Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

by Raine Thomas

  It had occurred to her as she mentally replayed the trailer that the footage of her making out with Dane in the back of the car had been shot from a neighboring vehicle. The quality hadn’t been nearly the same as the rest of the trailer clips. In thinking back about it, Lily hadn’t recalled seeing cameras in the chartered vehicles until after that make-out session.

  She didn’t have to be a high-level investigative reporter to reason out who had shot the footage and shared it with Elijah. Regina clearly had it out for her.

  Rather than just piss Lily off, that knowledge had gotten her creative wheels turning. If Regina could use one clip to help build a storyline, Lily could only imagine what she could do for House of Archer by crafting storylines of her own. She had an entire rock band at her disposal, after all.

  A glimmer of interest had moved in to overtake her distaste for drama. That had left her to deal with Brandon’s accusations that Dane had brought her along on the tour to gather content for the show, a betrayal she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forgive. It took reminding herself that Brandon had been the messenger to realize it was probably another lie. She had only needed to hear Dane say it.

  She hadn’t ever doubted his love for her. She had doubted that he would put her first when it came to the show and his career.

  Well, she could safely say that was no longer a concern. He had more than proven otherwise.

  “Yep,” Dane replied to the reporter now, his arm around Lily’s shoulders. “We wanted to wait until after the trailer was released to make a statement to the media.”

  He didn’t have to add that this group of reporters wasn’t the first to learn the news about their relationship. He had kept his promise to freelance reporter, Camilla Ramsey, who had scooped the story the night before. Everyone in the room already knew it.

  “How long have you two been an item?” the same reporter, a man named Adam Noble from US Weekly, asked before anyone else could speak.

  “Not long,” Lily replied. “You’ll learn more about how all of this happened when you see the House of Archer premiere next month.”

  Dane gave her shoulder a little squeeze and she knew he appreciated her plugging the show. She hid a smile and looked at the next reporter who spoke.

  “Elizabeth Stufflebean with TV Guide,” she said. “Lily, you’re Archer’s first serious relationship. “How’d you snag him?”

  Lily grinned and tilted her head to look at him. “I think I wore him down after our eight years as friends.”

  “You’re such a romantic,” Dane said dryly.

  The crowd laughed. When Dane winked at her, Lily’s heart danced in her chest. She was amazed at how wonderful it felt to share her love for him with the world.

  “Wesley Cook with The Hollywood Reporter,” a male piped up. “Can we talk about what we saw in the trailer? Do you really have that much influence on The Void, Lily?”

  “Yes, she does,” Dane answered for her. “She’s been a part of the band as long as I have. Lily has played a huge part in our success.”

  Lily squeezed his knee under the table, appreciating the words. Both Dane and the band had spent a lot of time since the trailer released doing what they could to convince her how much she meant to all of them. There was no doubt left in her mind, and nothing Elijah aired in the future would change that.

  She had also gotten so much support on social media that her concerns about not having any reputation left were greatly reduced. It seemed her career as The Void’s social media manager was secure, at the very least.

  Still, she knew what these reporters wanted to hear.

  “I’ve got Archer’s heart,” she said, reaching up and taking his hand where it rested over her shoulder. “I’d say I have plenty of influence.”

  The crowd noise rose at that. She saw Dane’s lips twitch. He knew what she was doing.

  She had decided to embrace the controversial role set for her on the show, knowing it was a sure way to get people addicted to House of Archer. Viewers would be dying to know whether she would ultimately be Dane’s downfall.

  She had promised to help make the show a success and she was going to keep it. Love her or hate her, she was going to be the one everyone wanted to watch.

  “Tess Orman, People. You have Archer’s heart,” she quoted Lily. “Does that mean there will be wedding bells in the future?”

  “You’ll have to watch and see,” Lily evaded, enjoying the murmurs her statement caused.

  Oh, yes...this would be fun.

  “You two are causing quite a buzz,” Adam Noble said. “Ratings on Slant went through the roof and the trailer is already nearing a million views on YouTube. Do you think this is indicative of how House of Archer will do when it hits the air?”

