The Bass

by Moira Callahan

  “So he’s not going to nail you with a penalty then?” Shade wanted to be clear on this point.

  “No. The sale, if he proceeds, won’t go through immediately. But he has someone who needs a place for only a few months while they renovate their house. Looks like the universe is covering all the bases.” She looked away for a moment when her doorbell sounded, and frowned. “Hold on, babe. Someone’s at the door.”

  “I’ll be here,” he assured her.

  Shade changed position on the bed, and got more comfortable while he listened to the mildly distorted voices in the background. A knock at his door had him looking up. “Yeah?” he called out.

  Chase appeared around the door. “Food will be up here in ten,” he said. Then he looked to the laptop Shade had balanced on his lap. “Talking to your girl?”

  “I was, she’s answering the door. I’ll be out when I’m done.”

  “Right,” Chase drawled with a smirk, and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Say hi to her from the gang.”

  Pointing to the door, Shade waited with his arm out until the other man left with a laugh before he returned his attention to the screen. Some days he truly wondered about that guy.

  Cateline returned to view a minute later with a large bouquet in hand. “Why are you sending me flowers, you goof?”

  Since she couldn’t hide her pleasure in the flowers, Shade didn’t take her question seriously. “I knew you were holed up in your place packing, and I wanted you to have something pretty to look at. I figured the blossoms’ lovely scent might make the act less dreary for you.”

  “You’re lucky I love you, Shade Benson, or I’d have to lecture you severely for this ridiculous expense.”

  “It’s a pittance to show my girl I’m thinking about her while we’re apart. Dinner is about to arrive which means I’m going to have to let you go. We’ll talk tomorrow. And remember, call Dennis when you’re ready to start moving more than a few things over. They have a vehicle to handle it all.”

  “I know, I know. His number is in my phone, and I’ve already conversed with him once about this. He’s mostly aware about what’s to come.”

  Shade had talked to the man as well. The band had flown Dennis back home specifically to help with Cateline’s move, not that she needed to know that. She had been told he’d gone home for some family time, not a lie, but not the entire truth. Shade knew she’d flip out on him if she realized they were all looking out for her well-being while half a world away.

  “I love you, kitten.”

  “I love you too, babe. Go, eat, and get some rest. You look exhausted,” she said reaching out like she could touch him.

  Lifting his own hand he smiled. “All in the name of rock and roll, Cat.” He made some noisy kissing sounds, and when she broke out in laughter, he closed down the program. Holding tight to the sound he set the laptop aside, and let his head fall to rest against the headboard.

  He couldn’t wait to see her again, and hold her in his arms. The calls were great, but only up to a point. Then the frustration with the distance set in. He only needed to be patient a little longer. She had another couple weeks at the office to finish the training the new hire, and then she’d be flying out to meet the band.

  Then would come the real test of their commitment to one another. In a high stress environment, no less. Shade had faith in them both. Neither he nor Cat were the type to bottle shit up, and let it explode unexpectedly. They talked about practically everything.

  Although he was pretty sure there was something Cat had on her mind she’d yet to share. What it might be, Shade couldn’t begin to try guessing at. When she came out he’d give her a couple days to settle in, and then try and get her to talk to him. He didn’t want anything between them that could cause problems. Who knew, maybe it had nothing to do with him.

  Snorting he pushed off the bed, and made his way out to join the other guys for dinner. Cat was never hesitant to tell him things unless it had to do with him. Then she was always a bit hesitant, and occasionally needed a little encouragement to share with him. Not that he minded the task to tempt Cat to talk with him. It was always an endeavour he quite enjoyed.

  He accepted the plate Lance held out to him, and settled into a chair at the large dining table they had in the suite. Mark handed out beers before taking his own spot, and while they all dug in to the first bites there was blessed quiet. Not that it would last long, he knew.

  “How’s Cateline?” Jeremy asked when they were all finishing up.

  “Good, busy,” he supplied. “She’s packing currently. Apparently she’s discovered how many useless items she’d collected over the years in L.A.”

  “Happens to most people at some point,” Jennifer put in. Lance’s girl grinned at him when Shade looked her way. “I think I threw out half my apartment when I packed up to move in with Lance. The longer you are in the place the more crap you accumulate. Between gifts, and things you buy because they look cool, and then random shit that mysteriously moves in with you without your notice. It was unreal what I had go into the garbage bins by the time I managed to get everything split out for the keep, and toss piles. Then I went back through my keep piles once more to whittle it down further.”

  “It was still a good amount,” Lance said from the seat next to her.

  “Yeah, it was. Between clothing, books, shoes, and mementos you can’t seem to part with, it all adds up. I also lived in my place for sixteen years. Cateline’s only been at her place for what, two or three years?”

  Shade nodded in answer since him mouth was currently full.

  “She’ll still have some things to ditch, but that’s barely a blip in time for collecting,” Jen said.

  “You’re not worried about her moving in with you are you?” Jeremy asked.

  Wiping his mouth Shade frowned over at him. “Hell no. I’m happy she’s moving in, and happier still that she’ll be joining up with us in a couple weeks. I suppose I’m mainly worried about the stress that comes with being on the road. She plans on taking some time off, and enjoying the whole thing before looking at finding herself something to keep herself busy. But this isn’t exactly what I’d call a great atmosphere for relationships.” He looked to Lance, and Jen. “No offence.”

