23. Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-three
“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” said Callie.
Adam laughed as she wrapped a wool blanket around herself and huddled behind the windshield of the passenger seat on the Speakeasy . Now fully restored, she was finally ready for a test run on the lake, and he had brought Callie along to share the moment. The sunny, sixty-degree day had seemed plenty warm on shore, but once they had launched the boat and moved into open water, they discovered the true meaning of the words ‘wind chill.’
A small part of him still couldn’t believe he was trading a warm morning in bed with Callie for this chilly boat ride, but truthfully he was sick of lying low. If he couldn’t spend time on the water with a beautiful woman—whatever her future plans—then he needed to make a change. There had to be some balance between Danny’s life and his own. How could he ask Danny to be a whole person, embracing life, if he wasn’t willing—or permitted—to do the same?
“It’s freezing out here,” she muttered. “Tell me again why we’re doing this? ”
“Wimp,” he called cheerfully. “Come over here by me. I’ll warm you up.”
She didn’t immediately take him up on his offer. Not a good sign.
“Do you think that’s wise?” she asked. He didn’t like the shadow that crossed her face. She shouldn’t have to worry about stalkers. “Not to be paranoid, but that photographer could still be following me around.”
“Get over here. I could care less about the photographer.”
“But the case….”
“Our secret’s out. We can’t make things any worse. Might as well enjoy ourselves.”
She smiled, then shrugged and slipped into the circle of his arms. They continued like that for a while, Callie standing in front of Adam, her head tucked under his chin, her body wrapped in the blanket, and his arms reaching around her to clasp the boat’s steering wheel. When they reached the middle of the lake, Adam slowed the boat. Leaning down, he spoke softly in her ear.
“Do you want a turn to drive?”
“That would mean unwrapping the blanket.” She tugged it more tightly around her body.
“I know,” he laughed. “And I’ll repeat the question. Do you want to drive?”
He could tell that she was tempted, but she needed a nudge.
“Are you chicken?” he asked.
“What?” she said.
“I knew it.”
“I am not.” She sighed dramatically. “Give me the wheel, city boy. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
“And I’ll keep you warm,” he said, adjusting the blanket and holding it in place so that she had her arms free to drive. He sat down in the captain’s chair, bracing her hips between his thighs and giving her more room to maneuver. She placed her hand on the throttle and thrust it forward. The boat leaped in response, propelling them forward through the chop. She drew a large, lazy circle in the center of the lake, then cut back through her own wake to make a series of figure eights. Finally, she straightened out their course and headed down the length of the lake, keeping her pace steady, her hand firm on the throttle, adjusting her course as needed in response to the ever-changing water.
He had never been so turned on in his life.
The blanket slipped a bit. He changed his grip so that he held the blanket in one hand, leaving his other hand free to do mischief. He let it stray downward, snagging the waistband of her long flowing skirt so that he could slide it down over her hips. Her breath hitched as it pooled around her feet.
“Adam, stop it. I’m driving here.” She swatted at his hand. “It’s cold!”
“I know,” he chuckled. “Hands on the wheel, please.”
She gasped as his cold hand met her warm belly, then began sliding upward. In seconds, he had unclipped the front clasp on her bra and begun torturing her breasts with his icy fingertips. He liked the way her nipples responded immediately to his touch, but he wanted more. The blanket certainly added to the challenge, but he was, to put it bluntly, up for it.
As his hand warmed, and he let it roam more freely, caressing the soft skin of her belly and then moving across her hips, encouraging her underwear to follow her skirt to the floor. When she realized what he was trying to do, she wriggled in protest, but it was too late. He moved forward to the edge of the seat and pressed himself against her curves, now sheltered only by the scratchy wool blanket. Anchoring her hips against him, he slid his hand slowly down her belly until his fingers reached their goal. She shivered and leaned back against him, her hands still clutching the wheel .
“Adam,” she warned, her voice coming out more like a moan.