  Lily was still staggered over the response the trailer was getting. Her first move once she left the park was to reach out to Rick Kingston. She had wanted to warn him about his “role” in the trailer in case he needed to do anything with his PR people. She had felt horrible for unexpectedly dragging him into it.

  Rather than worry about being in the trailer, Rick had taken the lead in promoting it. It was largely through him, Jenny, and the following that Lily had managed to build in her first week as The Void’s social media manager that they had gotten the trailer to go viral. The pressure was on to produce even more compelling footage so they could meet the show’s strenuous deadlines, but Lily felt up to the challenge.

  If she was going to be in the spotlight, she might as well do it spectacularly.

  “We certainly hope so,” she replied to Adam.

  Another reporter got to her feet to be heard over everyone else. “Kathy Augustine, Variety. To many of the viewers out there, you two are living a fairytale. If we were going to describe your love story, how would it end?” she prompted. “And they lived...?”

  Lily looked at Dane and smiled. “In imperfect harmony.”

  - TO BE CONTINUED...SO STAY TUNED! -

  Continue reading for a scene from the next episode of House of Archer: Unsteady Rhythm.

  Unsteady Rhythm

  Chapter 1

  “You’re doing great, Nikki,” Sydney said, both speaking and signing the words in American Sign Language. “You’ve got the alphabet down pretty well.”

  They were sitting on The Void’s tour bus awaiting the return of the band from the press conference that their manager, Christopher Donahue, had arranged in response to the release of the first House of Archer trailer. Sydney had spent the past thirty minutes helping Nikki brush up on her ASL. She hadn’t been sure Nikki would take her up on her offer to teach her. She had mentioned it several times over the past week, since she and Nikki often had down-time together while the band fulfilled their various commitments. Up until now, Nikki had blown her off. Then earlier that day she had asked Sydney if her offer still stood.

  Sydney had been surprised, but had immediately said yes. She was always eager to teach people new things. It was what she did for a living, after all.

  She had started by getting a baseline of Nikki’s knowledge of ASL to gauge where to begin their lesson. With Sydney’s guidance, Nikki had completed a rather slow run-through of the alphabet. They were now at the point where Nikki was signing all twenty-six letters relatively fluidly. So Sydney wasn’t sure why Nikki looked frustrated after she praised her.

  “The alphabet won’t really help me,” Nikki complained. “I’ve seen Keith signing to his sister on their video chats. He doesn’t use letters much.”

  Keith Connors was Nikki’s boyfriend and The Void’s bassist and backing vocalist. His sister, Lex, was hearing impaired, so Keith, of course, communicated with her by signing. That was why Nikki was trying to learn it herself.

  “It will help, trust me,” Sydney said patiently. “Just by knowing the alphabet, you can communicate effectively with ASL. Have you learned any other signs yet?”

  Nikki shrugged. “I’ve learned ‘How are you,’ ‘I’m fine,’ ‘What’s your name,’ and
‘Thank you,’” she said while signing.

  “That’s a good start,” Sydney said, though she privately wondered how Nikki had learned so little if her boyfriend was fluent in ASL and communicated with his sister every day. “A couple of tips before we move on. It can be hard for someone to understand what you’re saying if your hands and arms move too much, so try to keep your movements more focused and deliberate.”

  Nikki made a face that conveyed irritation. Sydney had noticed that the other woman didn’t like to sit still, so she guessed her tip had hit a nerve. That didn’t change the facts.

  “Also,” Sydney continued, “it’s considered shouting or emphasizing if you push your hands out towards someone while signing. So it’s important to keep your hands closer to your body. Like this.” She ran through the phrases Nikki had just shared. “Do you see the difference?”

  Again, Nikki shrugged. The action looked abrupt and resentful. It was clear she didn’t accept instruction well.

  No matter. Sydney worked with students with special needs. She was used to resistance. There were always ways around that.

  “So are there any particular phrases you’d like to learn?” Sydney asked.