  “None taken,” Jen said.

  “No secrets,” Lance told him. “I think that’s the biggest thing to surviving in the fishbowl lifestyle we have. There will always be lies, or fabrications in the media. Christine can do a lot, but she can’t stop them no matter how well she pulls off the cape and tights look. But if you are completely open with her, you’ll get over the hurdles and bumps life throws your way.”

  Sound advice from the drummer, Shade had to admit. And something he, and Cat were already practicing. Now if he could get her to reveal whatever had been on her mind recently they would be going into their new life together with a clean slate.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Good morning passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are twenty minutes out from our arrival at Auckland International. Now is the time to bring your seat backs into an upright position, tuck away those trays, and ensure you have passed off any trash to the flight attendant coming around now. The temperature on the ground at this early hour is a mere fifty-two degrees with a high predicted to be around sixty-eight. We have a gentle breeze from the east coming in at two miles with gusts up to five miles an hour, absolutely nothing to worry about on that front. The crew and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing to fly with us today, and hope you have enjoyed the trip. Should you have any questions about connections, the nearest restroom, or anything else that might come to mind, please feel free to ask anyone in the cabin crew.”

  Rubbing a hand over her face, Cateline groaned. Her body was sorely confused by the many time zones she’d gone through during the flight into New Zealand. Hell, she didn’t have a clue to what time it might be, let alone what day it was. Not exactly the biggest concern she had to deal
with currently.

  After getting her seat upright again, she stretched the best she could manage. Economy might be a marginally smaller ding on the wallet but it didn’t give one much for elbow room. Leaning forward, she attempted to work out the kink in her lower back. Good God she needed a massage.

  Sensible footwear appeared on her left, and had Cat flopping back in her seat. “Anything you need to toss out?” the flight attendant asked with a cheerful smile.

  “Uh, no, thank you,” she said. People should not be allowed to be that perky after a flight like theirs. And all while still looking perfectly coiffed. Cat knew her own hair likely had its rat nest thing going on. Hopefully she didn’t terrify the customs people too badly. Although in their job they’d likely seen much worse than any do she was currently sporting.

  With that cheerful thought in mind, Cat dug out a face towelette to get rid of any drool residue, and maybe perk herself up a smidge. Then after a quick finger comb through her tresses, she twisted it up off her neck. Figuring she’d done the best she could, Cat settled back to wait for their landing. She only hoped Shade was at the airport to greet her. Christine would blow a gasket, but if there was a way to make it happen, her man would do it.

  ****

  Slugging her way through an unfamiliar airport at an hour Cat could barely comprehend with her uncooperative luggage had not been how she’d pictured seeing Shade again. On the other hand, she couldn’t find him either, or anyone who might be meeting her. She was tired, cranky, and felt icky after her flight. This was not how shit was supposed to go down.

  “Hello kitten,” a familiar, rough voice said behind her.

  Without a second’s hesitation, Cat let her luggage go, dropped her purse, and spun to jump into his waiting arms. Wrapping her own around his neck, she accepted the hard kiss Shade laid on her.

  When she pulled back to rest her forehead against his, Cat felt a lot better. “Hi, babe.”

  “Damn, I missed you, Cat.”

  “The feeling is completely mutual, Shade.” Giving him kisses, she wiggled from his arms to grab up her stuff again. “I didn’t think you’d be able to come meet me,” she said.

  “I was not planning on missing out on that welcome.” Shade took the luggage handle from her, and hooked his free arm around her waist. “How was the flight?”

  “Long but uneventful. I couldn’t sleep worth a damn, though. Some guy a couple rows behind me was on his phone off and on the entire trip. By the time I started to doze off when he gave it a break, he’d end up back on it. I was pretty close to not caring if they hauled me off the plane in handcuffs by hour four because I was more than ready to stuff that phone somewhere he’d need help to retrieve it.”

  “You do get a little testy without your sleep. That is okay. I have us a suite all to ourselves, and you have the entire day to sleep. And the added bonus is there is no concert tonight. Now there is a rugby game the others have tickets to go see. If you’re interested, there are tickets for us as well.”

  Cat thought about it while they threaded through the other sleep-deprived passengers, either arriving to catch a flight, or recently having stepped off one. “I know next to nothing about rugby except for a few random terms I’ve heard over the years.”

  “Doesn’t matter, I know dick all about it, too. Chase and Mark like to catch a game whenever we’re here, and we usually go along to help cheer for whomever they are cheering for. They’ve tried to instruct us on the basics, but it’s usually at an hour where we’re not all clicking up in the old brains. It’s never stuck in other words.”

  She let that turn over in her head until they made it to the car. Looking at him after he finished stashing her bag, Cat put a hand on his chest. “I think I’d prefer to stay in tonight, Shade. If you want to go with them, be my guest. I swear I don’t mind, babe. But I don’t think what sleep I did manage to get on the plane is going to be enough to make me ready for socializing.”

