Lovely Madness: A Players Rockstar Romance (Players, Book 4) Read online

  “Nothing bad. He hired me, actually.”

  “Oh. That’s great. Wait, what do you mean?” She laughed a little. “I thought I hired you.”

  “Yeah… Cary said he’s hiring me himself and he’s going to pay me, too. He said I can start on Monday.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s great.”

  “Yeah. I thought so. But then he also asked me to move into his poolhouse while I’m working for him.”

  She went silent for a moment. “He asked you to move into the poolhouse?” She sounded a lot more excited about it than I expected her to.

  “Yeah. Is that weird?”

  “It’s amazing!”

  “Is it?”

  “Seriously, Taylor, my brother is very private. If he wants you on his property, that means he feels comfortable with you. Wow,” she mused, “I think he’s really embracing this assistant thing.”

  “Seems that way.”

  “He must be really impressed with you. This is exciting! You know, I knew this was gonna work out. I had a good feeling about this.”

  I couldn’t exactly say the same.

  I had a feeling about this, sure. Actually, I had several feelings about this.

  Good wasn’t necessarily one of them.

  “You don’t think it’s weird? For me to live on his property with him? He said there might be long hours and he didn’t want me to have to take the bus home at night and stuff. It’s a really generous offer, but…” I drifted off. I didn’t want to suggest that the offer was out of line or anything. I wasn’t sure that it was.

  I knew live-in personal assistants who moved into their employers’ homes, traveled with them, the works. I’d never done it, but it wasn’t unheard of.

  Moving in with a brand new boss, though? One who reputedly never left his house, clearly had issues of some kind with the world at large, and—let’s just admit it—made flares ignite in my stomach? It felt… risky.

  “I don’t think it’s weird at all,” Courteney said. “He’s let people live there before. I lived there for a while when I was working for him last summer. So did the previous assistant.”

  “Oh.”

  “The only reason I didn’t offer the poolhouse to you upfront was because I didn’t want to overstep with my brother, you know? I was trying to tread softly this time. But if he offered it, it sounds like he’s really warming to the whole idea.”

  “Yeah. I guess.”

  “I mean, think about it if you need to. But the poolhouse is nice, Taylor. And Cary’s closed up in the studio so much anyway. I used to work on my laptop out by the pool. You’re lucky it’s summer. Perfect timing.”

  “Hmm. You make a solid point.”

  She laughed softly. “Do what you’ve gotta do, but I’m telling you. The poolhouse is the way to go.”

  “Okay. I’ll think about it,” I told her. “And, hey… thanks again, Courteney.”

  “Thank you. I really, truly appreciate what you’re doing for me. And for him.”

  My phone blipped from an incoming call, and I peeked at the screen. “I’ll let you know what I decide, okay? Danica is calling through.”

  “For sure. Have a good night!”

  “Good night.” Damn. She sounded so excited. I wondered if she’d be just as excited if I gave her absolutely any intel about her brother at all, short of “he’s not happy.” I blew out a breath and picked up Danica’s call. “Hey. How’s it going?”

  “Great! Sorry I missed your calls. We were doing sex stuff.”

  Of course. Danica and her man were always doing sex stuff. They’d been married for six months and their honeymoon phase was still going strong. It was inspiring, really.

  “My eyes are rolling right now.”

  She laughed. “What can I do for you this fair evening?” she practically sang.

  “Spoken like a woman who just got laid.”

  “Guilty.”

  “I just called to tell you, I think I landed myself a job today.”

  “The Cary Clarke thing?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “That’s awesome, Taylor! Congrats. It sounds like a good gig.”

  “Yeah. I hope so. But he just invited me to move into his poolhouse.”

  Silence. Then: “He did?”

  “Yeah. It’s this beautiful guesthouse in his backyard. There’s a bunch of trees and gardens… it’s gorgeous.”

