Chapter 51
Nick
Nick was pacing back and forth. Sabrina had yet to show up to the stadium. He'd already performed his first set and come offstage expecting to see her.
He needed to see her, to talk to her. So he could explain. He was just trying to get her attention. Make her jealous. That was all. He wouldn't give up on her so easily. Didn't she know that?
"You have to go back on now, mate."
"Where the hell is she?"
Marley held out his hands.
"If you finish this thing, I will find out before you're back offstage."
Nick grabbed his friend by the shirt.
"You'll find out now."
"Okay Nick. You got it. Just relax, I am sure she's fine."
Relax? Like hell he would. He couldn't. He had a terrible feeling that something was wrong. Other than everything else that was already wrong.
In a few minutes, Marley was back. His face was white.
"She checked out of the hotel, mate."
Nick stomach turned over.
"I knew it. Those bloody triplets were overkill. Damn it. I have to get her back. Text her.”
"I already tried that. Don't you think I tried that?"
"Fine. If she wants it this way we'll call Jerry. Get him to fire her if she doesn't come back."
Marley was looking at him with an odd look on his face.
"Nick, mate, are you sure you want to do that to the girl? Seems like maybe she's just not cut out for this… lifestyle.”
Nick stared at his own face in the mirror. It was like looking at a stranger. He was broken inside. He didn't care about anything anymore, he just wanted to lash out. To make her feel as awful as he did.
"Do it. I'm not going back onstage until it’s done."
Marley held his hands in the air, giving in.
"Have it your way, Nick. You always do."
Chapter 52
Sabrina
Sabrina sat on the floor in the attic, listening to music like she had in high school. She’d travelled so far to get here. To get home.
Her father had passed away peacefully a few days ago. He'd managed to hold out until she got there. Just long enough to say goodbye.
Now the house was hers. Her aunt had left immediately after the funeral. She said something about having had enough of America. She still had family in the old country. People that Sabrina had never met, and didn’t care about her.
Sabrina was truly alone in the world.
For the first time in her life, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Not just yet. And for once, that felt okay.
She didn’t even have a job anymore.
She'd been let go from the label. She couldn't fault them for that really. The call had come through when she was waiting for a connecting flight in New York. Then she'd flown to Chicago, before catching a tiny plane to Colorado. It had taken her almost twenty-four hours to reach home.
The whole time she'd been mourning. Mourning her father. Mourning her mother.
And mourning Nick.
It wasn't his fault really. In retrospect, she realized that the crew may have been exaggerating. It was idle talk, gossip. She was the one who hadn't given him a chance to explain.
She knew now that he'd felt for her what she'd felt for him, or at least something close to it. And she'd destroyed it. What did a rock star do when he got his heart broken?
Groupies and booze.
She sighed and picked up another record. The Sex Pistols. It was one that Nick had bought her that day in London. The records and t-shirts were the only things she'd taken.
She hadn't had the heart to leave them behind. She needed something to remember him by. Something to hold on to.
Her ears perked up. There was a rumbling sound outside. That was odd. The house was in the middle of nowhere on the non-touristy side of the ski town.
It was also the off-season, so it was even more deserted than usual.
She felt so alone. She hadn't kept up with any of the few friends she had in high school. No one was coming to visit her.
Sabrina peered out the window.
A motorcycle was parked outside.
She didn’t know anyone who rode a motorcycle. Except… Nick rode a motorcycle.
Sabrina felt something burst open inside her chest. It was hope.
But it couldn't be. He was supposed to be taking the stage in Madrid tonight. In less than two hours, in fact.
She knew the exact time because she'd been following his schedule since she left. Even now. Wondering who he was with. Wondering if he missed her.
She had been really looking forward to Spain too.
Ding-dong.
She raced down the stairs, not bothering to check the mirror. She'd been going through the stuff in the house, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of when she went- where? She wasn't sure but it wouldn't be LA. Her life there held nothing for her anymore.
