Anya and the Shy Guy (Backstage Pass)

by Suze Winegardner

  The woman came back on the phone, and he held up his finger as he spoke. “That’s great. Right, hang on.”

  He drew in air, asking someone for something to write with, and Nathan slid a comic book and a pen over to him.

  “Thanks. Thank you.” He hung up. “I’ve got their address. The shelter manager wasn’t there, but she said she’d keep an eye out for Anya. The best news is that a friend of hers has been staying there, so she thinks Anya might be on her way there. I’m going to try her boss at WowSounds, just in case they didn’t fire her.”

  He keyed in the phone number he’d gotten from the WowSounds site and asked to speak to the editor. After identifying himself as Will, the conversation progressed much quicker.

  Still, it took a few minutes for him to convince the receptionist that this wasn’t a joke. Yes, he needed to know where Anya was.

  Unfortunately, she barely had more information than he did. Apparently she’d covered her tracks too well. And yes, she’d been fired for failing to file a story. Beyond that, the receptionist had no further information. But she wanted an autograph, which Matt promised her.

  He hung up.

  “They only have an email address for her that they wouldn’t give me. They sent a check to her at an address in Tulsa, but that turned out to be a grocery store.”

  He wanted to say why she’d been fired, but he didn’t want Natasha to gloat, or to remind himself that he’d thought that she might betray them.

  “Do you have a photo of her?” Will asked.

  Matt pulled up the photo he’d sneaked when he’d been in the makeup chair the night before. Shit, had he only been without her one day?

  Trevin stood up. “Okay, enough. We have a show to do.” He held up his hand to Matt, who started to protest. “I know she means a lot to you, but there are twenty thousand people here who’ve paid to see you perform. So we do our show.”

  Matt looked at Will, uncertain if he wanted to get onstage again.

  “I’m sorry,” Will said. “I can’t do the show cold like that. Maybe after a couple of days of watching. I’d balls it all up if I went on now.”

  “Fine,” Trevin said. “I’m sure Matt can pull off one more show for us.”

  “One condition,” Matt said.

  Trevin coughed hard, like he was choking. “And what’s that?”

  Matt looked at Will silently. Will nodded.

  “Shit. Are you two telepathic?” Nathan asked, looking like he’d seen Will levitate.

  “Tele-pathetic, more like,” Ryder grumbled.

  “Just tell me what this ‘one condition’ is,” Trevin said.

  Matt squared his shoulders. “After the show, we all go look for her. Deal?”

  Trevin looked bewildered. “Of course we’re all going with you. Why would you think we wouldn’t? Right, guys? We’re family.”

  A chorus of agreement and chops-busting seemed to rock the whole coach. Matt bit his lip and turned away to rearrange the knives and forks in the sink. As soon as he had his shit together again, he turned back to his friends—no, his family.

  Natasha stood. “Hey, if you’re all going, I’m going. She trusted me with her secret, and I’m not going to let you guys barrel in and do something stupid.” She looked at Matt. “No offence, I know you’re her boyfriend, but I also know you guys.”

  For the first time that day, Matt smiled. Boyfriend. Hell yeah. He was her boyfriend.

  “Let’s hit it. You guys ready?” Trevin looked at Matt, Nathan, Ryder, and Miles in turn. “We’ll deal with LJ and Cherry together once we’ve found Anya.”

  “Absolutely,” Ryder said as the others nodded. “I can’t wait for that part.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  They made great time after the show. Matt had never seen the guys move to fast. The second they finished their last number, they ran back to The One, where Natasha had snacks and drinks already prepped for the journey.

  Their plan was to scout the city, each taking a different area, and then to meet up at the bus station. Natasha had started making calls during the concert and had found out there’d been a bus leaving for Tulsa via Dallas a few hours earlier.

  With luck, they could either catch up with it—although Matt had zero clue how you could legit flag down a bus if you weren’t the police—or make their way to that shelter in Tulsa.

