“I’m just about to get on a plane. My tour starts tomorrow, Gail—my first nationwide tour!”
“Well, I know he’s real nervous about paying a lawyer,” Gail said calmly. “His regular lawyer wants two grand just to show up in court.”
Audrey didn’t know why she was surprised; the calls from her family were usually about money. Just last week, Dad had called asking for money to buy a race car. Audrey had closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, she noticed Jack Price standing at the steps leading up to the plane.
Actually, she couldn’t help noticing him—he was fine-looking man. His dark hair was wavier than she recalled, but his blue eyes were still killer, and the man could fit a pair of Levi’s better than any man she’d ever seen.
They fit so well, in fact, that as Gail had cheerfully launched into how much money they needed, Audrey did nothing but gape at Jack through a pair of very dark sunglasses. It was funny—she’d met so many people, so many Hollywood types who landed on every annual beautiful list. But to Audrey, a beautiful man was the kind who had some meat on him, who looked as if he could hold up the globe in one hand and had the calluses to prove it, the kind of man who didn’t mind working for a living.
“Audie, did you hear me?” Gail screeched into the phone.
“What? Yes, of course I did!” Audrey said, startled back to reality as she continued her march to the plane. “But I can’t come to Texas right now.”
“You don’t need to come here,” Gail said wearily. “Just wire Mom some money.”
Okay, seriously—Audrey didn’t begrudge her family a dime—but could they not act like she was their personal ATM?
“Fine,” Audrey said.
Jack was watching her. That was the other thing about this business of fame—people made no bones about openly staring at her. It always made her feel like she had spinach in her teeth.
“Look, I have to go,” she said to Gail. “I’ll call you later to see what’s going on, okay?”
“Okay. But can you wire the money today?” Gail whined as a slow and sexy smile melted onto Jack’s lips.
“Okay, yeah. Later,” Audrey muttered, and clicked off. Looking at Jack, she felt absurdly nervous, and for no reason, other than being this close to him reminded her of being this close to him once before, on a moon-drenched beach.
And that inevitably reminded her of the way his body felt next to hers, which made her feel confused. Which is why, she supposed, she had come off like a diva. She hadn’t meant to be a diva, but she had learned that the only way to get people to back off was to be mean. Lucas kept telling her she had to do it or people would walk all over her.
It was more of a self-protective reflex than anything else that made her shove Bruno at him.
Jack had looked at her like she had just asked for rack of lamb or something equally ridiculous, and Audrey had thought that if he was making a nice chunk of change off her, he shouldn’t be so averse to letting Bruno pee. Needless to say, the flight had gone downhill from there. She’d been completely rattled when he sat across from her, staring at her the whole time with that smug look on his face. She couldn’t think, couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and away from him; she had even left her earpiece on the plane.
But then Lucas had started his crap about going to Mike Senate’s birthday bash, like she needed to add anything else to her schedule right now, like she needed to be thinking of acting instead of embarking on a tour that had her on pins and needles as it was.
At two this morning when she’d tried to sleep, it was all running around in her head, and she tossed and turned while Lucas worked on some song.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Lucas had asked.
“I can’t sleep.”
“Let me get you something,” he said, putting aside his guitar.
“No, Lucas, I hate those pills.”
He paused and looked at her. “Do you want to sleep, or
“Well, I know he’s real nervous about paying a lawyer,” Gail said calmly. “His regular lawyer wants two grand just to show up in court.”
Audrey didn’t know why she was surprised; the calls from her family were usually about money. Just last week, Dad had called asking for money to buy a race car. Audrey had closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, she noticed Jack Price standing at the steps leading up to the plane.
Actually, she couldn’t help noticing him—he was fine-looking man. His dark hair was wavier than she recalled, but his blue eyes were still killer, and the man could fit a pair of Levi’s better than any man she’d ever seen.
They fit so well, in fact, that as Gail had cheerfully launched into how much money they needed, Audrey did nothing but gape at Jack through a pair of very dark sunglasses. It was funny—she’d met so many people, so many Hollywood types who landed on every annual beautiful list. But to Audrey, a beautiful man was the kind who had some meat on him, who looked as if he could hold up the globe in one hand and had the calluses to prove it, the kind of man who didn’t mind working for a living.
“Audie, did you hear me?” Gail screeched into the phone.
“What? Yes, of course I did!” Audrey said, startled back to reality as she continued her march to the plane. “But I can’t come to Texas right now.”
“You don’t need to come here,” Gail said wearily. “Just wire Mom some money.”
Okay, seriously—Audrey didn’t begrudge her family a dime—but could they not act like she was their personal ATM?
“Fine,” Audrey said.
Jack was watching her. That was the other thing about this business of fame—people made no bones about openly staring at her. It always made her feel like she had spinach in her teeth.
“Look, I have to go,” she said to Gail. “I’ll call you later to see what’s going on, okay?”
“Okay. But can you wire the money today?” Gail whined as a slow and sexy smile melted onto Jack’s lips.
“Okay, yeah. Later,” Audrey muttered, and clicked off. Looking at Jack, she felt absurdly nervous, and for no reason, other than being this close to him reminded her of being this close to him once before, on a moon-drenched beach.
And that inevitably reminded her of the way his body felt next to hers, which made her feel confused. Which is why, she supposed, she had come off like a diva. She hadn’t meant to be a diva, but she had learned that the only way to get people to back off was to be mean. Lucas kept telling her she had to do it or people would walk all over her.
It was more of a self-protective reflex than anything else that made her shove Bruno at him.
Jack had looked at her like she had just asked for rack of lamb or something equally ridiculous, and Audrey had thought that if he was making a nice chunk of change off her, he shouldn’t be so averse to letting Bruno pee. Needless to say, the flight had gone downhill from there. She’d been completely rattled when he sat across from her, staring at her the whole time with that smug look on his face. She couldn’t think, couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and away from him; she had even left her earpiece on the plane.
But then Lucas had started his crap about going to Mike Senate’s birthday bash, like she needed to add anything else to her schedule right now, like she needed to be thinking of acting instead of embarking on a tour that had her on pins and needles as it was.
At two this morning when she’d tried to sleep, it was all running around in her head, and she tossed and turned while Lucas worked on some song.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Lucas had asked.
“I can’t sleep.”
“Let me get you something,” he said, putting aside his guitar.
“No, Lucas, I hate those pills.”
He paused and looked at her. “Do you want to sleep, or
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