One More Moment

by Samantha Chase

  “Just know,” Dylan added, “if you said getting back in the studio would help you, we’d all be there in an instant. But this is your call.”

  He wanted to relax—he seriously did—but no matter how supportive they were being, it wasn’t going to help. There was no way he was returning to Shaughnessy and the whole rock star lifestyle. That chapter was closed for good.

  Riley’s phone rang and he held it up to show them Mick’s name. He put the phone on speaker as he answered. “Hey, Mick. What’s up?”

  “Is everyone there with you?”

  “Everyone except Matt,” Riley said. “What’s up?”

  “Just got off the phone with Robert Hayward—the president of Encore Records. They’re going to be celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary on January fourth, and all of their clients are performing. So I wanted to give you a heads-up and say that this will be the perfect way to get Shaughnessy back in the spotlight and maybe announce a tour. We’ll meet next week to talk about it when Matt’s here.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Dylan said. “That’s like three months away. Why the last-minute hoopla?”

  On the line, they could hear Mick sigh. “It’s not last-minute. It was just that we—meaning Shaughnessy—were in crisis mode when word was released and I didn’t think we needed to add this into the mix. Now that Julian’s home, we can get back to business.”

  Riley and Dylan looked at Julian. If he ground his teeth any harder they’d disintegrate. All the tension he’d been tamping down was back at the surface. As if sensing it, Riley looked at the phone. “Sounds good, Mick. Let me call you later, okay?”

  Without missing a beat, Mick said, “Talk to you then.”

  Riley put the phone down and looked at Julian. “I swear I think he’s watching us all the damn time. It’s like he knows exactly when to call and what we’re talking about.”

  “He’s freaky like that,” Dylan agreed and then nervously looked at Julian.

  He wasn’t ready for this. Any of it. He’d thought he was. Thought that the time away would be enough time to get his head together.

  But it wasn’t.

  Standing up, he said, “I need to go and meet the Realtor. Call me when Matt’s here.” And without anything more than a slight wave, he walked back into Riley’s house and straight out the front door as if the hounds of hell were chasing him.

  In his car, he sped out of Riley’s neighborhood and onto the freeway. He actually had several hours before he had to meet with the Realtor about the house, so there was no place pressing he had to be. So he drove.

  Straight to Santa Monica and the homeless shelter.

  It was doubtful Charlotte would be there. But he knew how much help the shelter needed and…it had actually felt pretty damn good just to lend a hand.

  Driving around the block and over a few more, he parked in the lot he had last night and then walked over to the shelter. Inside he spotted Hank and strode over to him.

  “Need a hand today?”

  * * *

  For the next several days, that had been Julian’s pattern—get up, pretend he was just going to stay home, and eventually end up back at the shelter. He hadn’t talked to anyone about donating money; for now this was simply about giving his time and doing what he could in a hands-on way.

  By Thursday afternoon, he had helped unload trucks, sort through donations, move furniture, and even paint several rooms. It had been a long time since he’d done anything quite so physical and he found he enjoyed it.

  It also meant he was thankful to be able to go home and stand under a hot shower or soak in the hot tub to ease his sore muscles.

  “Julian!” Hank called out. Julian looked over and saw him motioning to come over to his office. Once they were inside, Hank closed the door and studied him for a moment. “How’s everything going today?”

  With a shrug, Julian sat down. “Good. The paint is done in the rec room and I secured the wire shelves back in the pantry.”

  Nodding, Hank walked around and sat at his desk. “We really appreciate all you’re doing, Julian.”

  There was something in his tone that had Julian stiffening a little—like he was about to say something to him that wouldn’t be particularly well received.

  And he was right.

  “You’re Julian Grayson.”

  Shit.

  Unsure of what he was supposed to do or say, Julian waited him out. The unspoken question was out there and sure enough, Hank answered it by sliding a newspaper across the desk toward him. It was open to the entertainment news and a picture of the band.

  SHAUGHNESSY SLATED TO PLAY AT ENCORE’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY BASH!

  He was going to strangle Mick when he saw him.

  Hank leaned forward a little and rested his arms on the desktop. “It’s not my place to ask what you’re doing here. Personally, I’m just thankful for the help and the fact that you were willing to do it.”

  “But?” Julian prompted.

  “But…I take it no one else knows who you are or that you’re here?”

  Nodding, Julian replied, “It really isn’t anyone’s business what I do in my free time. I came here and saw you could use some help and I wanted to do it. End of story.”

  There was a long, awkward silence while Julian waited for Hank to comment. “Charlotte doesn’t know who you are,” he began, his tone suddenly way more serious and solemn than it had been a moment ago. “She is under the impression you’re in need of our help and her services.”

  “I never told her that,” Julian argued mildly.

  “Maybe not, but that’s what she thinks.”

  This wasn’t news. But now that he was here, he knew he was going to have to clear up the misunderstanding.

