by Hadley Quinn
He smiled at her, and no joke, she probably needed to change her panties.
“You guys are really living on the edge tonight,” Kellie told them all.
“That’s how we roll,” Teague shrugged. “We risk our lives for our women on a daily basis.”
Kellie, Camryn, Melanie, and Rayne all laughed, and while Camryn said something in response like “And how many women do you think you have?” Ali gripped Sarah’s arm again.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered, realization setting in. “Is that—?”
“No, it’s not,” Sarah answered automatically. “That’s his brother, Teague.”
“I know!” Ali squealed quietly. “I know who he is! He’s a McCallan, the stunt actor! Who did you think I thought he was?”
“Um…” She certainly didn’t feel like saying Max’s name, but she was aware that some people recognized Teague as a McCallan but often mixed him up with his brother.
“And that’s Jay McCallan,” Ali nodded with her head. “They’re cousins.”
“I know,” Sarah replied automatically again.
“You don’t follow celebrities,” Ali accused her. “How do you know who they are?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” Sarah retorted back defensively.
“Uh, everyone except you,” Ali lightly laughed. But her light humor went silent for a moment when she noticed that Tyse was headed their way. “Does he hang out with them?” Ali whispered.
“Now who doesn’t know her celebrity families,” Sarah stated just as quietly. “He’s a McCallan, too.”
Ali gasped as she continued to stare at him before she said, “Holy shit, you’re right. He’s… No way, he’s the one that just came back or something… What the hell, why didn’t I know that?”
Tyse stopped in front of them, still smiling as he looked from one of them to the other. “So how do you two know each other?” he asked matter-of-factly as he sat down across from them.
“And how do you two know each other?” Sarah countered, motioning between Ali and Tyse.
“How do you two know each other?” Ali asked, referring to him and Sarah.
Tyse laughed and answered Sarah’s inquiry first. “The first day I met Alison,” he pointed to Ali, “was after the first time I saw you.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows.
“After you left,” he continued, “I headed down the street to talk to you again. I thought I entered the right business but I went into the diner instead of the flower shop. I asked the lady there about the girl that had just come in and… Well, she mistakenly thought I meant her,” he jutted a thumb to Alison.
Ali’s lower lip pouted in protest but she didn’t say anything.
“I told you I was looking for someone else,” Tyse told her with a kind smile. “You knew who I was talking about and you refused to fill me in.”
Sarah waited for a reaction from Alison but all she gave was an embarrassed shrug.
“And?” Sarah asked him. “What else? What other times have you guys been around each other?” Ali had mentioned she’d talked to Tyse “tons of times”… She wanted to know exactly what that meant.
“Just the time she stopped by my recording studio,” Tyse told her. “I haven’t seen her since.”
He looked at Ali and she gave him what seemed like an embarrassed smile. “I’ve been busy,” she said sweetly. “And is your name Tyse? I didn’t even know that you…um, well I—”
“So what are you guys doing here?” Sarah interrupted. If Ali was going to say she didn’t even know he was a McCallan, she needed to shut her up. This was going to be even more awkward than before.
“Oh, these two dumbasses hoped they’d cause a scene,” he smiled, referring to Teague and Jay. “I just come along to keep them out of jail.”
Sarah couldn’t help smiling but Alison laughed and asked, “What kind of scene?”
“He’s joking,” Sarah told her, even though she knew he wasn’t. She just didn’t need Ali gossiping about more than she needed to.
“Can I please please please meet your cousin?” Ali suddenly asked Tyse, hands clasped together in begging mode.
Tyse raised an eyebrow and glanced behind him. “Teague?” he asked, seeming to clarify.
“Yes!”
Ali was grinning so hard, Sarah never knew she had such a big smile. But apparently Teague was a big deal to her, which Sarah never knew either. She knew that Ali was interested in that kind of celebrity stuff, which is why she’d never told the girl who her dad was. She would have questioned Sarah endlessly about all the musicians she’d met in her life.
But Tyse did introduce both of them to Teague and Jay, and Ali was obviously star struck.
“She reminds me of myself when I was her age,” Melanie said, stepping next to Sarah. “Hot guys in the area and I was all for it.”
“Yeah, me too at that age,” Kellie agreed.
But Sarah wished Alison wasn’t that way because she worried about her future. She didn’t want her to sell herself short to the wrong people. But that was probably a lost cause. Everyone suffered from a broken heart at some point, didn’t they?
She looked at Tyse, speaking with Rayne and Kellie. Could he be a heartbreaker like she feared? She never wanted to find out, and didn’t know if she was willing to take the risk.
A crowd had formed nearby. People were standing around, inching closer to their group. Several people were also pointing out the McCallans to those wondering what everyone was looking at, and then those people reacted with obvious signs of recognition, too. There were even phones out, taking pictures. Or video. Or both.
“Well thanks for ruining our game,” Camryn told the guys with a smile. “We were sucking just fine without all the attention.”
“You were sucking, I was winning,” Melanie informed her.
“I’d like to be a recipient of your sucking,” Jay murmured to Melanie.
