“And it has to be next week?”
“Yeah. Rick Charles is flying down. Bringing a photographer with him. I’ll arrange for a hair and makeup artist to be there. And of course I’ll be there.”
“Of course.” Sarcasm dripped from his tongue.
Next week. The thought of it brought a heavy discomfort over him. He’d have to speak to Aunt Gina and Becca, not to mention his father. And explain it to Maddie, too, even though he had no idea what she’d make of it.
“So I’ll tell them to go ahead?” Marco prompted. “We’ll fly in Sunday night for a Monday morning start. They shouldn’t be there for more than a couple of days.”
“Yeah, tell them it’s on.” Even if it made him feel a little dizzy, like the world was tipping. More than most he knew that interviews and publicity were the price you had to pay to get the kind of success he had. He’d scratch their back, they’d scratch his, and hopefully everybody could move on to the next thing.
It didn’t stop him feeling weird about it, though.
* * *
Gray walked into the diner right as Maddie’s phone lit up. She glanced over at him, her heart skipping a beat as she took in his long, strong body and the tight black t-shirt he was wearing. The tattoos she’d traced more than once with her lips were visible in colorful glory on his thick biceps.
“Hey.” She smiled as he walked over to the counter. It was the lull between lunch and dinner – only two tables were occupied, and neither customer seemed particularly interested in the rockstar who’d just walked in.
“Hey.” He leaned on the counter. “I just got back from getting my bandage changed. Thought I’d soothe the pain with some pie.”
Her grin widened. “You want me to kiss it better?”
He leaned closer, catching her eye. “I can think of a better place for those pretty lips.”
“That’s because you’re dirty.” She lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll have you know this is a reputable establishment, Mr. Hartson.”
He tipped his head to the side, his lip curling up. “So what are you doing working here?”
“I’ll ignore that question and get you some pie.” She reached for a plate. “How’s the hand? Does it hurt a lot?”
“Not too bad. The wound is clean which is good, and I took some painkillers before I went. I’d still like that kiss though.” He winked.
“Later.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Her phone lit up again, her sister’s name flashing across it. Maddie sighed and slid it into her jeans pocket. “It’s Ashleigh,” she said. “I’m guessing the word is out.” She pressed her lips together in an attempt to smile. “It’s time to face the music.”
“You not going to answer her?”
“I’ll ask her to meet me after work,” Maddie said, her stomach dropping. “There are some things that should only be done face to face.”
“You’re going to tell her about us?” He tipped his head to the side, his eyes scanning her face. God, he was good looking. Every time their gazes met she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her. All she wanted to do was curl up with him and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist.
But it felt like everybody else had other ideas.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I am.” And it scared her to death. Not because of Ashleigh’s response, but because she’d finally be admitting to having feelings for Gray. Strong ones. Ones that could hurt her if this went wrong.
Oh god, she didn’t want to think about that.
“Then I’ll be there with you.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope. If you’re telling Ashleigh about us, then I want to be there to support you.” He shrugged, as though he was talking about coming over for dinner, rather than the kind of family-ageddon Maddie imagined it was going to be.
> “That’s really sweet,” she told him. “But she’ll take it so much worse if you’re there. I should tell her alone.”