Beneath These Shadows

by Meghan March

  “Oh my God, we have a house!” Eden yelled and jumped into my arms. “Not yours, not mine. Ours.”

  “We sure do.” I stared down at her. “Did you see the note?”

  She nodded. “You don’t have to. I mean . . . if you don’t want to. I know that’s not really your thing.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Getting married. We don’t have to if that’s not what you want.”

  “Why the hell would you say that?”

  Eden shrugged. “I don’t know. I just . . . Delilah told me you said you never wanted to settle down.”

  I set her on her feet. “Before you. Every fucking thing changed when I met you, Eden. Stay here. Hold on.”

  I headed for the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  Eden came outside as I ran down the stairs to where my bike was parked in the courtyard.

  I unlocked the hidden compartment and pulled out the tiny silk bag. It hadn’t cost a fortune, but it was too perfect for her.

  I came back up the stairs as she was coming back out the door with her flip-flops on. “I told you I’d be right back.”

  “But—”

  She stepped inside the apartment and I dropped to one knee. “This isn’t how I planned to do this. Actually, I hadn’t yet figured out how I was going to do it. But I don’t ever want you to think that this wasn’t what I wanted. You’ve always been what I wanted, Eden.”

  I pulled the ring from the bag and held it up. A pink morganite stone set in an antique platinum band of vines.

  “You . . . you bought that?”

  “Yeah. I did.”

  “You want to marry me?”

  “When you’re ready and not a day before.” Her eyes shimmered with tears as I slid the ring on her finger. “If you’ll have me.”

  She nodded. “Always.”

  I looked up at the ceiling, wondering if somehow Casso had known. Didn’t fucking matter. He’d given his blessing, and Eden was mine.

  The End

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  COUNTRY STAR JC HUGHES CAUGHT BETWEEN A COCK AND A HARD PLACE

  How is he going to explain this one away to girlfriend Holly Wix and his fans?

  “That two-timin’ son of a . . .”

  I hiss under my breath as I stare at the headline—and the compromising picture accompanying it—splashed in vivid color across the front page of the gossip rag displayed prominently in the checkout line at my supermarket. For the second time in two months, it’s a picture of my “boyfriend” locked in an unmistakably passionate embrace with another woman, except this time she’s wearing a giant black strap-on.

  The edges of the paper crumple in my sweaty grip, and I fight the urge to tear it to shreds, along with every copy sitting on the rack in front of me.

  He’s going to destroy my career before it even has a chance to become a reality.

  One year, they said. One year in this joke of a “relationship” and I’d earn my stripes, be all set in the world of country music. Judge me all you want for agreeing, but when your brand-new record label puts something like that in the contract that will jet you out of the backwoods town you’re dying to escape, you don’t ask questions. You sign on the dotted line.

  But reality is a cold slap in the face, and some days it hits you when you’re standing in line at the grocery store. What happens when they finally catch JC with a guy? His habit of swinging both ways, but preferring men to women, is about to become the worst-kept secret in Nashville.

  I’m Holly Wix, winner of a make-me-a-star TV show, and handpicked by the label to buoy JC’s once-impressive but now flagging career. It didn’t seem like a big deal when they slipped it into my contract in the beginning. What starry-eyed girl wouldn’t be thrilled to have her name linked to a country star?

  Instead of the one-way ticket to stardom I naively expected, I’m becoming the butt of every industry joke faster than the guys back home can spend their paycheck on twelve-packs and scratch-offs. But I’ve got one shot at keeping this dream career alive, and honestly, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to save it. So this situation with JC needs to get settled before things spiral further out of control.

  Tugging the bill of my trucker hat lower, I glance around to see if anyone has noticed me flipping out in the checkout line. A woman behind me clucks her tongue as she pulls her sunglasses out of her baby’s mouth.

  Crap.

  That cluck of her tongue was aimed at me, not the toothless, blue-eyed, smiling baby. Surprisingly, though, the expression on her face is sympathetic, not angry.

  “Men are assholes, am I right? Being famous just makes them bigger ones.”

  I smile weakly, and she continues. “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers, doll. They’re always ninety-five percent bullshit. Probably Photoshopped. He should have his head examined if he’s cheating on you.”

  Snapping my gaze back to her, I read recognition all over her face, despite my hat, glasses, complete lack of makeup, and relatively low level of fame. I force a smile onto my face, but it feels awkward and fake.

  “It’s called a gossip rag for a reason, I guess?” I reply, failing at my attempt to inject some humor into my tone.

  She nods and gestures to the half dozen bottles of wine in her cart. “This probably sounds crazy forward, but you look like you could use a drink and someone to vent to.”

  Vent to a perfect stranger I met in the grocery store? That would be insane, not to mention dangerous. If I did, the “she said” side of the story would be splashed all over tomorrow’s papers, and the label would kill me—the painful death of breach of contract and being blackballed in the industry.

  I already used up strike one the first time a picture of JC hit the papers. I marched right into Homegrown Records’ offices and told them their devil’s deal wasn’t worth it, and that I wouldn’t help JC’s career at the expense of my own.

