Chapter 13
“I’m riding shotgun!” Finn calls.
“No way. My girlfriend is sitting next to me,” Jack growls at him.
Girlfriend—see, we can do this. We can totally pull this off. Jack occasionally being muddle-brained doesn’t mean a thing. I climb into the passenger seat and give him a peck on the cheek. He winks at me and starts the engine.
Jack and I decided to go to the pet store two towns over to find a suitable orthopedic bed and food that will help Lilly with her arthritis. Finn demanded to be dropped at the fire department, as he had left his car there after last night’s service meeting evolved into a binge.
A car turns into the property and blocks our way. There would be enough space to go around us, but the driver chooses to park smack on the driveway. She gets out, and if I had not disliked her for her driving style, I do now. She is dressed to be a hapless damsel. Killer heels make it hard for her to walk—and drive, apparently. A corset cinches her waist so tight, I bet she suffers from dyspnea. And even from thirty feet away, I can see her nails are too long to be of any use. And right, she doesn’t even try to close her car door but leaves it open as she sashays our way. Why would anyone cripple themselves with their get-up and rely on others to help them? I have seen that entitlement in my celebrity clients, and I resent it.
“Crap,” Jack says under his breath and gets out of the car to meet that crazy woman. He greets her with little kisses on both of her cheeks. His smile is cinematic. Seriously, he has never smiled at me like that.
“What the fuck?” I had not meant to say that aloud, but I am beyond caring.
Finn sticks his head between the front seats. “That’s Kat. I’ve met her once, and she is not easy to forget.”
I’m sure he’s right there.
“She’s Tawpie Tantrum’s manager and from what I’ve heard she’s great at it.”
I am too stunned to say anything, so Finn rambles on. “Don’t let yourself be fooled by her gear.” He makes a swirly hand movement at that fancy attire. Looking at me, he adds, “No reason to be jealous, honey. None at all.”
I stare at Jack talking to that woman.
Finn nudges me, “Hey, are you okay?”
My thinking has slowed to snail speed. “Why is Jack talking to the manager of Tawpie Tantrum?” I finally manage to ask.
Finn’s eyes bug. “You don’t… Ah, he still hasn’t told you?” Pity clouds his eyes.
I have no idea what is going on. I turn again to watch Jack talking to the manager. It looks like he isn’t all too happy with what she tells him. Repeatedly, he shakes his head, but she keeps talking on.
Another car arrives, and two people get out. A woman immediately starts taking photographs of Jack, and a man slowly walks towards him.
Jack casts me a look and then turns his back to me. He leaves with the three strangers. He just leaves!
Finn watches them walk away from us. “This is unexpected,” he says.
Unexpected? That is too weak a word. I’m sure I’m going to find a better one once I can think straight. For the time being, I am simply dumbfounded. Memories flash before my inner eye. Jack playing the guitar. The guitarist on stage, swiping his hair out of his face. Those two images slowly blend into one.
Tears sting my eyes and there is a painful pressure on my chest. I gasp and turn to Finn. “His name is not Jack, is it?”
Finn squeezes his eyes in a pained grimace. Under his breath, he mumbles, “Little brother, you owe me.” Louder, he says, “No, it isn’t.”
“He’s Rory?”
Finn silently nods.
All this time Jack—Rory! lied to me, not even by omission, but actively lied about his name, job, everything. All those things he didn’t want to talk about—they are not innocuous little secrets, but big ones. Mean ones. He made me believe he is a genuine person, made me fall for him.
It’s hard to wrap my head around all of this and I sit there, waiting for Finn to tell me it is all a prank. But he doesn’t. Instead, the manager comes over. “Hey, you are the brother, aren’t you? Could you move your car?” she asks. “I can’t drive backwards all the way.”
“What’s this about?” Finn asks.
“With the charges being dropped we’ve got a chance to move on. An interview in one of the biggest magazines will do wonders. And we will start a small tour stateside next week. Things will work out just nicely.”
Once Finn gets his truck out of her way, she leaves.
Finn reaches for his phone. He frowns looking at it.
“You’re not going to like this. Rory has texted me that I can have Lilly.”
Not liking isn’t even anywhere close. I bite my lip to make sure I don’t yell at Finn. He’s the good one, after all.
I take out my phone and stare at it, willing the three dots to show up that would indicate Rory is typing a message to me. They never come.
Finn’s gaze is filled with warm compassion. I guess I fell in love with the wrong brother.
The realization of this thought hits me hard. I’m in love with Rory, with an entitled, self-absorbed celebrity. And just like that, I know that if we don’t work this out right now, it won’t end in heartache for me, but in heartbreak. How long will this interview take him? Not too long, I’m sure.
Minute by minute, I get more impatient.
???
Thirty-six hours later, he comes back like nothing happened. He has the gall to be surprised that I don’t welcome him with hugs and kisses.
“You left me standing there!” I try to keep my voice calm and composed. That’s not going to fool anyone, but maybe will let me keep a fragment of my decorum.
“I assumed you didn’t want to be in the pictures.” Rory tries to soothe me, touch me, but I step out of his reach.
“You didn’t come back after!”
“They stayed until ten minutes ago!” he exclaims. “That’s the way these interviews are made.”
“And they came without any warning?” I can’t help the snark.
“Right. Kat jumped them on me. God, she practically begged me to present them a girlfriend, as it would have helped restore my image. And I didn’t drag you into it, nor did I pretend someone else was my girlfriend.”
“So I am supposed to be grateful, right?”
He stared at me with some “Duh, yeah” expression. He really didn’t get it.
I slowly rolled my head and took a few deep, grounding breaths. I won’t cry, not here, not for him to see. “If you were a carpenter, I’d be your lady. But you live in a different world than I do. In a world where it’s normal to disappear without notice. In a world where a few snapshots for some tabloid are more important than the people in your life.”
“That’s not a tabloid, and the photographer—” Rory tries to explain.
“It doesn’t matter, does it?” I grab my packed suitcase that’s been waiting by the door. “I’m done here anyhow. Finn is cool with Lilly. She’ll have a good life with him.”
Rory just gapes at me. He follows me out to the car but doesn’t say a word.
In my hurry to get out of Dodge, I accelerate too fast and the tires spin on the gravel, creating a big cloud of dust and obscuring Rory from my view.