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

Chapter 16

Busy day – when you kick yourself out of your own bed

Gibson

I smile as I wake. I’m cuddled up to a warm body. A warm body I woke several times in the middle of the night to have my wicked way with. Mercy was a more than willing participant.

Mercy?

Shit. I fucked things up again. This is supposed to be fake. I don’t want a real relationship. Relationships end up with people using you. Exploiting you. I can’t risk it.

I unwind my arm from around Mercy’s waist and inch to the edge of the bed. When she rolls over and snuggles into the pillow, I climb out. I quickly dress before tiptoeing out of the room.

I step onto the porch and scan the area. What am I going to do now?

This is why I kick women out of my bed after sex. There are no awkward mornings after where I end up standing outside my house wondering where I can hide until the woman in my bed gets the hint and leaves.

But I can’t kick Mercy out of my bed. She’s supposed to be my girlfriend. Good thing Jett’s not around to watch this play out.

I shiver. October in Winter Falls is chilly. I need a nice cup of coffee to warm me up. And maybe some pastries. Bake Me Happy it is.

“What are you doing here?” Bryan asks the second I open the door.

I glance behind me but there’s no one there. “Me?”

“Yes, you. Mr. Rockstar who arrived home last night. You should be cuddled up in bed with your girlfriend.” He narrows his eyes on me. “Unless you and Mercy had a fight.”

I wag my finger at him. “Nuh-uh. You aren’t getting any gossip from me.”

“No fair,” he pouts.

“Can I get a coffee and a muffin?”

“Don’t you mean two coffees and two muffins?”

“You’re incorrigible.”

He grins. “But oh so much fun.”

I pay and settle at a table away from the window to eat my muffin and drink my coffee in silence. My phone buzzes in my pocket. Good. A distraction. I could use one from the thoughts running through my mind about Mercy and how I messed everything up.

“Hey, Rob,” I answer the phone.

Rob is the studio engineer of Bertie’s Recording Studio. Bertie’s is the studio here in Winter Falls where we recorded our last album. Although the album’s finished, I haven’t left town yet. Winter Falls is as good a place as any to avoid my parents.

“I know this is last minute, but can you fill in as a session guitarist today?” When I don’t answer, he goes on. “I know asking a musician in a big name band to be a session guitarist isn’t usually done, but where am I going to find a guitarist of your caliber in Winter Falls?”

I chuckle. “It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

“You will?”

I don’t have anything better to do. And this will help me avoid my house and Mercy for a little longer.

“When do you need me?”

We make arrangements and I hang up. I’m shoving my phone into my pocket when Bryan sets a plate of pancakes on my table.

“You’re going to need your energy today.”

“You’re not even going to pretend you weren’t listening in?”

He shrugs. “I am who I am.”

He skips away and I dig into my pancakes.

When I finish my breakfast, I stroll across the street to the studio. Everything is close in Winter Falls. I thought it would be stifling when we came to this tiny town in Colorado to record our album, but I’m kind of digging how close everything is. How the residents protect us from fans to allow us to live our lives.

“Holy crap,” a man swears when I enter the studio. “It is Gibson Lewis. I thought Rob was pulling our legs.”

“Always trust your engineer,” I say as I extend my hand.

“I’m Simon.” He pumps my hand up and down with a smile on his face. “Gibson Lewis. You’re Gibson Lewis of Cash the Sinners.”

“I’m gonna need my hand back if you want me to play.”

“Oh right.” He drops my hand and motions to the other men in the reception area of the studio. “This is Beck, Adam, and Bruce. Beck plays keyboard. Adam is our bass player. And Bruce is our drummer.”

Their mouths gape open as I shake their hands. I get them being starry-eyed. I was the same way when Cash the Sinners first hit it big and I met some of my favorite musicians.

But I’m in no mood to stand around and chat. My fingers itch for my guitar. Spending the day playing is a surefire way to get Mercy out of my mind.

“Shall we get to work?” I lead them toward the studio. We enter the control room and Rob greets me.

“Thanks, man. I owe you. I’ll send a case of beer over to your place.”

