Chapter 9
9
Emma
E mma ducked her head as they passed a group of teenagers. They were her biggest demographic of fans, and she would be an idiot if she thought they might not recognize her. They were laughing and talking loudly but with the twang expected of a group of country kids.
Caleb shot her a sharp look as she pulled her cap lower over the sunglasses she was wearing of Caleb’s. “You know, you look more suspicious when you do that than you would if you walked with your head held high. I’m sure there are several people who are giving you a second look just because you’re trying to hide your face.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, starting to panic.
“More.”
She frowned and glanced over her shoulder toward the teens.
“Well, those kids might not have noticed, but to be fair, they’re more into their own world at the moment.” His voice was gruff and full of irritation. From the moment he’d told her to get into his truck, he had a sour mood.
As another couple of people passed, she fought the need to hide her face. Everything was fine. No one would expect her to be here of all places. Why would a country star find herself in a town whose entire population could fit inside one of the many arenas she’d performed in?
Emma glanced at Caleb, not surprised to find that same sour look on his face as they walked along the street toward a shop he’d wanted to stop at. Clearly, he didn’t like her. He probably didn’t like that she was staying at Sophia’s place, either. Caleb seemed to be the kind of man who didn’t like much of anyone. She folded her arms and set her sights forward. “How well do you know Sophia and her family?”
He didn’t even toss her a glance when he spoke. “Mateo’s my brother’s friend, and by proxy, he’s mine, too.”
She bit back a laugh, to which he gave her a startled look. Emma waved her hand in the air in an attempt to brush off what she’d done. “Sorry, it’s just that I didn’t expect an answer like that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
Emma stopped short and blinked a few times. “Only that you don’t seem to be very social. It’s hard to imagine you being friendly with anyone.”
“I’m friendly,” he stammered. “I just choose who’s important to me before I decide to spend time with them.”
“And Mateo? He falls into that category?”
His jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed. “I fail to see why any of this is important.”
She shrugged. “I was simply noticing how close everyone seems to be in this town. Sophia was so quick to trust me?—”
“That wasn’t normal,” he interjected. “Sophia isn’t exactly the best judge of character.”
“I’m going to ignore that,” Emma shot back. “As I was saying , Sophia appears to make friends easily. I didn’t meet Mateo, but I would assume he’s probably friendly, too. But you? You’re different. I haven’t noticed you take any phone calls or say hello to anyone we’ve passed.”
His expression darkened. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”
“I never said you did. You wanted to know why I snickered. That’s what I’m getting at. You’re picky. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
“And I suppose you think that’s a bad thing?”
Emma shrugged again. “It’s not good and it’s not bad. It just makes sense.”
He pressed his lips together firmly and breathed a heavy breath through his nose. Then he turned in the direction they’d been walking. “Come on. I have a few more things I have to do back at the ranch. We’re taking too long.”
The rest of their errand was done in that same disappointing silence that Caleb seemed to prefer. He didn’t speak another word to her, not while he hunted down what he needed at the feed store and not while she got the few things she needed from the grocery store. They drove home the same way, and it nearly drove her mad.
By the time they got home, Emma couldn’t take it anymore. She charged out of the truck and hurried inside. Her fingers itched for the guitar—a way for her to express all the pent-up emotions she’d been feeling since she’d gotten up that morning. They hadn’t even been in one another’s company for twenty-four hours and she was already getting stir-crazy.
So much for the peace and quiet she was supposed to be getting. There was just something about being with someone who refused to speak to her that stirred feelings of discontent within her.
Emma retrieved the guitar and focused on playing the song she’d played so much she heard it in her dreams. There were several times that she wished she could write the words that could do it justice, but each time she tried, she failed miserably.
Why couldn’t she find the words for the music that came from her soul? It seemed like a cruel trick for fate to play. The more times she played, the more antsy she became. Whether it was due to her irritation with Caleb or the growing frustration she had over the song she was trying to write, Emma couldn’t be certain. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the house and get a fresh perspective.
Emma found herself seated beneath a large maple tree. A breeze fanned her face, cooling the flush in her cheeks. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The scent of lavender flooded her senses, calming her. There was another familiar scent coming off a nearby field, but she couldn’t place it.
Her fingers found their place on the frets, and she strummed the strings. Heart slowing, growing more even, Emma was able to finally find a degree of peace. She didn’t have to worry about Caleb or his cold shoulder. Nor did she have to worry about what might be happening at home.
