that he was trying to change his image.

Reb stopped next to me as Candra hurried off. “Did I do something to offend her?” he asked.

I shook my head as I turned toward him. “She’s a bit understaffed this morning.” I glanced down to see that he’d brought a guitar with him like I’d asked. “Thanks for bringing that.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve played an acoustic guitar with nothing else backing me up.”

I gave him a sharp look, but he wasn’t complaining like I’d thought. He almost looked excited by the idea. “The kids who come here are pretty much all from this neighborhood. Mostly good families, but ones that don’t have the money or time to send their kids to lessons. It’s not gangs or drugs that are the biggest danger here, but rather the inability to do anything else.”

He looked around, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Some will be talented enough to become electricians or mechanics, and they’ll do well. They’ll be the success stories. But the kids who might’ve become doctors, lawyers, teachers, counselors – the sort of occupations that need a college degree – they’ll find themselves working in stores or on construction crews. They’ll never have the chance to reach their full potential. Maybe some will be able to get into college, get some small scholarships, but they won’t be able to afford to go.”

I remembered when I first realized what it meant that I was going to college. Mom had always made it clear to me that I either had to learn a trade or pursue a degree. Both were equally valuable, but I was expected to excel in whatever path I chose to pursue.

I had pushed myself academically, even doubling up on credits so I could graduate a year early. I’d earned several scholarships, but if it hadn’t been for my mother’s determination that I get to do what I wanted, I wouldn’t have made it. For as long as I could remember, she’d worked two jobs, gone without so many things, all so she could make sure I didn’t need to work. It was thanks to her I’d been able to accept an unpaid internship my senior year, and I’d felt like all the hard work had paid off when I’d gotten hired as a paid employee.

Any time I’d gotten tired and considered quitting, I’d think about my mom and how, some nights, she’d fallen asleep on the couch, half-way through her dinner.

“Paige?”

I gave myself a mental shake and smiled at Reb. I hadn’t asked him if working with kids was okay, and now I wondered if he’d even be able to relate or if I’d set us up to fail.

“Candra wants you to play a couple songs, then work on teaching the kids about music. Once we see how things go, she’ll probably have you repeat things every few hours so kids who come in later will get the same chance.”

“All right,” he agreed. “Let’s get started.”

I watched him as he walked toward the double doors. He didn’t look drunk, despite being a little rough around the edges. I hoped that meant he was going to listen to me when I told him what to do. He didn’t give me the impression that he was a man who was accustomed to taking orders, much less obeying them. In fact, something about the way he carried himself made me think that not many people bossed him around, not without repercussions of some kind.

Something low in me throbbed at the thoughts of rewards and punishment, but I didn’t let it linger. We had work to do.

Any doubts I had about how he’d do with kids vanished the moment we stepped inside the community center.

“Holy shit!” A boy who looked to be about ten or so shouted as soon as he saw Reb. “That’s Reb Union! He’s a total badass!”

“Tyler!” Candra scolded him. “What have we said about language?”

He gave her the sort of charming grin that I bet he used on most authority figures to get away with things. “That the study of the English language is fucking important?”

“Tyler!” She was trying to stay firm, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Mind your manners.”

He bounced up and down on his toes, but stayed where he was, and didn’t shout again.

“Kids,” Candra addressed the whole group. “Mr. Union is our special guest today. He’s going to be playing some songs for you, and then he’s going to teach you a bit about music.” She gave Tyler a stern look. “Which means, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Ms. Hammel,” the whole group chorused.

Candra turned to Reb. “Think you can take it from here?”

He swallowed hard, and I wondered if anyone else could tell that he was nervous. “I can. Thank you.”

He smiled and led the kids over to a place at the other end of the building where a stage was set up. He sat down, taking out his guitar as the kids pulled chairs into a half-circle. I leaned back against the wall to watch.

Because I needed to make sure this worked.

Not because I wanted to watch him.

“All right,” he said as he settled his guitar on his lap. “I’m guessing at least one of you knows some of my music. Do I have a request?”

“‘Under the Waves,’” Tyler immediately spoke up. “That’s my favorite song.”

Reb nodded, plucking at a few strings. “That’s one of my favorites too.” His gaze flicked to me. “One of the first songs I ever wrote but fits my life now more than ever.”

I ignored the warmth that spread through me at his look. It didn’t mean anything.

Still, as he began to sing, I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to have someone like him singing to me. The lyrics of the song weren’t romantic, but I still felt them. He meant every word, and that had nothing to do with trying to look professional.

“He’s amazing.”

I glanced over at Candra as she came to stand next to me. I didn’t want to agree with her, but there was no way around it. She was right.

“The kids seem to like him,” I said, hating myself for how non-committal it sounded.

“They do.”

Reb finished up the song, and another kid piped up with a suggestion. They came, one right after the other, and he kept playing. He didn’t complain, not even when one quiet looking girl shyly requested a song that was definitely not one of Reb’s. Instead, he gave the kids a silly grin and began playing the cute, bouncy pop song.

After a couple hours, Candra pushed herself off the wall and interrupted, “Who’s ready for their mid-morning snack?”

A chorus of cheers answered the question. Three kids hung back as the others rushed to the window where fruit and bottled water waited. One was Tyler, the boy who’d been scolded for his language, and he was hanging on Reb’s every word. Another was the girl who’d asked for the pop song, and she looked like she was torn between wanting to talk to him and wanting to disappear. The third was a small, skinny boy who was trying to hide behind Tyler.

Curious to see how Reb would handle his little admirers, I waited and watched.

“Are you going to teach us how to play the guitar?” Tyler asked. “I’d be awesome.”

“I bet you would,” Reb said. He clapped a hand on Tyler’s shoulder, then looked at the other two. “Hi.”

The girl’s cheeks flushed, and she ducked her head. “Hi.”

“She’s Mags,” Tyler said. He smacked the other boy on the shoulder. “He’s Larry.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Had he seriously just said nice to meet you to three kids who hadn’t quite hit puberty? And now he was talking to them like he was their friend. Joking with them. Asking them questions about school and the things they liked to do. He told Larry to be proud of his photographic memory. Told Mags that she should just be herself. He sat with the kids as they ate their snacks and there wasn’t a single trace of insincerity in anything he said.

Was it possible that this was who Reb really was? That he was a decent guy who loved kids? That the alcohol and bad decision making was a fluke?

No. I made myself look away, ignore what I was seeing. I couldn’t afford to think that he was different. One morning spent with kids didn’t make him a good guy.

I needed to remember that, and everything would be fine.