I grimace. Mercy will lose her mind if she finds out I have beer. But I’m not going to drink it. No matter how much my mouth waters at the idea. As long as Mercy and I are in a fake relationship, I agreed not to drink.

Of course, I also agreed the relationship was fake and we wouldn’t have sex. I broke the hell out of the no sex rule yesterday and last night. And this morning.

Why does every thought lead back to Mercy?

I stick my hands in my pockets. “I had the day off anyway.”

“And Mercy’s working?”

I groan. I should have known Rob’s tapped into the gossip chain in this town. The band brought him here for our album but he decided to stay when the studio offered him a permanent position.

“Did you get my guitar?”

I’m happy to fill in as a session musician today but I will not play any other guitar than my own. Lucky for me, Fender built a studio in his backyard where he stores my guitars.

Rob nods to the studio where three of my guitars are standing in racks.

I lift my chin in thanks before proceeding into the studio. The band is already in there getting ready.

“First album?” I ask when I notice how jittery they are.

“Yeah.” Simon beams.

I strap on my guitar and quickly make sure it’s tuned. Once I’m ready, I nod to him.

“Shall we play through the song a few times before we start recording?” He asks.

“Sounds good.”

Bruce counts us off with his sticks and we begin. The song isn’t bad. It’s not Cash the Sinners level. Not yet. But it isn’t bad.

“Can I make a few suggestions?” I ask once we finish the first run through.

Simon glances around his band for confirmation before answering me. “Sure.”

“The bridge here could use a bit of cleaning up. Maybe switch the key?”

We work on some changes to the song for a while. When we have the changes nailed down, Simon smiles.

“The song is way better now.”

Beck snorts. “I’m surprised you let anyone make any changes to your precious song.”

“Control freak,” Adam mutters.

“I am not a control freak,” Simon argues.

Bruce barks out a laugh. “Said by every control freak in the world.”

“I’m not that bad.”

Beck rolls his eyes. “You walked out of a discussion with one producer because he wanted to make changes.”

“Those weren’t changes. It was an entirely new song.”

“Control freak,” Adam mutters again.

“Can you guys at least pretend to be professional in front of Gibson?” Simon urges.

I wave away his concern. “No worries. If a band isn’t razzing each other, it’s falling apart.”

“You want to record some time today?” Rob asks over the microphone. “Gibson’s time is precious.”

I nearly roll my eyes. I don’t exactly have anything else I need to do today.

“Oh shit. Sorry. Let’s do this,” Simon says and everyone nods in agreement.

We play the song for hours. Sometimes you play a song once and it’s ready. Sometimes you need to play it for days until you get it just right. Considering this band is new to recording, I’m not surprised when it’s after five before Rob finally says he’s happy with the sound.

“Awesome!” Simon shouts and the rest of his band join him.

“Let’s go party,” Beck suggests.

“Where is there to party in this town?” Adam asks and everyone glances my way.

“You can go to the brewery, Naked Falls Brewing. It’s next door. Or there’s the bar, Electric Vibes, at the end of the block.”

Bruce jumps up from his stool behind the drums. “I vote bar.”

“Second!” Adam shouts.

“You coming?” Simon asks as they approach the door.

I shake my head. No partying for me.

“No?” Simon’s brow wrinkles. “But you’re a legendary party maker.”

I was a legendary party maker. Before Mercy. I don’t want to ruin things with her by tying one on. I promised her I wouldn’t drink and I will keep my promise. No matter how much I’m dying to have a beer.

“I’m good.”

Bruce chuckles. “He’s probably going to pick up a chick and lose himself in her for a few hours.”

“Yeah,” Beck agrees. “The man is a legend.”

I am not picking up another woman. I don’t want any woman other than Mercy. My breath catches in my throat when the thought penetrates.

I don’t want any other woman than Mercy.

Shit. I’m falling for my sassy girl.

This is a bad idea. I know what love does to people. It makes them believe they have rights to you.

No. Mercy’s different. She would never try to use me. And she doesn’t care about my money.

I hope.