Chapter Seven
Griffin was nothing if not tenacious. He never would’ve made it as far as he had in the music industry without the persistence to knock down every door slammed in his face. He’d spent his twenties in dogged pursuit of a recording contract, until he finally hit the big time at thirty. So he figured if his words couldn’t knock down Christina’s worries over their future, he’d work on her body. She was never more agreeable than when he’d wrung everything out of her in bed. He’d woken her with an orgasm this morning and then went all alpha on her in the shower. No hardship for him. Her screaming orgasms got him off big time and, afterwards, she was open to him in a way she normally wouldn’t be with her naturally tough shell. Now she was wrapped in a towel, curled up on his lap, where he sat propped against the headboard.
“You’re mine,” he said.
“Mmm,” she said, resting her head against his chest.
See? So agreeable. Why hadn’t he thought of wearing her down this way before?
“I love you,” he said.
She sighed. “Me too.”
“I want you in my life forever,” he said, tilting her chin up to look at him.
She gave him a goofy smile. “Okay.”
He kissed her. “Okay.” Wow. He was shocked at how easy that was. If he’d known, he would’ve tried the screaming orgasm method sooner. He’d been extra tender with her the last couple of months because he’d been thinking of starting a family of his own for the first time in his life. He had to remember she still liked to shake things up. A surge of tenderness and love made him kiss her again. And again. And then he was showering her with kisses he was so happy. “So you trust me?”
“I’m working on it,” she said gently.
“I trust you,” he said.
“I’ve never cheated on anyone,” she replied.
The remark stung. He’d never cheated on her. On his ex-wife, yes, but never her. He didn’t know what else he could do to prove he was different now. It was so frustrating. He set her off his lap and stood.
“Don’t be mad,” she said. “I love you.”
Somehow that wasn’t enough anymore.
He yanked on his clothes and headed downstairs where he’d left his guitar. Some of his most painful moments turned into his biggest hits. He was glad, not because of the money, but because he knew his pain touched others and let them know they weren’t alone.
He played, pouring himself into the music, and didn’t stop until he realized with a start that the living room was dark. It was past sundown. He’d been vaguely aware Christina went out, though he wasn’t sure if she’d come back yet. She could be super quiet during times like these out of respect for his process. He suddenly realized he was hungry and thirsty and exhausted.
“Chris?”
The light turned on and then dimmed. “Right here.” She handed him a glass of water, and he drank the whole thing. When he finished, he handed her back the glass and she set it in the kitchen sink before crossing back to him. He put his guitar back in its case and stood, opening his arms to her.
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “That was pure soul. I liked it.”
He closed his stinging eyes at the words that meant so much to him. She heard his soul and touched him with her tender acceptance of it.
She pulled away and handed him his black leather jacket. “Time for the real world. We’re going to dinner. Kelly told us to stop by Sue Ann’s Café tonight.”
“She called?” he asked. He hadn’t heard the phone ring. Chris took care of all outside distractions for him when he was creating music.
“Yeah, I took the call.” She pulled on her coat and got her purse. “I’ll drive. You just relax.”
She laced her fingers with his and walked with him outside. She knew he was feeling strung out, as he always did after a draining day of pouring his heart and soul into the music. He got into the car. Christina started the car and immediately turned off the radio, giving him the quiet he needed. He leaned his head back against the headrest, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.
He woke when Christina shook him by the shoulder. They were parked in front of the café. “You up for this?” she asked. “I could ask for a to-go meal.”
“No. My sister wants to show me off.”
“Maybe she just wants to see you,” she said, trying to soften the edges of his reality.
“I don’t mind,” he said. And he really didn’t. He loved the attention and he loved making people happy just by meeting him.
“You were made for this,” she said, stroking his hair. “Made for them.”
And she was made for him, he thought. But he kept that to himself because he wasn’t up for another emotional round with her over their future. Instead he puffed out his chest. “Time for the magic.”
“Woo-hoo!” she hollered, psyching him up.
He smiled and shook his head before climbing out of the Hummer. Christina went ahead of him, held open the door and hollered, “Kelly King, where you at? Your brother has arrived!”
~ ~ ~
Kelly turned to the door, elated. Sue Ann’s wasn’t overly crowded tonight, it was only a Thursday, but even just a few tables of people to see Kelly with her famous brother made her feel vindicated for all the years she’d been passed over as just part of the background. Not only that, Henry Walker, the mayor of Hope Falls, was here, which made it the perfect time to run the concert/fundraiser idea by him.
“Hi,” she said with a cheerful wave. “Sit wherever you like.”
Christina chose a four-top in the back corner. Griffin said something to her and instead of sitting down like Kelly thought he would, he crossed to her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “How ya doing, Kel?”
