***
Two days later, Ryland was still soaking up the luxury of being home on his thirty-five acre piece of land an hour from Atlanta. He’d done nothing but sleep, read, and do his best to keep up with his mother’s home cooking. Unfortunately, his brothers had dragged him down to their home studio today to work. Sometimes he hated that they all lived on the same property.
“Dude, are you still reading that book?” Tate asked from across the room.
Ryland looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Got a problem with it?”
“Yeah. We’re supposed to be working on our new song, but our lead singer is too busy reading a chick book to help us out.”
“It’s not a chick book.”
“You won’t convince me it’s not a romance with that cover.”
Ryland grinned and looked at the front cover where a massively built man sporting angel wings held a beautiful woman who seemed to be melting against him. “So? We sing love songs. Does that mean we make chick music?”
Elijah looked up from the drums and chuckled. “Kind of does.”
Tate pointed a drumstick at him. “Speak for yourself, bro.”
Ryland regretfully set the book on the coffee table and walked over to the piano. “Alright. Knock it off. Where were we?”
“If we’re going to feature Marvi Dunlap on this song, we have to arrange it differently than on the original track.” Tate said. “Elijah and I were arguing about how to do that when you checked out on us.”
“Right. Well, about Marvi—I think we just need to find a lower key so she doesn’t get nasally. Maybe somewhere around…”
The door to the studio banged open, and Alissa came in. “Ryland, did Julie email you back yet?”
Twisting around to face her, Ryland shook his head. “Not that I’ve seen.”
Sighing with impatience, Alissa crossed her arms. “You’re checking, right? I know how you get when you’re busy with music.”
“Not today,” Tate said with a sour look.
“Ryland? Please?”
He didn’t tell Alissa that he’d checked his email about a dozen times already today. He wasn’t sure what he thought about that himself. But her plea gave him an excuse to check again. When he pulled his phone out of his pocket, he saw a notification and his heart beat faster.
So stupid. It probably wasn’t even her. And what was the big deal if it was?
But it was.
“She answered.” Trying to look cooler than he felt inside, he opened it up and read it.
“What does it say?” Alissa asked, trying to look at his phone.
“She says she’s free to chat tomorrow.”
Alissa squealed and hugged him. “I knew having a famous brother was good for something.”
Elijah tapped his drumsticks on the rim of his snare. “Yeah, Tate. We should get famous to so we can be good for something.”
Tate lowered his brow. “Maybe if we could stay focused, we could all be more famous.”
Ryland ignored the not-so-subtle dig.
Alissa was used to her brothers and had no trouble ignoring it too. “When are we going to do it? Can I stay home from school?”
Ryland put his phone away and shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Come on. It’s not every day I get to chat with the best author in the whole world.”
“No, but I’ll set it up for when you get home. If you want to go on tour with us for few days in November, you can’t afford to have any unnecessary absences now.”
“Fine.” Alissa scowled but seemed resigned. “I’m going to go tell Mom. Don’t forget to email her back.”
“I won’t,” Ryland said, wishing he could do it right then. But Tate and Elijah were watching him a little too closely.
Turning back to the piano, Ryland began playing their new song, a rock ballad about a tragic end to a great love. As the words ran through his mind, he couldn’t help wondering if Julie loved someone. From some of the romantic scenes in the book he’d just been reading, he could tell Julie understood deep emotions. He just hoped it wasn’t because she was in love with someone.
“That’s really good. When did you come up with that?” Tate asked.
Only then did Ryland realize that while he’d been thinking, his fingers had been playing the piano. “It was? I have no idea what I just did.”
Elijah laughed. “You changed it from a minor key to a major key.”
“Really?” Ryland focused and tried to recreate it, hoping his subconscious would kick in and help him remember. “I guess I just don’t feel in the mood for a heartbreak song right now.”
It was after midnight before they broke up their planning session. After changing the song to a major key, everything had fallen into place. They’d worked out the instruments they wanted to use, written a new twist on the bridge, and thought of a cool location for the music video.
Feeling amped from the success of their efforts, Ryland knew it would be a while before he could settle down enough to sleep. Leaving Elijah and Tate to shut down the studio for the night, he grabbed his book and went upstairs to the kitchen in the main part of his house.
Restless, he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice and leftover scalloped potatoes from dinner. While his snack warmed up in the microwave, he took out his phone and found Julie’s email. He read it again, mulling over his curiosity about a woman he’d never met.
He paused before responding. What should he say? Let’s chat at four o’clock. Are you single?
Yeah, that wouldn’t work.
Julie,
Would four o’clock eastern time tomorrow work for you? That’s probably the best time for us. —Ryland
Finding out if she was single would just have to wait. Maybe if he watched some of her other videos, he’d get some kind of hint. He got his potatoes out of the microwave and sat down at the counter to eat. Even when his food was gone, however, he stayed for over an hour watching one vlog after another.
Would she be creeped out to know he’d been obsessing over the cute way her eyes got big when she was excited, and how adorable he found the excited inflections in her voice?
