Still Her (Turn it Up Book 2)

by Natalie Parker

  “I’ll walk him out,” Jack grumbles, getting to his feet and following the detective out of the room.

  JACK

  “I’m going to be in that room with you, while you’re listening to what’s going on.”

  “No way. That can’t happen, Jack. You’re too close to her, you’re too emotional.” The look on Morris’s face is a mixture of surprise and irritation.

  “Damn right I’m emotional,” I snap back.

  “Right, and that runs a risk. If you lose your grip on yourself, you could blow our concentration on what we’re listening in for.”

  “Listen, if you’re going to come into my home and give me this song and dance about how Mayzie can do this and I can let her because you and your girl were ready to do it, be ready to eat your words.”

  The detective just gives me a hard stare in return, so I press on.

  “If you’re going to compare your situation with her to the one Mayzie and I have going on, then we’re going to do things the way you were going to. If my wife goes in that room, I’m going to have her back. I’m going to be facing this with her, which means I’m going to be in there with you, listening, going through it too.”

  He looks around for a minute, like he’s consulting the walls for their opinion and pressing his lips into a hard, thin line.

  “Jack,” he faces me again. “It’s not the same. If things get tense, it’s not like I can let you go kicking the door in.”

  We’ll see about that, I think, but I keep my mouth shut. My emotions are making me say things in my mind that I know are out of line, but it sure feels good to think them. I allow my mind to spar with him to get the aggression out, but keep it inside. “But I’m going to be there to hold her the second that it’s over. I’m in that room with you or there is no sting,” I say with finality.

  “That’s up to Mayzie.” I almost laugh at the confidence on his face.

  “Fine,” I say, letting out an exasperated chuckle. “Go talk to her.” I motion towards the sitting area. He gives me a slight nod and turns to head back into the room. I follow and stand in the entryway, watching his exchange with Mayzie but allowing him space while he finds out I’m right. After a few seconds, he gives her a reluctant nod while blowing out a heavy sigh before turning around and walking back over to me.

  “You two really are a team then,” he acknowledges, nodding to himself before looking back up at me. “Let’s get a couple of things straight, though. Number one, you still have to leave the building with the band at the scheduled time. As I mentioned before, the shithead could either be watching, or having you watched. It needs to look like nothing is amiss, and like you’re heading to your appearance as scheduled. When Mayzie is in the penthouse, then you can come back.”

  I hate the fuck out of this idea, but I don’t argue. Instead, I keep my arms crossed firmly in front of me while I clench my jaw so hard I’m surprised I don’t crack a molar. I pin him with a hard stare and wait for him to continue.

  “Number two, you keep yourself in check. Bring one of your bandmates to do it for you if you think you’ll need it. You interfere with what’s going on, I’m tossing your ass out.” Would love to see you try, asshole. I want to tell him that his experience and training can’t stand between me and Mayzie if she’s in trouble. Who the hell am I right now? I don’t normally talk or think like this. Then again, I’ve never had the person I love most facing something like this. Again, I don’t say anything. If I open my mouth, I’ll tell him to shove it, that I’m not going to say goodbye to my beautiful wife and leave the building as she makes her way up to penthouse hell. And he’s high off his fucking ass if he thinks I’m just going to stand there and not react if I hear something bad happening to her. But if making it look like I agree is what I have to do to lock this down, then so be it.

  “Do we understand each other?” He asks, with a steely glare. A curt nod is my only response. “Alright then. I will see Mayzie tomorrow at five-thirty.” Without waiting for a response, he turns and leaves, shutting the door loudly behind him, his last attempt at getting his sense of authority across.

  With him gone, I stand in the entryway to the suite. I can hear Maze and Ron talking quietly in the other room, but I stay where I am. I need a moment. I slouch back against the wall and put my hands over my face. In twenty-four hours, this will all be over.