  “Okay…”

  “I just talked to Courteney and she said it’s standard. His other assistant lived there, and she lived there when she was working for him. But I don’t know. It feels a little weird.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, it kind of raises the stakes, right? Now if I ever quit, I’ll have to quit and move out.”

  “True. But if it works out… you get to live in a beautiful place and be close to his studio, instead of taking the bus all the time, right?”

  “Right.” I sighed, deciding to confess. “I’m gonna tell you something you can’t tell your husband, okay? This is girl talk.”

  “Of course. Girl talk is for girls, Tay. I tell Ash everything, but you know I won’t tell him your girl talk.”

  “I know. I just had to make sure, because this feels really close to home. I don’t want the rock stars gossiping about me. I know how they get when the beers start flowing.”

  “Okay. Vaulted. Lay it on me.”

  “Cary’s hot.”

  Silence.

  “Hello?” I prompted.

  “I’m here. I’m just digesting. How hot?”

  “You need to Google him,” I told her, because apparently she hadn’t yet. Danica didn’t follow bands and musicians like I did; even I knew who Ashley was before she did.

  “Okay. I’ll do that later. But for now… Are you telling me you have a crush on your new boss?”

  “I don’t know him well enough to crush on him.”

  “You don’t have to know someone to crush on them. You crushed on the members of Nickelback all through high school.”

  “Only Ryan and Daniel,” I insisted, not for the first time. “And they are still cute. Everyone’s allowed a guilty celebrity crush, or two, so back off about Nickelback. Everyone loves ‘How You Remind Me’ even if they won’t admit it.”

  “Oh, she’s touchy. You are crushing on your new boss.”

  I groaned. “I can’t explain it, Danica. There’s something between us. Chemistry or something. It’s all static electricity and body rushes when he talks to me.”

  “Body rushes?”

  “You know, that full body rush thing you get when a man you want, really badly, brushes his lips against yours?”

  “Taylor. Did he brush his lips against yours? In a job interview?”

  “No. He didn’t touch me. He just shook my hand. But I got the full body rush. A few times.”

  “Oh. Wow…”

  “The man is a top shelf bang, I’m telling you. Hit up Google on that shit.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “How is it amazing? He just hired me to work for him.”

  “So? You dated one of your bosses before. Maybe just go with it and see what happens?”

  “Says the girl who wouldn’t even touch the man she’s now married to, for weeks on end when she first met him, because she was redecorating his apartment.”

  “Hey!” She laughed. “Low blow.”

  “I’m just saying.”

  “I know, but you’re not me. You’re not… sensible like me.”

  I laughed, and she laughed, too.

  “You are such a bitch sometimes,” I informed her. “Are you saying I’m a slut?”

  “I’m saying you know what you want, and usually you have no trouble going after it. If you want this job and the poolhouse that comes with it, take them. If you end up wanting your boss… take him, too. If you want to.”

  “Aw, man.” I groaned again. “What are you doing to me? I’m counting on you to be sensible here.”

  “Why?”

&nb
sp; “Because there are too many warning signs. The man is obviously some part crazy. His adoring sister hired me to be his assistant because even she can’t work with him, and I had to put a note on his cat to correspond with him because he won’t answer his phone. He does this rapid-fire tappity-tap-tap thing with his fingers while we’re talking. And I basically had to trespass on his property to meet with him because apparently he never leaves his house, and no one gets to see him. Like, ever.”

  “Except you.”

  “Except me. What the hell is that about, anyway? You have to admit it all reeks of crazy.”

  “I don’t know about crazy. Eccentric, maybe. But I’ve gotta tell you, after meeting a hell of a lot of musicians in the last year… they’re all pretty eccentric, Tay.”

  “Yeah, but there’s eccentric and then there’s just crazy. And rarely interacting with other humans is not exactly indicative of non-crazy. I feel like I know crazy when I see it. You’ve met my family, right?”

  “Okay, stop saying crazy. Your family isn’t crazy. They’re just…”

  “Mentally unsound?”