  Covering her hand with his, Shade rested the other against the car, and leaned in closer to her. “I am more than fine with staying in with my girl. I’ve fucking missed you, kitten. Let the gang go yell at sweaty men in little shorts bodily throwing themselves around. We will stay in, and find our own entertainment.”

  Cat decided to have a little fun with him. “They wear little shorts?” she asked innocently.

  Shade slowly nodded, his entire body language suggesting he might be expecting a trap. One she was all too willing to set off.

  “Hmm, maybe I need to reconsider this,” she said. “I’m sure they occasionally pull a shirt off too.”

  “No, hell no,” Shade said. Then he pinned her with a hard look. “You little minx. You are messing with me.”

  “Me? I would never dare to mess with you, sweetheart.”

  “Get in the car, woman. I cannot believe this,” he muttered. She could see his lips still moving when he rounded the car’s hood. Sliding in next to her, he shot her a dirty look. “What the hell am I going to do with you, woman?”

  “Well, if I have to help you there, babe, we may have bigger issues to deal with.”

  A horn honking behind them saved her from whatever he might have said. For nearly the entire ride, Cateline had her nose pressed to the window. Over and over she’d exclaim at the scenery, or something she spotted that was unlike back home. Reaching the hotel, she felt like her second wind had kicked in. Not all bad since she knew from Shade’s one comment that the band was waiting for them to join them before starting breakfast. She was actually quite excited to see them all. While she still didn’t know them all on a deep personal level yet, they were Shade’s closest friends, and maybe one day hers, too.

  Cat followed him into the elevator, and took the key card he handed to her. She knew the band booked off a full floor or presidential suite in each hotel. And only stayed in hotels where a floor could be blocked completely from public access. Thus the key card. She would need it to get up to the floor should she need to run out for any reason.

  A security guard was waiting outside the elevator doors on their floor. Shade introduced her to him, and the guy took her picture with the intention to pass it around to the others on the security team. While she had a key card for the elevator, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t get stopped by security until they started to know who she was on sight.

  “Couldn’t he have waited until I didn’t look like I crawled from the wheel well of the airplane for God’s sake?”

  “You look perfect,” Shade said.

  Snorting at that, Cat glared in his direction while he opened the door to their suite. “You are fucking biased.”

  He gave her a smug look and waved her inside. “No, I am being honest.”

  Cat decided ignoring him was the best thing to do. She could hear voices from somewhere in the room, and leaving her purse and coat in the entryway, she followed them to what turned out to be a sunny corner room.

  Chase and Mark were facing her when she came in. Both glanced at her, then shared a look, and then proceeded to let out frightened yelps. “It’s alive!” Mark said pointing a shaking finger her way.

  “Oh hell no, put it back, put it back,” Chase chimed in.

  Cat threw a look over her shoulder. “I thought you said it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Fucking assholes,” Shade said at her back. “It’s not, they are being jerks. They likely were eavesdropping near the door, and decided to put in their two cents. For which I will kill them later.”

  “Wait until after the tour,” Jeremy said. He was sitting at the table flipping through a paper. “That way we’ll have time to find replacements.”

  “Where is the love, bro?” Chase asked him. He tried admirably to portray a wounded look, but failed miserably given the mirth he couldn’t quite tamp down. Coming around the table, he gave her a smothering hug. “We were only yanking your chain, pipsqueak. You look remarkably perky given that long-ass flight you were on. But I’m betting you could do with some coffee about now. Am I ri
ght? Huh, am I?”

  “Make it strong, and creamy. I might forgive you if it’s in a big enough cup,” she told him. Shoving him away, she turned a look on Mark who had the grace to look mildly sheepish. He walked to her and gave her a gentle hug. “Sorry,” he muttered next to her ear. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Cat patted his back, and let out a sigh when he stepped back. “I’m pretty sure I know exactly whose brilliant plan it was.” Everyone pointed a finger at Chase who stood there looking stunned. “Yeah, I figured. You are forgiven.”

  Mark smiled down at her, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “But do it again and you’d better damn well sleep with one eye open,” she warned him.

  When he looked dutifully terrified, Cat collected her mug from Chase. “That goes double for you, bub.” Poking him in the chest, she went over to join the others at the table. Since she could, and because she needed to feel his arms around her, Cat settled into Shade’s lap. It wouldn’t be conducive to eating, but she’d worry about that after she had enough caffeine in her system to stay awake long enough to eat.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Shade smelled the coffee before the curtains parted to show a sleep-tousled Cat wrapped in fuzzy hotel bathrobe. Resting his hand over the strings on his acoustic guitar, he watched her curl up in the spare chair on the protected balcony. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  She gave a wide yawn before smiling at him. “No,” she said softly. “It was nice to wake up hearing you playing. I didn’t recognize it, is it new?”

  “Yup. Something I’ve been mucking around with for a few weeks now. I needed something to do when boredom struck while on tour without you.” Not that he hadn’t gone out with the guys from time to time, he had. But it wasn’t the same when a guy had a girl to call his own. Shade had never been one to go full on unruly while on tour, but he also couldn’t claim that he hadn’t had a wild time or three either. Since connecting with Cateline again it had practically died right down.