Hiding in the Spotlight

by Karen Booth

  David and the boys quickly dropped off their towels and left Alex to a magazine while they swam. She’d picked up a waterproof cover for Tyler’s cast before they left town since he’d spent two days complaining he couldn’t swim at home. After an extended game of Marco Polo, David hoped to steal a few moments with Alex. There would be no romantic interlude or hotel sex in Vegas with the boys in tow, but he figured he should take advantage of the chance to talk to her in relative privacy.

  He loomed over her, intentionally dripping water on to the creamy skin of her stomach. The sweet smile she gave him was exactly what he’d wanted. It made parts of him feel like they were about to catch fire. “I wish there was some way we could have dinner together and not be on you-know-who’s radar.”

  Alex frowned. “That’ll have to wait for another time.”

  David sat and scrubbed his hair with the towel. “I forgot to ask Page how his science test went.” His eyes washed over her face as a look of displeasure took hold. “That bad? I knew I should have quizzed him one more time before I left the other morning.”

  “No. The test went great.” Alex nodded in the direction over David’s shoulder. “Glenn.”

  He whipped around to see Glenn and Lori, the cracker-jack freelance writer penning the feature on the band. Lori looked familiar to David, but he couldn’t place her. It didn’t really matter, since there was no question her focus was Glenn. David and the rest of the band seemed to be an afterthought.

  Tyler climbed out of the pool and scrambled through the crowd along the pool deck to his dad. Glenn gripped Ty’s shoulder, keeping the dripping-wet child at arms-length as he introduced him to Lori. She bent forward to shake Tyler’s hand, her blond mane sweeping past her shoulders. Glenn craned his head back and overtly took survey of her ass in a form-fitting gray skirt. If he hooks up with her and messes this up, I’m going to throttle him.

  Tyler pointed to the corner where David sat with Alex.

  David popped up from his chair as they approached, his mind racing for an explanation, two if needed, as to why he and Alex were hanging out at the pool. “Glenn. Lori. Taking a break from the interview?” His throat became tight as he considered the protocol of introducing your secret girlfriend while her not-quite-ex-husband stands watch.

  “We’re going to go grab a drink in the bar,” Glenn said. “Lori, I want you to meet my ex-wife, Alex.”

  David let out a breath as the two women shook hands and said hello. Oh, shit. Now I know who she is.

  “David,” Glenn said, “Lori and I were talking and she wants to do a quick sit-down with you and me, together.”

  “Yes,” Lori said, holding her hand to her brow and shielding her eyes from the sun’s strong rays. “I’d like to discuss your close friendship and musical collaboration and how that affects the band. I think that’s something people really want to know about. You know, boyhood friends, songwriting partners, bandmates. Get a real sense of the dynamic between you two.”

  David’s throat was now closing up. Now that he could see Lori’s face better, he was sure he was right. Lori White was the younger sister of Charlotte White, David’s ex-girlfriend, the one they’d run into in Santa Cruz. Surely Lori had mined her sister for information on Double Damage—Charlotte had spent years following the band around. “Great. You do know we only write some songs together.”

  Lori nodded. “Yes. I still think it’s an important angle to cover. I was hoping I could get a quick thirty minutes after the show this evening.”

  “Um, sure. We could do it backstage. That work for you, Glenn?”

  “Wonderful,” Lori said with a soft edge to her voice, glancing up at Glenn. “I promise to be gentle.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Alex walked the boys back to the dressing room after the show, the air so charged with excitement that everyone was caught up in it. Despite the fact that she’d attended hundreds of Double Damage shows, seeing David perform tonight let her see him in a new light.

  She studied the way he carried himself with the guitar slung across his body, hair sweeping into his face, the music driving his every move. It left her blanketed in goose bumps from head to toe. Their eyes connected when the band started to play Last Love, his cheeks colored and he grinned at her in an impossibly sweet way. At that point, she seriously considered purchasing a defibrillator. How else would her heart return to its regular rhythm?

