Chapter Twenty-Six
Nalia
I watched as Owen and the guys headed out into the conference room for their first press conference. Owen looked like a million bucks with a smile to match as he stepped in front of cheering fans and dozens of reporters. He fit the role of rock star so well. It was easy to see why all the girls loved him and why the band had such a huge following.
He was unfazed by all of the flashing cameras and screaming admirers as they walked out and took their seats. Instead, he simply stood calmly with a smile on his face, waiting to get going. Today, they were announcing the new album they’d be releasing, which they had finished recording before leaving for the tour.
I smiled as I watched them. I had never enjoyed a job so much, and I loved working with them. Some days, I still couldn't believe how lucky I was to have landed this job. Not to mention how amazing it was for my life to have totally turned around like it had. One minute I'd been almost penniless, unemployed with no hope for a decent job in sight, and now there I was, working with one of the biggest rock bands in the country and having a blast doing so. It still felt like a dream sometimes, as if it couldn't possibly be real.
It didn’t hurt that I was also working with one of the most gorgeous rock star billionaires around. And even if Owen and I hadn’t gotten any alone time the other night, he’d taken it in stride, and things were good.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I excused myself, heading to the back.
“Hey, Jackson,” I answered, smiling.
“How’s my little sis doing?” he asked, and I could almost hear his smile through the phone.
“Not bad, not bad.”
“Life on the road treating you okay?”
“Yes. The tour is off to a good start, thanks to yours truly.”
“Of course it is,” he laughed. “The reason I didn’t want you to take this job had nothing to do with me doubting you.”
“I know, I know.” He was still a little upset about me taking the job, but he obviously knew there wasn’t much he could do, especially from miles away and after the fact.
“You’re not falling for that asshole, Owen, are you?”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’m trying not to,” I joked. Jackson didn’t laugh.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I! I’m not trying to,” I laughed.
“Nalia, you know I worry about you,” he sighed.
“I know. And I’m using my head. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Yeah, well, I’m still going to worry. It’s what I do. You’ll always be my baby sister.”
I smiled. “I know. And you’ll always be my big, overprotective older brother. I really appreciate it, you know I do, but you have got to realize I'm all grown up now and can take care of myself. I really can, I promise!”
We talked for a few more minutes, and he promised he’d be keeping tabs on me and making sure I was okay, even though I told him it wasn’t necessary. I hung up the call with Jackson and headed back inside to see the guys finishing up their press conference. Owen was just coming around the corner, looking for me.
“Sorry, had to take a phone call. How did it go?”
“Great! You ready to go get some lunch?” He smiled and put an arm around me.
“Yeah. I have us at an Italian restaurant downtown that is closed except for you guys, so you don’t have to worry about a crowd,” I explained.
His smile widened. “You really do think of everything, don’t you?”
“It’s my job.”
“Come on, let’s head out.”
We made our way outside to the waiting limo and piled in with the others, heading to the restaurant. I went through a few emails about interviews and other tour publicity on the way. When we arrived, I followed them in, still answering emails that needed my attention.
It was hard to focus on anything else when there were so many details to take care of, and at this early stage of the tour, I still hadn't quite fallen into a rhythm yet. I was still finding my way and doing a pretty decent job of it so far.
What concerned me was the feeling that something was going to go wrong at some point. That was just the law of nature. Nothing could run this smoothly without any bumps in the road.
“I’m totally starving!” Talon announced as they took their seats in the middle of the empty restaurant. “I could eat a horse right now. And I'm not even joking, dudes. If there's horse on this menu, I'm ordering it!” The others grumbled in agreement, and Owen took a seat at the head of the table. I put my phone away to make sure the staff at the restaurant got everybody's drink and food orders and didn't leave anybody out.
“Nalia.”
“Yes?” I spun around to face Owen.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled together in concern.
“Just making sure you guys are being taken care of. That's my job, remember?” I smiled nervously, suddenly worried I’d done something wrong.
“Look, everything is perfect. We're here, we're relaxed, everything has been taken care of, we're all on schedule. There's nothing to worry about right now, nothing at all. Stop stressing out and come sit down and eat with us,” he insisted, pulling out a chair.
“But the-”
“But nothing. Nalia, you’re doing an amazing job. Seriously, everything is more organized and on schedule than on any other tour we've ever done. We've never been this tight and prepared. Sit down. Emails and calls can wait till after you have some lunch.”
I hesitated, and that’s when Talon led the guys in chanting my name until I finally sat down, my face crimson from embarrassment. All of them cheered as I took a seat. Talon then leaned over and put an arm around me.
“That’s our girl!” Talon started. “Come on, I know you've set yourself up in this 'mom' role and you're concerned with making sure everything happens exactly where and when it's supposed to happen—and believe me, we seriously do appreciate it—but, Nalia, you need to enjoy yourself, too. You’ve been working hard at this, and you deserve to at least sit down and enjoy a meal. You're human, just like us, not a robot or some shit, and we totally don't expect you to be a machine all the time. So, relax for a while, forget about all that stuff, and let's just have a nice meal,” he said.
I smiled and Owen laughed, passing me a menu. I’d never felt so at home in a job than that moment. If it wasn’t where I belonged, then I didn’t know where that would be.