Finding Forever (Found in Oblivion Book 7)
Page 19
“But it’s so hard to be busy planning a wedding to a sexy rockstar. Yeah, yeah, let me take out my tiny violin.” James gave a dramatic roll of her eyes.
“As if you want to get married anytime soon.” Lindsey shook her head and crossed her legs.
She had on a floaty dress with a sweetheart neckline and an uneven hem, and it only served to highlight her killer curves and her long legs offset by sleek boots. Jamie was equally fashionably dressed. She had on skintight pants, thigh-high black leather boots, an off-the-shoulder top, and tons of chunky silver bracelets that clanked and clanged when she moved her arms. These two were the kinds of chicks Elle had been sure she would never fit in with when she’d joined Warning Sign.
Sexy, edgy women like Jules and Molly. And she’d done just fine with them, hadn’t she? Recent bumps in the road with Jules aside.
Lindsey and James were going be her new friends on the tour. She could just feel it.
“I didn’t think I would get married either. I mean, not anytime in this lifetime. I always wanted the husband and baby route, just didn’t think it’d be in the cards for me.”
“Loser train?” Lindsey asked, sympathy rife in her tone.
“You can say that again.” Elle glanced at Teagan. “You weren’t the only one who had bad luck with guys. Mal had to even kick the ass of one of mine because he was cheating with a groupie right on our bus while I was at the hotel in new lingerie, waiting for him.”
“Ow. Ouch. Really?” Jamie examined her manicure. “Forget waiting for Mal to kick his ass. I would’ve taken out that trash my damn self.”
“She’s not kidding.” Lindz laughed. “James could take out two men with her bare hands if she was pissed enough. And she has Evie for backup. Our friend who’s a MMA fighter in the city.”
Elle’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s impressive. I cry when I break a nail on a string.”
Teagan sighed. “You’re such a liar. You’re awesome at defending yourself. Just last fall, you—”
“No.” Elle didn’t mean to snap it, but she just couldn’t go there tonight. Any other night, what had happened and what she’d been forced to do invaded her thoughts hourly. But not this evening. She wouldn’t allow it. “Trust me when I say I’m a wuss at heart.”
Teagan’s gaze softened and she nodded slightly, as if indicating she understood. Her face brightened almost immediately as she scanned the room. “Hey, those three look like they could handle whatever business anyone needed taken care of.” She casually pointed to Nash, Hunter McManus from Hammered, and his brother, Noah, who were holding up the wall and smirking in varying degrees. “I know you said the broody Irish looking one was—”
“Oh no, you’re not going to want to go there.” James pressed her lips together.
Elle glanced between her new friends. “Uh oh. I said Nash was just married to his work. Is there something—someone else?”
James started humming a happy little ditty that sounded suspiciously like the Jeopardy theme song.
Teagan looked at Lindsey, who was staring off somewhere into the distance. A distance far from where Nash was standing with the two other men he barely seemed to be acknowledging.
Because he was now staring dead at Lindsey.
“Oh, well then, never mind him. I’ll just stuff my fist in my mouth so I don’t say anything else wrong tonight. My record is stellar.”
Eager to cover up the moment of awkwardness, Elle pointed toward Noah with the tip of her shoe. “Pretty sure Noah is single. He’s smoking hot. And carries a gun.”
“We talking metaphorical or literal here?” Teagan sighed before Elle could reply. “Doesn’t matter. If I look at him twice, he’ll suddenly think about becoming a monk. Who takes a vow of silence, chastity, and deafness.”
James raised an eyebrow. “C’mon now. It can’t be all that bad. You’re cute. A little orphan Annie-ish with the curls, but add in some layers and some intense eye makeup and you’ll have guys begging you to let them get you off.”
Teagan slid a look at Elle as if this possibility was too good to be true. Then she angled her head as she took in James from the tips of her glossy long dark hair to her deadly black boots. “You do seem to know your subject matter. Every guy in here keeps looking at you. The ones who aren’t looking at Lindsey anyway.”
