“Yeah?” That shy smile graces his face again.
“Definitely,” I nod enthusiastically. “I was actually heading backstage to try to catch up with a friend when y’all began your set. I went right up front to check you out.”
“So you were checking me out!” he laughs.
I laugh and finally release his hand to shove his shoulder. “The band! I was checking out the band!”
“Uh huh,” he smirks. It seems Mr. Cocky is making a reappearance. “So, you from around here?”
I laugh again. “Is that another line? What’s next? ‘You come here often?’”
“Not a line,” he says shaking his head, “genuine interest.”
I smile at his honesty. “I’m a Texan, born and raised. Where are you from?”
“North Carolina.”
“Never been. Never been anywhere outside of Texas actually,” I admit.
“Yeah, before this tour I hadn’t left North Carolina.”
“I’m so jealous; I’d love the chance to travel the country.”
One day, I’d love to work for a travel magazine or some place that will allow me to travel around the world and take pictures. Hell, I’d settle for traveling around the U.S. if it meant getting out of Texas for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I love my home state. It’s where I grew up and where my family is. I love everything about it, but I need to spread my wings and fly. I need to get off my Momma and Daddy’s ranch and experience more of what life has to offer. Being in the center of the hustle and bustle of a big city like New York or Chicago would be amazing. The sights and sounds…I want to be where the action is. Dallas scratches my itch a little bit, but it’s not enough anymore. I want more. No, I need more.
“It’s been pretty amazing. New Orleans was unreal.” He smiles devilishly, as though he’s recalling a naughty memory.
“I bet it was,” I raise my eyebrow in question, and he winks. Ugh, I think my panties just melted a little bit.
“What are your plans after the show?” he asks me.
“I’m not really sure. I’m hoping to meet up with someone, so I’ve left my night open for us to hang out.”
He nods. “We’ll be in town a few days, maybe we can get together, and you can show me around?”
I smile. “I’d like that.” I know they’ll be in town a few days because Infrared has family here and likes to hang around with their hometown crowd. I’m giddy at the prospect of seeing Joey again, away from the chaos of the arena. “Gimme your digits,” I tell him, handing him my phone. He enters his number and hands it back. I tap on the screen a few times, and hear his phone ding in his pocket. He pulls it out and grins when he sees the message. Hi, Hot Drummer.
He taps his screen, and then my phone buzzes. I look down and see his message, Hi Sweetness. “Sweetness?” I question, raising an eyebrow. He gets zero points for originality.
He shrugs. “You’re sweet.” I roll my eyes. “I’m not finished,” he says, stepping closer and my breath hitches. “I can tell you’re a sweet person,” he says, smiling softly. It changes to a smirk as he leans forward, bringing his mouth to my ear. My entire body tingles when he inhales. “You smell sweet.” His whisper makes me shiver before he pulls away from me. He lifts his hand to flick the tips of my hair. “This color pink reminds me of cotton candy, and that’s sweet,” he adds playfully. He takes my hand and lifts it to his lips. “And I bet you taste as sweet as cotton candy, too.” My toes curl as he briefly touches the tip of his tongue to the back of my hand, then kisses it softly. “Mmm.”
I’m speechless. And I’m never speechless. My body is humming, my eyes are hooded and my breaths are coming in soft pants. And that’s just from his words and soft touches. I want to drag him to a dark corner and do all sort of crazy things to him. I look at his lips, two, maybe three inches from my face. I want to feel those lips again. I look back to his eyes and know his thoughts echo my own.
“Evie Carson?!” a voice rings out from behind me, breaking me from my Joey-induced haze. I tear my eyes away from him and turn to see Tommy James standing right behind me.
I forget everything else around me and squeal, “Tommy!” I jump into his waiting arms and he spins me around in a circle.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asks, and I’m happy he’s as excited to see me as I am to see him.
“I’m taking pictures for an online paper…the journalist is here somewhere,” I wave my hand, gesturing to the room. “I haven’t seen you in years and jumped on the opportunity.”
