And those were his exact words about it too.
“No time like the present,” he murmured as he picked up his tablet and began scrolling real estate sites while his second cup of coffee brewed.
He stalled after only five minutes, because he realized he wasn’t glued to LA anymore. He could live anywhere he wanted to. The conversation he and Charlotte had weeks ago came to mind and he still didn’t have an answer. California had been his home base for so long that it seemed strange to consider anyplace else. The East Coast still held a lot of appeal for him. Between Riley having a vacation home there and Matt living there full time, he’d be close enough to them to—
Oh, right.
The band.
Probably something else he needed to resolve.
Suddenly, everything felt daunting. There were so many decisions and he had no idea where to begin.
His phone rang, and it was a number he didn’t recognize but he decided to answer anyway. “Hello?” he asked with a bit of snap in his tone.
“Um…hello. I’m looking for Charlotte Clark. This is Jake from Precision Auto Care. I’m calling about her car.”
Julian relaxed a little and remembered they had given his number as a backup in case they couldn’t reach Charlotte. “She’s at work right now. Did you try her cell number?”
“Yes, sir. We did, and we left a message, but we figured we’d try this number, too.”
“No problem. Have you had a chance to look at the car?”
For the next few minutes, Jake explained all that was wrong with it—the biggest issue being the transmission. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only one and by the time the mechanic had recited all the problems, Julian’s head was pounding.
There was no way Charlotte could afford everything that needed to be done, and did it really make sense pouring all that money into an older car? Which was what he asked Jake.
“It depends on who’s asking. Some people prefer to invest the money because it’s a one-time expense and it saves them from having to go out and look for a new car. If it were me and replacing the car wasn’t an issue, I’d get another car.”
He sighed. “Thanks, Jake. Let me talk to Charlotte and one of us will get back to you, okay?”
“No problem. We’ll hold off on doing anything until we hear from you. Thanks.”
Julian hung up and immediately changed his search from houses to cars. Car shopping was way more appealing than house shopping. Julian already knew the kind of car he enjoyed driving, and really—all he wanted was the new model of the one he already had. He called the dealership, told them what he wanted and when he wanted it, and was pleasantly surprised to find they had one he could have today.
He offered a bonus if they could deliver it to him by lunchtime.
By the time he hung up, he was a little impressed with himself and couldn’t wait to see Charlotte. Deciding to call her and offer to take her to lunch, he picked up the phone again, glad she was able to answer.
“Hey,” she said and Julian could hear the smile in her voice. “You caught me at a quiet moment.”
“That’s good. I was hoping I’d be able to come and take you to lunch today—no sitting at your desk, but actually going out and grabbing something to eat. What do you say? Would one o’clock work?”
“Oh, that’s perfect! We were just talking about lunch breaks.”
He found himself smiling just because he loved hearing her happy.
“I missed a call from the mechanic,” she said. “I haven’t even listened to the message yet.”
“He called here, too, and I talked to him.” He was cautious because he didn’t want her telling Jake to go ahead with the work.
“And?”
“And it’s what he suspected. And then some.”
“Oh no.”
“I told him I’d talk to you about it and we’d call him later on. So don’t worry about him right now. Go and take care of your clients and we’ll talk car stuff over lunch, okay? How about Italian?” he said as a diversion. “I don’t know about you, but I could really go for some pizza.”
“Ooo…that does sound good. There’s a place around the corner from the office that has really great pizza.”
“Perfect. Then that’s where we’ll go!” Then his mind began to wander with a new plan. “Listen, I have to run. I’ve got some calls to make too, so I’ll see you at one, okay?”
When they hung up, Julian quickly called the dealership back and made new delivery plans.
He couldn’t wait to surprise Charlotte.
Feeling pretty good about his plans so far, he opted to call Mick next and get a status update on the house.
“Julian Grayson,” Mick said as he answered the phone. “I was beginning to think I was going to have to check on you.”
Julian laughed quietly. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m sure if you’ve talked to Riley or Dylan in the last few days, then you know I’m alive and well.”
“Maybe. Still, it’s nice to be able to confirm it myself. So what’s up? You ready to let me start making deals for Shaughnessy yet?”
While he knew it was bound to come up, he wasn’t quite ready to get into it yet. “I’m calling to see if you have any updates on the house. I’ve been here about a month and I know I’m on a time limit here, so I figured I should start the process of house hunting.”
“Funny you should call, because I’m expecting an offer later today—same buyers, just a better offer. Hopefully list price.”
“No matter what it is, take it. I just want to be done.”
“Excellent. That’s what I like to hear. So, what neighborhood are you looking in for the new place? Back in LA? Or are you wanting to see some places near Dylan? The area is fantastic and there are a couple of new builds there we can get you in to see.”
“I haven’t given it much thought. I figured selling the house was the most important thing to start with. Today was the first day I even started looking at listings.”