She loved his casual familiarity. It was almost worth all the pain she’d gone through with her hardly there dad to have a cool half brother. “I’m doing great now that you’re here.”
“Sorry Chris took a swing at you. She’s crazy in the best possible way, but sometimes…well, you know how women get when they think someone’s in their territory.”
“So you’re pretty serious?” She looked over at Christina, who was sitting there all petite and deceivingly sweet-looking as she studied the menu.
“Yeah. I asked her to marry me, but she turned me down.”
Her brows shot up in surprise. “She turned you down?”
“Shh…yeah. The timing wasn’t right.”
“Wow. Sorry about that. Ooh, I want you to meet someone. He’s the mayor.” She pulled him over to where Henry was enjoying the special, pot roast. “Hi, Henry, this is my half brother, Griffin Huntley. He’s a rock star. Griffin, this is our mayor, Henry Walker.”
“You don’t say?” Henry raised his gray bushy brows and extended a hand with a big smile. He wore his usual attire—cowboy hat, plaid button-up shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. Which she’d always thought was ironic, considering the older man had been a lawyer before he was mayor. “Nice to meet you, rock star Griffin Huntley.”
Kelly flushed.
“You too, Mayor Henry Walker.” Griffin gave Kelly’s hair a playful tug, which made her feel slightly less embarrassed.
“Griffin said he’d do a fundraiser concert at the community center,” Kelly said. “Would it be all right to do it the Saturday after next Saturday?”
“What kind of fundraiser?” Henry asked. “Something for the town? We could use some new playground equipment at the elementary school.”
“Sure, we could do that,” Griffin replied.
She turned to him. “I thought you wanted it for that special needs community.”
“Oh, right. I usually do give to them.”
“Seems to me, if you’re doing a fundraiser using the townspeople’s money, it should benefit the town,” Henry said.
“Good point,” Griffin said.
“I think he should be able to give money to whatever charity he wants,” Kelly said. “This is Griffin Huntley! We’re lucky to have him here at all.”
Christina appeared at Griffin’s side. “Anything I can help with? Getting a little loud over here.” She winked at Kelly.
Kelly crossed her arms. “Henry thinks he should have the say over where the money goes from Griffin’s concert.”
Christina reached out and shook hands with Henry. “I’m his manager, Christina Olsen. Where would you like the money to go?”
Henry’s chest puffed out with importance as he told her why he thought the town should benefit.
“Done,” Christina said. “Nice to meet you. We’re going to eat. Griff’s hardly had a bite to eat all day.”
Kelly watched as Christina hustled Griffin to their table and in short order had him settled with some hot rolls while he waited for his meal. Griffin moved to sit on the other side of the table next to her, draped an arm over her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head. The love between the two of them was a tangible thing. For a moment, she had a pang of jealousy. She’d just barely gotten a chance to hang out with Griffin and now he was all wrapped up in his girlfriend. But then Griffin gestured for her to join them and, even though she was technically working, she decided to take her break and join them at their table.
“You want to join us for dinner?” Christina asked.
“I only have fifteen minutes,” she said.
“Stop by our place tomorrow,” Christina said. “We’ll have dinner then. And bring your guitar.”
Kelly jolted. “Oh, I couldn’t bring my guitar. You’re used to hearing Griffin play. We’ll just listen to him.”
Christina turned to Griffin. “Did she play for you?”
Griffin smiled. “She sure did.”
Christina narrowed her bright blue eyes. “Why do you play for him and not for me? Is it because I slapped you?” She leaned forward and offered her cheek. “Go ahead. Slap me back.”
Kelly flushed and looked to Griffin for help. Was she really supposed to slap his girlfriend? He grinned.
“What, are you afraid I’ll kick your ass again?” Christina taunted.
“You didn’t kick my ass!” Kelly protested.
“Slap me back, then.”
“I’m not going to slap you. You’re my brother’s girlfriend.”
Christina leaned in. “First I’m not close enough to Griff to qualify for a listen and now I’m too close. Which is it?”
Kelly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I just…I never play for other people. That was a special occasion. Because Griffin and I had just met and found out we were family.”
“We just met too.” Christina jabbed a finger at her. “You owe me a listen. One song or I tell everyone in here you have a secret. Small-town peeps love that shit.”
Kelly flushed guiltily because she did have a secret. She still hadn’t told Griffin about their dad’s money. But Christina couldn’t possibly know that. She probably meant her secret music obsession. Either way, the last thing Kelly needed was people pushing and prodding her about her secrets.
“Griffin?” Kelly asked.
He raised his palms. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
And then before she could protest, Christina grabbed Kelly’s wrist and made her slap her cheek. Not hard, but still. She yanked her wrist back.
Christina grinned. “Now we’re even. You play for me. One song. I sense you have soul.”
