by Raine Thomas
This phone call was leading him to believe that no amount of ratings was worth Lily having to deal with her spoiled, bitchy sisters.
“Oh, let’s do lunch,” Bridgette said.
“Wait...will the cameras be with you?” Caroline asked.
“They usually are,” Lily responded levelly.
“Then yes, let’s do lunch. Can Archer get us into Meilleur?”
Lily leaned back on the sofa and looked at the ceiling as though praying for patience. “I’m sure he could, but we can’t afford lunch at Meilleur. Be reasonable.”
“Oh, please,” Caroline snorted. “You can’t tell me Archer wouldn’t pay.”
“He won’t be coming with us because he’ll be in the studio,” Lily explained. “Let’s pick somewhere more—”
“Don’t be so selfish, Lily,” Caroline said.
Archer’s jaw ached from forcing himself to keep his mouth shut. He was about to lose his battle with the need to speak up in defense of Lily.
How dare either of her sisters call her selfish? Seriously?
His fingers dug into his biceps in one last ditch effort to keep himself out of sight of the cameras.
“Yeah, Lily,” Bridgette added. “You know all you have to do is suck his—”
“Okay,” Lily said loudly. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. I’ll be in touch soon to make plans.”
Archer’s grip on his arms eased when she hung up the phone. He saw her bring her hands to her head and knew she was trying to rub away a headache. Every part of him wanted to walk out and comfort her.
First he had to wait for Lily. She had told him to listen for her signal before returning. Depending on what she said, they would either continue the scene or end it.
He wanted it to end.
“Oh, Mr. Archer,” Lily called in a warning sing-song tone.
Shit.
Putting on his actor hat, he unfastened his watch and turned the handle of the door to make it sound like he was exiting the bedroom. He strode into the living area, his attention on clasping his watch as though he was just finishing getting changed.
“What’s up?” he asked as he walked into the camera’s range. “Did the call go well?”
Lily watched him without expression. “It was rather interesting.”
“You don’t sound like it was interesting,” he observed, sitting on the arm of the couch. “Did they say something that bothered you?”
“You tell me,” she said enigmatically. “Is there anything involving you and my sisters that you think I should know?”
He looked away from her as though crafting a response. “Nothing I can think of,” he said.
“Is that so?”
His brow furrowed. “If you think there is, why don’t you just spit it out?”
“How about my sisters meeting up with you at your hotel?”
He allowed a hint of surprise to cross his features before he collected himself. “Look, that was ages ago,” he said dismissively. “You and I weren’t together then.”
“Ages ago?” she echoed, crossing her arms over her chest. “How about more recently than that?”
He cleared his throat and avoided her gaze. “Oh. That. It’s not my fault your sisters like to follow the band around. I thought it would be better not to tell you because I didn’t want you getting worked up about it.”
“Well I’m worked up, all right. But not because of my sisters. I’m getting awfully tired of you keeping things from me.”
He teetered on the edge of breaking character. Lily sounded truly hurt and angry. Either she was a much better actress than he’d thought or he was actually in some hot water.
“You had enough on your mind,” he said, reaching out and placing a placating hand on her shoulder. “I was trying to look out for you.”
She shrugged his hand off and got to her feet. “I wish I could believe that.”
He watched her walk away and rolled his eyes for effect before trailing after her with a half-hearted, “Lily, wait...”
He closed the door to the bedroom as he followed Lily inside. She immediately walked up to him and put her arms around him. His tension eased.
“Damn, that was good,” he said, resting his cheek against her fragrant hair.
“It was easy to draw upon my actual emotions like you’ve been teaching me. I am mad that you didn’t tell me. Caroline caught me off-guard. And yes, before you bother explaining yourself, I know you didn’t want to upset me. I understand where you were coming from. Just don’t do it again.”
“I won’t. I’m sorry about that.”
“I know.”
They stood in peaceful silence for a few minutes. She didn’t seem inclined to let him go and he was in no rush to let her.
“Do you still want to go to lunch with them?” he asked eventually.
“No.”
“But you’re going anyway, right?”
“Yep.”
He had expected it. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
“I’ll make reservations at Meilleur,” he said.
Her head came up so fast she nearly clipped his chin. “Oh, no, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will.” Seeing she was about to dig in, he went on, “If you want to make a splash and an impact for the show, dining in one of the city’s hottest restaurants will do it. I’ll pay for it. It’s the least I can do since I won’t be attending with you.”
She was quiet for a moment as she wrestled with his logic. “You’re too generous,” she sighed at last. “My sisters don’t deserve it.”
“Well, you deserve that and much more. Besides, you’re the one getting the raw end of this deal. I don’t have to actually eat with them.”
“An excellent point.”
“I’m full of them.”
“Ha.” She eased away from him and reached up to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I have to get ready for my interview with Oscar.”
