How to Be a Rockstar's Girlfriend: a fake dating, small town, rockstar romantic comedy (Cash &

Chapter 14

Gossip Gals – Five women who think they’re in charge of Winter Falls

Mercy

I’ve barely had a chance to sit down after I came home from work before there’s a knock on the door.

“I know. I know,” I say and stand before Mercury can speak. “I’ll get it.”

“If it’s your girlfriends, keep the noise down,” he orders.

Whatever.

“Hi, Cayenne,” I greet as I open the door. “I didn’t know you were coming by today.” I glance at the four elderly women standing on the porch with Cayenne. “With your friends. Can I help you?”

“We’re here to help you,” one of the women says as she pushes her way past me inside the house.

“Maybe you can introduce yourself before you barge inside,” I grumble.

Uncle Mercury scowls and stands. “I’ll be in my bedroom.”

“How do you know these women didn’t come here to see you?” I holler after him.

“Don’t care!”

“He can be a bit persnickety,” I say in way of an apology.

“Don’t you worry. We know how Mercury is.”

“We’ve known him for fifty years.”

“And we’re not here for him.”

I motion to the living room. “Have a seat. What are you here for? And what are your names? I can’t keep referring to you as old lady number one and old lady number two in my head.”

My eyes widen when I realize I called them old to their faces. Oops.

“She’s not wrong. We are old,” Cayenne mumbles.

“I’m Sage,” the bossy one declares. “I’m the leader of the gossip gals.”

“The gossip gals?” Indigo mentioned the gossip gals before but I thought she was joking.

Cayenne smiles. “Has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Sage clears her throat. “You’ve already met Cayenne. The others are Feather, Petal, and Clove.”

I wave to them. “Hi.”

“I like her. She says what she’s thinking,” Clove says.

“Most people don’t enjoy how I say what I’m thinking.”

“Most people are boring,” Feather says. “Do you read sexy books?”

What an abrupt change of topic, but I roll with it. “If the hero is a cowboy or a vampire or a shifter, I’m in.”

Feather rubs her hands together. “We haven’t had a cowboy hero for a while.” She opens her bag and removes a kindle.

“Are we going to read together?”

“Don’t be silly,” Sage says. “She’s searching for the next book for our sexy book club.”

“You run a sexy book club?”

Winter Falls keeps getting more and more interesting. Who knew a small town would have a sexy book club run by a bunch of people old enough to be my grandma? Sign me up.

“Technically, Aspen runs it,” Clove answers.

“Who’s Aspen?”

I haven’t met many people who live in town besides the members of the band and their girlfriends. I’m mostly stuck in the house with Mercury when I’m not working. It’s a change of pace from going out to a bar most nights after work with the crew from the garage, but I’m enjoying the quiet life. For now, at least.

Feather glances up from her e-reader. “She owns the bookstore, Fall Into A Good Book.”

I didn’t know there was a bookstore in town. I really have been living a sheltered life since I arrived in Winter Falls.

“You’ll meet her at the next book club,” Sage declares as if me attending book club is a done deal.

“Assuming you’re still in town,” Clove adds.

I chuckle. “No one’s ever accused you ladies of being subtle, have they?”

“They wouldn’t know subtle if it came up and bit them in the ass,” Mercury shouts from his room.

“Why didn’t you stay in the living room if you’re going to listen to our conversation?” Sage yells her question toward the hallway.

“I don’t need no old ladies interfering in my life,” he shouts back.

“But it’s okay for them to interfere in my life?”

Naturally, Mercury doesn’t respond to my question. Suddenly, he can’t hear. Oh, please.

Petal bats her eyelashes. If she’s trying to appear innocent, it’s not working. “Why do you think we’re interfering in your life?”

They’re totally here to interfere with my life. I just don’t know how yet. “One, you said you’re here to help me. Two, you’ve dubbed yourself the gossip gals.”

Sage smiles. “I like her.”

“This is going to be my favorite project,” Petal declares.

“I’m not a project. I’m not going to be the subject of a makeover. What you see is what you get.” I lift up my foot and twirl it around to show off my cowboy boot.

“We wouldn’t dream of doing a makeover on you. You’re quite adorable as you are,” Feather says.

“Adorable enough for a man to fall in love with,” Clove adds.

