“That was pretty good,” she said with a light laugh. “I forget that Ireland is part of the UK.”
“Aye, but my mum was part Irish.” Colin immediately regretted mentioning his mother. He’d purposely left out information about his mum and dad on the list he’d sent Josie. “I was so young when she died that I don’t remember much about her.”
“I know what you mean,” Josie said. “My mama passed away when I was thirteen.”
Colin didn’t want her to ask him about his dad. He didn’t like talking about Harvey Wilde. Didn’t like hearing his name. Much like Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter, Colin also thought of his dad as he-who-shall-not-be-named.
“Not much older than me,” he said, knowing it must have been harder on a girl to lose a mother than it was for him.
A door opened, and one of the housekeepers the Daltons employed came out of a room carrying a dust rag and bottle of furniture polish. She smiled when she saw Josie, her teeth white against her dark skin. “Miss Josie, I just heard the good news. Congratulations.” The woman’s dark eyes turned to Colin. “You must be the lucky man to win our Miss Josie’s heart.”
He would be very lucky if that were ever to happen. However, a cynical voice that sounded suspiciously like Harvey quickly reminded Colin that he wasn’t good enough for someone as sweet as Josie. It was evident that everyone in the Dalton’s household adored her. “I’m Colin Wilde,” he said, holding out his hand for her to shake.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Colin.” She tucked the bottle of polish under her left arm and gave his hand a brisk shake. “I’m Eugenia Humphrey.” She tried retrieving the furniture polish from her arm but somehow missed, and the bottle clattered to the floor.
Josie bent down to retrieve it before Colin had a chance to react. “I’ve got it,” Josie said. She stood up and handed it to the housekeeper. Brown liquid trickled down the side of the clear plastic but didn’t get on Josie.
“Thank you, my dear.” The woman wrapped the cloth around the cracked lid. “I better go take care of this before it drips on the carpet.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Josie said. Then she turned to Colin. “I need to get my stuff out of my car, so I’ll just meet you out front.” Not giving him a chance to respond, she waved goodbye and fell into step with the housekeeper.
Colin watched her disappear around the corner before heading back to his room. As he navigated the stairs, he slipped his hand inside his pocket and fingered the envelope. While he didn’t want to accept any money, he knew this gig would incur expenses he otherwise couldn’t afford like food and fuel for the car.
Once he reached his room, he closed the door and peeked inside the envelope. Colin uttered a mild expletive as he stared at the amount loaded on the prepaid Visa. Blinking, he checked the numbers again and still saw all the zeroes after the number two. He couldn’t believe the Daltons had just given him twenty thousand dollars. It was too much money. Of course, he had no idea how much a diamond ring cost. For all he knew, there might not be enough left to buy a cup of tea after Josie picked out a ring.
After storing the Visa and business card in his wallet, Colin picked up his guitar case and duffle bag. Taking one last look around the room, he opened the bedroom door and made his way toward the front door.
Colin gave a low whistle when he saw the Land Rover his benefactors were loaning him. The shiny black vehicle was the latest model. He didn’t need to look inside to know it was as loaded as its owners. Josie still hadn’t come out so, after putting his guitar and duffle into the back, he took a moment to look over the list she’d given him.
Leaning against the car, he skimmed over the paper, smiling at her list of favorite foods, which consisted mostly of desserts. He already knew Jane Austen was one of her favorites. It might be a good idea to watch the movie again to see what it was about the character that made women love him so much. Frankly, he didn’t get why women swooned over Mr. Darcy. If Colin was ever that rude to a girl, he doubted they would ever accept a proposal from him.
His eyes scanned down to the names of Josie’s immediate family. Warren, her father, was fifty-four and owned an insurance brokerage in Mitchel Creek. His wife, Monica, was eight years younger. He squinted at the vocation Josie had listed. What did dance-mom/pageant-mom mean exactly? Scarlet Graham was twenty-three and engaged to Ford Foster, who was also her manager. Josie had listed Scarlet as the cliched Disney stepsister. Colin wasn’t into Disney shows but knew enough that it wasn’t a compliment. He’d already concluded the two siblings didn’t have a close relationship, considering Josie’s need to bring home a pretend boyfriend.
Turning at the sound of footsteps against the cobblestone driveway, he saw Josie carrying a large duffle bag. She stumbled over a stone, dropping the duffle to the ground to regain her balance.
“Let me help you,” Colin said as he hurried to get the piece of luggage from her.
“Thanks,” she said, following him to the car. “I probably need to invest in something with wheels.”
“It does make it easier to navigate,” he said as he hefted the heavy bag into the back of the vehicle. The paper slipped from his hand and fluttered to the ground. He and Josie bent down to pick it up at the same time. He froze the second their fingers collided as a shot of heat radiated from the contact spot, making his heart rate kick up.
“There you go,” Josie said, handing him the paper before snatching her hand away as if she’d been burned.
“Thank you.” He smiled and glanced down at the paper and then back up at her. “By the way, what exactly is a dance and pageant mom?”
“A what?”
“Right here.” He held the paper out and pointed to the line about Monica’s job description.