“Yes?” he answered softly, his fingers circling around and around her center.
“Adam, please, I can’t…think.”
“Good thing there’s nobody else out here on the water.” His fingers grew more insistent. Her breath came in pants. He anchored her more firmly as his fingers demanded more and more of her.
“Adam,” she cried, her entire body wracked with shudders. He held her steady, pressed hard against him, until her breathing slowed and he thought she could stand on her own. She still clutched the wheel, but her legs were steady as he slowly, gently, withdrew his hand.
She reached over and pulled the throttle back, slowing the boat until they idled, drifting gently in the waves. She cut the motor, and the sudden stillness caught him by surprise. They had covered nearly half the length of the lake, but were still out in open water, enjoying more privacy than they were likely to find on land.
“Hold this,” he whispered in her ear, nipping at her earlobe as he secured the blanket around her and tucked the edges into one of her hands.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” she murmured dreamily.
Adam smiled. If she was dreamy now, she would be reeling soon. He slid from the captain’s seat and moved into the bow, yanking the seat cushions off the benches and piling them on the floor. He grabbed a few towels from the stack in the back and laid them across the cool vinyl. Then he tugged Callie toward him.
“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” she asked, eyeing the makeshift bed with equal parts interest and skepticism.
“Definitely,” Adam said, reaching beneath the blanket to run his hands up her bare legs, encouraging her to sink down on top of him. He wanted her now, before her dreamy haze faded. He managed to escape his jeans before her knees capitulated and she melted down onto him. He caught her hips and met her as she closed the gap between them, plunging into her as the wool blanket floated down to cover them both.
She arched her back, clinging to the benches for support. He gripped her hips and they rode the waves, slowly at first, rising and falling with the rhythm of the water. But the waves grew bigger. They struggled to keep pace, crashing together, again and again, until they both collapsed, spent, and tumbled helplessly in the surf.
“Adam,” she said softly. He smiled into her neck.
“You’re irresistible,” he whispered in her ear, then nipped at her earlobe with his teeth, making her shiver, and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “You’ve always been irresistible.”
“And you’re trouble,” she sighed. He laughed.
“The best kind of trouble.”
They lay in silence for a few minutes, sheltered from the cold wind, until he remembered why they had launched the boat in the first place.
“How do you like the boat?”
“I love it. She’s a thing of beauty.”
“I agree,” he answered as he kissed his way down her neck. “She’s unforgettable.”
Callie lay in the circle of Adam’s arm, lulled by the rocking motion of the boat on the water. If only this moment could last forever. Forget Nashville. Forget stalkers. Forget custody battles and careers. In this moment she had found peace, and she didn’t want to let go.
Adam made it all too easy to imagine a new life. Instead of starting over in Nashville, she could start over here in Hidden Springs. She and Adam and Danny could be a family. She and Danny could play music together every morning. During the day, with Danny off to school, Callie could work on her music while Adam worked on his boats, but of course they would have to break for lunch at some point. Lunchtime would quickly become her favorite part of the day.
From time to time she would travel to Nashville for meetings and recording sessions. During the summers she would have to tour. Maybe Adam and Danny could join her, sometimes. The road would be lonely on her own, but she would know, even during the long stretches away, that she had a real home waiting for her. A real family. Love.
The word hovered, suspended in her imagination, and she built sand castles and dreams all around it. It was too soon for daydreams like this, too soon to let the word ‘love’ float around unsupervised, but she couldn’t help it. Adam had always given her the courage to dream big.
Kat was saying goodbye to a client when she saw Adam’s SUV pull up. He was hauling a gorgeous, dripping wet wooden boat. She laughed softly to herself as she waved goodbye to the family. What kind of idiot takes a boat out on a blustery May morning? It was barely sixty degrees outside, and probably colder out on the water. She shivered just thinking about it.