She shushed him and glanced at Ali to see if she’d heard. But Ali was still shamelessly ogling over Teague. She was asking him question after question and he kept politely indulging her with answers.
But a few minutes later, Camryn and Melanie challenged their men to a game. Teague asked management if they could be moved to the farthest lanes, and even though it wasn’t completely private, at least they weren’t surrounded by spectators anymore. The two lanes to their left were vacant just so they didn’t have other bowlers right next to them, and the manager promised he wouldn’t allow any media to push their way in if they caught wind of a potential McCallan story.
“It’s been nice seeing you again.”
There was no mistaking Tyse’s voice and it literally sent a tingle up Sarah’s spine. That was not a reaction she’d been expecting and it somewhat rattled her. She had to take a moment to compose a response as she turned slightly to face him.
“Are you guys having fun tonight?” she asked, trying to sound polite but indifferent.
He seemed to think for a moment and barely shrugged. “I think we are now,” he smiled.
The way he looked at her overwhelmed the composure she’d barely mustered up. It wasn’t exactly fair for him to be doing this to her in front of a bunch of people, either. It wasn’t like anyone could hear them talking, but just the idea that there were eyes in the distance watching their entire group was unnerving.
Tyse sat down with his back to the crowd and motioned for her to sit with him. She noted that Ali seemed to be having fun, and Sarah was glad she was even talking to Camryn and Kellie at the moment, so she sat next to him.
“I wish you wouldn’t hold it against me,” he said.
He didn’t even have to clarify because she knew he meant his family. It was probably obvious that she was uncomfortable around Teague and Jay.
She sighed. “I don’t hold it against you. It’s just…” She sighed again because she couldn’t help it. “You have to understand that I haven’t had the best experiences with your family. To say I want nothing to do with them would be an und
erstatement.”
“Well I would love to understand if you’d just talk to me about it,” he replied softly. “I promise you that I will listen, not judge, and won’t pry for more. Please, Sarah.”
She glanced back at the people in the distance. Who knew what any of them were thinking, but even though she knew most of them had their attention focused on Teague and Jay bowling with the girls, it still felt like she was sitting in a fish bowl.
Tyse glanced back for a few seconds, too. “When it’s a more comfortable place to talk?” he asked her, sensing her worry.
Just his close proximity muddled her thoughts and even her defenses. But she’d already considered this long and hard more than a dozen times and she knew she wanted to give him a chance. She didn’t allow for herself to second guess it though, and nodded her head.
“Yeah, we can talk sometime,” she answered.
He was trying to hide a smile, and just that little fact said a lot. She could tell he liked her, and yeah, that felt really good because she liked him too. From the beginning there was a mutual attraction, and even though she couldn’t rationalize the odds of him being another McCallan, she’d decided there had to be a reason for things to happen this way.
“Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream!”
Sarah and Tyse both looked toward the lanes, where the entire group was laughing hysterically and Jay was on the floor doing pushups while he sang.
“He lost a bet,” Kellie informed them, still laughing.
“I don’t know the fucking words, my life is full of cream!”
“Oh my God,” Melanie groaned and covered her face with embarrassment.
“No shame,” Kellie shook her head.
Jay hopped up from the floor and laughed. “A bet’s a bet,” he shrugged. “What’s next?” he asked Teague. “You can’t throw a strike your next turn then… Hmm, let’s see, what can I make you do…?”
“Please don’t make him sing,” Camryn moaned playfully.
“And no involving other people, either!” Kellie protested. “Hell no am I going to be involved in one of your stupid stunts again.”
“Well who do you think you’re talking to,” Teague smiled, pretending to bow. “Stunt master, at your service.”
The smile on Jay’s face was way too obvious and everyone else noticed it too. “Oh yes,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve got the perfect thing.”
“Are they always like this?” Sarah quietly asked Tyse.
Chuckling he answered, “Oh yeah. Constantly.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Hey, that was perfect. The pickup on that was much cleaner.”
Tyse stood from his seat at the sound table as Brad and his band exited the recording booth.
“I could totally feel the difference,” Brad nodded with agreement.
“Well take a listen,” Tyse told him, cueing the playback.
After a few seconds, Brad and his band were all smiles and nods. Tyse felt their accomplishment as well, and he was really proud of them. The three guys were barely over nineteen years old, hadn’t exactly performed any true gigs, and were basically unknowns in the music industry. But that didn’t matter to Tyse. He’d heard them play a short set in a tiny coffeehouse a few weeks ago and decided to offer them an opportunity. They’d had no idea who he was at the time, but he had offered to help them record a demo in his studio and they accepted.
“That sounds awesome, I have to admit,” Brad grinned, obviously very pleased with himself.
“Job well done, you guys,” Tyse said, giving them all fist bumps.
The next minute was filled with excited talk of their next session until suddenly the room went quiet. Tyse glanced toward the door where each set of eyes were directed and was surprised to see his grandfather standing there.
“Hey, what’s up?” Tyse asked, aware that the band he’d just recorded was pretty much star struck by the fact that they were face to face with Neil McCallan, one of the most well known Hollywood figures of the century.