“I’m glad you did; it’s been a while.”
“It has. Jason would love to see you,” I tell him.
“Maybe I can catch a ride home from you after we get out of here,” he says, pulling me tightly into his side.
“Definitely,” I smile. Tommy is still as down to earth as he was before he made it big. He’s still the guy who was my fifth big brother growing up.
“Let me do this,” he says, motioning to the fans, “and then we’ll get out of here.”
“Sounds good,” I nod, watching in awe as he walks away, still unable to believe that he’s here in the same room as me after all these years, and that’s he’s a star! He really was like a brother growing up, a staple in our day-to-day life, and I’ve missed having him around. I know my brother, Jason, misses his best friend even more.
I turn around, remembering that Tommy had interrupted my conversation with Joey. But he’s gone. I glance around the meet and greet room, but he and the singer are nowhere to be found. I frown; I guess I’ll just text him if he doesn’t turn back up.
Chapter Four
Joey
I can’t believe Evie is just another Infrared Flamingos’ groupie. She didn’t seem the type. Here to see her friend…right. Why is it that the first girl I have an interest in for something other than sex turns out to be a groupie? And not even for my band! The way she wrapped herself around Tommy, there’s no way she’ll switch teams. I stand to the side and watch her pretty little eyes go all doe-like, and I know what I have to offer is no longer on her table. I turn away from their reunion and go look for Alex.
Sure, when I first saw her from across the room I figured she was only back here for one thing…and I wanted to be the guy to give it to her. But then I talked to her, and in those few moments, she’d completely disarmed me. Up close, her beauty had rendered me silent. All my usual lines flew out the window—a couple flew out of my mouth—and I found myself wanting to actually know her. When I’d talked to her, it was like talking to someone I’d known my whole life. She didn’t have stars in her eyes like the other girls in the room.
I guess now I know why. She has a thing with Tommy, the bassist for Infrared.
Where the hell is Alex?
Just before I slip out the door of the meet and greet room; I hear Tommy tell her “Let me do this, and then we’ll get out of here.” I shake my head and step out. It’s just as well. I catch a ride with some of the crew to the hotel and call it an early night.
***
“What happened to you last night?” Trevor asks me over breakfast the next morning. The hotel has a decent breakfast bar, and the guys are all digging into their bacon and eggs while I stare absently at my full plate. “He got lucky,” Alex snickers.
I shoot him a glare. “Did not.”
His eyes widen. “The little blonde with the pink hair? You had that one in the bag, man.”
I groan. “Her name is Evie. And don’t remind me.”
“What happened?”
“She was there for Tommy,” I say flatly, as I spear a sausage link with my fork.
“Man, those guys have all the luck,” Alex laments. I grunt in response.
“What did you end up doing?” Chase asks.
Why the hell is everyone so interested in me? As a drummer, I’m always in the back, out of the spotlight. No one pays attention to me. Now, all of a sudden, I’m the most interesting one at the table?
“I went to bed.”
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing, man.”
It’s not that unusual that I would just pass out after a show. Granted, it’s a first for this tour, but still. I’ve never been much of a partier. I’d have the occasional drink or two to relax or celebrate something, but I preferred a quiet bunk to an after party any day. Having Alex as a best friend sometimes made that difficult, though.
“So what’s on the agenda for today?” Trevor asks. Before we got our temporary manager for this tour—who we affectionately call “Pompous Thomas”—Trevor kept us all organized. It’s been difficult for him to release that role, so he still tends to keep us in line from time to time. It’s what we’re used to, so it’s no bother.
I think about what I could have been doing today…taking a tour of Dallas with my very own private guide, Evie Carson. I’m not sure why she even offered if she was just going to take off with Tommy last night.
“I was thinking about heading over to Fort Worth, see the Stockyards. They do cattle drives in the middle of the street during the day,” Chase says.