“She barely even notices. She’s too in her head.” James waved a hand and reached down to pull Teagan’s straps down her shoulders, instantly giving her dress a different look. “Better.” Without asking, she reached up and pulled the band out of Teagan’s hair and teased it into a wild mass of sexy curls before easing back to study her work. “Yeah, you’re a knockout. With just a few tweaks, you’ll be so in love with yourself you’ll probably hug mirrors for fun.”
Just as quickly, James shifted away. “But makeovers are her department, not mine. So if she stops plotting world domination sometime this century, see if she’s got some more Barbie magic to spare.”
Teagan let out a long, woeful breath. “Hope bolstered and denied. However, there is one thing I can do very well and maybe it’ll liven this place up. It’s been dead since the live band ended their set and the dance floor emptied out.”
“This is a country club, toots. No stripper pole.”
Lindsey leaned across Elle to poke Jamie. “Be nice. You promised.”
“Under duress. As usual.” James looked at the ceiling and then back at Teagan, a pleasant smile firmly in place. “Okay, go ahead. Show us your talent.”
Elle tried not to sneak a peek at her watch. She’d be turning into a pumpkin soon and dashing off for her midnight wedding. Already, all the ceremony attendees had left the party, except her.
Mal had been getting stuff ready all this time. Though he’d certainly split a bit earlier than he’d needed to for their pared down beach deal.
Unless he’d changed things up. Again.
“Did you bring your sax?” Elle glanced around, but didn’t see any obvious places where Teagan could’ve stashed her case.
“Nope. I’m focusing on a new instrument now. One I played a million years ago before I went hardcore on the sax, but now I’m back to it.” Teagan grinned and stretched out her fingers before popping to her feet. “See that pretty white piano in the corner? I’m about to own that bitch.”
“Piano? No way.” Not that Elle was that surprised. Teagan had always had a great ear for music and a love for it that made it easy for her to spend long hours practicing.
“You play the sax?” James asked. “That is very cool.”
“Sincerity from James DuCaine. Note this moment, folks. It won’t happen again til Halley’s Comet comes through in—”
“Hush yo face. Go play for us.” James crossed her arms and smiled, though it kinda resembled a shark about to snap up a guppy. “Show us what you’ve got.”
“Yes, show us, Teag.” Elle smiled encouragingly. “Let everyone see what you can do.”
Teagan flushed and nodded before heading over to the piano, her steps not quite as boisterous as when she’d first jumped to her feet.
Back in the old days, Teagan had been a spitfire with confidence and snark for days. She still had the snark, but the confidence part of the equation seemed to be in shorter supply. No doubt to her fucker ex. Maybe getting back to playing piano would help her find herself again in that regard. God knows mastering the guitar—as much as one ever did, because it was such an incredible instrument—had given Elle a focus and a quiet sense of pride she hadn’t had before. Hopefully, Teagan was finding the same.
Elle glanced at her watch. Shit, she had to go. Soon.
She couldn’t be late to her own wedding.
Holy fuck, she was about to get married.
Then Teagan started to jam out on the piano and no joke, the rest of the remaining guests sat up straighter in their seats. Elle damn sure did, and she had a pretty important engagement to get to. But Teagan let loose on the keys in a way unlike anything Elle had ever seen from her longtime friend.
“So talk to us about your friend Teagan.” James reached back to toy with Elle’s hair. “Who is she with?”
Elle cocked a brow. “With? I think she made it clear she’s single.”
Lindsey laughed softly. “Not that kind of with. You know, as far an agency. With a band. Does she play the sax with one or is she solo?”
Oh. Ohhh. Elle grinned as she understood what they were asking. “You’re scouting her.” Then her eyes went wide. “Really, for Brooklyn Dawn? Oh my God. She’s going to die.” She was halfway to her feet before they each grabbed one of her arms and yanked her back down.
“Not so fast. A few killer covers does not a new member of Brooklyn Dawn make. First, we need her credentials.”
