The one the man had spoken to turned and pointed at Hailey and then Jasper.
“I got distracted by that rock-a-Billy kid again, he's over there with another girl.”
“It's rock star, not rock-a-Billy and you need to make a move.”
“Fine.” Horace took a very long time to make a move. He hovered a hand over the board and then took it away again. The man he was playing with looked about ready to fly out of his seat.
“So you've brought a girl here before have you?” Hailey nudged him with the arm whose hand held on to his. To her disappointment, he let go.
“Yes, Tara, she was bored out of her mind and complained a lot.”
“Horace,” the man yelled again.
A caterpillar crawling over his arm had distracted Horace. He was smiling at it and not paying the yelling man any attention.
“I need a new partner, this old coot is going senile.” He looked around but no one wanted to take him up on the offer.
“Last week that lady there got into a fight with that lady there.” Jasper pointed to two older ladies playing at different tables. “It was awesome, they rolled on the ground and the men had to break them up. That old man there with the brown vest used his cane.”
“That’s insane.” Hailey tried to picture the two women rolling around on the ground with an old man trying to pry them apart with his cane. It was a funny thought, and she laughed.
They watched the older people play and bicker for a while before Jasper grabbed her hand again.
“Come on, there’s one more thing to see here.”
He led her up a hill and out of Central Park. They were going down a side street and things took a turn for the run-down. She wasn’t sure what to expect at the end of the road, when they got to the end; it wasn’t what she’d expected.
To her surprise, she saw many boys with spray paint cans. They were working on a wall. It was one big mural, and they each had their own part of it. The talent was crazy.
“They are being commissioned to paint the side of the building?” Hailey was guessing, but she’d heard of companies doing that. Her eyes devouring the beauty they were creating.
“No, I think they just like doing it honestly.”
There were a couple of naked woman stashed in the corners and blending into the rest of the artwork, but it was quite nice. Strange looking trees and a lot of color decorated almost the whole side of the building. Hailey loved it and squeezed his hand as she continued to watch.
“So this is what you do all day? You go out and look for things like this to watch. You're a people watcher?” Hailey picked at her fingernail and avoided his eyes.
“I like to find the hidden beauty in the city no one else has found, or that no one really takes the time to appreciate. It's a good pastime if you can get away from the cameras, which we have not.” He looked at the photographer, a smile on his face. “There is a person with a camera right there. Come on.” He grabbed her arm, and they ran back towards the park and into the woods; they didn't stop running until they were deep in the trees.
“What are they trying to photograph?”
“Me with a pretty girl watching graffiti.”
Her face began to get hot. “Do you have to dodge photographers every day?”
Jasper plopped down in the dirt. His jeans cost more than her whole wardrobe yet he sat down and looked up at her.
“Photographers, crazy screaming ladies, reporters. I have to dodge it all.”
“It makes you tired I guess.” She felt bad for Jasper. His eyes had bags beneath them, he looked tired now that she could see him up close. “I couldn't do it. You’re stronger than I am.”
“I doubt that. Sometimes it does get tiring. You know you find someone who understands, they have the same amount of fame. They are chased all the time and you think finally someone who gets it. I can relate to them because they are going through it too. Then they turn out to be no better than the people you were trying to escape. That's a hard lesson to learn and one I've had to learn more than once. I didn't want her to take those pictures with me. I wanted her to put the phone down and enjoy being in the moment with me. She had me fooled.”
He gazed off and sighed, his shoulders falling beneath the weight he carried. Her fingers itched to take his hand, but he was her client, nothing more. There was no reason to touch him, to want to touch him.
Jasper turned his attention back to her. He reached for her hand and held it. In the silence, they quietly watched the trees sway. The silence became heavy around them until she decided she needed to say something.
“Well now you've got someone to help you clean up the mess she made and you're going to go on with your life and meet someone you truly can share this life with.” Hailey said breaking the silence. Jasper was easy to be with. She didn't feel the normal anxiety she did when she was around other men, and that scared her.
“You know what, Little Bird, you’re pretty smart.”
“Thank you, I do my best.”
“On with our day I suppose. It’s only ten o’clock and we have a lot to see.” He jumped up pulling her with him.
She was getting used to his impulsiveness and just went along with him as he ducked behind trees. Excited to see what he had planned next.
Once they were back out in the clearing, they ran all the way to the car and he threw the door open. “Carl, take us to Middletown and try not to hit all the traffic.”
“Be nice. Does he always talk to you like that, Carl? You should just bench press him.”
“You know that’s impossible to miss all the traffic. And believe me, Hailey, I could throw him across the room. Normally he's a nice guy. I think being around a pretty girl has him nervous.”
Hailey laughed and nudged Jasper with her elbow. “What’s in Middletown?” Hailey asked, as the car made its way back to the road.
“Lunch.” Jasper smiled, and she decided it would be smart to go along for the ride.
