“You must be Francesca,” Call replied.
“The very one.”
“Let me introduce you to my boyfriend, Charles Beckett.”
“Please call me Beck.” He took Francesca’s hand. She looked between the two. “Beck and Call.” She arched her eyebrow. “Interesting.”
We were all used to hearing that, and none of us gave it any attention. I knew it bugged Call, but she wasn’t about to ask him to go by Charles. That was true love there.
All heads turned my way. Francesca smiled and instead of shaking my hand, she approached me and placed her arm around my shoulder. Odd.
“You must be Miss Jillian.”
I nodded.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Really?” How much could she know? I knew her boss all of four hours.
“Yes, really. Okay, so we are on a tight schedule, as always. Mr. Pendleton would like you to be at the back of the meet and greet line so he can spend a little more time with you. He apologizes he couldn’t greet you first thing in person, but I’m sure you understand why.”
She didn’t give us time to answer. “Now we’re moving.”
We stopped by will call to get our passes and tickets. Francesca lined all the other lucky fans up and we were placed at the back. Beck held Call’s hand and she held mine.
Call leaned over. “He’s been talking about you.”
“He probably told her to come out here and make sure I was sober so my lips didn’t fall on his again.”
She let go of my hand and smacked me gently on my arm. “Whatever. He was probably checking to see if your lips still looked ample and inviting. And guess what? They look totally kissable.”
“Shhh. I’m not kissing him tonight, or ever.”
“If you say so.” She leaned back into Beck, who held her closer.
I needed a boyfriend, or maybe to not hang around the lovebirds so much.
The line began to move toward one of the dressing rooms where the meet and greet was to take place. The coordinator was explaining the rules to everyone as we went. He was trying to drive in the point that every person would only have sixty seconds and they were adhering to that, no exceptions. Well, maybe one.
The ladies in front of us were making plans on how to break the rules, they were even willing to use their bodies, if necessary. My stomach began to roll and I was getting flashbacks of the women that threw themselves at my ex-husband. The women that took my place.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered to Call.
She turned her attention toward me. Her eyes narrowed. She was intuitive. “He’s not Danny.” Then she did a very Call thing. She tapped the shoulder of one of the women in front of us. “The man has his son with him. Let’s keep it classy, ladies.”
Each of their faces turned a varying shade of red. A couple rolled their eyes, but at least they all quit talking.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to my best friend.
Beck stared in awe at the woman he called his own.
I did my best not to panic.
Chapter Four
I had thought about this moment for the last ten months, but I never pictured it this way. We hadn’t exchanged contact information when we walked off that plane together. He went his way and I went mine. He didn’t come running after me and I didn’t look back. I didn’t know how he could possibly contact me. If anything, I thought if we ever did see each other again, it would be random—after all, I had seen plenty of country super stars out and about in Nashville. Just last week I had seen Nicole Kidman shopping with Keith Urban at Whole Foods. The nice thing about Nashville was people were used to it and, for the most part, artists were left alone, even the big names. I never imagined this.
But there he was, sitting at a long table with his son next to him and some of his bandmates, his manager, and his personal assistant. Security was also close by. He was signing autographs and then posing for pictures with each person who came his way. When we entered the room, I don’t know how he knew, but he stopped signing his picture for some sweet looking older woman, he looked up, and our eyes met. He smiled that charming smile of his and it brought to mind again summers at grandma’s house. I bit my lip and smiled back.
The woman whose picture was waiting to be signed said something and he focused back on her. But from there on out, he kept glancing at me. I tried not to stare but couldn’t help myself. He looked good; real, real good. His hair looked longer and had a little curl in it. I liked it. I didn’t like watching women drape themselves all over him. A couple of times his security asked them to back off. That made it awkward for everyone, but it was a good reminder to me. I didn’t want that life anymore. Danny’s star power was dim compared to Cole’s and I saw firsthand the kind of trouble it could bring. With Cole, it would only be worse.
I was only going to say hi. That was my story and I was sticking to it.
The room got quieter and quieter as more and more people filed out. My heart beat louder and louder and louder. I prayed I remembered to put on deodorant as I felt flush.
Call squeezed my hand as we neared. “Breathe,” she whispered.
Easier said than done. Just saying hi. Just saying hi.
As soon as the last fan left, Cole came around the table and first greeted Call. That seemed to be the thing to do tonight. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m a fan.”
Her eyes lit up. “The feeling is mutual.”
Beck, in true boyfriend fashion, put his arm around her. I wouldn’t say territorially, but maybe protectively.
Cole didn’t miss a beat. He must have known the unspoken language of males. He extended his hand to Beck. “You must be the lucky guy in her life.”
He took Cole’s hand. “Very lucky.”
Cole smiled and I felt that rush of warmth again. “If you could spare her for a while tonight,” he looked between the two of them, “I have a proposal.”
They both gave him their full attention.
I felt odd standing outside of it all. I kind of felt ignored.