Finally, he stood up and stretched the stiffness out of his joints. Bar stools weren’t meant for long-term seating. As he rinsed of his dishes, he took himself to task. “Man, you have two music videos in the works and another tour starting in couple of months. You do not need to get tangled up in a relationship right now. Especially a long distance one. So, knock it off.”
Chapter Three
Julie was trying to be calm as the clock ticked steadily closer to three o’clock when she needed to get on the chat with Ryland. He’d sent his Skype number she’d checked the conversion between time zones twice. She thought she was doing a decent job of not letting it make her nervous until her personal assistant, Gracie, came for her usual hours in the afternoon.
Julie had hired Gracie initially to help with emails and all day to day business of her writing career, but over time she had taken on a greater role by helping Julie in her personal life as well. No one understood Julie’s anxiety better than Gracie.
Gracie crossed her arms and stared at her. “What’s got you all fluttery?”
Julie tilted her head and tried to look innocent. “Fluttery? What are you talking about?”
“Well, I’ve only been here for ten minutes and you’ve already checked the clock five times. Plus, you keep biting your lip and taking deep breaths.”
“I had no idea you watched me that closely.”
“I don’t unless you’re acting like this. Something is up. I know it.”
Julie couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “I’m video chatting with Ryland Sterling at three o’clock.”
She’d never seen anybody’s mouth actually drop open before, but Gracie’s did. With her red lip stick and fair skin, the effect was hilarious. Julie laughed and checked the clock again.
Gracie scowled. “Oh, you’re joking.”
“Actually, I’m not. He commented on my last video, and we’ve been messaging back and forth ever since. Apparently, his little sister is a fan of mine.”
“No way? Okay, how are you acting so calm? I’d be freaking out!”
Julie leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. “You just said I was fluttery.”
“Well, yeah. I guess that is freaking out for you. Except for when…you know.”
“When I’m having a panic attack. I know.”
Gracie stared into space for a moment, then snapped her fingers. “I bet I could get my cousin over here in less than thirty minutes.”
Julie squinted her eyes. “Why?”
“To do your hair and makeup.”
“That is not happening.” Julie sat forward again and pulled her laptop closer.
“Oh, come on, Julie. Ryland is a rock star! He’s got to have models and movie stars and singers around him all the time in full makeup and wearing the latest trends.”
Julie held up a hand to stop Gracie’s argument. “I’m sure he does. But it’s not like I’m trying to get his attention in a romantic way. That is not what this is about. His sister wants to meet me.”
Gracie sat down on a chair across from her and stared at her with narrowed eyes.
“What?” Julie asked.
“I’m just trying to figure out how your brain works. I’ve been trying for years, and I thought I sort of got it, but this has thrown me for a loop for sure. Any woman would be trying to get his attention.”
“Not one who has sworn off romance.”
“But why?”
Julie frowned. “Because if my anxiety makes my life so hard, why would I inflict that on someone I loved?”
She could tell Gracie was about to argue with her, but the doorbell rang. Gracie stood up to go get it. “It’s probably Heath. He’s the only one who ever comes over here. But this conversation isn’t over.”
“Great,” Julie said.
She had work to do, goals to meet, and she was already struggling enough as it was. Something about her story just wasn’t coming together. Maybe it had something to do with how the hero’s personality was slowly changing to match Ryland’s—at least as much as she knew about his from all the behind-the-scenes videos of the band she’d watched.
A minute later, Gracie came back in the room followed by Heath.
Heath was a tall guy with a receding hairline and the body of a teddy bear. He always wore geeky t-shirts and cargo pants. Today was no exception, but Julie couldn’t read what was written on his shirt because his arms were crossed over his chest.
His frown caught Julie by surprise. “What’s this Gracie is saying about you video chatting with that rock star guy?”
Julie shrugged. “What is there to say?”
“What does he want?” Heath asked.
Frustrated, Julie stood and walked over to the window. Maybe the view and some sunshine would help her calm down. “He wants to make his little sister happy. That’s it.”
“Can I read the messages?” Gracie asked.
Jill shrugged. “Go for it. You know my email password.”
Gracie gave a little shriek and ran over to her laptop. Julie turned back to the window. A minute later Gracie let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a laugh. “Oh my gosh, Julie. He wants to see you! He could have just set it up for his sister, but he made a point to say he’d be on there too.”
Exasperated, Julie walked over and read the email again—even though she had it memorized. “Probably just to be polite.”
Heath sneered. “Yeah. Like a guy like him is worried about being polite.”
Julie frowned. “He seems like a really nice guy.”
Gracie sighed as if she were watching a RomCom. “I bet he’s got the hots for you.”
“He does not,” Julie argued.
“Okay, please, just let me put some lipstick on you!” Gracie headed for her purse on the other side of the room.
“No way,” Julie said. She loved Gracie, but there was no way she was wearing her red lipstick. Several levels of discomfort there
“Fine. I’ll go find some of yours. Surely you have something.”
Heath plopped down in an arm chair and pulled out his phone. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about over a conversation that’s going to last five minutes—tops.”