***
Jasper hadn’t let himself go for a long time with anyone, and he was starting to feel like he should reign in the truth telling. Hailey was easy to talk to, and that was something he had to be careful with. He hadn’t trusted anyone truly in a long time and it was an uncomfortable feeling letting someone know who he was. Tara didn't even know who he was and look what she had done to him.
It took them around forty-five minutes to get to Middletown from the other side of town and Hailey talked the entire time about her plans to get him back to good boy status.
“There will be an opportunity for you to do some charity work here shortly and I think that will be a good way to get your stock up with both your label and those people who see you as a dirty playboy right about now. Don’t you think?”
“Maybe. I’ve never done anything charitable.”
“This is a good time to start. I've been working with two children’s charities for years now. I've already contacted them, and they are thrilled to let you help them. You're going to love the kids. One is for children who have a parent being treated for cancer or has already passed. It helps them get out and see there is still some good in the world. The other is for children that have been bullied in school. They are both great charities and they do so much good. I can't wait to show you.” Hailey's face lit up when she started talking about the charities she was involved in.
He wondered why she had picked those particular two, but didn't want to stop her and ask.
They pulled up outside of the place he wanted to take her, and after he’d taken Carl’s order, he escorted her inside. The place was usually mad, and he liked it that way. There was a man without a shirt on completely covered in paint running at the restaurant wall, jumping into it and making strange art with his body.
Jasper looked back at Hailey to see she was staring with her mouth open. In another corner there was a woman in a back-bend with a sign above her that said human table. Eat here if you dare.
“What exactly is this place?”
“This is where you can get the best chicken and waffles in Middletown while watching the people around be living art.”
“I see. What’s it called?” Hailey glanced around as if she was trying to decide if she was uncomfortable or not.
“It doesn’t have a name. You have to know it’s here to find it. That’s part of the beauty. There are so many places like this in Middletown. I’m going to order for us, you want to sit at the bar or the human table?”
“You’re serious?” Hailey let her gaze go back to the woman who hadn’t moved since they’d arrived. “The bar will do fine.”
“Suit yourself.”
Jasper went into the back where the cook was and ordered three chicken and waffle plates with one to go for Carl. He found Hailey in a conversation with the paint-covered man when he returned. Standing back, he watched her talking to him. He could see from the goofy grin on his face, Hailey had won him over.
“Food will be ready soon!” he said, rejoining her at the bar.
“Frank here was telling me I could be part of his painting if I wanted. I told him I wasn’t really keen on getting paint all over me.”
“You’d probably be very good at it.” Jasper smiled and Frank made his way back over to the wall to throw himself against it again.
“Not in a million years.”
“I’d hang that on my wall if you painted on it with your body.”
He wondered if her charm would be even more immediate if she wore clothes that showed her outer beauty as well. She’d chosen another unflattering outfit for the day. She wore a huge oversized black shirt that hung off one shoulder and plaid dress pants with flat shoes. Would it be rude to ask her why she chose to dress this way?
“It’s a wall. You can’t hang a wall on your wall.”
“Fair point.” They watched the man jump again and again until finally the food came. “So this charity thing, what exactly will I be doing.”
“Oh it will be a lot of fun. You’ll be helping kids rebuild a park. Putting up swings and planting flowers. Showing them how to have a good time and allowing them to feel useful in the process. When one of your parents is dying or already gone you feel out of control. Letting children build or create something helps them get some control of their world back. The same holds true for the ones that are bullied. When they accomplish a task, they see they are useful and worthy. You would be helping them as they spread their wings. It really is my favorite thing.”
“Your idea of fun and my idea of fun are completely different, Little Bird.” He drowned his waffles and chicken in syrup before handing it to her. He couldn't stop the smile on his face. She was like no girl he had ever met.
“That may be so, but a good celebrity who cares about people and doesn’t want hoes posting on his social media does charity things with a smile. This is absolutely incredible.”
She was enjoying the food, and he was happy he’d brought her to the place. He was surprised cameras hadn’t followed them, but it was a nice change. After they finished their food and paid, they went back out to give Carl his food.
“This has been nice, but I really do have to get back to work Jasper, I’m going to be so far behind.”
“I told you this is your work and we have so much left to do today. There isn’t any way I could show you everything I like to do when I’m in New York. That would take weeks. I’ve just picked out the highlights.” His stomach turned to lead. He was having a good time, and with the cameras not following him, it felt like a normal day instead of a day of a rock star. He didn't want it to end.
“Why is this necessary for me to run your social media, Jasper? I don’t have to know everything you do in order to write a status update and post inspirational quotes.”
He looked out the window. What had been the point of taking her all over the place? It was a stupid idea. He thought Hailey would understand, but he guessed he was wrong.