  Feeling as composed as I can be, I’m just about to join them in the living area when I remember that there are a couple more things to take care of. I pull my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and pull up George’s number, relieved to hear him pick up on the second ring.

  “Jack, how you holding up?” He greets.

  I let out a sarcastic chuckle as I answer, “Barely. Were you able to work anything out as far as coming to New York?”

  “It won’t be until tomorrow morning, but we’ll be there. We can make it tonight but it will be late as hell. We start filming this showcase in half an hour.”

  “No, no. Tomorrow morning is fine. But could you let me know when you’re here? I know how you can help.”

  “You got it.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  After ending the call, I slip my phone back in my pocket and walk into the living area to get Ron’s attention.

  “Ron,” I start and he looks up from the couch, acknowledging me. “I was wondering if you could get ahold of a couple of people for me.”

  “Like who?” He sits back, looking interested.

  “Like the producers for the Up All Night show. I don’t think I have to tell you I won’t be at the filming tomorrow,” I say, casting a quick glance at Mayzie, who sits on the opposite couch twisting her mouth. “The rest of the guys can still show up to it if they want, but is there any way you can tell them that I have a personal emergency and can’t make it?”

  Ron takes in a deep sigh. “I don’t know… I can try.” He shakes his head with a shrug. “I’m your manager, but you know it’s an agent who usually deals with these things.”

  “I know. Can you see what you can do? Make some excuse that Eli is busy and asked you to contact them, or that you can’t get ahold of him?”

  “Yeah,” he nods. “I’ll try my best.”

  “And another person is Rachel Lawrence of Excel PR. She represents The Shock Wave. Can you one, get her on board with them appearing on the show in our place tomorrow, and two, set up a meeting or a conference call?”

  “Yeah,” he says, nodding again and his eyebrows going up in realization of where I’m headed with this. “Yeah, I can do that.”

  “Thank you,” I finish quietly and give him a sincere nod. I turn to Mayzie, sitting on the other couch, quietly staring out the window at the city lights. She seems calm, but she’s definitely lacking her usual bounciness, which hello, is expected. But still…

  I decide another night in, spent stewing on this shitty situation is not what we need.

  “Baby,” I say softly and crook a finger at her. She stands up and walks to me and I meet her halfway across the room, putting on as much of a smile for her as I can; she gives me a curious one in return. “What are you doing tonight, pretty girl?” I flirt quietly down at her. “Wanna go out?”

  “Out?” she echoes as an eyebrow goes up. “Where?”

  “Who cares? I think we should just get out of here for a while. Do whatever the hell we want for the first time in a while,” I reason, lifting a shoulder. I see a light flicker in her eyes and her smile grows in brightness as she bounces on her toes a couple of times. There she is.

  She nods, nibbling on the corner of her lip as her smile takes on just a hint of mischief. “Okay.”

  I feel good about this already. For one night, we can just pretend this isn’t happening. Like I told her before, we’re not letting our soon-to-be ex-agent take anything more from us, starting with tonight.

  I walk over to the dining area where we have our jackets draped over chairs and grab them both, handing hers to her before pulling my own on.
>
  “Where are you guys going?” Ron stands and takes us in, his brow furrowed.

  “For a walk,” I answer, taking my beanie out of my pocket and pulling it on my head. “We’ll see where we end up.”

  “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Jack,” he says placing his hands on his hips. Wow, intimidating. “It’s a big city.”

  “And?”

  “That means people. Everywhere. With smartphones and cameras.”

  “I know. And Mayzie and I are people too. We should get to go out and about if we want to. And that’s all people are going to see. Let them.” I shrug and give him a look that says while we appreciate him, we’re doing this.

  “It’s not just about getting spotted and getting your photo taken.”

  I roll my eyes and give him a half smirk.

  “Security detail is going with you,” he says, trying to make sure I catch his stern look as I take Mayzie’s hand and lead her out of the suite.

  MAYZIE

  “Well, we’re out. Now what?” I ask playfully, looking up at Jack at my side as we walk out of the upscale lobby and onto the street.