  “I was going to say… complicated,” said my ultra kind best friend.

  “Yeah. Well, I’ve had more than enough ‘complicated’ people in my life, don’t you think?”

  “It’s just a contract, though. It’s not forever. If it doesn’t work out, you move out. And maybe you can still help Courteney find someone else to fill the position as originally planned. Then you can walk away knowing you tried, and it just wasn’t meant to be. But there’s no need to feel bad, because you helped. I know you want to help, or you wouldn’t be considering this at all. You’ve never been that motivated by a paycheck and poolside benefits.”

  “When you say it like that… it sounds so sensible.”

  Danica laughed. “Follow your heart, Taylor. What is it you really want to do here?”

  Damn. I already knew the answer to that.

  But when I didn’t answer her right away, she said, “Look. You’re a spontaneous person, Taylor, and I love that about you. You lured me to a mountaintop so Ashley could propose and marry me on the spot, because you get spontaneity. I’m the one who’s always trying to slow things down and take everything too seriously. So I feel like whatever it is you want to do here, you already know it.”

  She was right. I was definitely the spontaneous type. I usually made decisions quick and on the fly, and I stood strong behind the decisions I made.

  So why was this decision giving me so much pause?

  “I want to help,” I admitted. “I like Courteney. She’s sweetly naive in a way I wish I was when I was her age. And her brother is… intriguing. The job could be really cool. I love music. And really, who doesn’t want to hang out by a pool all summer?”

  “Then I guess you have your answer.” I heard some muffled noise and a male voice in the background. “Ash just walked in, and by the way, you’ll be getting a resounding ‘hells yes’ from him.”

  “Put him on.”

  She handed the phone to her husband. “’Sup, Taylor?” Ash said.

  “Hey. Your wife tells me you’ve met Cary Clarke?” She had told me, though I hadn’t asked him for any intel yet.

  “Yup. We used to cross paths and rub shoulders and all that shit, back in the day.”

  “And what day would that be?”

  “Back when we were teenagers. And up until about five years ago, when he went hermit.”

  Right. Ash was never one to mince words. Which was why I wanted his take on this.

  “So is he really crazy or what?”

  “That’s what they say.”

  “Yet you signed him as your producer on this album, which I know is incredibly important to you.”

  “Almost as important as my wife and my next breath.”

  “So, you’re not worried about working with a crazy person?”

  “Hey, I’ve worked with crazy people all my career. Pretty sure I’m not totally sane myself.”

  “Accurate,” I poked. “What was he like before the hermit thing?”

  “Cool. He was always kinda in the background at parties, though. Shy or something. He was a fucking great guy, though. I’m sure anyone would tell you that. He’s a brilliant musician, too. Can’t really speak to what he’s become, personally, since I haven’t seen him in years, but Xander’s still tight with him. I’m sure if he’d grown horns or something, Xan would’ve warned us.”

  “Right. Well, I’ve seen him. And no horns, I assure you.”

  Ash went silent for a moment. “You’ve met him already? In person?”

  “Yeah. A couple of times.”

  “Well, Christ. Aren’t you a VIP. I haven’t even seen him in the flesh yet. How does he look?”

  “Like a rock star.”

  He snickered. “Cary always was pretty as fuck.”

  Yeah, you could say that. Ash was bi, and I was pretty sure his version of “pretty as fuck” meant he thought Cary was legit hot.

  He wasn’t wrong.

  “So… he’s hired me as his assistant. And asked me to move into his poolhouse while I work for him.”

  “No shit? Xander lived there last summer.”

  “Your wife seems to think I’ll be comfortable there.”

  “Uh, pimped-out poolhouse versus that dive apartment? No brainer.”

  “Hey, now. The love of your life used to live in a dive apartment right next door to this one.”

  “Yeah, and I moved her out of it as soon as I could. Let us know if you need help with the move. We’ll be there with beers and bells on.”