Maybe she'd stay in Colorado.
Or go join the sharks in New York City. She'd had plenty of offers after business school. Maybe some of them were still standing.
At the moment, she couldn't think about any of that though. All she could think about was opening the door. She told herself not to get her hopes up. That it was impossible.
But it didn’t stop her heart from racing madly as she tore down the stairs.
She skidded to a halt in the front hall and reached for the doorknob.
She opened the door and froze.
Nick Falcon stood there, holding a bouquet of wild flowers. He smiled at her cheekily.
"Hello, love."
Chapter 53
Nick
Nick's heart swelled at the sight of her. She had a little smudge of dirt on her cheek. His precious, uptight, perfectly imperfect girl had dirt on her face.
Maybe they'd both changed after all.
He knew he had.
The look on her face was changing from disbelief to- something else- he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But she hadn't slammed the door in his face. That was a start, if nothing else.
"Hi Nick."
He exhaled with relief. He'd been unconsciously holding his breath. She had used his name. That was a good sign.
He said a silent prayer of thanks to the good lord above. And also his mum, who had encouraged him to drop everything and come after her.
Not that he was ever going to do anything else.
"Can I come in please?”
She nodded and stood aside. She was wearing jeans and a ratty old sweater over a rock t-shirt. He recognized it as the one he'd bought for her in Camden market.
So she had kept one of his gift’s after all.
A very good sign indeed.
He held out the flowers after she'd closed the door.
"I was sorry to hear about your father."
She took the flowers and lifted her gorgoues eyes to his.
"Thanks Nick. You didn't have to come just because of that."
"I didn't."
She was staring back at him with a look that mirrored his own. Cautiously optimistic.
“Please, come inside.”
He trailed her through the well-kept home. It was full of dated furniture and hadn't been changed in twenty years. But it was sparklingly clean and inviting all the same.
Cozy.
He liked it he realized. Better than that cold empty house he had overlooking the Pacific.
"I wrote a new song."
"That's good, Nick. You should be writing."
She was putting his flowers into a vase. He noticed how careful she was with them. She acted as if they were roses from the finest florist in London, instead of flowers he'd picked along the roadside while he gathered his nerve.
"It's called ‘Cold Mistress.' Do you want me to play it for you?"
She glanced at him.
"Not right now. But thanks."
"I've been thinking I should stop touring. Get back into the studio. It's been years since I released anything."
She gestured to the kitchen table and he sat.
"I think that's a great idea, Nick. Do you want coffee?"
He shook his head.
"Tea?"
"I'm fine. Are you going to offer me anything else?"
She gave a startled laugh from where she was leaning against the counter. He knew she was keeping minimum safe distance between them. Not that he blamed her.
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't the old expression 'coffee, tea or me'?"
She gasped and looked away. Maybe he'd read her wrong. But he had no choice. There was no turning back now. He had to forge ahead, or risk losing her forever.
Lord knows he deserved the pain after what he’d done to her. His guts had felt chewed out when he realized the implications. He had gone too far with her, again and again.
"I didn't sleep with those girls you know. The triplets. Or anyone else. I was just trying to make you jealous."
She lifted her eyes to his and smiled wryly.
"It worked."
He was on his feet in an instant.
"I'm sorry I got you fired. I was so upset- so hurt- but it was despicable.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Jerry is going to offer you your job back. I told him he had to or I would leave the label."
She shook her head.
“Thank you Nick, but no. I don't want to go back."
He reached out for her, running his hands up and down her arms.
"What do you want, Brina?"
She took a shaky breath and looked at him.
"I don't know."
"I have a job for you if you'll have it."
She gave him a fragile smile. Tentative and sweet.
"You do?"
He nodded solemnly.
"I need a new manager for starters. Marley is marrying one of my housemaids and moving to Argentina to make babies.”
“Argentina?”
“Yes, love. He’d been planning it for a while and decided to kick me when I was down. He asked her over the bloody phone.”
"That's a long flight."