  Their response? If I didn’t turn around, march my ass right back out of the office, and paste a smile on my face, they’d yank me off my tour, and I’d be a has-been before I ever got the chance to become a someone.

  I’d go to bat for my career any day of the week, but faced with the threat of losing it, I’m ashamed to say I backed down and toed the company line. You only get one shot at your dream. It’s not something I’m willing to let go . . . regardless of how much of my pride I might have to swallow. Which brings me back to the gossip rag and the woman in front of me.

  An awkward silence stretches between us in the checkout line as all the scenarios swirl through my brain of how I can reply to her. Finally, she smiles, and there’s something kind and knowing in her expression.

  “I know what you’re thinking—you can’t spill your side of the story to anyone. Too risky.” She lifts her hand and flashes a giant rock on her left ring finger. “But I’m not just anyone. I’ve been on the front page of the tabloids too, and I know exactly how much it sucks. After being married for a decade to the biggest reformed horndog of them all, I’m no stranger to any of it. On top of that, I’d never break the vows of sisterhood.”

  My gaze darts from the giant diamond to her face. Studying her makeup-free features, it finally hits me. “You’re Tana Vines.”

  Tana Vines was the Female Country Artist of the Year about ten years back, and her husband was awarded Entertainer of the Year at least four or five times during that time. They’re country music legends. A true power
couple.

  She holds out her hand and I shake it, operating purely on instinct.

  “Yes, I am,” she says. “It’s nice to meet you, Holly Wix.”

  Two bottles of wine later, Tana and I lay sprawled on chaise lounges beside her indoor pool. Behind the gated walls, and in the presence of someone I listened to on the radio in junior high, I finally have a chance to unburden all the crap that has been filling my head for months.

  “Six more months? That’s a hell of a long time to put up with JC’s bullshit. Not to mention keeping your own legs closed. Good Lord, girl. Aren’t you dying to get some dick?” Tana asked.

  An embarrassed laugh escapes my lips. “Um, I’ve been pretty preoccupied with learning the ropes, I guess.”

  “Well, shit. I’d be dying for dick.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize my position with the label. I have a feeling that if my picture ended up in the paper the way JC’s has, the double standards would have me out on my butt so fast, I couldn’t even yell ‘Bingo!’ first.”

  Tana rolls onto her side and faces me. “That’s probably the truth, but it don’t make it fair. The only reason they’re covering his ass is the shelf of awards he’s got from five years ago, and all the money they’ve got invested in him. You’re the perfect image booster. But you’re right—you’re expendable if you step out of line.”

  I already looked up to Tana as a country idol, but now I have to say I have a bit of a girl crush. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and it’s refreshing in this world of people who say one thing and mean something completely different.

  “Who’s expendable?”

  A deep voice echoes through the pool room as Mick Vines walks in. The man—a living country legend—picks up one of the empty bottles on the table between our lounge chairs. “And damn, Tana. I’ve been lookin’ for you for a half hour.”

  “Gemma knew where I was.” Gemma, I learned, was Tana and Mick’s live-in nanny.

  Tana sits up as Mick sets the bottle down and leans over to press a kiss to her lips.

  “There. Been lookin’ for that. My little bit a sugar.”

  I turn my head away as Tana wraps her hand around the back of his neck and pulls him in for another kiss, this one not nearly so innocent. She doesn’t seem to care that I’m intruding on their intimate moment. And it’s a moment that makes me wish even more that I wasn’t trapped in this mess.

  Not that I’m looking for what they have—because I’m truly not. I’m not looking for that kind of happily-ever-after for a good five or ten years. I’m too young for that, and my focus is on my career, exactly where it’s supposed to be when you’re standing on the edge of achieving the dream you’ve had since you were ten years old.

  But even on that edge, I’m still only a puppet with the label pulling the strings. Six months in, and I’m already sick and tired of being yanked in the directions they want me to go. What could I accomplish if only I could cut those tethers and come into my own? But slicing those ties would mean sacrificing what I’ve already accomplished, and that’s not an option.

  Mick stands tall again and notices me for the first time. “Who’s our guest, babe?”

  It’s much less of a surprise that he doesn’t recognize me than it was for Tana to make the connection. Honestly, I’m still a nobody in this industry. I’m working my tail off on becoming a somebody, and I’ve got fans, but to someone at Mick Vines’s level, I’ll always be a nobody.

  I smile and hold out my hand. “Holly Wix.”

  His eyes narrow as he shakes my outstretched hand. “I’ve heard your name. Why have I heard your name?”

  I’m stunned that there’s even a hint of recognition in him. My stomach turns in big flopping waves, and Tana jumps in, saving me from bumbling whatever explanation is about to fall from my lips.

  “I picked up Holly in the checkout line while we bonded over how much it blows to see yourself on the front of a gossip rag.”

  Mick’s gaze narrows further before it lights with knowledge. “Wix. You’re the hot young thing JC Hughes has on his arm these days.”

  I cringe at the description, because that’s not how I want to be known. But that’s what happens when you sign a deal with the devil.