Kelly slowly blinked. No one ever looked beyond the package she presented to the world—sexy clothes, dyed blond hair done up in a teased style, makeup to bring out her best features, her eyes and lips. Her voice came out small. “You think I have soul?”
“I think you do,” Christina said in such an authoritative voice that Kelly almost believed it.
Griffin reached across the table and squeezed Kelly’s hand. “I know you do.”
And that was how Kelly found herself the very next night, guitar in hand, trembling in a near panic as she stepped out of her car and headed for the front door of Griffin’s rented home. Her breath came out in a cold puff in the chilly winter night as she pressed the doorbell.
Christina answered the door, took one look at her, and said, “Do you need to slap me again?”
“No! Why would you say that?”
“You look pale and, dare I say, frightened? No one ever died from playing guitar.”
That irked Kelly. Who did this woman think she was? Had she ever played music from the heart that left her exposed and vulnerable?
“What do you know about music?” Kelly snapped. “You ever compose an original melody or spend weeks working on the perfect lyrics?”
Christina stepped back and gestured her inside. “You are definitely Griff’s family. You’ll find me an appreciative audience, so you can get that chip off your shoulder. It’s not doing you any favors.”
Kelly stepped inside and Christina made a big show of flicking an imaginary chip off her shoulder.
Kelly narrowed her eyes, still miffed. She set her guitar down next to a beige sofa in the living room. Christina gestured for her coat, so she took it off and handed it to her.
“Hey, Kel!” Griffin called. “Come over here and taste this sauce.”
She crossed to the modern kitchen, where her brother was rather expertly stirring a marsala sauce around some lightly breaded chicken. “A man who cooks. Wow.”
Griffin grinned. “Christina taught me. I find it relaxing.” He held the wooden spoon up for her to taste. She took a small taste.
“Really good,” Kelly said. “What can I do to help?”
“You’re our guest, have a seat,” Christina said. “Would you like some wine?”
“Sure.” Kelly was not at all used to being served, but Christina gestured for her to sit down, so she did. A few moments later, Christina handed her a glass of red wine.
“So tell me about you,” Christina said. “Anyone special in your life? Boyfriend?”
“No one special,” she said, taking a long swallow of wine. She’d never met a guy who stuck around. Lately she’d been feeling like maybe it was her. Maybe she was driving them away. Or maybe she was just attracted to the wrong kind of guy. After her crush on Justin, a real upstanding kind of guy, now married to Amanda, her taste in men had gone from bad to worse. She was a real sucker for the messed-up bad boy. She always thought she could fix them. And it kinda made her feel good to be the one whose life didn’t seem so screwed up by comparison.
“How long you been playing?” Christina asked. “Did your dad get you started young like Griff?”
Kelly nodded.
“You must be amazing,” Christina said.
“She is,” Griffin said.
Kelly took a long swallow of wine. “He’s just being nice.”
Christina cocked her head, studying her. “I got news for ya. Griff doesn’t do anything just to be nice. Who’re your influences?”
Kelly took another sip of wine, feeling like Christina was trying to trick her into admitting something.
“Big Bird?” Christina asked.
Kelly nearly spewed her wine, trying not to laugh.
“Cookie monster?” Christina asked with a smile.
“Elmo!” Griffin chimed in.
They grinned at each other and then at her. “My dad for one,” Kelly finally said. “Johnny Cash, Oasis, Adele…” She trailed off. She could go on all night.
“She’s a storyteller,” Christina told Griffin. She turned back to Kelly. “It’s personal for you. Really personal. It takes courage to put your stuff out there. It’s like hey, world, here’s my heart, don’t stomp on it.”
Kelly was taken aback. “How do you know if you’ve never been a musician?”
“I’ve lived with a musician for three years,” she said. “It’s his heart and soul, and sometimes it stings if it doesn’t get the best reception.”
“But everyone loves his stuff!” Kelly protested.
“Not true,” Griffin said as he pulled some bread from the oven.
“Not everyone,” Christina said, matter of factly. “You can’t please everyone. He’s been lucky to have a following. But critics can be harsh.”
“Christina’s ‘meh’ can just about kill me,” Griffin said, miming a knife to the heart and nearly collapsing to the floor.
Christina rolled her eyes. “Oh, the drama.” She turned to Griffin. “If ‘meh’ is the worst you hear, consider yourself lucky.”
“‘That blows’ is another doozy,” Griffin said.
Christina huffed. “You’re not helping. That’s only when you’re repeating yourself. And you know when you’re repeating yourself. You certainly don’t need me to tell you that.”
Griffin inclined his head, conceding the point. “Dinner’s ready. Get over here, you troublemaker.”
“Troublemaker!” Christina exclaimed with a wide grin. She gestured for Kelly to follow her into the kitchen.