  “I can appreciate your concern, Hank. But I can’t control what conclusions Charlotte drew.”

  And for the first time, this mild-mannered man seemed to get pissed. He straightened a little in his chair as if he was going to try to intimidate Julian. “Do you know that by now she’s probably already started a file on you? Even if you didn’t give her any information, the fact that you came here and sat in her class, she’s probably already making calls on your behalf just in case she sees you again?”

  Julian didn’t respond.

  “Charlotte is the kind of person who wants to help everyone. It doesn’t matter if they want her help or not, she goes above and beyond, and there are tens of dozens of families who are thankful for her and for the help she gave them. And you know what she gets in return?”

  “A paycheck?” Julian responded snidely.

  Hank ignored the comment and glared at him for a moment. “She gets to maybe take a breath and then starts all over again with the next group of people who need her. She gets verbally abused by people who are belligerent and angry about their circumstances. She cries with them, she encourages them, she feels for them. And you can be sure she’s already feeling for you, because that’s the kind of woman she is. So if you’re going to sit here with that kind of attitude, I’ll say thank you for your help and ask you to leave.”

  For a moment, Julian could only sit and stare. Seriously? They were going to ask him to leave even though he had been busting his ass to help, all because he didn’t want to have an awkward conversation with Charlotte?

  Slowly, he came to his feet and held out a hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Hank,” he said evenly. Hank stood and shook his hand, and Julian turned and walked out the door.

  * * *

  The moment Charlotte walked into the center that afternoon, she noticed the changes. Her first thought was how the help Julian gave on Sunday must have motivated the staff. And it was pretty hard to hide her disappointment that she’d missed seeing him.

  Fortunately, she didn’t have much time to think about him because there were several new families who needed her atten
tion. So for three hours, she talked and coached and advised and set up appointments to help these families get back on their feet. By the time she was done and ready to go, all she wanted was to go home, have a glass of wine, and not think. Cases like the one she’d dealt with today, where there were small children who just looked sad and scared, took a lot out of her.

  “You calling it a day, CeeCee?” Hank asked as she stepped out of the meeting room.

  “I am,” she said with a weak smile. Their routine was to talk and compare notes when Charlotte was done meeting with people. Tonight she just wasn’t in the mood for it.

  “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

  She hated to disappoint Hank, but Charlotte knew her head just wasn’t in it right now. “Actually, Hank, I have a bit of a headache and really want to head home. We’ll catch up next week, okay?”

  “Of course, of course,” he said. “Feel better.”

  “Thanks.” Making her way to the door, she was riddled with guilt. It wasn’t like her to lie. For all she knew, there was something important he had to share with her. And just as she was about to change her mind and turn around, someone called out for Hank.

  Thank God.

  Stepping outside, she let out a small sigh. Tired and a little hungry, Charlotte began to plan how she was going to spend the rest of her day. Should she stop for takeout on the way home? Stop at the grocery store for something to cook? And once she got home, would she read or watch something on Netflix? So many questions…

  She’d only gone a few steps when she spotted him.

  Julian was leaning against the front of the building looking as if he was waiting for her.

  Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

  “Hey,” she said casually, surprised to find him there, since from everything she’d heard earlier, he had left hours ago. “I hear you were a real hero in there this week.”

  Pushing away from the brick wall, Julian moved toward her with a careless shrug. “Just doing what needed to be done.”

  She liked that he was a little bit humble. “Yes, but it’s been needing to be done for a long time. So thank you.”

  He nodded.

  “How has your week been?” she asked.

  “Good.”

  “Anything new and exciting happen? You know, other than all the work here at the center?”

  “Nope.”

  His lack of conversation skills was really starting to annoy her. It was on the tip of her tongue to mention how important communication skills were in the job market when he surprised her.

  “Would you like to go and grab something to eat?”

  Her soft gasp was her only response before Julian started to chuckle.

  “I figured I could pay you back for that breakfast.”

  Her shoulders sagged and all Charlotte wanted to do was stomp her foot with annoyance, but she didn’t. “Julian, I told you it wasn’t necessary.”

  “You said to pay it forward.”

  “With someone else.” She didn’t hide her exasperation very well.

  His gaze held hers for a long moment—almost in defiance. “I was going to suggest grabbing some burgers or something and just sitting and talking. It’s not a big deal. I’ll still pay it forward for the coffee and muffins, if it makes you feel better.”

  Now she was in quite the predicament. She wanted to go out with him and get to know his story a little more, but there was no way she could feel comfortable about him spending money he probably shouldn’t.

  “I’ll go, but under one condition.”

  Julian arched a dark brow at her—something he’d done before and Charlotte found it was a rather sexy gesture.

  “I pay for myself,” she said firmly, forcing herself to stop thinking of him in terms of sexiness and instead remember he needed her help.