“And her background. Specifically, does she have any big problems we need to watch out for?”
Elle bit her lip. “Problems like what?”
Like drugs, silly. No one who’s smart wants to take on someone with a past like yours.
Luckily, Teagan didn’t have that kind of background. She was the quintessential good girl who passed around a joint occasionally at parties and endured two-point-five hangovers a year. She’d probably never even shoplifted mascara from a drugstore as a teenager.
Not that Elle had done that. More than half a dozen times or so.
“You know, does she have substance abuse issues, is she a kleptomaniac, is she a total Mary Sue?” James prompted.
“Not sure what a Mary Sue is.”
“Sure you do. A chick who’s too perfect to be real because she’s really fake. Excepting Lindz, because she’s just a Barbie in training with gold pipes and a brain to match.”
“Thanks, babe. Messy former relationships is another one,” Lindsey said, exchanging another look with James. “We want to make sure anyone else we consider taking on comes in with as much of a clean slate as possible.”
“Yeah, we had some issues in the past with trusting the wrong people. Not going to do that again. She looks sweet as pie and has magic hands, but not falling for her Goldilocks in the big bad forest routine until she has some valid character references.” James gave Elle a pointed stare. “That’s where you come in.”
“I would vouch for her. Of course I would. I’ve known her for, God, almost fifteen years? She’s a good person. I had some trouble last fall, and she took me at the last minute without thinking twice.”
Lindsey nodded, her expression gentle. “You dealt with a lot. And you handled it so bravely.”
Elle let out a laugh that crackled. “I don’t know about that. But Teag is a stand-up person. She’s so talented as you can see. She loves the music business. She’s a total fangirl about it actually.” At James’s arched brow, Elle changed tacts.
Be careful with this one.
“She just has a lot of respect for the process, I mean. But as far as current representation or a band? No. Last I heard she was temping at an accountant’s in the city, but the temp agency sends her to a lot of different places. She likes the variety. And she’s not a user and barely drinks, outside of parties of course.”
As far as the messy relationships part of the question, nope, Elle was not going there. She’d be damned if she ruined a platinum opportunity like this one for Teagan over something that was dead and buried. It wasn’t like that guy was still a factor in her life.
“Well, of course. We didn’t say she had to be boring. Boring lines up with Mary Sue and yeah, no.” James quieted as Teagan went into her next number, “Piano Man,” by Billy Joel. That brought people forward to circle her piano, blocking some of their view of her from the loveseat.
But her playing remained strong and true—as did her husky voice, though that was clearly the less practiced part of her routine.
Elle frowned and turned toward Lindsey. “Wait a second. You play the piano in your shows. Why would you need Teagan?”
“Well, dueling can be fun, but being Brooklyn Dawn’s frontwoman is a full-time job. If Teagan could play like she’s doing right now for us—”
“If she could learn our material, not just seventies and eighties standards,” James added.
“Then it would free me up a lot. And this tour has the potential to be huge, as I’m sure Lila has told you.” Lindsey smiled her flawless Cover Girl makeup commercial smile. “I hope your band is planning on joining us.”
“I hope so too.” Elle wiggled forward on the couch and braced her arms on her thighs. “I’m not sure how everyone is going to vote. A lot of us have families now, and that makes it hard.”
“This is why marriage sucks. Kills the rock ’n roll, man.”
At Lindsey’s cough, James sighed. “Yeah, good for you though, Elle. Hope you guys make it and keep rocking hard too.”
“We rock hard regardless.” Elle couldn’t help her smirk as she stood and held out a hand to each of them. James gave her hand a suspicious look before shaking, and Lindsey bypassed shaking entirely for a quick, hard hug.
“I hope you join us,” Lindsey said again before pulling back. “I think we can have a lot of fun.”
“Me too. Thank you so much for thinking of us. We’re all so excited.” Elle tried not to look at her phone but she knew it was late.
Too late.
