by Hadley Quinn
“Yeah, she stalked me,” Jay answered. “She would follow me from work to home, sometimes from home to work. She finally came into the shop I was working in at the time and said her car needed shit done. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “Brand new fucking Beemer her daddy bought for her.”
“Well she obviously didn’t do her stalking well enough if she thought you’d work on a foreign car,” Tyse joked.
“Right?” Jay laughed. “And I told her that. I was like…honey, I already know you and I aren’t a match because you drive daddy’s money. Then I told her to leave me the fuck alone.”
“Harsh?”
“Hell no,” Jay scoffed. “That was after she went on and on about how her family was so prestigious, and all this shit about her dad being a producer. She actually told me her family would approve of her dating a McCallan.”
“Oh and there it was,” Tyse nodded knowingly. If there was one thing that Jay couldn’t stand, it was people’s interest in him because he was a McCallan.
“Yep,” Jay agreed. “She learned the hard way. So my advice to you…you’d better put a stop to it now before she starts leaving her panties on the seat of your car with her phone number.”
Tyse laughed but shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think this one is psycho like that.”
“You’ll find out when she carves your fucking name in her thigh.”
“Holy shit, that girl did that?”
“Not that one, but another chick,” Jay answered. “And people wonder why I was always such an asshole to girls. I dealt with shit like that all the time. You give ‘em an inch—meaning a goddamn smile or a polite hello—and they want to handcuff themselves to you. It’s not worth it. Melanie had the self-respect that I didn’t know I was looking for. Too many girls try to force you into wanting something you don’t want. It’s my golden advice to you, bro. Just say no to stupid.”
Tyse laughed but he had to agree. There was no point in forcing something that wasn’t meant to be. Two people had to be on the same page, and there was no point in changing yourself for someone, because in the end, one of you—or both—would end up disappointed.
“Speaking of Melanie,” Tyse began as he yanked the cord of the sander toward the Scout they’d be stripping of paint. “I wanted to run something by you first before I asked her about it.”
Jay gave him a level gaze. “Run what by me?”
“I wanted to ask if she’d be interested in working at the studio with me. She mentioned she’s been writing a little bit more since Cade is now a couple months old. I really think she’s interested in going somewhere with it but she’s too timid to try right now. I thought maybe she could spend a few hours here and there at the studio—at reception or in the office—and maybe she’ll warm up to the idea a little more.”
“You mean put her around it so she knows what she’s missing?” Jay stated more than asked.
Tyse couldn’t tell if he was for or against the idea with that type of unemotional expression on his brother’s face. Either way, there was still no telling what Jay’s response would be.
“Yeah, I guess,” Tyse answered. “I was thinking more along the lines of Melanie just enjoying being there, though. She’s amazing with people, and I think she’d like doing something like that. I know how you feel about her being around Grandpa, which is why I wanted to run it through you first. But he’s rarely ever going to be there. She’d be working with me, not him.”
Jay took a deep breath and stared across the shop for a few seconds. Then he turned to Tyse and said, “Yeah, I’m okay with it. I think she’d be good at it, too. But…she’s set on being a mom first. You gotta consider that before anything else. She doesn’t want anything to come before that. I don’t know if she’d ever put Cade with anyone else while she worked, though. I think she’ll say no.”
“I already took that into account. She can bring him with her,” Tyse smiled proudly.
Jay raised an eyebrow at him. “To the studio? You really want a baby in the middle of your business?”
“I think it’ll be fine. Like I said, she can only do what works out for her. And Cade isn’t mobile or anything right now. She’s got several months to use that to her advantage. She doesn’t have to commit to anything right now,” Tyse assured him. “I think she should just come in and find out what she likes to do.”
“Well,” Jay shrugged. “I mean go ahead and ask her. If she wants to do it, it’s fine with me. As long as she’s happy. And as long as it isn’t in the evening when she needs to be with me,” he added with a playful smirk.
“Noted,” Tyse agreed. “I know for a fact she wouldn’t give up that time, either. Not a chance.”
***
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Melanie asked carefully as she held Cade against her chest. “I will admit I’m extremely interested in working here,” she added, glancing around the lobby of the studio. “This turned out gorgeous and I have no doubt you and Grandpa will be successful with this place. But do you really think I won’t ruin business for you?”
“Ruin it how?” Tyse laughed. “Mel, I’m going to run this place how I feel like it. If it doesn’t make someone happy, then they belong somewhere else. I want this to be a family-friendly business, and if you’re interested in any of it, you have every right to be here.”
“But what if it does start affecting things here and—”
“Would you stop?” he laughed again. “Test run, okay? We’ll just see how it feels for you. Got it?”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Yeah, okay.”
“Awesome. So let’s show you around a little better, let you take a look at some of the things you could help me with. Let me know what interests you and we’ll go from there.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
“But I get this little guy,” Tyse added, snatching him from Melanie’s arms. He put him in the air and then lowered Cade’s belly to his mouth. Tyse pretended to munch on him until he got a slobbery giggle come out of him. “Okay big guy,” he said, bringing Cade down to hold him in one arm. “I’m not falling for how cute that is and continue to do it, just to get a pile of drool fall on my face. Let’s show your mommy what’s up.”