Josie leaned in a little. “Oh,” she said with a breathless laugh. “I forgot I wrote that down.” She looked at him, color infusing her cheeks. “Let’s just say that my stepmother’s whole existence revolves around her daughter becoming a star.”
Colin felt his mood darken as if a cloud had moved in front of the sun. Harvey’s whole existence had been for his son to become rich and famous. Colin couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for Scarlet Graham. He knew what having an overbearing parent was like. They didn’t consider anyone’s feelings but their own.
“I’ve met a few parents like that before,” he said in a low voice. “They’re an annoying lot.”
“You have no idea,” she said under her breath.
She was wrong about that, but Colin didn’t contradict her as he reached out to open the passenger door. “We should get on the road.”
A slight frown wrinkled her brow as she stared at the open door. “You know the steering wheel is on the other side, right?”
“Yes.” He could tell she wasn’t the one sure about him driving. “But my gran wouldn’t be very happy with me if I didn’t open a door for a lady.”
Her lips tugged at one corner. “I think I like your gran.” She sidled past him and slid onto the seat.
The scent of her perfume lingered in the air as Colin closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. He knew his grandmother would like Josie too. It was a little alarming how much he wanted his grandmother to meet her. He’d never brought a girl home before. Getting married wasn’t something he’d ever seriously thought about. Gran, however, wanted Colin to find a nice girl, marry her, and start having babies. His fake engagement would thrill her and then break her heart when it all ended. Was it possible to keep it from her until he and Josie went their separate ways?
His chest tightened with anxiety as he opened the car door. How was this all going to end? Did Josie dump him or vice versa? He doubted Chase Nichols, or Phillip Jacobs would be very keen on signing him if they ever got wind of his deception. He supposed it could be a mutual break up. He and Josie would both get what they wanted and move on.
With a sigh, Colin climbed into the car and adjusted the seat to a comfortable position. He decided now wasn’t the time to discuss the details of th
eir eventual break up. Not when he was about to take her shopping for an engagement ring.
Chapter 9
Josie
Josie riffled through her purse, not sure what she was looking for. She just needed a distraction until her nerves settled down. This was happening. She was about to embark on a three-hour road trip with Colin Wilde. Well, first they were going ring shopping.
She drew in a shaky breath, catching his yummy scent that filled the interior of the car. She wanted to bottle the fragrance and spread it liberally throughout her tiny apartment. It would remind her of the time she’d once been engaged to her teenage heartthrob.
When he didn’t start the car right away, she turned and found Colin watching her with an intense look. She didn’t know what he was thinking and wasn’t about to ask. Before she could ask him if something was wrong, he turned away from her and started the car with a push of the button. “Which way to the motorway?” he asked when he came to the end of the driveway.
Josie gave him directions, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. She’d hoped that after a good night’s rest, she wouldn’t feel this crazy attraction toward him, but merely sitting beside him had her heart pounding out of control.
She curled her fingers into her palms, remembering the zing of lightning that burned through her when their fingers had touched. They’d kind of had a moment back there when they’d both reached for the paper. For those few seconds, Josie believed he might be feeling some of this crazy chemistry too. The night before, he’d flirted with her, held her hand and teased her about working their way up to kissing. But it was all an act, right? Or was there a chance he was attracted to her too?
With his attention focused on the road, Josie took the opportunity to look at him. He wore a sweater over a fitted shirt, making him look the part of a sexy British guy who was anything but average. Again, she wondered how she was going to pull off being engaged to him when she could hardly look at him without feeling light headed.
The security gate opened, and Josie waved at the guard as Colin headed toward the toll road that led to downtown Savannah. She needed to stop worrying about whether Colin was attracted to her. It was hard enough trying to act normal around him as it was. She wasn’t sure what would happen if she knew he was into her, which was highly unlikely. She wasn’t his type. Or what used to be his type.
Although it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Josie had stayed up late last night, searching about Colin online. Most of the links were gossip sites during the height of Wild Card’s success. There were so many photos of him, usually with a pretty girl by his side and a drink in his hand. Watching him now, he seemed like a completely different person. She wanted to ask him about that part of his life and what had happened to him since the group had disbanded, but she was too chicken.
He came to a stop sign and glanced over at her, catching her staring at him. “Do you know where we’re going?” she asked, looking down at her phone. “I can put it in my maps app and get the best route.”
He gave her the name of an expensive jewelry store on Broughton Street in Savannah’s historic district. Josie rarely shopped there for herself. She was more of a Target kind of girl. Even if the popular chain sold diamonds, Shelby wouldn’t approve. It was her money, so there was no point in arguing. Josie still didn’t like the idea of Shelby paying for the ring. While she didn’t want Colin forking over the money to buy a ring, having her employer pay for it made her feel even more stupid about this whole thing.
Once she typed in the address, she hit go and increased the volume so Colin could hear the verbal directions. Then she opened the text he’d sent her and read over the short list. It wasn’t very thorough or personal. She needed more intel on the guy.
“So,” she said after he merged onto the toll road, “who is your favorite country music artist?”
“Gran is a big fan of Garth Brooks and has always wanted to see him live,” he said with a note of tenderness. “I admire him too, along with Phillip Jacobs, but Darius Rucker is my favorite. He successfully transitioned from a rock musician to country.”