  Tana slaps his thigh from her seated position. “And she’s touring with Boone Thrasher because she’s the hottest new talent to hit the stage since Carrie and Miranda.”

  Her adamant statement throws me for a loop, and those nervous waves in my belly glimmer with pride.

  Mick rocks back on the heels of his tooled black leather boots. “Ain’t heard her sing yet, but I’ve sure seen her picture.”

  I wince, pride doused.

  “And that’s the problem. The label has backed her into a corner, and they’ve made the JC situation a requirement. She can’t get out of it,” Tana explains.

  Mick studies me. “Who you with, girl?”

  “Homegrown. They signed me when I won Country Dreams.”

  “Ah.” Mick nods twice. “Now I know where I first heard your name. And you probably signed a devil’s bargain to get your ‘million-dollar recording contract’ after you won.”

  It isn’t even a question. Mick knows how the game is played.

  “It was that or keep working at a bowling alley in BFE, Kentucky, and never taking my shot. At least this got me to Nashville.”

  He raises a hand. “No need to get defensive. I’m not judging. We all take the route we need to take to get here, but that means living with the consequences. How long are you stuck with this JC bullshit? I’m assuming you have to suck it up and smile on his arm to help shine up his image and get some good press. Besides, we all know he’s been on the edge of casino-playing retirement for a more than a few years now.”

  Dang. Mick really does know how the game is played. I guess you couldn’t be in Nashville as long as he has without learning all the pitfalls.

  “Six months,” Tana offers. “And it’s not like when our managers hooked us up. JC doesn’t seem to care either way if he hurts Holly’s career.”

  I swivel my head around to stare at Tana. “I didn’t know that you . . .” I glance back to Mick. “Really? Your relationship started out as a publicity stunt?”

  Tana laughs. “Of course it did. Why else do you think I’d get involved with such a man-whore? I needed some street cred, and he was getting all the wrong kinds of press for sleeping with everything with tits.”

  “Jesus, baby. That’s ancient history—and we kept that shit quiet for a reason.”

  “I’m just saying that sometimes it actually works out fine,” Tana says.

  Mick shakes his head. “Back to the point of this conversation.” Aiming his stare at me, he continues. “You could be fucked in six months if JC keeps this shit up. You’ve got sympathy on your side right now, but if you keep laying down and taking it, you’re just going to look like a fool.”

  Tana slaps his thigh again. “Not helping.”

  Her husband reaches down and grabs her hand. “Quit, woman, or I’ll spank your ass even harder tonight.”

  Tana’s face flushes a bright red, and I decide to let the comment go without trying to figure out exactly what they’re talking about.

  Mick releases her hand and grabs the magazine shoved between the wine bottles. “This the rag with the cheating dick?”

  Shaking her head, Tana grabs it from his hand. “Nope, that’s the one with the hot billionaire dick I’m going to marry if you decide to leave me for some country starlet.”

  I catch a glimpse of the cover. It’s a copy of Forbes, and there’s a stupidly handsome dark-haired man on the cover.

  The headline reads: CREIGHTON KARAS CRUSHES COMPETITION.

  “What are you talking about, woman? You’d bury me out back if I so much as looked at another woman,” Mick grumbles.

  Tana’s lyrical laugh echoes off the walls. “Damn right, and don’t you forget it.”

  I snatch the magazine out of his
hand to get a closer look.

  “Whoa, girl. Calm down.”

  I wave him off, the wine dulling the instincts that would otherwise have me continuing to bow and scrape in his country-music royalty presence.

  “Shhh. I need to look at him.” I’m not sure why I need silence to do that, but apparently the large bottle of wine I drank says I do.

  The man is gorgeous, but he looks cocky and arrogant. I flip the magazine open and page through it until I find another picture of him.

  I win because losing isn’t an option.

  —Creighton Karas

  I know I’m truly drunk when the only thought filtering through my brain is how much I’d like to be his prize when he’s winning. Where the hell did that come from? And like I’d even know what to do with a man like that. He’s so far out of my league, it’s not even funny.

  I glance over at Mick and Tana, who are once again locked in a tangle of lips and limbs.

  And . . . that’s my cue to leave.

  I slap the magazine shut and rise on shaky legs. “I should probably get going.”

  Tana pulls away from Mick and raises an eyebrow in my direction. “Honey, you ain’t driving anywhere. I’ll go make up a guest room. It’s the very least I can do since I got you shitfaced.”

  “Not necessary. I should get home. I have . . . a plant that needs water. Or something.”

  I squint because I can’t remember if my plant is dead or alive. I haven’t watered it in as long as I can remember. Apparently I’m thinking too hard about plants, which might be alive or dead, and not concentrating on my balance because I tip forward.

  Mick catches me with an outstretched palm. “Come on, honey. We’re putting you up tonight. Won’t hear anything different.”

  He turns me around and marches me toward the door that leads into the sprawling mansion. “Besides, it seems like someone needs to take you under their wing so you don’t get chewed up and spit out by this bitch of an industry. My wife isn’t exactly the type to bring home strays, so she must’ve seen something in you needing a little protection. We’re gonna make sure you have it.”