“Are you familiar with my duet with Amy Childs?” he asked Call.
“I love that song. I did a cover of it a few weeks ago at a bar I perform at.”
“Perfect. How comfortable would you be performing it tonight with me?”
Her eyes sparkled and her face exploded into a wide smile. “I’d be honored.”
“Me too. If you follow Mike, he’ll take you to warm up and I’ll be by shortly to run through it with you a couple of times. Does that work for you?” He looked at Beck. “You can, of course, accompany her.”
Call grabbed me on her way out. I could tell she wanted to jump up and down, but she settled for a quick hug. Excitement was bursting from her.
“Knock ’em dead.” I hugged her back.
She walked away, but before they left with Mike they stopped to talk to Brooks, Cole’s son. And there I was, standing a few feet from the man who had consumed my thoughts for months. Faded jeans and a white t-shirt never looked so good.
“Miss Jillian Jones.” His drawl made me smile. He stepped forward and I caught my breath.
“Mr. Pendleton.”
He was within inches now. He grinned and tucked a curl behind my ear.
I shivered at the intimacy of it all.
“Hey doc.”
No one else had ever called me that. “Thanks for inviting my friends and me.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He peered into my eyes. “I see a little happy in those eyes now.”
“Sounds like another great line from a song.”
He laughed deeply. And I noticed how his eyes shined clear. They told the story of a sober man.
He inched closer. “How are you?”
“Better. How about you?”
“More than good. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” I looked down toward my wedges.
He tipped my chin right back up. His touch spread through me like the sun’s ray
s. “Don’t hide your face from me. I’ve waited a long time to see it, to see you again.”
“How long has that been?” I asked, like I didn’t know.
“Three hundred and five days to be exact.”
He took my breath away with that statement.
“Too long,” he added. “I wanted . . .”
He was cut short by one of his people. “Cole, we need to get going if you’re going to rehearse with Ms. Call.” I guess that was Call’s cue to leave with Mike. She and Beck hustled out the door with him. Brooks stayed behind.
For a second I saw disappointment in Cole’s eyes due to the interruption, but he recovered quickly. “I want you to meet someone real quick and then you can come hear us rehearse if you would like. Please say yes.”
I nodded, because that was easier for me tonight. I had too many emotions running all over my body. The way I felt at the moment, I think I would have followed him anywhere. Those were dangerous thoughts and I tried to quell them. I couldn’t. Not with him. But I hadn’t felt this way in a long time, maybe ever. I was so young when I met Danny and he annoyed me at first. It took a while for him to grow on me. The man in front of me had me from the start.
He touched the small of my back and led me forward to meet a younger version of himself, right down to his dimples and crooked smile. The only difference was his hair was a couple of shades lighter than his father’s.
“Miss Jillian, this is my son, Brooks.”
Brooks stepped forward and reached out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. Have you enjoyed being on tour?”
“Yes, ma’am, but I’m ready to be home.”
“I can imagine.” I actually could.
Cole patted his son on the back. “Why don’t you meet us in rehearsal. You’re going to be blown away by Miss Jillian’s friend.” I could see the pride in his eyes when he looked at his son.
Brooks gave his dad a little nod of acknowledgment before taking off. Several other people followed him out. It left just Cole and one member of his security team.
“Randy, she’s all right. You can wait outside, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Randy gave us both a grin and did as he was asked.
I thought for a second we were going to be alone, but Francesca popped her head in. “Hey, boss, I hate do this, but we have a schedule to keep and it’s my job to keep it and you on track.”
He sighed. “We’re coming.” He waved his arm toward the door. “After you, doc.”
Though I admit to being disappointed, I knew it was a good thing. I shouldn’t be left alone with him. I had kissed him on a plane with plenty of people to look on. Thankfully, most of them had been sleeping, but still. Who knew what could happen if we were left alone?
We walked down the hall side-by-side behind Francesca. I admired the pictures on the wall of the legends that had performed there.
He clasped my hand with his own.
I stopped, surprised, and stared down at the intertwined appendages.
“Just tell me if it’s still too early to flirt with you.”
“I think this might be a little more than flirting.”
“We’re walking, y’all,” Francesca interrupted. We were obviously cramping her style.
Cole squeezed my hand before releasing it. “Maybe later.”
Yes, please, but please don’t. I swore to myself no more charming country singers. Maybe.
I could hear Call the closer we approached a different dressing room set up to rehearse in. She sounded fantastic. I saw Cole grin. She was good.
Right before we entered the room, he held me back. “I’ll have Randy come and get you after the show. He’ll bring you to my dressing room. Your friends are welcome, too.”
“You don’t have to do that. I know how chaotic it can be after a performance. The tickets were enough.”
“Darlin’, it’s not even close to enough for me. I want to catch up with you. I’ve been working on my flirting skills with the guys on the bus; I can’t let those go to waste.”
I laughed at him.
“I know I might be rusty for a forty-one-year-old guy, but I would at least like a shot.”