“Just thought I’d see how things were going over here,” Neil answered. He took a quick look into the recording booth and asked, “Are you just finishing up or just starting?”
“We just finished,” Tyse replied. He would have shared the results of their session with his grandfather, but Tyse knew he really didn’t care about the art aspect of music.
“I’ll be in the office,” Neil told him. He gave a slight nod to the rest of the group as he left the room, and Tyse knew that was his grandpa’s true interest in stopping by.
Business.
When Brad and his band left the building a few minutes later, Tyse made his way to the office. He’d been the only one there that day because Melanie had taken Cade to the doctor for a checkup.
“Haven’t heard much from you for a while,” Grandpa told him upon entering the office. “Thought I’d stop by to make sure you still had my studio open.”
Tyse chose his words carefully. “I know I’m not pulling in the numbers like you expected, but it will get there. Just…in my own way.”
His grandfather lifted a brow with an amused smirk. “Oh? And what way is that?”
“With bands that I’m interested in recording. Not the names you’ve been sending my way.”
“Well that was kind of the point of this studio.”
“What, to only work with already established artists? Yeah, I’ve worked with some of them. It’s been fun, made some really great connections and business friendships, but I also like to find my own talent. I thought that’s what we already agreed on from the beginning. Those guys that were in there,” he pointed to the hallway, “are the real deal. They’re gonna go somewhere and I’m proud to say they started here with me.”
“Hmph,” Neil said with a single nod.
Tyse couldn’t really decipher what that meant, but his grandpa didn’t seem upset. He didn’t understand why he was even here discussing this subject when it had already been decided that Tyse had full control over how he ran the studio if he managed it.
But things made more sense when his grandfather finally revealed the true reason for his visit.
“I’d prefer you to stay away from Sarah Douglas,” he spoke bluntly. “I’m aware you have an interest in her and I’m just letting you know that it isn’t a good idea.”
Tyse raised both of his eyebrows with utter disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“It’s what’s best for the family, Tyse. I don’t want any trouble, that’s all. I’m trying to keep the McCallan name on the positive end of the gossip spectrum these days, understand? Bringing up the past is only going to create a lot of headlines and I don’t want that. The good things we do, of course, but not this.”
“And what exactly is ‘this’?” Tyse scoffed. “You’ve obviously talked to Max, right? Is that where this is coming from?”
“You should have never dipped your toe in to begin with. Yes, he came to me about it, rightfully upset and—”
“Rightfully?” Tyse chuckled sarcastically. “Okay, you know what? If you would just fill me in on what the hell happened back then, maybe I would understand. You can’t just tell me to drop something that is affecting—”
“I sure as hell can and will,” Neil interrupted. “I’m telling you right now to drop it. You are going to bring nothing but problems to this family and this issue needs to stay in the past where it belongs. It isn’t going to do any good dredging up conflicting stories.”
Tyse let those words set in for a few beats as he considered how to respond. If his grandfather was here to personally warn him to drop the matter, it had to be something pretty damn huge.
“If you even tell me that she’s actually related to me somehow, so help me—”
“Oh for the love of God,” Neil scoffed angrily. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Hey, I don’t even know with this family!” Tyse held up his hands as he laughed with disbelief. “I’m just asking, okay? I don’t even care if
that sounds outrageous but you leave me no choice but to make assumptions.”
“She’s in no way related to this family,” Neil told him crossly. “I am only asking you to respect my wishes and heed my warning. I’m looking out for my family’s best interest as a whole, and you need to just take one for the team.”
“Look, I didn’t come to L.A. to cause any trouble for your family,” Tyse clarified. “It was never even my intention to be a part of it; I only wanted to meet my brother and sister. I never expected you or anyone else to accept me or include me in any family businesses, and I understand that it was probably an exciting opportunity for you when I came to town, but I—”
“Exciting opportunity?” Neil cut in gruffly. “What the hell does that mean?”
Tyse didn’t answer right away because he was trying to choose his words wisely. But even though he never liked to offend anyone, he still liked to be honest.
“I’m the freshest McCallan news, and I’m sorry if that wasn’t in your plans or anything, but I don’t want to be. Just to reiterate that. I don’t want the McCallans’ status, and I told you that the first time we met. I agreed to help you open this studio because it was an idea that suited me. It’s the music aspect that I’m interested in, not an opportunity for notoriety. We talked about this from the very first time you mentioned it to me. I thought we had an understanding.”
Neil slowly walked across the room and carefully sat down in the desk chair. Tyse couldn’t tell if he was upset or just measuring his words because it was a McCallan trait. They were good at masking emotions when they wanted to.
“We do have an understanding, and that’s exactly why I’m here,” Neil finally replied. “You want to stay under the radar? Then stay away from Sarah Douglas. If you want your name trashed all over the media as well as all the rest of us, then you just keep on being naïve. You’re not only affecting your own life right now, you know. You’re also going to affect your brother’s, your sister’s, your cousin—”
“What does any of this have to do with them?”