He longed for the good ole' days when people knew the real him, the artist. But he also didn’t because then they would know what a sell-out he was. It was much easier to keep up his aloof persona, the guy who cussed loudly in the market, got sloppy drunk in clubs, and tried to DJ. He had enjoyed his day with her, but his initial thought had been she’d see he was deep and more than just a piece of eye candy for teenage girls. But why did it matter? It was easier the other way.
“You’re right, it doesn’t matter. You can say whatever you want on my accounts. It won’t make a difference. This is another way for the label to continue to control me, hiring you. It used to not be like this because there wasn’t any social media. Artists were artists, and you either looked them up in the record store or you didn’t.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“This was a mistake. I’ll take you to work and pick you back up at five for practice. You can take pictures and tweet what we say. Sound good?”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer, just told Carl to head back to her work.
“Jasper, thanks for taking me around today,” Hailey said, as she got out to go into her work.
“Don’t mention it.” He shut the door and turned away as Carl pulled off.
“That wasn't very nice,” Carl said, as they pulled away.
Jasper ignored him. His driver was right, but he didn't care. The whole day had been a pointless waste of time. He’d wasted his time and hers. It occurred to him that he was using someone controlling his social media as a way to start to let the world see the real him, and that he shouldn’t. What he should have done was shut her down and make her leave. It would have been easy to be rude and run her off so he could control his own life again. So what if his label was mad and the band got a bad reputation? What did it really matter?
There were tons of people famous for putting their naked asses out there. Tara Jackson certainly wasn’t the first to do it and she wouldn’t be the last. It really was the sponsors he didn’t want to lose, and not only for the money. He hadn’t told Hailey, but his favorite part of being famous was that he got to make healthy donations to the children’s hospital and raise money for them through various commercials and appearances. It made him feel like his selling out had a silver lining. He liked that he could give back and the children’s hospital was the first of his sponsors to drop him. He understood why they had to do it, but it still made him sad. He tried to decide what he should do until he went to pick her back up not wanting to dwell on Hailey or his lost sponsors any longer.
Chapter Three
Hailey changed into a shift dress and a pair of sandals in her office. She wasn’t sure what one was supposed to wear to take pictures of a band’s practice. It was times like these she wished she had someone when she was growing up teach her how to dress. Now she was only comfortable in clothing that swallowed her frame. When she was younger, her small frame got her picked on so she started wearing bigger clothing to hide herself. Her grandma liked that she wasn't flaunting herself the way other girls did in her class and approved of Hailey's wardrobe choice. Now she wore bigger clothes because they were comfortable, but right now she wished she had a magic fairy to dress her. Matthew walked up to her and put his arm around her as she looked at herself in the mirror.
“Big night out?”
“I’m going to Jasper’s practice to take some pictures and figure out some good tweets for the evening. It’s what he wanted.”
“Sounds like a good time, I’ll text you later.”
Matthew smiled and Hailey felt a little giddy. “Okay, sounds good.” Maybe the dress was working.
She busied herself trying to get things wrapped up for the next day. She only had a couple of other clients, but there was no way she would let their accounts suffer because she had Jasper. They were the ones Bill gave her to work on, and she wasn't going to let him down.
She thought back to when Jasper had dropped her off and thought he seemed a little upset when she told him she needed to get back to work. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying he
rself, but she was in the middle of proving she was partner material. Getting Jasper as a client was a huge step for her. If she was able to handle it properly big things could happen. Being financially stable and not living paycheck to paycheck sounded like heaven to Hailey. She had seen her grandma struggle and then had done some struggling on her own after college. It was time for Hailey to have something substantial in her life. Her face burned and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Jasper didn't seem to care about her professional aspirations, although why would he?
Everywhere he had taken her had been a lot of fun. She felt as if he was trying to show her something, but she wasn't sure of his true intentions. Hailey wondered if she’d disappointed him by not going with him and experiencing everything he had planned. In fact, as soon as she’d mentioned work, he had his little attitude act, the same one he’d pulled the night before.
Hailey was buried deep in a file when someone cleared their throat.
“Oh, is it time to go already?” She rubbed her blurry eyes so she could focus on the clock.
“You weren't counting down the minutes until you saw me again? I'm hurt.” Jasper smiled seeming to be back to a cheerful place.
“I wasn't sure if you were coming at all,” Hailey said, surprised that she admitted that to him.
“Why would you say that?” he asked, shrugging off the wall and walking closer to her desk.
“Well, when you dropped me off at work earlier, you seemed upset. You even did your little jerk act. I really was having a good time. It's just having you as a client could allow me a quick promotion. I’ve worked hard at this company and having you assigned to me is exactly what I need to prove myself. Jasper I will do everything I can but to do that I need to come to work.” Her face burned as red as her hair and she glanced down at her desk to avoid eye contact.
***
Jasper stared at her as she talked. She was more in-tune to him than he’d realized, and a weird thrill shot through him. He was going to have to be careful with her.
Managed 1: A Rock Star Romance Page 3