  Matt was in the SUV with Nathan, who was doing who-knew-what with his phone. “You’re not watching The Tudors, are you?” Matt asked, only half joking.

  “Seriously? I’m pulling up a map of New Orleans, so I can direct you up and down the streets. Make sure we don’t miss any.”

  Matt sighed. “Thanks. I have a feeling, though, that she’s not here. I think she would have made a run for Tulsa. It’s what I’d have done, given the circumstances.”

  “You mean if you were homeless, had been set up by Paige Parker, fired from your job, and then got caught in a huge thunderstorm?”

  “Do a runner? Too right I would.” At least, that’s what he hoped she’d do. She’d be safe and dry on the bus, and she knew people in Tulsa.

  God, please let her be safe.

  He gripped the steering wheel like his life depended on it. He just needed to find her.

  His phone buzzed and the display showed “Miles.” He hit the button to turn on the speaker.

  “Yup?”

  “Nothing here, mate. I’m sorry. We checked all the shelters in our area and then cruised the streets. I was afraid Ryder might find a new Candy Cane, ya know? Ow!”

  “She was a stripper, not a hooker,” he heard Ryder mumble in the background.

  Matt grinned in spite of himself. Candy Cane had been an old friend of Ryder’s. “Okay, thanks guys. Let’s get to the bus station.”

  Their search came up empty, too. Now it was down to only Will and Natasha.

  By the time Matt and Nathan got there, Natasha was jumping up and down with barely concealed excitement.

  “What have you got?” Matt asked.

  “A driver in the office remembered her trying to get on a bus he was getting out of. But he’s sure she got on it with the new driver. I asked at the reservation desk, and he said she bought a ticket to Tulsa on the bus that went through Dallas. I’m sure it’s her. When we talked, she definitely said she’d have to get a bus back to Tulsa if she lost her job. It’s her. I’m sure of it.”

  Her eyes sparkled, and Matt suddenly knew what his brother saw in her. Maybe he and his brother might both get a happily ever after out of this.

  He reached through his window and put his hand on hers. “Thank you. You coming with us?”

  “Hells yeah. We all are. We’re just waiting for you to take the lead.”

  “On it,” Matt said.

  She nodded at him, smiling, and ran back to Will’s SUV.

  “Can you put in the shelter name and get us directions?” he asked Nathan.

  Nathan shook his phone at him. “Already there. It’ll take ten hours. But I bet you can do it faster.” He grinned and raised his eyebrows.

  “Bet your ass I can. Buckle up!” Matt shifted into drive and passed the others slowly, watching as they fell into line behind him.

  …

  It was nearly five a.m. when Anya arrived at St John’s in the Vale shelter. She thought she’d never get dry again. She’d sat on two buses, damp and miserable, for nearly twenty hours. She’d tried to sleep. After all, she was safe on the bus. But sleep wouldn’t come.

  All she kept thinking of was Matt. How he hated her.

  The whole time she’d been sitting on the story of a lifetime. But some things were more important than money…no matter how desperately you needed it.

  What would she do now? Could she write anymore? She wouldn’t. Not if writing meant hurting someone. She didn’t even know if she could. Writing had been an escape for her, a way to get out of herself and her situation. But then it had been about money. And now she had so many feelings, she would never be able to write them down. She
hadn’t even looked at her notebook since Matt had given it back. Hadn’t even touched it after she put it away. She had no words anymore.

  Jude was at St. Johns, asleep. Father Howard pointed him out to her. As usual, he’d moved his cot out of line so that he could sleep with his back to the corner of the wall.

  Father Howard led her to his office, where she’d been a few short days before.

  “What happened?” he asked. “I thought you’d be there for a few weeks.”

  She dug her hands into her jacket pocket and pulled out the remaining cash. It was damp from the rain. She put it on his desk. “They thought I stole something, so they asked me to leave.”

  His eyebrows shot into his hair. “And did you?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know. I wore a dress someone gave me, but I’m not sure she was supposed to give it to me.” She shoved her hands over her face. She couldn’t believe she was having to confess her sins before she’d even taken off her jacket.