“Sounds cool,” Trevor agrees.
Seeing a bunch of cattle is not normally our idea of a good time, but when we started this tour, we were determined to see and do as much as we could at every stop. We plan to make the most of this tour. I doubt we’ll stop in another state where we can get up close and personal to a longhorn. Do other states even have longhorns?
Plus, Trevor and Alex are making a photo album to share with Ally when she wakes up, so we make sure to include at least some things in our plans that Ally will appreciate. She’ll be so bummed when she wakes up and realizes she missed our first tour, but she’ll be so damned proud of us at the same time. Of course, that’s if she wakes up…it’s been almost four months with no change.
We make plans to reconvene in the lobby in an hour and all head to our rooms to shower. When I get back downstairs, I realize a couple of the guys from Challenge Demands are joining us, Scott and Nick. I think Nick is their drummer, but I can’t be sure. Like I said, we tend to stay in the background and be invisible. I’ve watched them from backstage, but you don’t get the best view from there, either.
We all pile in a taxi van and start the hour trip from our hotel to the Stockyards. About fifteen minutes in, my phone pings with a text. I’m surprised to see it’s from Evie.
Evie: Hey drummer boy, where’d you disappear to last night?
Like she cares. I’m sure she had Tommy to keep her busy all night.
Me: Band stuff.
Evie: Still want that tour?
Part of me wants to say yes. The other part of me says this whole thing is not going to end well, and I should just cut my losses now.
Me: That’s OK. Heading 2 FW with the guys.
Evie: Oh, ok.
Me: Nice 2 meet u Evie.
Evie: So that’s it?
Me: What do u mean?
Evie: I thought we had a connection last night, now you’re just blowing me off?
Whoa! Hold the phone there, lady. I am blowing her off? I’m pretty sure I didn’t abruptly end our conversation by latching on to Mr. Rock Star. Guess Tommy isn’t an invisible drummer.
Me: I’m pretty sure u blew me off Sweetness.
Evie: What are you talking about?
Seriously?
Me: Last night. With Tommy?
Evie: What about Tommy?
Again…seriously?
Me: Pretty sure you forgot I existed once he showed up.
Evie: Hold on, you think I have a thing for Tommy? Or that we’re a thing?
Me: It’s pretty obvious.
Evie: He’s my brother’s best friend. We grew up together. I hadn’t seen him in years. Not that I owe you any explanation, but that’s all there is to it.
Foot, meet mouth.
Evie: His parents still live next door. I gave him a ride home. I’m glad you think so little of me.
Shit.
Me: I’m sorry.
Evie: Whatever, have fun in Fort Worth.
Me: I really am sorry.
Evie: It’s fine. Good luck on the rest of your tour.
Ugh, why am I such a screw up?
Me: Meet us in Fort Worth. At the Stockyards. Please.
Hail Mary.
The passing minutes feel like hours.
Evie: I don’t know. Your friends might think I’m there for the wrong reason. They might think I’m a groupie or something.
I wince. I deserve that.
Me: They won’t think anything. I swear.
Another few minutes pass.
Evie: Meet me in front of the White Elephant at 11:25.
Touchdown!
Me: I’ll be there.
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Alex asks from the third row.
“I’ve got a hot date with one sexy pink-haired pixie.”
“Thought she was with Tommy?” Trevor asks.
“They’re just friends.” Even I think it sounds like a cheap excuse when it comes out of my mouth, but Evie seemed so genuine last night. I have no reason not to believe her. Besides that, the energy that flowed between us—you can’t fake that. She had to have felt it, too.
“Right,” Alex says.
“Apparently they grew up together, neighbors,” I defend. “He’s best friends with her brother.”
“Just be careful, man,” this from Chase. “We’ve got several more months on this tour with Infrared, and if you step on Tommy’s toes, it might not bode well for us.”
Well, damn. Way to just put it all out there Chase. And thanks for placing the weight of our band’s success on my shoulders.
