Chapter 18 #2
“That depends.” I looked up at Xander. “What time are you guys playing your set?”
Oliver answered for him. “Sixish?” he said, glancing at his phone. “We should probably say hi to people and wish your sister a happy birthday first.”
“Any chance you can find me somewhere to hide until then?” I asked Gabe.
“Yeah, for sure.” He turned toward a hallway on our left and gestured for me to follow. “This way.”
Xander gave my hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll text you when we’re ready, okay?”
I nodded, then tagged along behind Gabe, who led me away from the noise of the party and over to a set of stairs. He started up them without a moment’s hesitation.
“Um,” I said, pausing at the bottom step and glancing around. “You sure it’s okay for us to go up? I don’t want to intrude on whoever lives here.”
He tossed a smile over his shoulder. “This is my and Ryan’s place.”
“Oh!” Grabbing the banister, I hurried after him. “Well, thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I can do to make up for Darren. He can be a bit overzealous at times.”
You think? I wanted to say. “Who is he anyway?”
“Ryan’s PA.”
Of course he was. He and Sadie were a match made in hell.
Part of me was curious to know what had convinced Gabe and Ryan to hire equally evil PAs. Black magic? Mind control? Or maybe they received a two-for-one deal because nobody else wanted to hire Demon One and Demon Two?
Before I could ask, we reached the second floor, and Gabe pointed to the landing’s spacious seating area.
A large entertainment cabinet took up one wall, a flat-screen TV its centerpiece, and positioned in front of it was a couch with deep, suck-you-in cushions.
The best part, however, was that the space overlooked the packed living room below.
From up here, I could watch the party without being noticed.
“You need anything else?” Gabe asked as I peered over the ledge.
It took me less than two seconds to spot Xander’s familiar frame among the crowd.
The Heartbreakers were talking to a woman with long, platinum-blond hair, and I instantly recognized Vanessa Williams, Alec’s older sister and one of Violet’s best friends. “I can have someone bring you a drink.”
“I’m good,” I said, turning back to him with a grateful smile. “Thank you though.”
“No problem,” he said. “If you need anything, just ask one of the waitstaff. I’ll see you later.”
Once Gabe was gone, I leaned against the railing and scanned the gathering for my sister.
The entire back wall of Gabe and Ryan’s house was made of glass, displaying a jaw-dropping view of their pool and, beyond that, LA.
After searching the living room, I turned my attention outside and finally found Violet curled up on one of the wicker patio sectionals with Tara Thomas, another IN costar who played the high priestess of a witch coven.
Not long after spotting her, Oliver and JJ approached, and I watched as Violet jumped up to hug them both.
They spoke for a minute, smiling and laughing, and then Oliver said something that made Violet turn and point toward a small platform erected near the far end of the pool.
On it were multiple mic stands, a drum set, and speakers, along with other equipment the Heartbreakers would need to perform.
A pit formed in my stomach as the reality of what Xander and I were about to do hit me.
I wasn’t nervous about performing in front of a crowd.
I’d been doing that since I was young. But giving an apology speech with all Violet’s friends watching?
That was more than nerve-racking. What if I got up onstage, poured my heart out, and Violet still didn’t forgive me?
For a split second, I considered texting Xander to call off the plan, but I needed to stop running away from my problems.
On my drive over, I’d tried to brainstorm what I wanted to say, because a simple I’m sorry wasn’t going to cut it. There was no excuse for the way I’d treated her. Was it even possible to apologize for years of blame and anger?
It didn’t seem likely.
At this point, all I could do was speak from the heart and hope that Violet would understand.
More to keep my nerves at bay than out of actual interest, I went over to the entertainment cabinet and selected a book at random off the shelf.
As I sank down onto the couch, I studied the cover.
It was one of those heavy, coffee table books, this particular one about a domesticated squirrel named S’more.
A quick flip through showed me that S’more’s parents enjoyed dressing him up as celebrities and famous pop culture characters.
It felt like a strange book for two bachelors to own, but then I found the page where the poor critter was dressed as Luca.
Since I had nothing better to do, I browsed through the pictures until my pocket vibrated.
Galaxy Rider:
We’re starting. Meet Gabe downstairs.
I slid Sundays with S’more back into its spot on the shelf, then hurried down to the first floor.
Gabe was waiting for me at the base of the steps. “You ready?” he asked just as the music pumping through the house’s speaker system cut off. “The guys are about to kick things off, so pretty much everyone is outside.”
As if prompted by Gabe’s statement, Oliver’s voice—magnified but also muffled by a wall or two—interrupted the buzz of the party. He introduced the band with his usual charming bravado and wished Violet a happy birthday.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, wringing my hands. “Xander said there’d be a violin for me?” I’d wanted to bring my own, but Dad would have been suspicious if I’d taken my case to Sofia’s house to study.