  Alex didn’t want to admit it, but Glenn still had it. His rehearsed interactions with the audience came across as effortless and genuine. The crowd lapped up every toss of the microphone, every clever quip between songs. He knew exactly the right moment to reach into the front row and take a young woman’s hand. Nothing Glenn did was less than calculated.

  Backstage, Lori was corralling David and Glenn for their sit-down. “I’ll make it quick, guys. Very informal. Everyone is welcome to stay and listen.”

  David took a seat across from Glenn and Lori while Alex helped the boys get a soda from the coolers next to the hospitality table loaded down with snacks. She couldn’t help but be on edge after David had shared Lori’s professional and personal pedigrees.

  “Okay, then,” Lori said. “David, let me start with you. Can you tell me about how your friendship with Glenn has impacted the band over the years?”

  Alex kneaded her forehead. Jesus. She steered the boys to folding chairs in the corner, listening and watching intently. A swarm of people chatted in the room, including Marty, making it difficult to hear what was being said.

  David cleared his throat. “Uh, obviously, Glenn is my oldest friend. I guess you could say that’s part of what makes the band like a family. It’s a good thing, but sometimes we argue like brothers would.”

  “Is there a rivalry between you two?”

  David’s brow furrowed. “When we were younger, definitely. Not anymore. I’d like to think we’re pretty good about setting aside our egos by now.”

  Glenn smiled and crossed his legs, draping his arm across the back of the couch. He wagged his foot, and Alex wondered if it made him feel ignored to allow David his moment in the spotlight. She wandered closer, folding her arms across her body, hanging on every word.

  “For those songs that you don’t co-write, do you still discuss what the songs are about?”

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” David pulled at his lower lip with his fingers.

  “Well, surely Glenn wouldn’t want to get up on stage and sing lyrics if he didn’t know what they were about. Maybe I’m off-base, but I would think he’d want to know where you were coming from with the songs you write on your own.”

  “Uh, sure. But I don’t really think I’ve written any songs that were shrouded in mystery. They’re usually pretty straightforward.”

  There was a sudden glint in Lori’s eyes. “Interesting that you chose to put it that way. I want to ask you about Last Love, especially since there’s so much focus on that song now.” She flipped through the pages of her notebook. “Yes, here it is. You did an online interview a few months ago where you were asked whether the song was about your ex-wife, Julia.”

  David’s face turned ashen, like stone. She figured it out.

  “Here’s your quote.” Lori’s voice cut through every noise in the room. “I didn’t write the song about Julia. I wrote it about someone I fell in love with years before I met Julia. It’s complicated, but I can tell you that this person is still in my life and we’re very close. Actually, I don’t know if we could be any closer.”

  The long lines of David’s neck grew taut. He said nothing, his lips pressed together. Alex felt sick.

  “Now, when Glenn and I discussed the song earlier today, I asked if he knew what the song was about. He actually groaned about it.” She glanced at Glenn. “I believe you said you were tired of the question. You said you thought it was silly that David wouldn’t finally admit once and for all that the song was about Julia.”

  Alex would’ve shot daggers from her eyes if she could h
ave. This was an ambush. Lori had put two and two together. Now everything was laid bare.

  Glenn’s eyes narrowed on David but his head reared back in confusion. “Hold on a second. When did you do this interview?”

  “Before you came back from Mexico.” David’s words came out clipped and measured.

  “Someone you fell in love with years before you met Julia? Who is that supposed to be? I know every woman you’ve ever been with.”

  Lori stifled a grin, sitting back as if she was removing herself from the blast zone.

  David said nothing, looking at Glenn, not blinking.

  Glenn pointed at Lori’s notebook. “Can I see that?” She happily handed it over and he scanned the page. “It’s complicated but this person is still in my life?” His eyebrows drew together. “The only woman that I can think of that you knew before Julia that you’re still close with is Alex.” His voice became steely and cold. Quiet suffocated the room.