I hold up my hands. “Whoa. Hold up, buttinsky gang. I’m not planning on falling in love with anyone.”

“What about Gibson? You are dating him, aren’t you?” Sage asks with a flutter of her lashes.

I narrow my eyes at her. Does she know the truth? Judging my the sparkle in her eyes she knows something.

“We are dating, but we’re taking things slow.”

Feather’s nose wrinkles. “You haven’t had sex yet?”

I bark out a laugh. “No, we haven’t had sex, Ms. Meddlesome.”

Pleasuring myself while imagining Gibson naked above me doesn’t count no matter what my mother says.

Cayenne leans forward. “Aren’t you worried about him getting tempted and having sex with a groupie while he’s gone?”

I wasn’t since Indigo assured me the rest of the band would keep him in line. But now I am.

I hate cheaters. Zeke was a cheater but no matter how many times I accused him of stepping out on me, he denied it. Until I caught him red-handed in our bed with two other women. I bet they were mighty disappointed at the end of the night. Especially after I stole their clothes and shredded them.

“I’m confused. Do you want me to fall in love? Or do you want me to break up with Gibson? You’re sending mixed messages.”

“They want to matchmake you with Gibson,” Mercury says from the mouth of the hallway.

“Did you get tired of shouting?” I ask as I stand to help him.

He bats me away. “I can stand on my own.”

I cock an eyebrow. “You’re using a cane.”

“A cane doesn’t count.”

I open my mouth to argue with him – I can argue until the cows come home and often do – but I remember we’re not alone. I snap my mouth shut and return to my place on the sofa.

“Mercury,” Sage scolds. “You’re not supposed to tell her she’s our next project.”

“I hate to disappoint you but you already told me I’m your next project,” I remind her.

She purses her lips. “But you’re not supposed to know it’s a matchmaking project.”

“You’ve mentioned my boyfriend several times.”

“This is fun,” Petal declares. “No one ever contradicts Sage.”

“I’m not trying to be contrary.”

Mercury barks out a laugh. “It comes natural to you. Your grandmother Lyra was contrary, too.”

“How was she contrary?” I ask.

Uncle Mercury hasn’t told me much about my family despite my numerous questions. He always puts me off with promises of later. Guess what? Later has arrived.

“If Adhara said the weather was lovely, Lyra would put on a sweater and complain it’s cold.”

I smile. “I think I would have liked Lyra.”

“You never met your grandmother?” Clove asks.

“Nope. Grandma kicked Mom out of the house when she got pregnant with me. Mom hated her and wouldn’t let me see my grandmother. By the time I was old enough to find my grandmother for myself, she’d already passed away.”

“Good.” Sage nods. “We did the right thing.”

I narrow my eyes on her. “What did you do?”

I expect her to lie or come up with some fib. To my surprise, she answers. “We phoned your mom and told her about her uncle needing help.”

“We also might have told her she’d need to sell his house,” Petal adds.

Now it all makes sense. My greedy parent strikes again. Mom thought she’d get the money from the sale of her uncle’s house. I’m surprised she didn’t come here herself and force Mercury into a home.

Wait. I’m not surprised. She’s always been lazy.

“Welp.” Sage stands. “I think we’ve overstayed our welcome.”

“You weren’t welcome to start with,” Mercury grumbles. “And no matchmaking my niece.”

“Is everyone forgetting I already have a boyfriend?”

No one answers as the rest of the gossip gals stand and follow Sage to the door.

Feather pats my hand as she passes me. “And don’t you worry about Gibson. I’m sure he was good while he was on tour.”

“Those ladies are up to something,” Mercury says once I close the door.

They definitely are but I’m not sure what. If they want me to stay with Gibson, why do they keep bringing up the possibility of him cheating? Do they want me to break up with him because they have another man picked out for me?

Not happening. I’m not dating anyone but Gibson. He’s the only man who’s caught my eye since I found out my ex was cheating. The only man to cause me to question my decision to take a break from men. The only man I think about when I’m naked in the shower.

I blow out a breath and force my thoughts away from Gibson in the shower.

This relationship is fake. Gibson and I are not dating. As soon as we both get what we want from the situation, it’ll be over.

I ignore how my stomach sours at the reminder. I must be hungry is all.