Oscar Gilbride was an old college friend of Lily’s who had made a name for himself in entertainment journalism. He had connected with her and she had been more than happy to grant him an interview. She would be meeting with him while Archer and the band headed to that night’s venue for their sound check.
“All right,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll go well.”
“I’ll make sure of it. The Void and House of Archer will get plenty of attention,” she said, giving him a wink.
She walked into the bathroom and opened her makeup bag. Her words ran through his mind as he sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. He didn’t like the feeling lodged in his gut like a boulder. Lily was putting so much of herself into this. Nearly all of her time was now spent on some aspect of helping the band and the show. Knowing she was doing it for him made him desperate to do more for her.
Yet every time he tried, she fought with him about it. He knew she was determined not to take advantage of him. While he appreciated that, he had to try and help her learn the difference between taking advantage of him and accepting the love he wanted to share with her.
Lily wasn’t used to anyone wanting to take care of her. Her mother had done the exact opposite for the first twelve years of her life. Her Uncle Ray loved her and had given her a stable, safe environment when she most needed it, but Lily had largely cared for herself even then because she was used to it and her bachelor uncle hadn’t been prepared to parent a teenage girl.
She had believed for half of her life that she was unworthy of love. Archer suspected that she was trying so hard for him now because she thought he wouldn’t love her otherwise.
How was he ever going to convince her that wasn’t true?
Chapter Eight
Four days and three concerts after their arrival in San Diego, The Void hit the road back to L.A. for a nine-day stretch. They had four concerts and several recording sessions scheduled during their home stay. Thankfully, Christopher had also built in some downtime.
Even though they were only about a third of the way into the tour, Ke
ith was more than ready for the break. He was sure most of his bandmates felt the same way. Archer, who never seemed to want or need rest, would be busy with things like filming his various television appearances and attending movie premieres, but everyone else would be taking full advantage of some time to themselves.
Until they actually reached L.A., they were on the clock...which right that moment meant they were stopped in Laguna Beach for an event hosted by Tyson Wilde, the head of their record label. Wilde had recently become a partner in a new nightclub-slash-concert venue called Duet. Tonight was the big opening. Wilde had scheduled it to coincide with the tour so The Void could perform.
The other acts on the Under the Bridge Tour had also been invited. Only Genevieve Shaw couldn’t participate. That meant the format for the performances went pretty much like they had throughout the tour.
Judging by how packed the place was, Keith figured the opening would be considered a huge success. He supposed that could only be a good thing, especially considering it meant further financial success for Wilde. It had to bode well that The Void’s performance had helped draw such a crowd. Wilde would be paying attention to attendance numbers at every venue along the tour. Tonight would be no exception.
They were all expected to join the fans in the VIP section of the club portion of the venue after their performance. When that time came, Archer led the others towards the party while Keith slipped away to the green room for a few minutes so he could call Lex. It was almost her bedtime and he didn’t want to miss her.
The scent of flowers struck him when he opened the door to the green room. It reminded him that the band was sharing the room with Lily, Sydney, and Aria that evening. The fragrance was coming from the pink plumeria that Archer had ordered for Lily, just like he ordered for her at every event. Keith idly wondered what happened to the flowers after the concerts as he walked over to the dressing table and set up his iPad to call Lex.
Lex answered again, waving with her adorable smile.
He waved back and signed, What trouble have you gotten into today?
She grinned and lifted her hand to waggle it back and forth in an “only a little” gesture.
You’re not trying hard enough.
She giggled, making him smile. You’re not home yet? she asked.
No. We’re driving home later.
So home tomorrow?
Yes.
Will I see you?
Yes. I’ll call you when I wake up and we’ll see what you want to do.
The park?
You always want to go to the park.
I like it.
Of course we’ll go to the park.
She beamed and clapped her hands. Will you bring L and Angel?
L was Lily, but Keith wasn’t sure who Angel was. Lex had mentioned her several times in the past, always associated with Lily. From what he had gathered, Angel had helped Lily learn ASL and had occasionally gone to assist in translating when Lily visited with Lex.
While he appreciated Lily making time to visit Lex, he needed to ask her who this Angel person was. He had meant to do that a while ago. It had been a couple of months since Lex mentioned her, so he had forgotten to ask. He’d have to catch up with Lily about it later. He wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of her bringing random people to meet Lex. His sister tended to get easily attached. Even transitioning her between teachers as she advanced in her education had proven challenging.
This question from Lex about him bringing Angel to see her was a case in point.
I’ll talk to L, he signed.
Thanks.
She drew her hands back as though using a bow and arrow. Keith used symbolic signs or individual letters to represent people since he couldn’t spell their names. Lex had picked up that habit from him, such as signing Angel by touching the tips of her fingers to her shoulders and then turning them out to flap like wings. He understood she wanted to see Archer, too.
I can ask, he responded.
He didn’t bother to mention Archer’s hectic schedule. He’d ask his friend to cram in a visit with Lex and he was confident Archer would make it happen.
Lex yawned.