Mick made a noncommittal sound. “Still, you have to have some kind of idea where you’d like to be.”
The beach.
That was the first time he’d felt so strongly about the subject, but he couldn’t be sure if it was coming from within or if he was influenced by Charlotte. How much would she love living on the beach and being able to walk out her door and onto the sand every day, whenever she wanted?
And that had him sitting up straight and his heart flying to his throat. Wasn’t it a little soon to be thinking of a permanent home and Charlotte in the same thought? He was aware of his feelings for her growing stronger every day, but that didn’t mean he was ready to start planning his life around her. Hadn’t he learned the lesson that making decisions based on someone else—and only someone else—didn’t work out well for him?
Okay. Scratch the beach.
“I don’t. For now, I plan to scan the real estate sites to see if anything grabs my attention. But I’m open to anyplace. I might even give Matt a call and visit him to see what North Carolina has to offer.”
“Oh, please. That’s not anything new to you. You grew up not far from him, so it’s not like anything he tells you is going to be a surprise.”
“True, but back then I wasn’t looking at it as a place to invest in and build a home.”
Mick sighed. Loudly. “I swear I don’t understand the appeal, but all of you keep doing it, so who am I to say no.”
“Dylan hasn’t.”
“That’s because he’s a city boy and Paige is a city girl. Living here made sense for them. But you’ve got nothing tying you to any one place, so I say…take your time and do your research.”
“I’ve only got two months left on this place.”
“I’ll get you two months more if you need. Trust me. It won’t be a problem.”
“Let’s see if it comes t
o that. I just wanted you to know I’m looking and I’m trying to be productive.”
“You’d be a lot more productive in the studio along with Riley, Dylan, and Matty.”
Well, he’d walked right into that one.
“Mick, come on. Give me a break here.”
“Julian, I’ve done nothing but give you breaks. It’s time you gave the rest of us one.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means we’ve all been waiting patiently for you. Even before the band went on hiatus, you were distracted by Dena. We all tried real hard just to give you some time. That was our mistake. Maybe if we had nipped this thing in the bud years ago, we wouldn’t be here right now like this.”
Rage began to build. “This isn’t a group thing we’re dealing with, Mick. This is about me and my life and—”
“No,” Mick interrupted firmly. “This stopped being about you and your life when you made it a public spectacle. Do you have any idea of the mess we all had to deal with after you left town? Did you even once consider how the guys were going to be harassed for interviews or a sound bite? We had to hire extra people and all kinds of spin doctors for damage control! So, while you were off trying to get your head on straight, the rest of us held down the fort. And now when we need your help, where are you? Bailing again. Looking to run again.”
“No one’s running anywhere!” Julian cried, jumping to his feet. Pacing seemed like the only thing to do. “All I’m doing is looking for a house! I didn’t say I was looking for a house in another country, for crying out loud!”
“Not yet,” Mick countered, and then he took a long pause. “What I am trying to tell you is you need to start living your life again, and you owe it to your friends to make things right. You know if the tables were turned, they’d do it for you.”
Yeah, he did. But right now, it didn’t make him feel any better.
“Guilt isn’t gonna work on me, so you can forget it.”
His statement was met with silence before Mick changed the subject. “Okay, fine. I hear the music thing at the shelter was a big success. I’ve got a list of people who are interested in joining in.”
“Seriously? That’s great!”
“I sent two of them to see your friend Charlotte.”
And rage had him by the throat again. “Why? Why bother her with that stuff when I said I was handling it?”
“Actually, you said you were handling it that night. Then I talked to Paige and she referred me to some guy named Hank, who put me back to Charlotte. I have to tell you, Jules, I was almost dizzy from the way things kept going round and round. Either way, Ty messaged me that he was going with Rex to see Charlotte today, I think.” He paused and then confirmed. “Yeah. Today.”
“Who the hell are Ty and Rex?” he demanded.
“Two more guys you didn’t want to know, remember? Trust me, they’ve never been anywhere near anything Shaughnessy-related. They’re new to LA and looking for some studio work. I happened to mention this to them and they were more than happy to volunteer their time.”
“I’ll bet.”
Mick chuckled and it rubbed Julian the wrong way.
“What’s so funny?”
“I heard you got a little…shall we say…territorial the other night. You know you need to stop that, right?”
Huffing with annoyance, Julian made an excuse to get him off the phone. “I gotta go. I bought a car today and I’ve got paperwork to deal with.”
“Wait, wait, wait—you bought a car? Why? Yours is only two years old and you rarely drive it.”
“Just wanted something new.”
“So, you’re trading yours in?”
“Not exactly,” he said and then realized he really needed to get off the phone. “Look, I have to go.”
“What do you mean, ‘not exactly’? Either you’re trading in or you’re not. What’s up?”
Raking a hand through his hair and tugging on it, he told Mick his plans. “It’s nothing. It’s not a big deal, okay? I really need to go, because I need to take care of some things here and then get over to Charlotte’s office and meet the salesman with the car.”