  “Charlotte—”

  But she held up a hand to stop him. “It’s not negotiable. Either I pay for myself or I don’t go.” Then she wanted to kick herself because maybe he was only inviting her so he could pay her back, and now that she was taking that off the table, he would simply tell her good night and walk away.

  It was a possibility.

  But she really hoped he wouldn’t.

  Swallowing hard, she did her best not to look away from his intense gaze. He was quiet for so long that she started to squirm—it was like a staring contest and she was afraid to be the one to look away first. Why? She didn’t know. But it seemed important not to back down.

  “Fine,” he said finally, through clenched teeth.

  Charlotte let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding and smiled. “My car is parked right across the street. There’s a great burger place around the corner we can go to.”

  “Why don’t we head back toward Malibu? There’s a great burger place right down the block from the coffee house.”

  She knew exactly the one he was referring to. “That sounds great. Do you need a ride? Did you take the bus here?”

  Shaking his head, Julian replied, “I’m parked around the corner. You go ahead and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Charlotte noticed that he stood where he was until she was safely in her car and driving away. It was a very gentlemanly gesture, she thought. And she wondered how on earth she was going to get him to share a little more about himself so she’d know how to advise him.

  Now that she thought about it, however, she realized he actually had yet to ask her for help.

  Odd.

  So, what did it mean? And how long was she supposed to sit around and wait him out?

  “As long as it takes,” she answered out loud.

  Chapter 3

  It was after six, and after only having a bottle of water since lunch—which seemed like years ago—Charlotte was more than ready to eat. Part of her was excited about joining Julian for dinner, but then she recalled why exactly it was that he was here and she had to remember her place. This wasn’t a date; this was an opportunity to help someone. And that’s what she forced herself to think about as she drove back to Malibu.

  As she sat in traffic, her mind wandered to some of the positions she knew were available that she could suggest to him and then—

  She stopped and cursed.

  Charlotte remembered her decision from Sunday to refer Julian to someone else in her office. “Okay,” she murmured. “So I won’t set anything up for him, but I can certainly give him some direction.”

  Feeling mildly satisfied with her solution, the remainder of the drive was spent focusing on traffic and what other topics of conversation they could cover over dinner. Her curiosity was killing her. What kind of man was Julian? Where did he work before? What was… She stopped and realized she didn’t even know his last name! How had that happened? How had this man consumed so many of her thoughts when she didn’t even know anything as basic as his last name?

  “Well, that’s question number one.”

  Okay, maybe not number one, but Charlotte was determined to get to know more about Julian personally—for strictly professional reasons, of course.

  She knew how to talk to get people to respond, and now that she wasn’t on any time restriction, she had no doubt that with the right questions, she’d be able to learn more about him. Was he married? Did he have any kids?

  Gasping, she realized it should have been one of the very first things she’d asked. What if she’d been sitting back doing nothing except sort of daydreaming about him when he had a family…somewhere, and he was trying to take care of them?

  Then he wouldn’t have asked you to join him for dinner.

  Okay, that was true, and she needed to relax and just get a grip.

  Something else she had to remind herself of as traffic crawled along.

  So rather than fret about it, she’d go into this d
inner with him with no expectations and see where the conversation led.

  * * *

  Charlotte didn’t blink an eye when Julian suggested they take their dinner and eat out on the beach. She had a blanket in her trunk, and if anything, she seemed more than a little excited at the prospect.

  Personally, Julian couldn’t care less about the picnic part. He was more concerned with not sitting in the middle of a crowded restaurant and being recognized. He’d been back home for less than a week and it hadn’t happened, but he was fairly certain it was only a matter of time.

  He wasn’t ready for it.

  And he certainly wasn’t ready for it to happen in front of Charlotte.

  There was no way he wanted to talk about his sensationalized failed trip to the altar and the aftermath. Not with anyone. And there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that when it happened—when someone recognized him—it would be the first thing they’d want to bring up.

  So, what was he doing?

  He didn’t owe anyone anything, he reminded himself. If he never saw Charlotte again, he’d live. Life would go on. Just like he didn’t have to go out and grab a burger for dinner. He’d had his groceries delivered and was perfectly content to hide out back at the beach house.

  And yet here he was. Instead of hiding, he was sitting on the beach with a woman he’d just met who seemed to be under the impression that he was in need of a helping hand. True, he could just tell her she was mistaken and put an end to it. Do as Hank suggested and simply open up. But there was something about her that was intriguing to him. There was an honesty to her, a goodness, that he was finding almost too good to be true. Even without Hank’s word, he’d known it. So for now, Julian wanted to stay under the radar and get to know more about her before she found out who he really was.

  Beside him on the blanket, Charlotte sat with her sandals off, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail and a serene smile on her face. Everything about her body language said she was happy and content—all with a decent burger, better-than-decent fries, and a blanket in the sand.

  It almost seemed beyond comprehension.