  Marty stepped closer. “Everything okay over here, guys?”

  “Yes, we’re just finishing up,” Lori interjected. “Only a few more minutes. Please, Glenn, finish what you were saying. Then I can ask David about his trip to Santa Cruz with Alex and your sons.”

  David’s jaw tightened. Color rose in Glenn’s face. His skin became splotchy and red—a familiar sight. Alex recoiled, sensing what was likely next. She grabbed her leather bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “Page, Ty, we should get back to the room. Daddy and David are busy right now.”

  “Don’t go anywhere, Alex.” Glenn’s voice boomed. “I want you to be here for this. The boys should know what’s been going on under their noses. Or maybe they already know.” Glenn chuckled quietly and shook his head. He seemed to relish this, his voice reaching a sick, pleasurable tone. “You two are very clever, aren’t you? It all makes sense to me now. Moving into David’s house. The trip to Santa Cruz. No wonder I thought Alex smelled like sex. She did.”

  “Stop right there,” Alex barked. “Page and Tyler should not be hearing this.” She shuttled the boys to the door, Tyler seemed confused, but Alex was certain Page understood what was going on. “Guys, wait in the hall for me. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “You know, I think we’re done here, Lori,” Marty said.

  Glenn shot him a look. “No. We’re not done.”

  “I have to go.” Alex pleaded with David with her eyes, but he looked so shell-shocked that no words came in response.

  Marty straightened his stance and puffed out his chest. “Glenn, I think she has everything she needs for the story.”

  Lori closed her notebook, hiding a smug smile with her hand. “Oh, I definitely have what I came for.”

  Glenn didn’t take his eyes off David. “As long as you got the part about my oldest friend being a selfish prick, I’m good.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  David desperately wanted to knock that look off Glenn’s face, the one of self-satisfied condemnation. As if he hadn’t fucked every last person in that room, at some point, in some fashion.

  David got up from his chair and darted through the door, looking one way and then the other as Alex fled down the hall, her hands at Page and Tyler’s backs.

  “Alex. Wait.”

  She turned and her face was plain with frantic worry. “I should go. We can talk about this later.” She stepped away from the boys and lowered her voice. “Glenn’s going to blow a gasket if I stay. I don’t want that to happen in front of Page and Ty. I don’t want it to happen in front of Lori either.”

  Heaped on the pile of everything that was wrong sat the fact Glenn had learned the truth from a prominent music writer. “I don’t want you guys to go.” He wanted to take her hand and sweep the three of them away. Page won’t even look at me. Tyler’s eyes shot back and forth between them.

  “It’s for the best. You have another show tomorrow night. It’ll just be more complicated if I’m here.” She said other things with her eyes, some of them indecipherable, making David feel as if his head was swimming. “We’ll drive back tonight. Call me later. When you have a chance.”

  There was nothing else to do but watch as she and the boys disappeared through the door. He combed his hands through his hair and realized his backpack and room key were in the dressing room. So much for escaping. Lori and Marty came out into the hall, muttering.

  I have to fix this. “Lori, I’m really sorry about what happened in there.” Even though I know you couldn’t be happier. He strode over to her, noting her condescension. “You really shouldn’t have seen that. That’s some sensitive internal band stuff, and I’m not sure the world is ready for that.”

  Lori threaded her arms into a tailored black jacket. “I’m a writer. I have to write about what I saw. Don’t worry.” She patted him on the arm. “Lots of bands get a boost from controversy.”

  David heard Glenn raising his voice in the dressing room. It sounded as if the other guys in the band were trying to keep him contained. Marty excused himself, saying he needed a beer.

  “I wish you’d reconsider,” David said as Lori started to walk away. “Glenn and Alex have kids. It’s not fair to them.”

  She faced him with a sober look. “It’s not my job to decide what’s fair. It’s my job to tell the truth. Sorry.”

  “You’re Charlotte’s younger sister, aren’t you? She and I have been friends for a long time. I would hate to think that she fed you information that led to all of this.”