“No pressure, right?” I spit out, only sort of joking.
“I don’t mean anything bad by it. It’s just that we’re only in the area for a few days, but we’re on the tour for months. Don’t shit where you sleep, okay?”
“Got it,” I nod firmly. That’s the downfall of this tour. Sure, I’m having the time of my life, and I’m here with my best friends, but every move we make is interpreted in some way. Everything we do is measured. If the band does well, the label will offer us a record deal. So we have to be on our best behavior, and we have to perform well. Every damn time. Neither are difficult to achieve, but it means we have to really consider every single thing we do. We have to walk the line. If I encroach on Tommy’s territory, it could mean game over for us.
The question is… is Evie worth it?
I don’t know the answer to that yet, but I’d like to find out.
Chapter Five
Evie
I can’t believe Joey thought I was with Tommy. The idea is laughable, though the more I think about it, the more I understand how mine and Tommy’s reunion could have been misconstrued. And I did kind of forget he existed once Tommy showed up. It hadn’t been intentional; I was just so surprised to see Tommy standing in front of me. I wasn’t expecting him to find me before I even realized he was there. He caught me off guard.
I’m still a little bent that he jumped to conclusions the way he did, but I don’t want to have any regrets. There was something about him last night. We only spoke for a few minutes, but it was enough to make me want to know him more. It’s silly, since he’s only in town for a short while, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if.
Not to mention the effect he had on my body with just his words. And the kiss on my hand? Sexy as hell. Joey Adams is a force—a force I want to reckon with.
October in Dallas is still relatively warm in the daytime, but the nights can get a little chilly, so I wear a pair of skinny jeans with a vintage Heart t-shirt. I love my girl rock. I grab a hoodie so I have something for when the sun goes down, but, truthfully, I hope Joey will be keeping me warm. I slip on my pink Chucks and am out the door.
Fort Worth is about an hour and a half drive from Ewe Creek, where my family’s ranch is, aka Middle of Nowhere, Texas. It’s a
bout seventy miles east of Waco, the closest city. Making this long drive for the second time in two days reminds me why I want to get out of here. I love how peaceful it is, but I’m ready for a change. I went to UT for a year, but Austin wasn’t my thing. I’ve always had a passion for photography, so when I landed a few freelance gigs over summer break, I didn’t go back.
My momma calls me her little wildflower. She told me that when I was little, I never could stay in one place too long; I was always checking out new places and wanting to try new things. Much the opposite of my four older brothers. They love life on the ranch, and it’s likely they’ll never leave it.
Our mutual need to see the world is actually what Tommy and me bonded over years ago. I was only eleven when he and his band took off for L.A. He’d gone to follow his dream, and before he left, he’d told me that one day I would do the same. The only difference—the major difference—is that when he left, he was in a successful rock band. I’m just a struggling photographer. I don’t have the same way out that he did. There are no meccas for struggling photographers the way there are for musicians. But I have faith that one day, I’ll catch my big break.
***
I park my car, a beat up, red VW Bug that I love to death, in one of the public lots near the Stockyards. I haven’t been here in a couple years, but it seems not much has changed. I pass the shops selling boots, hats, belts, and other western wear, as well as some other specialty shops. I can’t wait to see Joey in a cowboy hat!
It’s just after eleven, so I have some time. I can’t help but take a few random pictures on my way to the White Elephant Saloon. They’re getting ready to do the cattle drive, so I’m able to snap a few shots of the horses and cattle, and the occasional shot of a photogenic tourist.
As I turn the corner, I see Joey up ahead with the lead singer of his band, Alex, who I recognize from the show. I stop and lift my camera. Candid shots are the best shots. I take a moment to just watch the two of them together. They’re so carefree, so comfortable with one another. It’s like they’re brothers. I know they’re not, because Alex and the bassist, Trevor, are the siblings in the band. Thank you, Google.
Wildflowers (JACT 2.5) Page 2