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” Gabe waved me after him. “Come on.”
We made our way to the back of the house, and by the time we reached the living room, the Heartbreakers were playing their first song.
With the exception of a couple talking quietly on the couch and a few cater waiters, everyone had moved outside to listen.
The patio was packed, making it impossible to spot my sister, but I could see Xander onstage, guitar in hand.
The sight of him simultaneously calmed my nerves and made my heart skip a beat.
“Earth to Indie?”
Tearing my eyes away from Xander, I turned back to Gabe. Apparently I’d been staring for longer than I realized, because his brows arched up in amusement.
“Here,” he said, offering me a violin case.
I blinked, surprised by its sudden appearance. I’d been so preoccupied, I hadn’t seen where the instrument had come from, but I was grateful nonetheless.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the case from him. After lifting the latches, I peeked inside to make sure everything was in working order, and Gabe watched as I trailed my fingers over the neck, all the way down to the lower bout.
“Will that work?” he asked, pushing his jet-black bangs out of his eyes.
I nodded. “It’s perfect.”
His responding smile was so warm, it occurred to me just how wrong I’d been about him. Sure, Gabe knew how ridiculously good-looking he was, but that didn’t make him a bad guy. He was considerate and funny and sweet. It seemed I’d misjudged quite a few people recently.
“Good, let’s go,” he said and led me over to the patio doors.
As soon as we stepped outside, the volume of the music tripled.
The Heartbreakers were in the middle of playing their hit single “Astrophil,” and as Gabe and I worked our way around the outskirts of the crowd, slowly making our way toward the stage, I hummed along to the song.
We reached the small platform just as it finished, and Gabe waved at Oliver to get his attention.
He nodded at us in acknowledgment, then whispered something to Alec and JJ.
“All right, everyone, I hope you’re having a great time so far!” Oliver called into the microphone, his attention back on the crowd. “Tonight we have a surprise for the birthday girl, so please put your hands together for our special guest performer, Indie Mitchell-Jamiolkowski.”
There was a surprisingly loud cheer even though nobody knew who I was, but I felt myself freeze up all the same.
Suddenly, the three steps leading up to the stage looked like a mountain, one I was petrified to climb.
If it hadn’t been for Xander, who turned toward me with his lopsided smile, I probably would have fled.
Instead, I swallowed hard and forced myself to take a deep breath.
This was it. My chance to make things right with my sister.
“Good luck,” Gabe said, patting me on the shoulder.
“Thanks,” I whispered. My palms were a clammy mess, and I hastily wiped my free one on the back of my jeans as I scaled the stairs, violin case clutched against my side.
Xander held out his hand and guided me up the final step.
My nerves must have been visible, because he gave my fingers a comforting squeeze.
“You’ve got this,” he told me as JJ and Alec filed offstage.
Oliver winked in my direction as he followed after them.
Then, hands still clasped together, Xander and I walked to the front of the platform.
I took a moment to scan the sea of faces until I spotted Violet, who was standing with Tara and Vanessa near the front.
When our gazes met, I offered her a hesitant smile, but she stared back at me with a blank expression.
Okay, not the most encouraging reaction ever, but it was better than an all-out scowl. I’d take what I could get.
Giving my amethyst a quick squeeze for luck, I stepped up to the mic stand.
“Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for being here to celebrate Violet’s birthday.
I want to give a big shout out to our hosts Gabe and Ryan for throwing an awesome party and to the Heartbreakers for allowing me to crash their performance,” I said, my voice an octave too high.
I took another deep breath and willed myself to calm down.
“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Violet’s younger sister, Indie, and like most babies of a family, I’m a massive pain in the ass.
” This got a laugh from the audience. “Things haven’t always been smooth sailing between us, but of course, like most older siblings, Violet is a role model, and I’ve come to realize just how lucky I am to call her my sister.
“When we were growing up, our entire family knew Violet was going to be a star years before she decided to pursue a career in acting. She was always putting on plays with her stuffed animals and singing at the top of her lungs into whatever microphone-shaped object she could get her hands on. She also had the distinct ability to walk into a room and steal the spotlight, because people wanted to be around her. But Violet isn’t just talented.
She’s ambitious and disciplined and hardworking, which resulted in her landing her very first record deal!
Violet’s debut album will be out later this year, but tonight I want to share a song she’s featuring on, which was written by the equally talented Xander Jones.
This is ‘Indigo Skies,’ and I hope you enjoy. ”
With the scary part over, I slid the microphone back into the clip and moved out of the way so Xander could take my place.
At some point during my speech, he’d swapped his electric guitar for an acoustic.
As he plucked out a few notes to make sure it was in tune, I pulled the violin from its case and settled the instrument between my shoulder and chin.
When he glanced over his shoulder to see if I was ready, I gave him a nod.
Then he started to play.