Tyse spent an hour walking through the building, explaining the start-to-finish process that was involved the second a musician walks through the door. He could tell Melanie was totally intrigued, taking in every bit of detail that she could. He knew without a doubt she would be a very beneficial addition to the studio, and if all went well, maybe she’d meet a few people she could someday write for like she’d always wanted.
And Cade? He just went with the flow and barely made a peep.
“I’m blown away by how organized you are,” Melanie said as she was getting ready to leave.
“Well I haven’t exactly opened the doors for business yet, but yeah, I’m trying to be as organized as I can for when we do.”
“And you still have a day job at the sports clinic? How do you find the time for all this?”
“No girlfriend,” he smiled honestly. “If there was one more thing on my plate, I’d have to make some changes. But no, seriously, I only sleep about four hours a night. That’s the difference.”
“Hey, me too,” Melanie smiled, kissing her baby as proof. “But don’t be a Jay,” she groaned playfully. “If you meet the right girl, please don’t be an asshole.”
Tyse laughed and shook his head. “I’m hoping I missed that gene from the McCallans.”
“Yeah I think you did,” she laughed in return. “But you certainly didn’t miss getting the cautious gene. Just don’t let it hold you back from opportunities that would be good for you.”
He didn’t have a chance to ask for clarification because Melanie was already headed for the back door with Cade.
After helping her get the baby in the car, Tyse returned to the building. He’d planned on finishing up some small details, but he ended up in one
of the private lounges. It was the room he’d nicknamed the Red Room because…well, it was painted red. Not exactly the most genius name, but it would do.
The Red Room had black leather furniture, a black and red pool table, a small wet bar on one end, and eight guitars that were hung across the opposite wall. There was also a baby grand in another corner—a piano his grandfather had insisted on having—and a drum kit in another. The room was definitely furnished for some casual, comfortable jam sessions or just a nice place to hang out in. It was similar to the second private lounge except the Blue Room was…ta-da! Blue.
Tyse selected a Gibson from the far end and sat down on the couch with it. He’d been playing the guitar since he was fourteen years old, and although a music career had always been an avenue he thought he’d go down sooner, it had never come to that. It had become more of a hobby than anything, and other than playing for fun with a few people now and then, he hadn’t allowed it take him anywhere.
But it didn’t mean he wasn’t good. He’d studied music for years and knew his stuff, but he just didn’t feel like he was meant to be on a stage to perform for people. After getting to know Jay, he realized his half brother was the same way when it came to that kind of attention. Jay could play a guitar pretty well, but he didn’t like playing for an audience either. But Jay had never studied a note in his life, and even though the guy could play almost anything, he couldn’t tell you one note from another. In Tyse’s experience, some of the most talented musicians were the same way.
But you can’t make someone become an entertainer if they didn’t want to be, and Jay had never wanted to be.
Tyse liked playing around with him when they had time together, but he knew Jay’s true passion was working with cars. It was a hobby that Tyse liked as well, but his brother knew a lot more than he did and he was okay with that.
He paused his playing when something caught his attention—a sound out in the lobby. Tyse quietly hung the guitar back on the wall and listened closely as he made his way to the hall. He’d left the door to the Red Room open since no one else was in the building, but obviously that assumption was incorrect when he heard another sound from the reception desk.
There was definitely someone in the lobby. That was the sound of the wheels on the computer chair.
Tyse slowly peeked around the corner and paused. A ponytail of light brown hair spun by as the chair turned, then a face blurred by, and then the ponytail again…
“What the hell are you doing?” he finally asked.
The chair stopped spinning and a familiar young face looked at him with surprise. At first it was initial shock that someone had snuck up on her, but then she raised her eyebrows after recognition set in.
“Alison?” Tyse scoffed with disbelief. “What are you doing in here? And better yet, how did you get in here?” He knew that all the doors were locked, so this was kind of an issue.
She didn’t answer at first—she was actually still staring at him—but she bit her lip and slowly rose from the chair. “Um, I just wanted to see what this place looked like inside…”
Tyse tipped his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “And how did you get in here? Both doors are locked.”
She looked toward the front entrance and said, “Well…that one doesn’t exactly lock all the way.” She faced him again and added, “If you lift up on the door a certain way, you can pull it open. You can shut it the same way, so it looks locked again.”
Tyse raised both eyebrows. “And you know this…how?”
Alison bit the corner of her lip again and shrugged. “ ‘Cause I’ve done it dozens of times,” she admitted slowly. “Before all the remodeling, when it was empty.”
“And why?” he asked, not really sure he wanted to know. Her cheeks blushed and he sighed. “What, to have parties and shit in here? Great,” he mumbled to himself. He walked over to the door to look it over. Sure enough the dead bolt was still out in a locked position, but it wasn’t inserted into the doorframe.