Keith signed, You should—
The green room door opened and Sydney walked in. She appeared to be looking for something. Her gaze fell on him.
“Oops,” she said, starting to back out of the room. “I didn’t...oh! Hi, Lex.”
She signed the greeting as well as spoke it. Her smile was bright as she moved closer to the iPad where Lex was waving excitedly at her and signing, Angel.
Keith went completely still.
Shouldn’t you be sleeping? Sydney signed to Lex.
Lex grinned and nodded.
Cheeky, Sydney signed with a wink. You’re like your brother.
Lex laughed. Will you come play with me soon?
Of course, Sydney replied.
Keith cleared his throat and gave Sydney a quelling look. She glanced at him. Her smile faded and she took a step away from him.
You need to get to bed, Keith signed to Lex. I’ll call you tomorrow.
She wrinkled her nose in silent complaint. Okay. Good night, K. I love you.
I love you, too.
He clicked the button to end the call before any further conversation could take place between Sydney and his sister. He didn’t bother hiding his annoyance from his gaze as he turned to Sydney.
“Angel?” he prompted.
“What? Oh. I’m not sure where Lex got that nickname.”
If that was true he could only assume she didn’t own a mirror. She practically radiated celestial light.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you know her?” he asked.
She fiddled with a button on her soft yellow cardigan. “It never came up.”
“Don’t give me that. We’ve been together for hours every evening. You’ve told me all kinds of things about yourself, yet this somehow didn’t make your list of important facts for me to know.”
Sighing, she said, “I suppose I should have mentioned it. I just...well, I was worried.”
“About what?
“About you possibly reacting like this.”
How the hell was he supposed to respond to that?
“Look, Keith...I know how much you adore Lex,” she said. “I also know that you’re protective of her, which I can understand. I would never do anything to hurt her.”
“No, you damn well won’t,” he agreed, getting to his feet and moving so there were only a few inches between them. “Because I won’t let you. You need to learn to mind your own business and stay the hell out of mine.”
He turned and shoved the green room door open, putting some much-needed distance between them. His temper led the way to the VIP party where he should have been at least ten minutes ago.
He couldn’t believe this. It was one thing that Sydney was friends with Lex, which was a problem in its own right thanks to Lex’s attachment issues. Her failure to tell him about it was something else altogether, and it was what had him walking to the party thoroughly pissed off.
She had just said she knew how important Lex was to him. She damn well should have said something about their connection. He and Sydney had certainly spent enough time together lately to give her the opportunity. Her silence felt deceitful, whatever the reason for it.
He expected more from her.
As irritated as he was, he had to cool his jets when he reached the party. Christopher gave him a warning look, letting him know that his absence had been noticed. Although his manager was pretty understanding about his calls with Lex, Keith knew he had been gone longer than he should have, especially with Wilde in attendance.
He expected Nikki to run up to him when he got there and was puzzled when she didn’t. He spotted her on the far side of the room standing near the bar having a conversation with Malcolm O’Dell.
That was convenient, Keith thought as the first of the VIP fans approached him. Now he could get the whole mingling and handsha
king part of this ordeal done without having to worry about her.
He was aware when Sydney returned to the party. Although he set about ignoring her, thoughts about her continued to run through his mind as the evening wore on.
He wasn’t about to let her visit Lex without him. It had been hard enough wrestling with the idea of bringing Nikki out to visit Lex. While it seemed like something he should probably do since Nikki was trying to learn ASL and had bought Lex the Donatello T-shirt, he wasn’t fully committed to the idea yet. He didn’t want to risk Lex growing attached to her when he was still unsure of his own level of attachment.
It didn’t matter that Sydney had already become friends with her, he thought. He had to protect Lex.
“Please protect me from the press,” Lily begged him as she approached him at a corner table a couple of hours into the event.
He almost smiled at how similar her request was to his own thoughts about being protective. He had chosen this corner because it was largely out of the heavy fan traffic but it still gave him a good view of everything that was happening. Nikki was off getting yet another cocktail, so he was currently alone.
“Sure,” he said. “Pull up a chair.”
He ended up assisting her onto one of the high bar stools around the table. She opened the bottle of water she had gotten from the bar and took a long swallow.
“Where’s Arch?” he asked.
“Over there flirting with some of the fans,” she said.
He followed her gaze and saw him surrounded by women and House of Archer cameras. They both watched him in silence for a minute.
“He needs to stop looking at you so much if viewers are going to take the flirting thing seriously,” Keith observed.
She gave him an appreciative shove. “I told him the same thing. He’s hopeless.” She was grinning, though. Her attention shifted back to him. “So what’s on your mind, Keith? I know something’s been weighing on you since Santa Clara. I can never get you alone these days. Spill it.”
He had always valued Lily’s honesty and advice. The words came easily, explaining his doubts about Nikki and bringing her to see Lex. Lily listened without interrupting.
“Why are you with Nikki?” she asked once he had finished.