  Nikki’s eyes shifted to her and sharpened with a look Sydney couldn’t interpret. “Yeah. How about ‘I want to blow you?’”

  The crude words were surely meant to jar Sydney, but she showed no reaction. She just stared at Nikki in the calm way she had perfected with her students...a look she had learned from her mother. Within a minute, Nikki was averting her gaze and squirming in her seat.

  “What does it matter anyway?” Nikki blurted. “It’s not like Keith will ever introduce me to his sister. Learning this is a waste of my time.”

  Ah ha, Sydney thought. Finally, a breakthrough. This was why Nikki hadn’t bothered to learn more ASL than she had. The other woman’s unhappiness was clear, even if masked in anger and impatience.

  “Why do you feel that way?” Sydney asked.

  Nikki’s gaze was intent on her hands as she fiddled with the numerous thin bracelets lining her wrists. She gave another of her shrugs. “Keith hardly talks about Lex with me. Whenever I bring her up, he changes the subject. I know we haven’t been exclusive for very long, but I’ve known him for a couple of years. Shouldn’t he be including me more in that part of his life?”

  Yes, Sydney thought. He should.

  Lex was the center of Keith’s life. Sydney had gotten to know the sweet girl through her best friend, Lily, who had brought Sydney along to a number of visits with Lex over the past few years to assist with signing as Lily was learning ASL. Sydney knew that Keith doted on Lex and that he was just as important to her. The twelve-year-old worshipped the ground he walked on.

  Sydney supposed that was how she first started to fall in love with him.

  She had come along on this summer tour to support Lily and to try and expand her admittedly narrow horizons. Secretly, though, she had also come along to try and do something about the unhealthy obsession she had developed for the sullen bassist. She was certain that she had built him up to some godlike status because of Lex’s towering love for him. And how could she not have a soft spot for a guy who loved his little sister as much as Keith did?

  But Keith Connors was everything Sydney had been raised to avoid. First, he was a recovering addict with an unstable past. He was also tattooed, foul-mouthed, aggressive, and more than a little dangerous.

  She had been certain that meeting him would squash what she told herself was a harmless crush. Instead, he had pinned her with his cool blue eyes and she had instantly felt the connection like a missing piece of her soul snapping into place. It was unexplainable, baffling, and the opposite of what she had hoped and expected. It was also completely inappropriate seeing as Keith was in a relationship with Nikki.

  A very small, catty part of Sydney wanted to rejoice that Keith hadn’t yet introduced Nikki to Lex. That part of her brought the heat of shame to her cheeks now as she saw Nikki’s miserable expression.

  “Well, maybe you should consider doing something for Lex,” Sydney hesitantly suggested. “Don’t you think Keith would appreciate that?”

  “How the hell can I do that if I’ve never met the kid and Keith never talks about her?”

  Sydney desperately wanted to drop the subject. She wanted Nikki to give up on trying to win Keith over. She wanted Keith to lose interest in her and break up with her, then realize how much he loved Sydney.

  And because those thoughts weren’t only absurd but revoltingly sinful, she said, “Lex loves crafts. She enjoys seeing something come together that she creates herself. You should look for kits for kids between the ages of six and eight, especially kits with colorful beads.”

  Nikki stopped fidgeting and gave Sydney a considering look. “How do you know that?”

  “Through Lily. I’ve been out to visit Lex with her a few times to help with signing and I noticed Lex’s craft projects.”

  She didn’t explain that she was in touch with Lex and Lex’s teacher nearly as frequently as Keith was. Not even Lily knew that. She was sure Nikki wouldn’t appreciate it.

  Oddly, Nikki showed no reaction to Sydney’s explanation. She just studied Sydney in silence.

  Her behavior puzzled Sydney. Didn’t she want help connecting with Lex?

  “I wouldn’t even know where to begin with something like that,” Nikki said eventually. “Crafting really isn’t my thing.”

  Nibbling on her bottom lip, Sydney glanced across the bus at the bags she had placed on the small couch after she boarded. She and her other best friend, Aria Simpson, had gone shopping that morning and Sydney had carried her bags onto the bus with her to make room in the SUV for the other items Aria was bound to pick up on her continued spree. In those bags were several gifts for Lex.