  “I don’t know. We’ve come here for shows and album recordings, but we’ve never really checked it out, have we?” he answers, his breath coming out in a small puff of white vapor. “What would you like to see? There’s the museums, the Empire State Building…” he trails off, letting me know his mind’s track so that I can follow.

  “I don’t know. I’m fine just walking. I already feel a little better just getting out,” Even if Jack’s bodyguard, Doug, and Shane are tagging along thirty feet behind us. Ron is always afraid that if any of the guys goes out in public, they’re going to get mobbed by fans.

  “That’s good,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss my temple as we walk. “If we can just get our minds off things for the night, then mission accomplished.” That thought gives me pause. We’re dealing with something shitty, sure. But we’re here. We’re out, enjoying each other’s company. We have a lot to be thankful for, despite this one hurdle. It makes me think of something my mom used to tell Ian and me anytime we were complaining about something not going right in our drama-riddled teenage lives.

  “You know, my mom used to say that no matter what’s going wrong in your life, there is always, always, always, someone worse off than you,” I say, looking up at him as we make our way past elaborately decorated store windows and fancy restaurants and bars that have festive white lights lining their entrances.

  He sighs and gives a slight nod. “As hard as it is to see outside our own bubble sometimes, I know that’s true.”

  “Yeah, I mean, there are so many ways it could be worse. That perspective always seemed to help. Focus on those out there in the world who have worse things going on and try to send them some good vibes, you know?” I look back up at him and see his eyebrows draw together, his eyes looking pensive. “Baby?” I ask, trying to get him to let me in on his thoughts.

  “I just thought of something,” he says as he pulls us over to one of the enchanting store window displays that looks like a winter wonderland on the inside, with decorative frost on the edges of the glass, a mirror lying flat to look like a skating pond, and glittery white pretend snow. It’s all lit up with white fairy lights and depicts adorable arctic animals having outdoor winter fun. It’s so adorable I want to scream. But I also want to know what Jack is thinking, so I tear my eyes away from the penguins and seals wearing woolen hats and scarves to look up at him, giving him my attention.

  “What did you think of?” I ask, patiently.

  “What we could do tonight,” he answers assuredly. He looks around for Doug and Shane and waves them over. “Can one of you call the car?” he asks. Shane nods, pulls out his cell and taps the screen before bringing it to his ear.

  “Would you tell me what you thought of already? What’s your idea?” I ask, my voice a cross between excitement and irritation.

  “I’m thinking we could put out those good vibes in person.” He looks back up at me. “How about the children’s hospital? Want to go visit some kids?” He gives my hand a squeeze.

  I gasp, an incredibly exhilarating feeling blossoming in my chest at the idea, and I feel my cheeks stretch with a smile I didn’t even know had come over my face. “I love that idea!” I say, nodding vigorously.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I nod again. It’s perfect. I love the thought of taking all of this stress we’ve been carrying around and putting it into something positive.

  “Let’s do it.” Jack answers, smiling at my smile. He takes out his phone and pulls up his contacts. “We should probably see if the other guys are interested. Doesn’t feel like something we should leave them out of.”

  “Absolutely,” I agree, letting my excitement race through my veins, cleansing and replacing all the negative energy that the douche-wonder has been causing. Once Jack has sent out a group text, the SUV pulls up and we climb in.

  23

  Mayzie

  It’s not too late in the evening when we arrive at St. Michaels Children’s Hospital in the heart of the city and stroll up to the desk, bodyguards still in tow but hanging back. A woman who appears to be not much older than us sits behind it, her eyes fixed on her computer screen and her phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She’s in a purple scrub shirt that is adorned with baby zoo animals, and I see her eyes shift slightly, casting us a quick glance. She gives a quick nod and tries to wrap up her phone call.

