Chapter 5
Chapter Five
L izzie glared at the man who had just waltzed through the front door as if he belonged here. He didn’t. He was a piece of history, a bit of the life she’d pushed away. Her new life was this inn and the people who relied on it. There wasn’t room for anything, or anyone, else.
In her old life, she’d been married and The Bellamy Sisters were a tight unit. She’d handled logistics for her sisters and felt like she was an essential cog in the musical machine of their family, at least until the wheels flew off and the machine collapsed into a disjointed pile.
Renic, as part of Dream Works Records, hovered in their orbit as they went from venue to venue, both to pick up new talent that always circled in their wake and to offer advice and friendship as they navigated the murky musical waters.
He’d helped solve logistical problems, cleared the way when red tape blocked the road, or called the calvary if the paparazzi got too pushy. She’d relied on him. She’d trusted him. She’d liked him, more than she should have, she had to admit to herself, which just proved her taste in men sucked twice over.
Now Renic stood in front of her and the memories she’d left behind slapped her in the face. First was the phone call from the hospital telling her about Dad’s accident. The funeral. Then less than six months later, Della’s abrupt announcement about how Renic had reengineered her career so that it didn’t include Piper or Mattie. Then just a few weeks after that finding her husband naked on their couch with what turned out to be the latest of a long line of “up-and-coming” stars. The divorce.
She’d left the city and the past behind her and refused to look back.
Now, the past was standing in front of her looking so…so…
Damn, he looked good.
His hair was mussed up in the ruffled bad-boy way that she found insanely attractive. He wore tight jeans and a light gray button-down shirt that set off the blue of his eyes perfectly. His sleeves were rolled up and his collar was unbuttoned, and he filled the entryway with sheer presence.
Renic’s expression shifted into one she particularly hated because he used it when speaking to children or overly excitable people. “Hear me out first. Please.”
“Why should I?” She stared at him with what she hoped was an expressionless mask of stone. “You’ve already heard everything we had to say. Didn’t your mother tell you it was rude to listen in on other people’s conversations? How long have you been standing here?”
Renic opened his mouth to answer, but she realized she didn’t really want to know and held up her hand to stop him. Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment over what he must have heard. “Never mind. I don’t care. Just go away. We’re closed.”
Renic dipped his chin in a way she used to find charming, but now equated with a bull lowering its head to charge down an inept matador. “I need to talk to Della.”
“I don’t think—” Della started to say.
“No.” Lizzie waved her finger at him. “You don’t get to bully her again.”
He frowned at her as if she were speaking a different language. “When have I ever bullied Della?”
“Lizzie, maybe—” Della said.
“The day you ripped our family apart, for a start. She never would have gone solo if you hadn’t pushed.”
“Hey, that’s—” Della said.
“Wow, when you get it wrong, you get it really, really wrong.” Renic’s jaw tightened. “At any rate, I didn’t come here to talk to you. I came to talk to Della. In private.”
He had drifted forward during the short conversation and now stood close enough that she could reach out and slap him if she wanted to. “You arrogant son of—”
“Hey!” Della shouted.
They both turned toward Della.
Della pointed at Renic. “Nothing’s happening in private. Anything you want to say to me, you say in front of Lizzie too. Right here, right now.”
Lizzie stared at her sister, stunned. She’d never heard that authoritative, no-nonsense tone out of her before. Della was the baby of the family and usually carried an air of swirly joy with her wherever she went.
Watching Della face off against both her and Renic made one thing clear.
Della was growing up.
Yet her sister had abandoned her career and everything that went with it for no obvious reason. That kind of tantrum wasn’t exactly something an adult would do. Maybe she should let Renic take his shot at getting Della back on track. The faster this showdown was over, the better, because it would mean Renic would be gone. She needed him to be out of her life; he was dangerous to her sanity. Something about him made her thoughts tangle and her face flush.
Lizzie clamped her mouth shut against all of the things she wanted to say to Renic and gestured for him to continue.
Renic rubbed his chin, and a slow, rueful grin crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Why do I feel like I just got clocked?”
Della tapped her foot. “Ticktock, Renic. I have two more rooms to clean before dinner.”
“Exactly.” Lizzie put a hand on one hip. “Unless you know something about plumbing, let’s get this over with. We have work to do.”
“Plumbing?” Renic looked confused, then shook his head and launched into an obviously rehearsed speech. “Look, Della, I’m here because you were so upset the night you left. You worried everybody. I want to know what happened.”
“Well, now you know,” Lizzie muttered. “You heard the whole thing.”
Renic ignored her snipe and continued, “It’s stressful getting a tour up and running, and award season is exhausting. An extended break can be arranged over the holidays. That’ll give you a chance to rest up before the main part of the tour.”
“It’s not that,” Della said. “I’m not that kind of tired.”
“What’s it about, then?” Renic spread his hands. “What can I do to make this right?”
“Nothing.” Della shrugged.
“Nothing.” Renic blinked. “Let’s see if I understand this. From all accounts, including your own, nothing happened the night of the party. Nobody attacked you. Nobody provoked you.”
“No.” Della bit her lip.
“It seems to me this nothing is a lot of something .”
Della stared at him. “It isn’t.”