Julie frowned. “Thanks.”
“Look, I don’t mean you aren’t pretty. You’re beautiful. But you’re… He’s just too jaded to appreciate you, okay.”
Julie didn’t know exactly how to take this. Her friendship with Heath had always been light-hearted and easy, but his words both hurt and confused her. “Heath, why did you come over?”
“I thought we could watch a movie tonight.”
They spent a lot of evenings on her couch, somehow never at his, checking out the latest releases or old classics. He usually let her pick the movie and it was nice to have someone else around in the long, lonely evenings when she had to force herself to stop working. But at the moment, she didn’t feel like having him around. And that was a first. But she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “Why don’t you come back in a few hours and bring us back some dinner? You know what I like to eat.”
He clenched his jaw for a moment. “Okay. I’ll be back. I’ll even let you cry on my shoulder when this guy doesn’t fall in love with you.”
She stared after him as he left, wondering if he even realized how hurtful he was being. Not that she was going into this with romantic ambitions, but did he really have to be so dismissive and pessimistic?
Maybe she shouldn’t let it bother her though. Heath was like a brother to her, and didn’t brothers and sisters fight sometimes? It was probably her fault anyway. She was way too stressed about this video call with Ryland. And Heath was right. She’d probably see him for a minute tops, during which time he’d look bored and uninterested, and then leave it to his sister. Even though she was irritated with Heath, he had done her a favor by popping her bubble and bringing her back down to earth.
She sat down and worked until it was time for the call.
At three o’clock, she took a deep breath and made the call. After a few seconds, Ryland’s now familiar face popped up on the screen. For three long, endless seconds, she froze.
“Hello,” Ryland said. His voice was deep and husky, just like when he sang. And it was warm and friendly. His eyes were lit with something she might even call excitement, not dull with boredom. All the nerves that had frozen her melted a like popsicle in the sunshine.
“Hi,” she said. Not brilliant, but not bad. Before she could say another word, however, the screen tilted and the picture swirled madly. When it stilled again, she was looking at a beautiful girl with short, dark hair and olive skin.
The girl’s big brown eyes widened. “Oh my gosh,” she said in a high-pitched, breathy voice. “I can’t believe I’m talking to you. I love your books so much. I’ve read them all, like, at least three times. My favorite is Portent.”
Julie smiled, and broke in. “Thank you. Your name is Alissa, right?”
“Yeah. And of course you know Ryland.”
Laughing, Julie said, “I don’t know him, actually.” She allowed herself to look at Ryland, something she’d been trying to keep in check. “I’m glad to meet you now though.”
“Likewise,” Ryland said, smiling. Man he had a nice smile.
Julie wondered what to talk to Alissa about, but it was difficult when all she wanted to do was talk to Ryland. Her books seemed to be the way to go. Alissa had a million questions about her books, so they spent almost thirty minutes talking. Julie kept expecting Ryland to get bored and slip away, but he didn’t. Hopefully he couldn’t tell that she was staring at him so much.
Alissa’s voice pulled Julie’s attention away again. “Thank you so much for doing this.”
Julie smiled. “I put your signed copies of Portent and Omen in the mail yesterday. I hope you don�
��t mind that I sent books you already have.”
Alissa’s mouth dropped open, and then she screamed and jumped up and down. Julie had to close her eyes to keep from getting motion sick, only opening them again when she heard Ryland’s voice.
“Sorry about that. She’s freaking out right now, but let me see if I can get her to calm down.” He turned away. “Alissa, come say thanks.”
Alissa leaned over Ryland’s shoulder. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can’t wait to read it. Do Michael and Carmen finally end up together in this one…”
Ryland rolled his eyes. “No, you’re not going to bother her any more. Just say goodbye. You have to leave for dance class anyway.”
“Man,” Alissa whined. “Okay, good bye, Miss Chambers.”
Julie smiled, though it was hard when she was so disappointed. Heath had been right. The call was only going to last a few minutes. “You can call me Julie.”
“Really?” Alissa grinned. “Thanks, Julie. Bye.”
A lady in stepped into the frame and nudged Alissa forward. Then it was just her and Ryland looking at each other. Now he was going to say goodbye.
“Thanks so much for doing this,” Ryland said. “As you can tell, it meant a lot to her. I’ve introduced her to musicians and movie stars before, and she’s never been this excited.”
That meant a lot to Julie. “Wow. Thanks. I have to say though, I was a lot like that when I was her age. Books were a much bigger deal to me than real-life people. And authors were like super heroes.”
“And now you’re a super hero to others.”
She bit her lip to keep from grinning like a moron. “Yeah, I guess I am. Just like you are.”
Ryland’s eyes shifted up, like he was considering her words. She loved watching the play of expressions on his face. From watching his music videos, she was already familiar with the depth of emotion that danced across his features when he sang. She was thrilled to see it was the same when he spoke. It made her feel like she knew him just a bit—and that was better than talking to a stranger. Especially such a hot, intimidating stranger.
Saved by the Rockstar (Rich and Famous Romance Book 1) Page 2