“You are trouble,” Griffin growled before scooping Christina up in his arms and twirling her around. He winked at Kelly over Christina’s shoulder. Kelly felt another pang of jealousy for what they had. She wondered if she’d ever find someone who loved her the way these two loved each other.
Dinner went by way too fast for Kelly. Griffin told her all sorts of stories from his time on the road, the venues he played, the people he met. The parties he went to were like a who’s who of celebrity elite. “You think I could ever go to one of those parties?” Kelly asked.
“We’ll have one right here after the concert,” Griffin said. “For my birthday. Get a few people in here. Anyone special you’d like to meet?”
“What about that guy from Hacker?” Kelly asked.
Christina wrinkled her nose. “Not him. He plays for the other team. You want to meet someone who might actually be interested in you, no?”
Kelly couldn’t ever remember blushing as much in her life as she did around Christina. The woman was so blunt and in your face. “Forget it,” Kelly said. “Whoever you invite is fine.”
“I’ll clean up,” Christina announced. “Go tune your guitar, Kelly. I’ll listen while I load the dishwasher.”
“Oh.” That had not been at all what Kelly had expected. She’d thought she was going to be the embarrassing center of attention while Griffin and Christina stared at her, judging her for her imperfect musical styling. “Okay.”
“I’ll get mine too,” Griffin said.
Kelly relaxed considerably. All day she’d felt this incredible pressure to perform and live up to the Griffin Huntley standard, and now it was just some casual playing in the background. She sat on the sofa next to Griffin and they took turns tuning their guitars.
“Play that carriage ride song you got,” Griffin said.
She began the melody, her fingers sure on the strings. This was a song she’d played for years. She’d wrote it after she’d watched a romantic movie with a carriage ride through Central Park and felt such longing and, at the same time, an almost toxic bitterness that her life would never be such sweetness. The water ran in the sink as Christina rinsed off the plates.
She began to sing, her voice thready and thin.
“Little louder,” Griffin urged at her side.
He probably couldn’t hear her over the running water in the kitchen. She took a deep breath and launched into the next line, full volume like she did when she was alone.
“Such sweet tenderness
“Never to be
“Carriage ride by your side
“Not for me
“Snowflakes on your hair
“I don’t care
“Never gonna be, never gonna be like that for me…”
She finished to stone-cold silence and looked up almost as if from a trance. Griffin was nodding with a small smile playing over his lips. He looked to Christina, and Kelly did too. Christina was standing by the sink, just listening. The faucet was off and Kelly had no idea how long it had been like that.
Christina finally spoke. “I wanna hear more.”
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Kelly protested. “I don’t have any more songs.”
“No, Kel, it’s good,” Griffin said. “That’s the highest compliment.”
“Do I need to make you slap me again?” Christina threatened.
Griffin laughed. “Don’t make her make you slap her again! Wait, did I say that right?”
“Play with her, Griff,” Christina said. “You guys are amazing. Damn lucky in the gene pool.” She dropped the dish towel on the counter, grabbed a glass of wine, and joined them in the living room, sitting in a chair across from them and tucking one leg under her.
Kelly turned to Griffin. “What should we play?”
He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “‘Crazy Thing.’ It’s her song. Starts on the G chord—”
“I know it.”
They played the song. Griffin sang his heart out to Christina, who looked deeply moved. When they finished playing, Christina leaped up and hugged them both.
The rest of the night was a blur of music; a high Kelly had never experienced before ran through her. To be held in such high esteem from such an appreciative audience made her feel like maybe she did have something worth sharing with the world. Christina eventually fell asleep as it got really late.
“Wait here,” Griffin mouthed to Kelly before scooping Christina up and carrying her upstairs to bed. It was two a.m.
“I can’t believe she won’t marry you,” Kelly said when he returned downstairs. “She’s clearly crazy about you.”
“I love her like I’ve never loved anyone. Even myself.” He grinned, and she laughed. “Maybe you could play something at the concert with me.”
“I don’t know,” Kelly said, stalling. She tucked her guitar back in its case.
“Think about it,” Griffin said.
She stood. “I should go.”
“You have eight days to rehearse.” He hugged her. “I believe in you.”
She was speechless. No one had ever believed in her musical abilities. Her dad hadn’t stuck around long enough to hear when she could finally play decently.
He pulled back and chucked her under the chin. “Okay?”
“I’ll think about it,” she finally whispered.
“I’ll stop by your apartment tomorrow so we can get started rehearsing,” he said. “I’ll tell Christina we need space to create. She respects that.”
What could she say? Turn down the greatest rock star in the world who wanted to perform with her? Was she really ready for this? And then, she realized with a start, she was. With her brother at her side, she thought maybe she could conquer her stage fright and put herself out there. She did have something worth sharing with the world. It just took someone believing in her to help her believe in herself.
She nodded once. “See you then.” She headed back to her car with a spring in her step despite the late hour.