“You’re doing it again, Julian,” Mick said, his voice somber.
“Doing what?”
“This is how it started with Dena. Don’t do this crap again. It’s okay to be involved with this girl, but you’re buying her cars, jewelry, taking on her causes… Man, you need to start thinking about yourself!”
“The new car is mine. I’m giving her my old one.”
“Old,” Mick said derisively. “It’s practically new.”
“I’m not looking for your approval here, okay? I’m going.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine. Go. I’ll take care of the offer on the house and get back to you later today.”
“Great. Thanks.” And Julian hung up before they could say anything else.
Tossing the phone aside, he couldn’t help but think about what Mick had said. Was he? Was he doing it again? Was he making the same mistakes with Charlotte?
“Hell no,” he said adamantly and immediately pushed the thought aside and focused on surprising her at lunch.
* * *
Saying a prayer of thanks for her new coworkers today, Charlotte was able to have a little breathing room to handle her surprise visitors. Ty Martin and Rex Reynolds were both extremely polite and very enthusiastic about creating songs and games for the kids at the shelter. She was excited about what they had in mind, and she couldn’t wait to see it all in action.
“This all sounds amazing,” Charlotte said, almost gushing. “I had no idea anyone was coming here today, and to see how you already have ideas and are ready to go just makes it all the better!”
Ty—young, blond, and this side of angsty—grinned at her. “Back home I was involved with my church youth group for years. When I started playing music, some friends and I used music to get the teens to engage with one another rather than with their phones. My pastor caught on to what we were doing and asked us to do something similar with the younger kids on Sunday mornings.” He laughed and looked a little sheepish. “I know my appearance doesn’t quite say Sunday school, but I was raised in the church and I’m comfortable working with kids.”
“As for me, I wasn’t involved in any youth groups,” Rex said, “but I have four younger siblings and I used to play guitar to calm them down. I’m eight years older than the next one after me, so I used to help my mom a lot by babysitting and just sort of doing what I could to help watch them.”
Charlotte was so pleased that her face almost hurt from smiling. “I really love what you’ve laid out for me here and I think it would be great for you to go and talk with Hank if you have the time. I can give you the address and I’ll call to let him know when you think you might be going in. Then he’ll work with you from there.”
“I thought you were in charge of the project,” Ty commented. “At least, that’s the way Mick made it sound.”
“I’m sort of the liaison,” she explained. “I’m the social worker assigned to the shelter, and I try to help them in whatever way I can.”
“Awesome,” Rex said. “We can probably head over there this afternoon if you think that would work.”
Charlotte quickly made the call and wrote down the address before standing to thank them. Unable to hide her giddiness, she hugged them and thanked them both again. When she stepped back, Julian was standing next to her cubicle and not looking at all amused.
“Holy crap! You’re Julian Grayson!” Rex cried. “Oh, man! I am such a fan! Dude, it’s so awesome to meet you!”
To his credit, Julian pasted a stiff smile on his face and shook Rex’s and Ty’s hands before looking at Charlotte. “Are you ready for lunch?”
Nodding, she reached for her purse and explained to him what the guys were doing.
“I spoke to Mick,” he said curtly. “I know all about it.”
“Oh,” she said and did her best to put herself between Julian and the two younger musicians. “Hank’s expecting you guys, so thank you again for your willingness to help out.”
“Our pleasure, Charlotte,” Ty said and with a quick wave, he and Rex walked out the door.
Bracing herself, she turned to Julian and almost dared him to make any kind of snarky comment. The look on his face told her everything he was thinking, but luckily he opted to stay quiet.
Smart man.
“The restaurant is just a couple of blocks and it’s a beautiful day out, so I thought we’d walk,” she said, choosing to ignore his black mood.
But he completely surprised her when he leaned in and kissed her. “Actually, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind driving.”
She looked at him oddly and figured he meant he’d be driving them. Shrugging, she agreed and led the way out of the office. When she stepped outside and walked around to the parking lot, she spotted his car and walked over. She went to open the passenger side door, but Julian stopped her and handed her the keys.
“It’s not hard to find,” she said lightly. “You can drive there.”
Julian shook his head and placed the keys in the palm of her hand, closing her fingers around them. “You drive us.”
It seemed odd, but she was starving, so with a shrug, Charlotte walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. They were parked at the restaurant minutes later and seated five minutes after that. They’d made small talk and she was nervously waiting for Julian to question her about Ty and Rex.
“So, I spoke to the mechanic,” he said instead as they looked over the menu. “There’s a lot wrong with the car and—in his opinion—it’s almost not worth fixing.”
Placing her menu down, she sighed. Her appetite was gone. “Well, damn.”
He continued to scan the menu for a minute, then put it down and looked at her thoughtfully. “I agree. The car had a lot of mileage on it, and you need something newer and more reliable.”
One More Moment Page 20