  I sighed. “Thanks, Ash. Tell Danica I said good night, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  I hung up. Obviously, he thought I should move into the poolhouse, even if he also thought Cary was a little crazy. He seemed pretty blown away that I’d actually met the man; that I’d met with his record producer recently, and even he hadn’t done that.

  I supposed I felt flattered that I’d been invited inside Cary Clarke’s private world, when so few people were. But flattery didn’t pay the bills, and it certainly wouldn’t keep me from getting hurt here.

  I stood in the middle of my old studio apartment and looked around. Dive apartment, indeed. I’d never planned to live here forever. When I moved in, I didn’t even plan to live here as long as I had so far. But it was home now. The only one I had.

  It wasn’t like I’d be moving out, though. I’d keep the apartment. I just wouldn’t be here as much.

  Because I’d be at Cary’s place.

  Everyone seemed to think this was a grand idea, including my best friend. But I just wanted to make sure I made this decision for the right reasons, with my eyes wide open. If it didn’t work out, I couldn’t let myself walk away from this job any worse off than I was before the offer came along. I could not let my life tumble onto some downward trajectory. I’d been struggling this year just to level out. It was time to move onward and upward.

  This whole offer felt like a dream job, yes.

  I just had to be careful it didn’t turn into a nightmare.

  I called Cary, prepared to leave a message if he didn’t answer. But he did.

  “Hey, Taylor,” he said, and it wasn’t lost on me that he’d already programmed my number into his phone.

  “Hi, Cary. I’m calling to let you know that I’ve considered your offer, and I think I can move into the poolhouse.”

  My uncertainty must’ve screamed through, because he said, “You don’t sound sure.”

  “I’m sure. The offer was just very… unexpected.”

  “I get that. I want you to be comfortable. If there’s anything you need, you can just let me know.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  “I want to make this work.”

  Me too.

  And maybe I wanted it just a little too much. That was the part that was really freaking me out.

  “I’ll move in,” I said, “as long as the employment contract all l
ooks good.”

  “Of course. I’ll have it sent over to you. You can go ahead and make the arrangements, and let me know if you need help.”

  “Arrangements?”

  “To move in. And I’ll pay for the movers. Whatever you need.”

  “Oh. Uh… I won’t need movers. I have a few friends who can help me. I don’t need to bring much stuff.”

  “Sure. You can move in this weekend. Whichever day works better for you. Then you’ll be ready to start on Monday.”

  Huh. Despite the slightly irritable/bossy/awkward streak, my new boss seemed pretty nice.

  He also seemed to have all the right answers. But how could that be true? If he really had all the answers, how could he possibly be living the way he was?

  “How about Saturday morning?” I said. “I can check with my friends, but I think that should work.”

  “Sure. I’ll give you your own keys, and the code for the poolhouse and the alarms and all that.”

  “Okay. Can I pick you up a coffee?”

  “Sure.”

  “What do you take in it?”

  “Just black is good for me.”

  “Then I guess I’ll see you Saturday around ten, to exchange coffee for keys. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal. For me.”

  I heard his breath; it was maybe a soft chuckle, and a thrill ran through me.

  Not good.

  “I’ll see you then. Good night, Taylor.”

  “Good night.”

  After I hung up, I sat there for a long moment just thinking about the sound of his voice. The words he chose. The things he said to me, and the things he didn’t say.

  The things other people had said about him.

  And that thrill down my spine when I heard him breathe. It wasn’t even an actual laugh.

  God help me.

  What was I walking into here?

  I tried to organize everything I knew about him so far into some kind of understanding. But I still wasn’t even sure why he’d hired me. I wondered why he’d let me into his world, when everyone told me that he didn’t do that. That he had friends and coworkers and family who couldn’t even get in to see him.

  And it had been like that for five years.

  Why me?

  Because he wants to fuck you seemed far too basic for someone who already seemed so complex.