  “I can’t reveal my sources.” She turned and this time, David didn’t try to get her to come back.

  Sources. Right.

  David eased his way into the dressing room, which fell silent as he entered, leaving only the sound of Glenn’s grumbling. As much as it seemed as if the night had turned into a disaster, this was what he and Alex had waited for—the truth.

  David marched to the table where he’d left his belongings.

  “You probably wanted to give her a kiss goodbye, huh?” Glenn asked.

  David’s backpack zipper caught on a sweatshirt as he tried to close it.

  “I hope you had enough decorum to keep from slipping her the tongue in front of my kids.”

  God I want to punch him. Right in the face.

  “How was it?” Glenn asked.

  David closed his eyes and summoned his strength. “How was what?”

  “Fucking Alex. Was it as good as you thought it would be? Now, tell me, was this something that you planned or was it just that she was convenient?”

  “I’m not going to answer that.”

  “I bet she surprised you the first time. She seems like she’d be so timid, but she’s a firecracker, isn’t she?”

  “I’m not talking about her like that. She deserves better.”

  “Is that what this is? Because you think you’re better than me?”

  “I wasn’t talking about me. I was saying that you should show her some respect. She was your wife. She’s the mother of your children.”

  Glenn stepped closer. “Don’t tell me how to treat Alex.” His jaw hardly moved as he spoke. “You crossed a line. You betrayed me.”

  And you betrayed her. “As much as you might like to think that this is about you, it isn’t. It’s about Alex and me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. This is all about you and me. You took our friendship and threw it away. After everything we’ve been through. All of the years I was there for you and this is how you repay me. By fucking my wife.”

  “You left her.” David gritted his teeth. His anger surged.

  “She was still mine.”

  “Listen to yourself, Glenn. You’re being ridiculous. You just said it yourself. She was yours. Past tense.” He slung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’m not talking about this anymore. What’s done is done. You’re going to have to find a way to live with it because it’s not changing. I love her.”

  “You love her? Really? You love her.” Glenn unleashed a laugh dripping with sarcasm. “That’s rich. Every woman in
LA knows you’re not capable of that. Hell, every woman you’ve ever slept with knows it. And that’s a pretty fucking long list.”

  The anger scorched David’s cheeks, resentment blazed throughout his body. His frustration with Glenn raged like an uncontrollable force. “I have always loved Alex. Since we were in school. I never said anything. I sat there and watched you with her, even when it was killing me on the inside. So if I slept with a lot of women or made anyone think I was incapable of love, it was only because I couldn’t have her.”

  Any trace of anger left Glenn’s face. Hurt seemed to take over. “Always?”

  David’s lungs filled with air like someone had stepped off his chest. “Yes, Glenn, I have always loved Alex.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Tyler and Page eventually crashed in the car on the way back to LA. That meant no more questions about what had happened backstage. For that, Alex was grateful. Unfortunately, it also meant Alex spent the remainder of the drive stuck in her head. Headlight beams forging ahead on the stretch of highway were her only distraction for hours. She felt like a mouse trapped in a never-ending maze. It will be okay. Everything will be okay. Or it won’t. And this is the beginning of the end.

  She and David spoke when she first got on the road, but they couldn’t discuss much with the prying ears of Tyler and Page in the car. David told her what had happened when he and Glenn had spoken. He assured her everything would work out, that Glenn would come around. Alex had well-founded doubts about that.

  Coffee dripped into the carafe the next morning, a steady trickle accompanied by steam and the smell of what she feared would be the only thing to get her through the day. The boys traipsed into the kitchen. Tyler went straight to the fridge for orange juice.

  “Mom, we’re starving.” Page took two glasses from the cabinet.

  Tyler disappeared into the pantry and returned with the Crunch Berries. “I’m having these.”

  “That’s not going to be enough for me,” Page said. “Can you make me some eggs? Toast too.”