  “And what about that young man you left with?”

  “He thinks I stole the dress…probably. I don’t know,” she wailed, head still in her hands. “It doesn’t even matter. He thinks I broke his trust.”

  “You like him?”

  “I liked him.” She sniffed and raised her head. “But that doesn’t matter now. I’m back. And I wondered if you’d let Jude and me stay a bit longer, if I give you the money I made. I think I just need some time to find a job and to persuade him to get help. How is he?”

  Father Howard smiled. “He’s good. He was at the veteran’s hospital. That’s why you couldn’t find him. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s better. But also, Anya—and this is very important to hear—he is not your responsibility. I’m going to look after him. The last couple of days he’s been helping out here, and I think he’s going to be a great asset to us reaching out to other homeless veterans on the street.”

  Relief washed over her. “Really? He’s doing well? That’s—” She swallowed. “That’s such good news.” Now she needed to sleep and try to figure out where she fit in. What she could do. She stood and grabbed her backpack. “May I go find a cot?”

  He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think so, Anya. It might be better if you found somewhere more permanent to stay, don’t you think?”

  She slumped. Of course. It was probably full. She hadn’t even thought. But it was raining so hard. “Of course, Father. But could I maybe sleep on the floor, just for tonight? I promise I’ll leave in the morning.”

  “Anya, I think you’re misunderstanding me. I’ve been talking to… Maybe you need a moment?” He moved his eyes toward the door that led to the church side of the building.

  He wanted her to talk to God?

  “Okay…” She dropped her backpack again and opened the door.

  The church was ablaze with light, and after the dimness of the shelter and the lamplight in Father Howard’s office, it took her eyes a moment to adjust.

  What?

  She looked back into his office. He was suppressing a smile and tapping a yellow pencil against his nose, trying, she assumed, to look innocent.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Anya!”

  Her heart quickened even before she registered the voice. She blinked several times in the brightness of the lights. A figure came out of the glare.

  “Will? Or…” she asked, squinting.

  “Matt,” he said.

  She closed her eyes and shook her head, half wondering if she was dreaming.

  “Open your eyes,” he said.

  She did. And there he was. Really real. In front of her. Looking—she swallowed hard—like a dream. She stretched out her hand to poke him. Just to check if he was really, really real. “Matt?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry. Sorry for everything. But yes, it’s Matt.”

  “You’re here?” One of the lights in the church was buzzing, or maybe it was just in her head.

  “Say my name again,” he whispered.

  “Matt.” She paused. “You are Matt, aren’t you?”

  “I am.” His eyes glassed over, like he was holding back. “I’m so sorry for being an ass, for lying to you about my name. Will had a big problem that he needed to take care of, and the only option was for me to take his place. I wouldn’t have lied to you, but LJ would have sued Will and my mom if he left the tour to get help. I couldn’t let that happen.” He swallowed visibly and lowered his voice. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

  “You’re damn right he’s sorry. He sang off-key all bloody night!” Miles said.

  She peeked behind Matt and saw them all there, all grinning. Miles, Nathan, Ryder, Trevin, and Natasha. She did a double take. Natasha had her arms around Will. She stole a look back at Matt, and then again at Will. “Wow. I thought I knew…but…”

  Matt glanced behind him at Will and smiled. “I know.” He took a step forward and gazed into her eyes. Her heart soared as she saw the emotion there. He reached out with one hand and took hers. “You knew, and you didn’t go straight to a tabloid? You didn’t want to tell the world? You would have made a fortune.”

  “That’s not the kind of writing I want to do, as it turns out,” she said simply. “I realized that even before I figured out who you were.” Her heart raced being so close to him. “I thought maybe I could, but it turns out, I couldn’t.”

  “Come back with us,” Matt said. “Please.”