Renic rubbed the back of his neck. “Then why would you put so many people’s jobs in jeopardy? What reason could you possibly have for running out on your crew?”
Renic’s words echoed Lizzie’s from earlier that day, and it bugged her she and Renic had similar takes on this situation. She wanted to be mad at him in peace, and it was hard to argue with someone when they agreed with you.
“I’m going to pay the crew.” Della stuck her chin out.
Renic paced to the door, turned, and paced back. “Wake up, Della. You can’t just throw money at a problem and expect it to go away.”
“Why not?” Della said. “It’s my money. I can do what I want with it.”
Renic glared at Della. “Whether you have money isn’t the issue. It’s about the people. Don’t you get it? The crew depends on you. They support you. They believe in you. They’ve been by your side for years, and this is how you repay the loyalty? By throwing money at them like you would a beggar on the street?”
Della’s eyes glistened, and she pressed her lips together in a hard line.
Lizzie held up a hand to stop his tirade. “Hey, ease up.”
Renic shook his head at Lizzie. “For a second there, I thought she’d grown up, but I guess the past three years haven’t taught her a damn thing. Here, let me show both of you what this is really all about.”
Renic pulled his phone out of his back pocket and tapped it a few times. Then he started to read, “‘Just scored two tickets to Della Bellamy’s Rush tour in Atlanta. Been following her since I was little. Can’t wait to see her!’”
Renic looked up at Della, whose jaw was now set in the stubborn expression Lizzie knew all too well.
He looked down at his phone again. “Here’s another. ‘Me and my friends spending the year’s babysitting money to rock the front row at Rush!’”
Della stifled a groan. “Come on. That’s not fair.”
Renic continued, relentless. “‘Played Della’s new song at my wedding. Not a dry eye in the house.’ ‘Met my best friend at the last tour. Hope I meet a bunch of new friends at Rush.’ ‘One of the best days in my life, can’t wait for the next one.’ ‘Della’s new song helped me make up with my mom. We are closer than ever now. Thanks, Della!’ ‘Just got my first tattoo…Rush! Bellamy Girl for life!’ And this one’s my favorite: ‘Della’s last concert was such a powerful night for me, as a dad—just me and my girls, singing our hearts out. I’ll never forget it. Can't wait for Rush!’”
Della put her hands over her face.
Lizzie's protective instincts fired. “Stop it.”
Lizzie put an arm around her sister’s shoulders and glared at Renic. “You don’t have to be such a jerk.”
Della said something, but her words were too muffled to make out.
Renic rubbed his face and avoided looking at either one of them. “I don’t like being the asshole, but coddling her isn’t going to make the truth go away. This tour is about more than just you, Della. It matters to a lot of people.”
Lizzie glared at him. “I think you’ve made your point. You can go now.”
Renic glanced at the window and huffed out a sigh. “It’s been a long couple of days for all of us. How much for a room? ”
Lizzie’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? You can’t be serious.”
Renic rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re clearly not getting all of this sorted out standing in the hallway. Let’s take a break and pick it up again later.”
“You’ve said more than enough already.” Lizzie choked on indignation and had to clear her throat. “You’re not staying here.”
He looked confused. “Why not?”
“You can’t stay here.” A tiny bit of panic made her voice squeak. She didn’t want him here.
“Are you saying there’s no rooms available?”
“No.” She gave him a hard stare. “I’m saying there’s no room available for you . You can go to the Budget Inn down the street, back to the airport, or straight to hell. I don’t care, but you’re not staying here. Now get out.”
Renic’s mouth dropped open, and he seemed on the verge of saying something, but he clicked his mouth shut. He looked at Della, then Lizzie, then turned and left without another word.
Lizzie rubbed Della’s back while she watched Renic pull out of the driveway. When she was sure he was gone, she gave Della a pat. “Come on. I’ll help you finish those last two rooms.”
Della pulled away from her and nodded. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose was running. “He’s not wrong. The fans will miss me. At least at first. I hadn’t thought of it like that. I’m a selfish asshole.”
“No, you’re not. Not usually.” Lizzie picked up the cleaning bucket and handed the mop to Della. “You’re just having a moment. Everyone does, sooner or later.”
“You haven’t.” Della sniffed. “You always have your ducks together. ”
Lizzie snorted a laugh. “Oh, I definitely had a moment. I got a divorce and bought an inn. All you’ve done so far is have a weekend away. I’d say you’ve got a little ways to go before you catch up with me and my moment. Not only were my ducks not in a row, they were swimming in someone else’s pond.”
Della’s watery giggle made Lizzie feel better.
They started up the stairs with the cleaning supplies in hand.
“I can’t believe you kicked him out,” Della said.
“He deserved it.”
“He said a lot of the same things you said just this morning,” Della said. “The whole letting the crew down and all that. It’s like you two had a meeting or there was a memo or something.”
Lizzie felt a hot spot of unease in her chest. After all this time, she hated to admit she had anything in common with Jackson Renic. But she’d seen the look in his eyes and heard the passion in his voice, and she knew it came from genuine concern for Della. Her anger toward him softened, just a little.
“As your oldest and wisest sister, it’s my job to say stuff like that to you. If anyone’s going to lecture you it’s going to be me, not Darth Renic.”