“Breakfast is ready,” I tell Kacen and Cole. “Should I wake the others?” I ask.
“No,” Kacen’s words are clipped. “They’ll wake up when they’re ready.”
“Well, all right then. What do you all want to drink? Anything other than coffee?” I ask.
“Logan, sit down and enjoy the breakfast you just made. If we need something, we can get it. You don’t have to wait on us,” Kacen tells me.
“You see, that’s kind of my job,” I reply.
“No, it’s not. You are here to keep us organized and run errands, yes, but you’ve already gone above and beyond by cooking breakfast when you could have just ordered something on your way here. Nowhere in your contract did it say you were to be the wait staff.”
He sounds a little angry, and I’m not sure why. I decide to just let it roll. I’m sure he’s still tired from his flight and writing with the others last night. “Okay, well, I had a bagel at home, so I’m just going to be in my office waiting for Cassidy.” I scurry out of the room before he can protest.
By the time I have my computer booted up, Cassidy is standing at my door. “Good morning,” she says cheerily.
“Morning. I made breakfast, if you’re hungry,” I offer.
“I know. My nose led me to the smell. All four of them are shoveling it in,” she laughs. “You’re already spoiling them.”
“Nah,”—I wave my hand on the air—“feeding them is part of the job. I enjoy cooking and the guys said they rarely get home cooked meals. I don’t mind.”
She laughs. “Fair enough. All right, are you ready to get started?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I tell her.
“Really, it’s pretty easy. Like we talked about yesterday, when they start working on a new album, they pretty much hibernate here at Kacen’s. You need to make sure they have food, as you seem good with, and there is a cleaning lady who comes twice a week. She cleans and does the laundry.”
“Got it. What’s her name?”
“Nancy. She comes on Tuesdays and Fridays, so you can meet her today. Other than that, you and I will work closely together because of the label. There are events the guys will need to attend; you and I will work to coordinate schedules. It will be your responsibility to get them there, book their flight, hotel, etc.”
Okay, so that doesn’t sound too bad. “I think I can handle that. Besides, you said you and I will work closely, so I’ll have you to bounce questions off.” I can hear the hope in my voice.
“Absolutely. Honestly, this is more of a ‘learn as you go’ position. Each day brings something new in this business, so it’s hard to know what to expect. The big thing is to just keep them in line and on schedule. From what I saw yesterday, you can handle yourself with their flirtatious ways. Really, the four of them are harmless. All the other PAs fall for the charms and end up being scorned that they are not going to live happily ever after with a rock star.”
I wonder if that’s what Kacen thinks of me. No, he couldn’t; I didn’t even know who he was. “So are the four of them commitment-phobes?” I prod her. I really don’t care about Cole, Gavin, and Tristan; I just want to know if Kacen is afraid of commitment.
“Honestly, I don’t think they are. All of them have had a few serious relationships since I’ve known them. The struggle is their schedules and jealousy is a huge issue. You have to have trust, and the girls who present themselves are usually callous bitches who want the fame, and if they feel the slightest bit insecure, the claws come out. This is not something that makes a strong relationship. I honestly think, if and when any of them find the right girl, none of them will hesitate to hold on to her.”
“Okay.” I need to change the subject, even though I’m the one who broached it in the first place. “Any events or anything else coming up that I need to be aware of?”
“Not right now. The guys try to lay low for several weeks after a tour. They were on the road for eighteen months, so they need some down time. There is a charity event in several weeks. I’ll e-mail you the details. Just from talking to Mr. Jones, there are also going to be a few events the label needs for them to attend. I’ll send that as soon as I have final dates. Other than that, just get to know them. Make sure they are fed, and I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you so much, Cassidy. I’ll be calling you with questions soon, I’m sure.”
“No problem, they’re good guys, just a little spoiled. If you can overlook the orneriness, then you are good to go.”
What about the fact that I’ve slept with Kacen? Can you help me overlook that? “Great. I’m sure we’ll get along fine,” I say instead.
“I’m sure you will. Well, I’m going to head back to the office. You have my number if you need anything.”
“Thank you, again. I’ll walk you out.” I stand and follow her out of my office. Kacen meets us at the end of the hall.
“Hey, I was just coming to find you,” he says to me.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Cassidy says and leaves us standing there in the hall. Kacen doesn’t even acknowledge her.
“You found me,” I say with a cheery smile.