Her smile faded as she got a closer look. Adam had a passenger, and it looked like Callie. They talked or…something…for a few moments, then his passenger—yes, it was Callie—hopped out the passenger door and Adam drove away. Kat sighed. If Adam intended to keep a low profile in the weeks leading up to the hearing, he was going about it the wrong way.
As Callie approached, Kat straightened up and put on her best professional smile. She smoothed her jacket and pushed open the door, ushering Callie inside. Kat might not be rosy-cheeked and windswept from a morning on the water, but she had just this morning helped a family finalize the adoption of their foster child. With a dose of perspective, the knot in her stomach would loosen and the queasy feeling would go away, right?
“Hi Kat,” chirped Callie as she stepped inside. Kat let the door close on its own, the happy little bell jangling her nerves.
“Good morning,” Kat responded, her voice cool. “I’m glad you could make it.”
Kat directed Callie to her private office. Call her petty, but she wanted the reinforcement of the chair and the desk today. Kat took her time pulling out Callie’s file and a notepad. Neither of them broke the silence with polite chatter. Kat picked up her pen and tapped out a sharp little rhythm.
“I’ve looked over your documents, particularly the band agreement. Here’s where you stand. You signed an agreement that favors the interests of the band over the interests of the individual members. All the songs have been copyrighted in the name of the band, not the songwriter. The real kicker, though, is the exit clause. It’s harsh.”
“I was afraid of that,” Callie admitted, “but I couldn’t remember the details. How bad is it?”
“That depends on your perspective,” answered Kat. “The exit clause, as written, says that you can walk away at any time. You have rights to your share of the band’s current assets, including money—”
“That sounds good,” Callie interrupted.
“—up to a maximum of five hundred dollars.”
“Oh.”
“And you leave behind the rights to all the songs. Those stay with the band.”
“Oh. ”
Kat watched Callie, curious to see how she would react. When Callie didn’t seem inclined to speak, Kat continued.
“Keep in mind that you could dispute this agreement. If nothing else, we could challenge the copyright on the songs. Those were done as work-for-hire for the band, which is unusual.”
“But that costs money.”
“Yes.”
“And it could generate some ugly publicity.”
“I suppose.”
While Callie mulled over the situation, Kat wondered what kind of client Callie would turn out to be. Was she itching for a fight? Looking for an excuse to sue? Maybe hoping to jumpstart a solo career with a burst of publicity? Or did she plan to fade away, retire to small-town Wisconsin, and start a new life? Kat caught herself as she was about to roll her eyes. Wouldn’t that be a bitch, if she stayed? Callie could swoop right in and lock up the only eligible bachelor in the entire county.
Which made Kat an idiot for facilitating the process.
“What do you want, Callie?” she asked abruptly, preferring a solid answer to a lot of speculation. Callie cocked her head, confused, so Kat clarified her meaning.
“What’s your goal here?” she asked. “Are you going to stay in the music business? Do you want to burn bridges? Do you want publicity? Do you want privacy? What are you looking for?”
“I want out,” Callie sighed. “No drama. No publicity. I want to be done with the band. After that, yes, I want to stay in the music business. I’m working on making that a real possibility. But in the meantime, I need to understand how to get out of the band, and how long the process will take.”
“That part’s easy,” said Kat. “All you need to do is tell them in writing. The resignation can be effective immediately.”
“That’s it?” asked Callie, clearly surprised. Kat smiled. Non- lawyers always expected things to be complicated. Sometimes they were very simple.
“I can’t promise they’ll take the news well,” qualified Kat, “but technically that’s all you need to do.”
Callie smiled. “They will definitely not take it well.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “Can you help me do this? The writing part, I mean. I don’t want to screw it up.”
“Sure,” answered Kat. “Do you want to get together on Monday and I’ll have a draft letter for you to review?”
Callie let out a big breath and nodded.
“Thanks,” she said. “This is turning out to be a lot easier than I thought.”
Kat smiled cynically, feeling the weight of every one of her twenty-nine years.
“Don’t worry. It will get harder.”