Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
R enic slept in the next morning. After a night of open-air passion that lasted well past the early hours of the morning, he was utterly and deliciously relaxed. He could still feel Lizzie in his arms when he’d drifted off to sleep, and he could still smell her on his skin when he woke up.
When he finally pried his eyes open, it was well past nine. His phone buzzed with unanswered texts from Davis and Morgan. Davis wanted his approval on Tyrone’s latest track. He ignored that to focus on Morgan’s messages.
Where R contract notes?
Rmbr Jacob @ 2 today!
Nate needs contract. Now!
You in jail? Alien abduction?
Bleeding out in hospital?
He winced. Between talking to Della and helping around the inn, and then being distracted with Lizzie, he’d completely forgotten to revise the contract. Before he could tap out a response to her questions, the phone rang. Morgan’s face popped up on the caller ID. He put the call on speaker instead of video.
“Hey,” he said, and hauled himself out of bed. “Can this wait until after I shower?”
Morgan’s voice came at him in a rush. “Seriously, what the hell is going on up there? You’re never out of touch this long. Ever. And where the hell is the contract?”
“There’s been a lot going on.” He pulled fresh clothes out of the drawer as he spoke. “I’ll get Jacob signed today. Jordanna’s still here. I’ll hook them up. Can you set up an account for him? I want to send him a signing bonus to prove we’re serious.”
“What kind of assistant do you take me for? It’s already done. Let’s go back to the part where you’ve been ignoring my many helpful texts and phone calls. Is it Lizzie? She still giving you a hard time?” Something clanged in the background. “She banging you like a cheap drum?”
He tilted his head, trying to figure out where she was and what the sound could be. He wouldn’t be shocked if she’d brought a drum set to the office. “What the hell was that?”
“This?” Whatever it was clanged again. “That’s your chair. Did you know when you tilt it just right it almost falls off the pedestal? You could really hurt yourself.”
“Get out of my office, and take a stab at drafting a contract that won’t make us both sick.”
A tapping sound started, like she’d picked up a pencil and was beating his desk with it. “You want me to do that? Who are you and what have you done with Jackson Renic?”
He snorted a laugh. “You got this. You know what we need as well as I do. Better, actually. Besides, I just want it for leverage. I think Della might change her mind. ”
The tapping stopped. “Oh, really? How’d you manage that?”
“By using my amazing skills of negotiation.” He tossed the pile of clean clothes onto the bed and carried the phone into the bathroom.
“Uh-huh. Seriously, what did you say to her?”
“I got her thinking, that’s all. It feels like she’s coming around. So just write the contract you think we should have. Think big.”
“I don’t think we should have one at all,” Morgan said in a flat tone. “I think you should tell them where to stick it.”
“They have resources we could use, especially for advertising. Take the parts we need, toss the rest, and make sure we stay us. You can do it. I’ll look over it tonight.”
He reached into the shower and turned on the water.
“What’s that sound?” Morgan sounded suspicious. “Are you in the shower?”
“No. It’s raining really hard.” Renic pulled off the shorts he’d slept in and dropped them on the floor.
The pencil tapping started up again. “You were still in bed when I called, weren’t you.”
“Not exactly.” He pulled the shower curtain closed to minimize some of the sound of the water.
“So,” she said, in the thoughtful tone of a close friend connecting too many dots, “you’ve been avoiding me, and you slept in, and now you’re taking a shower while we’re on the phone because you want to be fresh for someone.”
“Your point?” Renic turned the sound up on his phone as high as it would go.
“My point is I think you and Lizzie have been doing the nasty. That’s why you won’t answer the phone.” Her accusation echoed off the bathroom walls, and the tapping increased. “You’ve been busy my ass. You’ve been busy all over her ass.”
“That’s just crude, Morgan.” He stepped into the shower but kept the curtain slightly open in case his assistant said something he really needed to hear. After ducking his head under the stream for a second or two, he poured shampoo into his palm and started to lather it up.
“That’s not a denial.” Something clattered and the tapping stopped. He pictured her throwing the pencil. “Wow. Just wow. How was it?”
“I’m not discussing this with you.” He dipped his head into the water to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. For a minute or two, he couldn’t hear her over the rush of the water and the sound of his own thoughts as he relived last night in his head. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the fact that the woman he’d fantasized about for years had been in the backseat of his car.