Mike poked his head out of the rehearsal room “Cole, we’re ready for you.”
Saved by the bell, or so I thought.
Cole kissed my cheek. “Please, doc.” His breath felt warm against my ear and his lips were as soft as I remembered. I missed them. I barely held back the shivers.
He didn’t wait for my response. I had no doubt he knew the effect he had on me. On any woman, for that matter.
I took a deep breath before I entered the room. I couldn’t believe I was here, with him. I tried to forget about myself for a moment as I watched and listened to my dearest friend do her thing. She had this incredible presence to her. It filled up a room. She was already making the song her own. I watched her at the piano, first with Brooks and then Cole took his place.
Brooks surprised me and made his way to me. He had his Dad’s grin. I bet he had a million girls chasing after him. “Miss Jillian.” He tipped his head just like his dad, too.
“What do you think of my friend?”
“She’s real good.”
“So you think you want to do this for a living?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m headed to college in the fall.”
“What are you going to study?”
“I like sports medicine.”
“That’s a great field. I actually considered it instead of becoming a physical therapist. They have a lot of similarities. Where are you going to school?”
“Brooks,” Mike called, “We need to do a final sound check.”
He nodded to Mike before turning back to me. “Maybe we can talk later.”
“I’d like that.”
His smile said he wouldn’t mind either. He seemed like such a nice kid.
I focused back in on his dad. Cole played the piano like a honkytonk man. His playing had been likened to Jerry Lee Lewis. Call had a more refined touch, but both were extremely talented. I would never claim to know anything about music, but their voices blended together like they were made for each other.
Beck came and stood next to me. “She’s bloody brilliant.”
“Yes, she is. He isn’t too bad, either.”
Beck smiled over at me. “Did you have a nice chat with him?”
“I think so. It was brief.”
They only did two run-throughs. Call nailed it.
“Now, darlin’, don’t steal the show,” Cole teased Call before he exited. He gave me a little wave that caused my stomach to flutter before he was rushed out by Francesca.
Call was taken to get fitted for her inner ear monitors. That left Beck and me to take our seats. Call would meet us there soon. The plan was for her to join him from the audience. Tonight’s stage was set with rounded stairs leading up to the stage. I’d seen concerts there with the steps, or sometimes they placed chairs in the front area. I preferred the steps, even though it meant we were sitting on the hard pews. All the seating in the Ryman was wooden pews; it made it quite cozy as they packed as many people as they could on each pew.
Concert goers were starting to file in as Beck and I made it to the front row. I was still finding this whole situation surreal. Beck added more wonder to the situation.
“Can I ask a favor of you?”
I turned toward him on the hard wooden pew. “Of course.”
He scooted closer and looked around before he leaned in close to me. “I want to ask Call to marry me.” For someone as self-assured as him, he came off as nervous.
I smiled wide. “I had a feeling; so does she.”
“I hope that means she’ll say yes.”
“I don’t have any doubt that she will, but a move to London may be a hard sell for her.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Watching her tonight made me realize she belongs here. She belongs up on that stage.”
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“Now that might even be a tougher sell. I don’t know if she could allow herself that dream again. And she’ll always put Noah and you first.”
“That is noble of her, and I love her for it, but it frustrates the hell out of me sometimes.”
I touched his arm. “You’re a good man. And you’ll be a great husband.”
“I hope that means you will help me pick out her ring.”
“I would love to, just name the day and time.”
“Can I text you?”
“Absolutely.”
Could this night get any more interesting?
Chapter Five
The answer was, yes, it could. Call joined us, still beaming with excitement. I envied her ability to keep her nerves at bay and only focus in on the exhilaration of it all. I wasn’t even performing, but for some reason I felt like I was on display, and my nerves were on high alert.
Call sat between me and her soon to be fiancé. That was going to be a hard secret to keep. She hugged me tight. “I can’t believe I get to perform at the Ryman, it’s like a dream come true. But enough about me, how did it go with the cowboy? Everybody is buzzing about you backstage.” Technically there wasn’t a backstage at the Ryman, it was more like side stages, but anyway.
“What? Why?”
“What do you mean why, silly? Cole Pendleton obviously digs you. Did you see the way he couldn’t keep his eyes off you? And, hello, you’re here as his guest.”
“So what are people saying?” I tried my best to keep my voice down in the noisy auditorium.
There was a gleam in her eye. “Nothing much, except he’s been talking about you for months and they had been wondering why he hadn’t dated anyone in a while until you showed up tonight. And apparently, he told everyone to be on their best behavior around you.”
“We barely know each other.”
“I’m pretty sure he would like to fix that problem. What about you?”
I took a deep breath and let it out. “Being back around this life, I don’t miss it.”
She took my hand and gave me a sympathetic smile. “What about him?”
“Guys like him live and breathe this life. I don’t know if I could do it again.”
“He’s going to be home for a while.”
Cole and Jillian (Pianos and Promises - A Novella Series Book 3) Page 4