“I want you to meet Nancy.” He reaches out to grab my hand and I pull back. Not a few days ago, I would have latched on without a thought. Things have changed. “Right, she’s in the kitchen.” He motions for me to walk ahead of him.
In the kitchen, there is a woman in her late fifties with salt and pepper hair standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes. “Nancy, this is Logan, my new PA. Logan, this is Nancy. She cleans twice a week and keeps this place from showing the signs that four grown pigs live here.” He winks at her.
“Oh, you,” she shoos him away. “You boys don’t make that big of a mess. I just tidy up a little and do your laundry.”
“You spoil us, and we love you for it,” Kacen says as he pulls her into a one-armed hug. He seems very fond of her.
“Logan, it’s nice to meet you.” She extends her hand for me to shake.
“You as well. You have your hands full with this crew,” I joke.
“Oh, honey, you have no idea.” She grins, turning to Kacen. “I like this one.”
“Me too, Nance. Me too,” he whispers the words, but I hear them.
“Now, off you go so I can finish this up. Logan, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” With that, she turns back to the sink, continues to hum a tune I don’t recognize, and starts back in on the dishes.
“Kace! Get your ass in here.” I hear from the living room. I don’t know which one of them it was.
Kacen just shakes his head and holds his arm out for me to lead the way. Cole, Gavin, and Tristan are sprawled out over the huge sectional couch. Kacen sits on the love seat and pats the spot next to him for me to sit as well. As soon as I sit, my personal cell phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see Daniel’s name on the screen. Not wanting to deal with his drama, but needing a distraction from sitting next to my sexy new boss, I open his message.
Daniel: I’m sorry. I miss you. I love you. I don’t know what I was thinking.
Me: It’s over. Stop texting.
Daniel: It’s never going to be over with us. We have too much history.
Me: It’s over!
“Boyfriend?” Kacen asks, causing me to jump and throw my phone. He catches it with ease and looks down at the screen.
“Ex,” I say, reaching for the phone.
“Sounds like he wants to change that.”
“Well, what he wants and what he gets are two very different things. I don’t play games.”
My phone vibrates in my hand.
Daniel: NOT OVER!
I feel Kacen lean in close. Glancing up, I see his eyes are locked on the screen of my phone, reading Daniel’s last words. His jaw is tight. I start to wonder why he would be angry, and it’s then I remember I’m working, not just hanging out with a group of rockers. I lock the screen and slip the phone back in my pocket.
“Well, I’ll just be in my office if you need me,” I say as I go to stand.
Kacen grabs my arm and pulls me back into the sitting position. “Is he harassing you?” he asks. His voice is low, but I can hear the edge of anger trying to push through.
“Logan, breakfast was fantastic!” Tristan says. I hear Gavin voice his agreement.
“Come with me,” Kacen says. He grabs my hand and leads me out of the room. I don’t fight it as I let him lead me to my office. Once we’re inside, he shuts the door. “What’s going on, Logan? You had a boyfriend while we were together?” he seethes.
“What? No, of course not. I don’t do that. I don’t even have one-night stands. I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve slept with.”
I watch as he runs his fingers through his hair. “So if you weren’t with him, what’s with the messages?”
“Not that my personal messages are any of your business, but we broke up a few weeks before Hawaii, and he’s not impressed that I’m no longer playing his games.” My anger rises. It’s none of his damn business. We are not together. Our current relationship is strictly professional.
“Games? Did he hurt you? You’ve got to give me something, Logan. My mind is going crazy here.”
Sensing that he’s coming from a good place, I release a heavy sigh and plop down in my chair. “If you insist on hearing the story, you might as well sit,” I tell him. Surprisingly, he does as he’s told and takes the seat across from my desk. “Daniel and I dated for three years. We were constantly on again off again due to his need to ‘take a break.’ My friends tried to warn me about the stories they had heard, but I was naïve enough to believe his words over theirs. On graduation day, I overheard some girls in the restroom talking about how great he was, yada yada yada. The same girl was also telling her friend how he promised her that he would break things off with his girlfriend for her. That was the final straw for me. I was tired of feeding into his lies about our future, the dream of marriage and kids. I want that. He said he did too, but it turns out he was just telling me what I wanted to hear.”
I pause and take a sip of the bottle of water I brought with me today. “So you see, I don’t play games. He doesn’t want me. He’s just pissed off that he got caught and I called him out on his shit. Regardless of what he wants, it is most definitely over.”