What really blew his mind was last night. She’d been in his arms, naked, in full view of the stars and anybody who cared to watch. It had been hotter than any of his fantasies combined, and it was still hard to believe that it had really happened. But it had. He knew it had because he was still sore in places. He wanted her again, right now, in the shower with water streaming over her—
“Renic!”
Morgan’s shout broke through his fantasy.
He rubbed his face to clear his mind and moved the curtain aside so he could hear her better. “What? Say that again?”
“I said have you talked about it with her at all?”
He frowned. He’d obviously missed part of the conversation. “Talked about what?”
The tapping sound started back up, this time with metallic, rather than wooden, notes. She must have moved on to a pen as her implement of choice. “You never listen to me, you know that?”
“I was rinsing. Hang on a second.” He quickly washed the rest of his body, then turned off the water. “You were saying?”
“You two have been dancing around each other for years. Where’s this going, Renic? How many times have you done it? If it’s more than two she’s probably picturing your future together. How’s that going to work?”
He picked up the towel. “It’s none of your business how many times.”
He busied himself with drying off. Her tone echoed reminded him of how that little shit Carter had called him Mr. Temporary, which was unfair in the extreme. He had no intention of being that guy. Lizzie was the queen of handling logistics, and he ran his own company. They could make it work. “I’ll figure it out.”
The tapping stopped. “Oh, really? How? She owns an inn. Her life is there. Yours is everywhere else. You think she’ll just toss her life aside for you?”
“Of course not.” He hung up the towel, picked up the phone, and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed. “I can work from anywhere, including an inn in upstate New York. I could set up an office here, or I could commute by helicopter. Something like that.”
“That sounds exhausting. Have you asked her about this?”
The sound of papers moving around made him pause. “What are you doing? Are you messing around on my desk?”
“I’m cleaning your office while I’m in here.” She pounded what sounded like a ream of paper on the desk. “How you find anything I’ll never know. There’s a contract sitting here from two years ago with coffee stains on it. And a petrified pack of peanuts. Stop deflecting. Have you talked to Lizzie about this?”
He glared at the phone. “I have a system. Stop messing with it. As for Lizzie, no. I’ve only been here a few days. We haven’t exactly had time to dive into that kind of topic.”
“But you’ve had time for a few romps in the sack.” Morgan clicked her tongue. “She’s not the type to take that lightly, you know. Plus, she’s been burned before.”
“What are you trying to say? I’m not anything like that asshole.” He pulled on his jeans with a little more force than necessary.
“No, you’re not,” Morgan said in her patient voice that she usually used for wayward talents. “But you will be if you don’t talk to her. Tell her how you feel. I realize that’s a tough concept for a man to grasp but trust me on this. Start working on what the future means with her, instead of doing it all by yourself.”
“You want me to have a deep life discussion with her now? We’re in the middle of trying to fix the Della situation. That’s the first priority.”
“Oh, Renic.” Morgan’s voice sounded patronizing. “No woman wants to hear she’s playing second fiddle to her little sister.”
He pictured Morgan shaking her head sadly at him and rolled his eyes. “She’s not a fiddle, second or otherwise. She’s more than that. Much more.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it,” Morgan said. “How are you going to show her she’s important?”
“This whole conversation is obnoxious. You’re heaping on pressure for no reason at all.”
“It’s for an excellent reason. I care about you, and your well-being. Your happiness translates into company stability. A man scrambled by hormones and lust doesn’t necessarily make wise business decisions.”
“I’m not in any way scrambled.”
“Look, all I’m saying is you’re only there a few more days at most. Less if you get Della back on board. Have you even thought about what happens between the two of you after that?”
He made a grumbling huffing sound at her.
“That’s what I thought.” She sounded smug and satisfied.
She was right, which was what made the conversation all the more frustrating. His time here wasn’t going to be nearly long enough. He wanted more than just a few days with Lizzie. Much more.
“You may have a point.”
“I know I have a point. The question is, what’s your next move?”
“I’m working on it.”
What was the answer? Extend his stay? Ignore the work? How was he going to make space for Lizzie or anyone else when his entire world was his company? It was three full-time jobs rolled into one. If he wanted someone in his life, he had to make time somewhere, somehow. And he didn’t want just any someone. He wanted Lizzie Bellamy.