“I have to go, I’m sorry. But please, if you’re serious about the position in the band, give Teagan a chance. She’s a hard worker and she won’t let you down—”
A door slammed followed by a loud shriek that Elle swiftly realized belonged to Teagan. She whirled just in time to see her friend take a nasty spill from the piano bench. Teagan landed hard and people swarmed her all at once.
Elle glimpsed the panic on Teagan’s face and immediately tried to push her way through. Noah’s voice lifted above the hum of conversation.
“She’s fine, let’s give her some air. Everybody back.”
Elle frowned as Noah lifted up Teagan and carted her out through the banquet hall. Over his shoulder, a woozy looking Teagan shrugged and then flashed a thumbs up sign before the door closed behind them.
“I don’t know what happened, but looks like her mini makeover worked.” Lindsey grinned at James. “See? You’re a natural.”
“You are not funny, York.”
Elle exhaled as her phone vibrated in her hand. She knew without checking it was Mal.
Hello, did you happen to remember we’re getting married tonight? Stop talking, woman.
She had to grin. Man, she seriously hoped her band and the rest of the people she cared about would understand why she split from her own party without a word, but there just wasn’t time.
“Look, I gotta go. If you talk to Teag, please talk her to text me. No, call. I need to find out what happened. Tomorrow though. I’ll be…indisposed tonight. Thank you!” Hurriedly, Elle tucked away her phone and gathered her things.
Time to go be a bride.
Just before she left, she heard James mutter to Lindsey, “I’ll just bet she’ll be indisposed. That’s the one part of marriage I like. Fucking day and night.”
Twenty-One
She still wasn’t there.
No big deal.
Just a wedding about to occur.
Assuming the bride ever showed.
Mal ran a finger along the inside of his collar. He was going to choke to death soon. Why did people insist on wearing this crap? He’d been so much more comfortable in what he’d worn to the engagement party.
Oh yeah, he’d dressed up in the penguin suit for Ricki. This had to be perfect for her.
It’d be nice if she ever actually saw it.
At least she’d replied to his text with a bunch of kissy faces and exclamation points that she “got held up” and “omg, Teagan did a header” and something about “Pi
ano Man” that he still couldn’t make sense of. He suspected she’d been running and texting or else she’d had a few drinks pre-ceremony.
It wasn’t a thing if she had. She was fighting for her sobriety every day. And weddings only happened once in a lifetime.
At least in his and Ricki’s case. In his parents’ view? A new year meant time to get hitched again.
“Maybe she decided she’d rather keep her options open.”
“Nicholas, glue your lips shut.”
Nick shrugged. “I’m just saying. She’s never late. Seems odd she’d pick tonight to—”
“Look, I’m assuming there’s a human being under that dick shell,” Mal said, barely resisting a snarl. “Think back to your own wedding if someone had heckled you about Lila being late.”
Nick smiled smugly. “My wife is never late. Especially not that day. Why, she practically camped out at the end of the aisle, waiting for me to appear.”
“Ignore him. I do. That’s how we’ve been married this long.” Lila stepped forward to adjust Mal’s bowtie, and strangely, he didn’t swat her hands away.
He also hadn’t missed that his parents were not in attendance, but through the oddities of the universe, Lila was almost standing in as his parental figure. Lila, the woman he’d been nothing but rude to since the day his father had brought her home and announced his intention to marry her.
Lila, without whom he never would’ve met Ricki the very first time and might not have joined Warning Sign at all.
Michael adjusted his own tie in the mirror. They were all getting ready in the master bedroom and attached en suite bathroom of Michael and Chloe’s home, since their strip of beachfront property was serving as the location for the ceremony. “Besides, pre-ceremony jitters are a rite of passage. If you don’t freak out at least a little, you don’t care enough. Nick’s just helping things along.”
“Finally, someone who sees how useful I am.”
Michael moved away from the wall and opened his hand, revealing a pair of gold cufflinks. “Pop wanted me to give you these. Says they’re lucky.”