“Maybe just to hang out,” Alison retorted defensively.
“Maybe just to trespass,” Tyse corrected in the same tone.
She rolled her eyes at him and walked across the room. “Well this place had been vacant for a while, so what’s the big deal?”
“Well guess what, it’s not vacant anymore so stay out.”
“You don’t have to be so rude about it. Maybe I just wanted to stop by and say welcome to the neighborhood.”
He eyed her carefully. “Did you know I was in here?”
Her glance to the floor could have meant a couple of things, but she looked at him again and replied, “Maybe I followed you here once.”
Oh God, he groaned to himself. Just like Jay’s teenaged stalker. For some reason he glanced over this girl’s arms, neck, tops of her feet that were bare in flipflops…looking for any sign of his name on her young skin. He didn’t see anything, but then again, he hadn’t told her his name.
“And maybe I just wanted to say I was sorry for the other day,” she added. “You know, for coming on so strong. Or maybe I just came by to tell you about Sarah.”
Tyse came across the lobby and stopped five feet from her. “Who is Sarah?”
Suddenly her expression changed, like she hadn’t meant to say something, and Tyse put it together instantly.
“Aww, that was so nice of you to finally give me her name without having to coerce me into something against my will.”
Alison rolled her eyes again. “Well, I figured it was better to break your little heart earlier than later,” she shrugged.
With a smile Tyse leaned against the reception counter. “Break my heart, huh? Is that a warning that Sarah is a heartbreaker? I mean I can kind of see that about her, even though I only spent less than two minutes with her. But I only wanted to ask her a question about this building. You’re getting ahead of yourself.”
He smiled and walked to the door again. Holding it open he said, “I need to get going, which means so do you. And stop breaking in to my building.”
She smirked on her way by him. “Fine. Just answer one question for me first.”
Tyse didn’t feel like he owed her any answers, but what could it hurt. “Fine. What’s your question?”
With a nod to the hallway she asked, “Was that you playing the guitar?”
After a few beats debating the question, he figured it was innocent enough. “Yeah. Why?”
She shrugged and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Well for one, you’re really amazing. And two…”
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish. “And two?”
“Well I guess it doesn’t really matter since you’re not interested in Sarah in that way,” she smirked at him. “But if you happened to be… Let’s just say that that in there—” she nodded down the hall again—“could definitely improve your chances with her.”
Alison turned on her heel and practically skipped down the sidewalk. She glanced back once more to give him another smug smile, and Tyse shook his head as he re-entered the building.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Chapter Four
Sarah Douglas stood in front of the mirror and blew out a frustrated breath of air. Getting dressed in the mornings was her least favorite part of the day. How one simple little necessity could become such a chore seemed ridiculous, but she quickly threw on a pair of skinny jeans, a gray cami, and a comfortable button-up shirt to go over it.
It was November in southern California. Perfect jeans and t-shirt weather.
Slipping on a pair of sandals, she grabbed her messenger bag, locked up, and headed down the street. Living only a mile from where she worked was a blessing, but the fact that she had to pass the old bakery was sometimes hard. She used to walk a different route, just to avoid passing by it and feeling saddened by memories of her grandmother, but since it had been remodeled, there was nothing familiar about the building at all anymore.
A recording studio. Hmph. Like Los Ange
les needed another one of those. And why on earth would they want one in this quieter area of town? Sure it was within minutes of anything notable, but there were a million other places that seemed more enticing than a building that needed to basically be rebuilt from the ground up. Obviously someone had money in order to do it, but if so, why do it here?
As she passed the new studio, she kept her eyes forward. But just like all the other times she’d come by here since the remodeling, she couldn’t help but glance it over. It really was nice looking, but not in a posh, over-the-top kind of way. Except for the dark tinted glass windows and door on the front, it actually blended in pretty well with the other buildings in the area.
And ever since her short conversation with that guy on the sidewalk the other day, it was hard not to wonder if he was there each time she walked by. Today was no different as she slowed her pace upon passing, but then her insecurity set in and she was afraid of being caught lingering.
Before she could hurry along fast enough, the front door to the business opened. Damn it, she couldn’t see through the tinted glass to know that someone had been there, and she was especially embarrassed because it was the same guy she spoke to the other day.
The same guy with soul-piercing eyes and a voice that would most likely stop her heart if she let him affect it too long.
“Good morning,” he said as he stood in the doorway with it halfway open.
“Hello,” she smiled politely.
She quickly debated whether or not she should keep walking or add something more. He was just standing there, staring at her like he wanted her to strike up a conversation. During that time, she was able to appreciate the slim-fitting t-shirt he was wearing and the tattoo that peeked out from his sleeve. She wondered exactly how far it continued and where it covered. And what other markings he had on his body…
“Are we business neighbors?” he finally asked, tilting his head to the side. It was cute, like he was really intent on hearing anything she said. And his question was also clever. It sounded innocent enough, but she could tell where he was headed with it.