“Working on it how?” Morgan prompted after he stayed silent too long.
It seemed impossible, unless…inspiration and excitement surged through him.
“You know what? This contract could work out in my favor. If they take on some of the heavy lifting, that leaves me time to spend on other things.”
“Wait…what are you saying?” Morgan’s tapping intensified. “You want the Omega contract now? For real? That’s your answer? ”
The more he pictured it, the more he was sure that he was on the right track. “Yes. It’s the next step in our evolution. We just have to make sure we get the terms we need.”
“The next step.” Morgan spoke slowly and deliberately as if she were stepping through a minefield in a pair of clown shoes. “You’re willing to throw away everything you— we ’ ve —worked for so you can spend more time with Lizzie? And you think your brains haven’t been scrambled?”
“I’m not throwing anything away. I’m expanding.” When she put it like that it sounded ridiculous. But it wasn’t just about Lizzie. Finding Jacob Evans in that off-the-wall place had been eye-opening. He missed that side of things. Being stuck in his office had begun to feel like a trap he couldn’t escape. If he combined his need to get out in the field with his desire for Lizzie, it would be a win-win.
“If we use them for some of the grunt work, I could spend more time locating new talent, which would grow our stable and platform.”
“Grunt work,” Morgan repeated. “You think a big company like that will agree to do your grunt work.”
“Yes, I do. If they want part of our profits they’ll do whatever we ask, within reason. They have the staff, and they’re set up for it. Yes.” He nodded, feeling the rising sense of rightness in the approach fill him with purpose. “This will fix everything. I’ll be able to get back to some serious scouting, and I’ll prove I’m not Mr. Temporary all at the same time.”
This could actually work. Now that he’d sorted through the specifics in his head, he was glad Morgan had called.
“Who said you were Mr. Temporary? Lizzie?” Morgan’s voice rose in confusion.
“A puppy. Never mind.” He put the phone down long enough to pull his shirt on. “Just work on the contract, and make sure it’s specific. We want their marketing and public relations, and access to their studios. But we keep control, and we do the contracts. No masters. Make sure we’re clear on that. No loopholes for them to wiggle through. We’ll get the lawyers to go through it when you’re done.”
“Uh, okay.” Morgan sounded doubtful. “I don’t think you really understood what I was—”
“I need to run, Morgan. Talk later, okay? See ya.” Renic hung up before Morgan could continue whatever lecture she’d been about to launch.
He could feel the puzzle coming together. Now he just needed to put the final pieces into place. With Della Bellamy as leverage, he could make this deal with Omega work on multiple levels. He just had to be sure he still had Della on board.
Feeling like a man with a plan, he went downstairs to put it into action.
He was immediately blocked by a parade of college kids carrying flowers in the entryway. He caught sight of Lizzie through each armload of vases filled with burgundy and white blossoms.
She’d shed her everyday jeans and flannel shirt for a skirt, blouse, and tailored jacket. She looked like she’d be equally at home in a boardroom or on a runway, and she carried her binder like it was a holy relic.
He waved but couldn’t catch her attention. Carter brushed by him carrying a large box in what felt like a deliberate attempt to knock Renic back into the stairs.
Renic kept his footing, barely. Keeping his tone light and cheerful, he called out, “Good morning, Carter. Need a hand?”
“No.” Carter cast a cold glare in his direction, then turned his back on Renic to direct his troops toward the ballroom.
“Okay, then.” Renic waited for the flower train to pass, then caught up with Lizzie and her binder. When she didn’t notice his approach, he whispered, “It’s not fair to look this good. You’ll make the bride jealous.”
Lizzie started and whirled to face him. The smile that lit her face made him grin like a fool back at her. “Renic! Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“Good morning to you too.” He gestured to the second wave of flowers now being carried through the hall into the ballroom. “This is crazy. It’s like being backstage at a battle of the bands concert. Without the music, of course.”
She laughed. “Every event has a level of chaos. If you want to see the real show, wait until tomorrow. Today’s just bridal party and rehearsal.”
“Can I help?”
Her attention drifted back to the binder in her hands. “Mark could use a hand bringing the wine over, if you don’t mind. And Carrie needs help with the dishes. But then things will calm down until the happy couple arrives at three.”