  “Uh huh, you’re welcome. You too.” She hangs up and looks up to give us her full attention. “How can I help- OH!” she jumps, and so do I, her reaction startling me, but I keep a nervous, ‘we come in peace’ smile on my face as she composes herself. Or tries to. She’s fanning herself with both hands as she exclaims, “Oh my God… you’re the guy from Turn it Up.”

  Jack smiles shyly and gives a subtle nod as his right dimple makes an appearance. “Hi, I’m Jack Krasinski. This is my wife, Mayzie.” He tilts his head towards me and puts a hand on my back.

  Her head swivels to me. “Oh my God…” she goes again. “I love Next Top Dancer! You’re the best, Mayzie. I wish you’d go on there more often, the best routines are always choreographed by you!”

  I feel my cheeks plume with a blush, and I smile at her compliment. “Aww, thank you so much.” She continues to nod, nervously.

  “Whooo…” she looks between the both of us and shakes out her hands one last time. “Okay. Sorry. I’m cool. What can I do for you guys?” She asks, trying her best to school her expression to one of a professional.

  “Thought we’d come by and see if we can cheer up any kids,” Jack supplies, leaning casually against the counter in front of her desk.

  “And parents,” I offer, lifting a shoulder.

  “Okay, I haven’t heard anything about you guys coming in today…” she moves a chart out of the way and scans her desk calendar with the end of her pen. “Who did your agent talk to when they set up the visit?” She glances back up.

  “Oh,” Jack responds caught off guard by the mention of the subject we’re trying to avoid tonight. “We aren’t on the calendar or anything. This was totally spur of the moment. Is that okay or…?” he trails off, wondering what the protocol is.

  “Oh, it’s fine! That’s awesome, actually, that you two thought of us like that. Okay, let me think of the floors you could visit…”

  “Oh, and the rest of the band will be here shortly,” Jack informs her.

  “Ooh! You might want to visit the oncology unit. That’s the biggest one in the hospital and there’s quite a broad age range there. I bet you’d find a lot of fans!” She squeals. “And if you’re up for it, you could drop by the NICU while you’re waiting for the rest of the band to show up. It gets lonely there for the parents. They could always use either a distraction or some support.”

  “Great, let’s start there then,” Jack smiles, his dimple popping again. She stands and points us to the elevators, than
king us profusely while clasping her hands together and bouncing on her toes.

  After riding the elevator up to the 5th floor, we are careful to step quietly as we make our way down the hall to the reception desk. Apparently, the employee from downstairs called up here to let them know to expect us, because the nurse at the reception desk looks up at us, beaming with anticipation. After introducing herself as Katy, she leads us down a hallway to where there is a unit secured by a long line of windows allowing a view into a nursery full of incubators, all of which either have a nurse or one or two parents hovering around it. Not one is unattended, and while I’m not sure why, it makes me blow out a heavy breath. Ohh…

  It’s when Jack brings a hand up to rest on the back of my neck that I realize I uttered that emotion out loud. We take in the scene as occasionally some of the parents look up at us with vacant expressions before turning back to their babies. I don’t expect anything more. That is until I spot a young father look over his shoulder and do quick double take before keeping his gaze set on Jack. It darts briefly to me and then back to Jack, surprise in his eyes, and his mouth half open. Without looking away, he gently pats his wife’s shoulder and she looks our way. It takes a few seconds longer for the recognition to dawn on her face than it did her husbands, but the brows above her tired eyes lift up slightly and her hand comes up to cover her mouth. When she pulls it away, her lips are trying to form a small smile and her eyes have started to glisten.

  Jack gives them a wave and a nod, as well as a cautious smile. The husband’s smile gets bigger and he turns to say something to his wife. She smiles and gently nods, but stays where she is as her husband makes his way to the door. We walk back down to where he is preparing to exit, pulling off his isolation gown and disposing of it before coming out the door.

  I place both hands on my husband’s left hip, all of a sudden overwhelmed by the emotion that’s come with being in this haven for sick babies.