  She wrestled with herself. Why should she help Nikki? It wasn’t her job to foster Nikki’s relationship with Keith. All Sydney would get for it was another scar on her heart.

  But Nikki seemed to be making Keith happy and she was reaching out for help, which Sydney knew wasn’t easy for her. And the gifts Sydney had gotten for Lex would please the child no matter who gave them to her.

  She heard her mother in her head lecturing her about her Christian duty. Issuing a small sigh, she slid out from the banquette seat she was on and stepped over to the couch.

  “She also loves Donatello,” she said, riffling through the bags.

  “Who?”

  “Donatello,” Sydney repeated, pulling out the Donatello T-shirt she had bought and discreetly removing the price tag. “You know, from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? He’s the smart one who does all of the tinkering...” She trailed off when she looked up and noticed Nikki’s expression. “Um, well, anyway, you can give her this T-shirt. I’m sure she’ll love it. You can say Lily gave you the idea or something. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  Nikki slowly rose from her seat, her gaze not moving from Sydney’s. “You bought that for Lex?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Sydney said, perplexed over Nikki’s lack of reaction.

  “And you happened to know her size?”

  Sydney finally clued into the ominous tone underlying Nikki’s words. Belatedly she realized that Nikki wasn’t looking at Sydney’s offer the way she had intended.

  Nikki’s cell phone rang, saving Sydney from replying. She watched as Nikki pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered it, her eyes still steady on Sydney’s face.

  “Hey, hon,” Nikki said in an upbeat tone that belied the steel in her eyes. “Yeah? That’s great. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  When Nikki disconnected the call, Sydney hoped to change the subject by saying, “The press conference is over?”

  “Yep,” Nikki replied without inflection, putting her phone back into her pocket. She reached out and took the T-shirt from Sydney’s hands. “Thanks for this. I’m sure you’re right that it will help set the right tone with Keith.”

  Th
ough there was little sincerity in Nikki’s words, Sydney attempted a smile. “Sure.”

  “Actually,” Nikki said, walking down the bus’s aisle to a small storage locker and stashing the T-shirt inside it, “there is a phrase I’d like to learn since we have another couple minutes.”

  “Of course,” Sydney said, relieved that they had moved past the awkward moment.

  Returning back to the front of the bus, Nikki asked, “How do you sign ‘I love you’?”

  The request squeezed Sydney’s heart. She got the sense from Nikki’s expression that it was exactly the reaction she had been aiming for. Forcing herself to regroup, Sydney stood a little straighter and plastered a nonchalant look on her face.

  “No problem,” she said. “Just combine the letters I, L, and Y like this.” She lowered her two middle fingers and gave her hand a little wave to demonstrate.

  “Ah.” Nikki held her hand up and mimicked the gesture. “Is this right?”

  Sydney nodded.

  “Great, thanks. I can’t wait to sign it to Keith,” Nikki said in silky tones.

  She held Sydney’s gaze for another beat before turning and walking to the bus’s door with a sway of her hips. Sydney waited until Nikki had exited the bus before lowering herself back onto the banquette seat and dropping her head into her hands.

  Pain waged a war with guilt in her chest. She hated the seething jealousy she felt towards Nikki. It wasn’t like Sydney could actually enter into a relationship with Keith even if he was single. Her family would all have one massive coronary. It really didn’t matter whether it was Nikki or some other woman who held Keith’s affection. Sydney should just be happy that he was happy.

  So why couldn’t her head and her heart get on the same page?

  She couldn’t ever remember feeling this wretched. She was seriously wondering if she was going to be able to survive almost two more months of watching Keith with Nikki. If it wasn’t for Lily, she would have fled back home days ago. But she knew Lily needed her support now more than ever after the House of Archer trailer had painted her in such a harsh light. The trailer was going to bring Lily all kinds of unwanted attention, never mind the press conference that just confirmed Lily’s romance with The Void’s much-coveted front man, Archer.