Right here, right now, it was just her and her music.
And the incessant vibration of her phone.
Emma groaned and pulled her phone from her pocket, not at all surprised to see her sister’s number. She sighed as she answered the phone. “Hi, Jessica.”
“They canceled it.”
Emma straightened. “They canceled what? What are you talking about?” It had only been a day since they’d last spoken. Nothing could have escalated that quickly.
“Rachel. She canceled your tour. She said without knowing where you are or what’s happened, she doesn’t want to risk the unknown.”
Emma shot to her feet, the guitar sitting in the grass. “She can’t do that, can she?”
“I’m not a lawyer, Em. I don’t know what she can or can’t do. But she hasn’t heard from you, so what do you expect? She can’t just lie to the people who are running the concerts. Now that she’s let everyone know that you’re missing, she has to keep moving forward with that narrative.”
“And Mom? Does she know? The truth, I mean—that I’m hiding from Rachel?”
“Of course not. Rachel doesn’t know how to get ahold of her since Mom got her new number, so she’s still in the dark.”
“Good, keep it that way.”
“Em, I can’t. You know Mom will figure it out eventually.”
“Yeah, but not until I’m ready.”
“Not until you’re read…” She paused for a moment. “What are you saying? You have to call Rachel. You have to make sure she knows you’ll be back for the tour. You will be back, won’t you?”
“Of course I will.” Emma sighed. “But I plan on being ready. I’m not going anywhere until I know I’m in the right mindset. This is about feeling safe, Jessica. Can you understand that?”
“You know I do, but?—”
“Then you’ll let me do things my way. I can’t leave here, not right now. I…” She slumped back against the tree. “I just can’t .”
“I would never ask you to, Em. But this isn’t just about you. Think about your crew. Those people who go on tour with you have bills to pay and mouths to feed. I get that you need to feel safe—mentally—but this is bigger than you are.”
Emma bit down on her lower lip, gnawing on it until it tasted raw. Her sister was right, of course. She owed it to all the faithful people who made her shows happen. Something just didn’t feel right about the whole situation. Rachel would never lose such a big commission from all the venues where Emma would be performing. This had to be a way to smoke her out. She shook her head. “I promise I’ll come back when I’m ready. I just don’t know when that will be.”
Jessica sighed. “I don’t think I can hold her off much longer. She’s been calling and messaging me. I might have to tell her something. Would you be okay if I said I heard from you? What if I made sure to say I don’t know where you are or how long you’re going to be gone but that you’ve reached out to me?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Jess,” Emma hedged.
“I won’t do it if you tell me not to.”
There was no telling what Rachel would do to try to get more information out of Jessica. She wouldn’t go so far as to threaten her, but she might try to get access to phone records. “Do what you feel is best. I trust you.”
Jessica remained quiet for longer than Emma expected. Then she let out a soft breath. “Okay. Just promise me you’ll tell me if anything changes.”
“I promise,” Emma murmured. She hung up and tossed the phone to the grass at her feet. Rachel wasn’t a bad person. She simply had a way of making things happen. It was one of the reasons that Emma had hired her in the first place. Emma didn’t regret making that decision—at least not until this moment. She didn’t know how to rein in her manager. Rachel wouldn’t go so far as to do something that could get her fired, but she was also one of the best debaters out there. She’d be able to spin the story to her benefit.
In reality, she probably had a plan for getting the tour back on track as soon as Emma came out of the woodwork. That was one of the biggest reasons that Emma refused to let Rachel manipulate her into returning. Emma’s mental health was more important right now. She couldn’t afford to have a mental break while on tour. If Rachel couldn’t see that, then she was blind.
Emma lowered herself down beside the tree and retrieved the guitar. She took a deep breath and released it as she plucked out a few of the notes. The music inundated her senses as she continued to play and let it take her away from her troubles.
Over and over again, she played the song that sang her to sleep.
“It’s beautiful.”
She gasped and spun around to find Caleb standing a few feet from her. Emma didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. It could have been an hour for all she knew. Her face flushed and heat crept down her neck to her bosom. Emma watched him, waiting for him to say something else that might indicate if he’d eavesdropped on more than just the song she played.
He motioned toward the guitar. “Did you bring it with you all the way from LA?”
Emma glanced at the guitar and shook her head. “No. I found it upstairs in one of the bedrooms.”
Caleb lifted his head with understanding. “Then it’s probably Roman’s.”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “Do you think he’ll be mad?”