“No problem.” He looked around at the entryway. The troop of college kids had emerged with empty arms from the ballroom and were on their way back out the front door, talking and laughing along the way. Their clomping footsteps echoed, making it hard to hear. “Is there somewhere a little quieter Jordy and I can talk with Jacob? He’ll be here around two. I don’t want to be in the way.”
“Lizzie?” Carrie called out from the door to the kitchen. “The butcher’s on the phone. He says they’re out of the strip, but he can cut us a break on the filet if you want it?”
“Tell him I’ll be right there,” Lizzie told her.
“You’re busy. I’ll get out of your way,” Renic said.
“No, no. It’s okay. It’s just a little hectic.” She gestured toward the back door with a vague hand. “Use the lounge. You can close the doors if you need privacy. ”
“Perfect,” Renic said.
Carter stalked up to them and turned so that his back was partially to Renic. “Flowers are in. Do you want to check them?”
“No, that’s okay. I trust you. Move on to the buffet and serving areas, okay? Thanks, Carter.”
“Sure,” Carter said. He flashed an annoyed look at Renic, then shuffled off toward the support staff waiting for him.
Lizzie offered Renic a soft apologetic smile. “I have to go.”
“Go for it. I’ll find Mark.” He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
Her eyes flared with a hint of desire, and then she hurried off toward the kitchen.
The next few hours were filled with wine bottles, soap suds, and hostile glances from Carter. Della bopped in here and there, running errands for Lizzie, but she avoided standing still long enough for him to speak with her.
It was almost two when he ran into Jordanna by the Carriage House. “Jordy, glad I caught you. I got someone I want you to meet.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “The last time you used those words I ended up having to hire three more people. I’m not sure I can afford another one of your someones.”
He laughed. “Come on, you’re going to love this kid. Trust me.”
“Trust is a four-letter word, my friend.” She kissed his cheek. “Whatever you said to Della yesterday definitely made a dent in the armor.”
“That’s good to hear.” He gestured toward the house. “Come with me. He should be here any minute.”
“Who?” She fell into step beside him, distracted by her near-constant stream of texts.
His own phone buzzed with two texts and a phone call, but he ignored them. “Jacob Evans. Local kid, in college at Hobart. I’m signing him today, but I want him to have someone in his corner. You’ll like him. He has a real boy-next-door with a hint of bad-boy vibe going on.”
“You know I love eye candy, but how’s the sound?”
He grinned and opened the door for her. “You’ll see.”
Jacob Evans was waiting for them in the middle of the entry. He had captured the attention of two of the college girls who were supposed to be helping Carter. The girls laughed at something Jacob said, and he winked at them.
Renic caught his attention and waved him over. Jacob sauntered toward them, as comfortable in the inn as he had been at the bar.
“Oh, my. He’s a Justin Timberlake. Look at those eyes,” Jordanna said.
“Should have seen the women in the bar.” Renic chuckled. “They’d have followed him anywhere.”
“I would too, if I weren’t old enough to be his mother.” Jordanna hummed a few notes of a song he didn’t recognize.
“Mother?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
She waved a negligent hand. “Whatever.”
“Hey, Mr. Renic,” Jacob said.
“Just Renic, Jacob. Glad you could make it. I’d like to introduce you to Jordanna Farrington. She runs Manage That Productions. She’s the best in the business.”
Jordanna took Jacob’s offered hand and shook, a warm twinkle in her eyes. “I can’t wait to hear you play, Jacob. I’ve heard great things.”
“Thanks.” Jacob grinned.
Jordanna pulled Jacob along with her into the lounge, peppering him with questions about his family and school along the way .
Renic noticed Della watching them from the kitchen doorway and gestured for her to join them.
She shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen.
He thought about going after her, then thought better of it. He’d done all the pushing he should do. Patience and curiosity might work better at this stage. He followed his new hopeful into the lounge.
The room was half library, half living room, with overstuffed chairs grouped around an oversized fireplace surrounded by bookshelves. Bay windows along the back wall offered a view of the lake and Lizzie’s cottage home. It was cozy and comfortable. Perfect for what he intended.
Most importantly, nestled in the corner of the room was an old upright piano. He led the way to it. “If you’re done grilling him, Jordy, maybe we should let him play you a song.”