“That’s cool,” she said, trying to recall any songs by the country singer. She usually listened to audiobooks whenever she traveled in a car. She made a mental note to download songs by Darius Rucker when she was alone. “What does your dad think about you switching genres?” Her search had revealed that Colin’s father had also been his agent.
The atmosphere in the car turned as chilly as a glacier in the Arctic Ocean. “I have no idea,” Colin said with a bitter edge. “I haven’t seen him since he disappeared four years ago with all of my money.”
Josie’s stomach dropped at the tone of his voice. No wonder he hadn’t mentioned his dad. “I’m sorry,” she said lamely. “I didn’t know.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not something I like to spread around.”
“Of course not.” She swallowed the lump forming at the base of her throat. Instead of getting more comfortable with him, she’d just opened up a chasm as wide as the Mississippi River. “I promise I won’t say anything.”
“Thank you.” He exhaled slowly before speaking again. “Harvey Wilde isn’t someone I like to talk about. Ever.”
“Got it.” She decided to find out more about his grandmother since he didn’t appear to have any issues with her. Colin responded positively, telling her one funny story after another about his spunky grandmother. Josie wanted to meet the woman and wondered what she would think about Colin’s engagement.
As Colin took the exit for Broughton, Josie’s phone chimed an incoming text from her dad. He hardly ever texted her. She hoped nothing serious had happened. Tapping on the message, she quickly scanned the text and immediately knew Monica had put him up to it or had actually sent the message herself.
Dad: When will you and your fiancé be here? It would be nice to have the name of this man in case the filming crew shows up early. Really, Josie, it seems juvenile to stay silent on this for so long.
Josie didn’t want to reply, but that would be juvenile. Especially, if it was really from her father. But how did she answer him without giving Colin’s name to him? She knew exactly what would happen if Monica and Scarlet got that information early. They’d love nothing more than to splash that kind of news all over social media. Then they’d try and dig for dirt on Colin, which she knew they could find. It would ruin any chance he had to change his reputation.
Josie: We have to run a few errands and should be home before supper. I can introduce my fiancé to y’all when we come.
“Everything okay?” Colin asked.
“Yeah, my daddy just wanted to know when we would be there.”
“I’m sure he’s anxious to see you,” Colin said as he proceeded through an intersection
“Yeah,” Josie said, although she didn’t think that was the truth. Her dad had stopped telling her he loved her soon after marrying Monica. She didn’t like him treating Scarlet differently and insisted he paid equal attention to the two girls. “But I think they’re mostly curious about who my fiancé is.” She gripped her phone tightly. “Or if you really exist.”
“They’re in for a surprise then,” he said with a sexy grin.
“Indeed,” Josie mumbled as she unclicked her seatbelt. She waited for Colin to come around to open her door, willing herself to calm down.
“Ready?” he asked when she didn’t immediately climb out of the car.
“Sure.” She wiped her dampened palms across her pants before taking his hand to get out. A knot twisted inside her gut like one of the pretzels a street vendor was peddling as Colin threaded their fingers together, and they walked toward their destination.
Neither of them spoke as Colin pulled open the door and they stepped inside the lobby of the store. Bright lights shimmered overhead, making the jewelry sparkle within the glass displays. Instrumental jazz music played quietly as two of the salespeople, a man and a woman, zeroed in on them.
“Welcome,” the woman s
aid as her heels clicked against the bare wood floor in quick succession. “I’m Ruth Anne.” She cut in front of her fellow salesman and offered Colin and Josie a big smile. “Are y’all shopping for something special today?”
A cold sweat broke out across Josie’s forehead, and her mouth felt like it was lined with cotton.
“Yes.” Colin squeezed Josie’s hand. “We’re here to buy an engagement ring.”
“Oh, how wonderful,” Ruth Anne said. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you.” Colin glanced down at Josie, prompting her to murmur a quiet thank you.
“Do you have an idea about what kind of ring you want?” Ruth Anne motioned for them to follow her to a glass display case lined with dazzling diamond rings. “I usually like the bride-to-be to look over the rings and pick out a few styles she likes. Then I’ll know more about what to show you.”
“Those are really big diamonds,” Josie said. “I don’t want anything that flashy.”
“Don’t worry about the size right now, sugar.” Ruth Anne gave a false laugh and swept her hand across the display. “Focus on the color and style right now.” She winked at Colin. “We’ll worry about the size of the diamond after that.”
Colin let go of Josie’s hand and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Do you see anything you fancy?” he asked, sounding cool and collected like he’d done this a thousand times.
“Oh my goodness,” Ruth Anne said, looking directly at Colin. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing. I mean, that accent of yours is to die for.”
Colin gave the sales clerk a tight smile. He probably got that a lot when visiting America. “Would you mind giving us a few minutes alone to look?” Colin asked.
Josie was relieved when Ruth Anne didn’t appear to be offended. “Of course I don’t mind. Y’all take as much time as you need and holler if you find something you fancy,” she said with a poorly executed British accent.
Moonlighting with the British Rock Star: A Georgia Moon Romance Page 8