  “And do what? I…” She shook her head hopelessly. “I have to find a job and…”

  “Listen. My mom’s spoken to the priest here. She wants you to come and stay with her until I swap back with Will. Then all we have to do is get you into college. Father Howard told us he’d already got you through your GED, so there’s no excuse. You can go with me if you want. No strings, no pressure, no nothing.”

  Her voice was close to cracking. The promise was so good, but the reality crumbled under any kind of scrutiny. “I can’t afford college. I can’t even afford to eat if I’m not here. I can’t just freeload at your mom’s house. I don’t want that.”

  “Actually, we know how you can pay your own way, right Will?”

  Will stepped forward. “Yeah. I read the article you wrote about the homeless in Tulsa. You write with heart, and so simply that even I can understand.” He smiled at her, the same way but still different from how Matt smiled at her.

  Matt took over. “I’ve been making calls all the way here. I’ve promised Rolling Stone an exclusive article about Will coming back from drug addiction. I think you could write our story the right way. And I hear Rolling Stone will pay top dollar. Come back with us. Write our story.”

  “But won’t it get you in trouble if it comes out that you’ve been taking your brother’s place in the band?”

  Matt grinned. “I told LJ what I was asking you to do, and that he could either come off as the supportive manager Will didn’t want to disappoint, or the manager who got Will hooked on the drugs because ‘the band is everything’. Unsurprisingly, he chose the first option. We now have his full support.”

  An overwhelming wave of emotion surged through her. Could it be possible? Had he really come for her? Searched for her? Made it possible for her to…have a real life?

  “Wow, she looks like she’s in two minds, dude,” Nathan said. “You must suck at the kissing thing.”

  No. No he didn’t. She leaned forward, but he didn’t move toward her. She wanted to kiss him so badly, why wasn’t he kissing her already?

  And then she realized. She had to go to him. She had to kiss him. He’d come all this way, and now she needed to take the last step. She reached up to his face and touched his cheek. A muscle popped in his jaw as he closed his eyes.

  She stepped to him. Everything went silent, everything became Matt. She touched her cheek to his, fluttered her eyelashes against his skin, and then reached for his lips. She brushed hers over his, inhaling his unique smell and relishing in a sensation she hadn’t experienced in far too long. Home. He felt like
home.

  Her tongue touched his bottom lip so very lightly, but that was all it took for him to push his hands into her damp hair. Sparks shot through her body as he kissed her, deeply and hungrily.

  When he pulled away, they were both breathing hard. There was a second of silence and then whistles and cheers from the others. He looked around and grinned.

  Then without a word, he held out his hand to her, and she took it. He looked at their hands intertwined and love shone from his eyes. And happiness. And everything.

  She had everything.

  The others left the church, and Matt turned to look at her. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the door barged open again. It was Will.

  “I suppose it’s only right, after all this time, that I’m the one to tell you that he loves you, right?” He grinned and let the door close again.

  Anya stopped somewhere between shock and amusement. She found it hard to meet Matt’s eyes, but he put a hand under her chin and made her.

  He held up a finger. “Excuse me for just a moment. I just have to”—he pointed at the door—“kill someone for a second.” He shot outside as if he were on fire.

  She held a hand against her mouth, not knowing whether to laugh or swoon. Did he really love her? Could he?

  A thump followed by an outraged “Ouch!” and Natasha laughing loudly punctuated the silence inside the church.

  Matt came back, smoothing down his hair. “Right, where were we?”

  “Um…” Anya didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded back at the door.

  “Oh right. Right. Well, my idiot brother, for once in his life, isn’t entirely wrong. But he has no idea—none—about how I feel when you’re close to me. How much just being with you lightens me, my mood, my…soul. Shit.” He shook his head. “I’m not a poet like Will, but I do love you, Anya Anderson. I may not have the fancy words…”

  She put her finger up to his mouth, unable to even put to words the enormity of her emotions. “I’m supposed to be a writer, and I can’t even begin…” She swallowed. “I love you right back, Matt Fray. You’re home for me.”