Jacob dipped his chin in acknowledgment and slid onto the piano bench. He glanced up at Renic. “Got one in mind?”
“Billy Joel.” He took a seat in a nearby chair so that Jordanna could get closer to her target. He couldn’t wait to see their reactions to each other.
Jacob’s fingers danced over the opening notes to “Piano Man.” When he started to sing, Jordanna’s eyes widened. By the time he hit the first chorus, she was nodding along with the music and grinning like a banshee.
By the second chorus, Jordanna joined in, belting out the words like she was in a karaoke bar. Her voice was a lovely alto, rich and full, and she harmonized perfectly with his higher tenor tones.
Jordanna had a ton of natural ability, but she’d never been drawn to the stage, which Renic thought was a shame. She’d have been a hit. He was sure of it. But now with a husband and two kids, she made an excellent behind-the-scenes star too.
Over an hour later, Jordanna sat on the bench next to Jacob, swaying back and forth while singing a third Billy Joel song.
When they finished, applause broke out from the doorway. Renic turned to see a crowd of people hovering just outside the lounge.
Jordanna got up from the bench and crossed to Renic. “Where you been hiding this one?”
He laughed. “Told you he was a keeper.”
Jacob flashed his audience the charming smile he’d used in the bar. “Thanks for listening.”
The onlookers spilled into the lounge, bubbling enthusiasm along the way. They were led by a couple in their late twenties, followed by older versions of themselves and a group of young men and women roughly the same age. The bridal party, Renic realized, had just stumbled onto a free concert.
He wondered what Lizzie thought of that. He couldn’t see her in the crowd.
The bride-to-be pushed to the front, still clapping. “That was fantastic. I wish we’d hired someone like you for the reception. People would never stop talking about it.”
The groom put his arm around her shoulders. “Sweetie, you know we had to use my cousin. He’s DJ-ing for free, and it would have been rude to turn him down.”
She looked up at her almost-husband. “It’s our wedding, Scott. And your cousin’s been a real pain lately. It’s like he’s pissed off he’s not the center of attention.”
“You agreed,” a woman next to Scott said. Her expression had turned a little stony. Her disapproving tone led him to believe she was Scott’s mother .
Scott looked uncomfortable. Poor kid was caught between a rock and an immovable object.
“I know. Still.” She reached out a hand toward Jacob. “It’s a real shame we didn’t know you first. I’m Shanna. Nice to meet you.”
Jordanna nudged Renic’s arm.
“Tonight’s the rehearsal dinner, right?” She said it loud enough to get the group’s attention. “After Jacob and I have a little chat, I’m sure we can work out something for tonight, if you’d like to hire him. It’d be a cozy little concert just for you.”
“That’s a great idea,” Renic said, keeping his tone light and bright. “Hey, Jacob, what do you think about celebrating our partnership with a small session?”
“Oh!” Shanna exclaimed. “That would be great! Will you? Please?”
Jacob ran a hand through his hair and grinned at the excited girl. “Sure. We can work something out.”
A man stepped forward. “How much is that going to cost?”
“Who cares, Daddy? I spent less on the dress so we still have money in the budget you gave me. And this would really make the whole weekend complete. Please?” She looked at her father with the sweetest puppy dog eyes Renic had ever seen.
The father of the bride grimaced, then nodded. “We’ll work it out.”
The bridal party erupted in cheers and excited chatter as they clustered around Jacob.
It was a sign of things to come, Renic realized. Five years from now, Jacob would be surrounded by an exponentially bigger crowd of fans, probably during his first tour.
He exchanged glances with Jordanna. From the look in her eyes, she saw the same future .
“Damn you.” She shook her head. “I’ll have to hire at least two more people for this. Just you wait.”
“It’ll be worth it.” He gave her a broad, unapologetic smile.
A movement in the doorway caught his eye. Lizzie and Della hovered just outside the door. He wondered how long they’d been standing there.
Lizzie gave him a small smile and a nod, and mouthed the words “thank you.” She must have been there long enough to hear the discussion.
Della gave her sister a long look and walked away.
Renic returned his attention to the budding star in the room. He was beginning to see that having Jacob here might have provided him with an unintended cattle prod. What must Della be thinking, seeing a new talent at the beginning of his career?
Hopefully, she’d realize how much she missed her own.