“It will ruin you. You can’t be gay in Nashville,” I sputtered. “No one will work with you.”
He began to walk through the house, but I was on his heels. “No proof. As a matter of fact, I’m offended you’re even saying this to me.”
“I know you’re gay. You told me. We’ve talked about it. I cried with you in your rundown apartment. You were afraid to come out to your parents. You couldn’t tell your friends. You couldn’t even tell the man you were in love with.”
His face seized in agony. “Shut up, Lex. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to take my chances.”
“And risk the judgment? If there’s one thing I know about you, it’s that all you care about are appearances. You’ll die if I tell.”
He was at the front door. “And if there is something I know about you, it’s that you’re too weak to do what has to be done. You would never sell me out like that. Because as sad as it is, you still care about those memories. They mean something to you. Somewhere in that pretty little head of yours you think I’m still that guy from seven years ago. The one who met you because he had to take a girl to a country music event. You think a sliver of that guy exists. And you know what? He doesn’t. He’s gone, babe.
And what’s left is your soft heart. Your box of memories. And a girl who doesn’t have the guts to save herself.”
He closed the door. I closed my eyes. Everything he said was true.
32
Luke
My phone started ringing as I drove home from practice. Bye weeks usually gave me extra time in the film room. I had spent the past four hours watching the Wranglers. I was tired. My eyes burned. My shoulders ached. I was ready to get home and drink a cold beer.
I pressed the button on the steering well.
“What’s going on, Linc?”
“Have you heard the news? Where are you?”
“What news? I was in the film room all day. I can barely see straight.”
I heard him sigh. “Listen, I’m with Charlie. I think I should put her on.”
“Charlie? What the fuck are you doing with her?”
I groaned. If my brother was fucking the hot PR specialist, I was going to kick his ass. That was the last thing we needed. I should have seen it coming. It was written all over his face every time he saw her.
I heard her smooth voice on the phone before I could snap at my brother again. “Hi, Luke. It’s Charlie.”
“Yeah. Linc says there is something you need to talk to me about.”
I gripped the steering wheel thinking of all the ways I was going to lay into my big brother. What the hell was he thinking getting involved with her? Yeah, she had a nice little ass, and she was pretty. But she was trouble. And she’d done nothing but bust my balls since the minute we met. I didn’t like she was in McCade’s pocket. This was fucked up.
“It sounds like you might be driving.” Her voice was crisp as usual.
“On my way back from practice and film day.”
“Maybe you should call us back when you’re at your house.”
This was total bullshit. Now she was calling them an “us.”
“I can talk now.”
“All right. There is a story that just broke. I thought I should ask you if Alexa talked to you about it beforehand, because I would have appreciated a heads up.”
“What are you talking about, Charlie? I’ve told you everything Alexa and I have planned for the red carpet. I’m not keeping shit from you.”
I was tired of her riding my ass. I’d been transparent with her since the DC fuckup. Alexa and I had brought her in on everything so that she could use the awards show as a launching point for our relationship story.
The only thing I hadn’t brought up was the possible pregnancy, but that wasn’t any of her damn business. Alexa was stressed out about it enough. Her schedule wasn’t regular. She didn’t keep track of it and her birth control was all over the place. The only way we were going to know was when she took that test together.
“Then you don’t know about Mandy Brown?”
“Who the hell is Mandy Brown?”
Charlie exhaled. “We have a problem, Luke.”
“Spit it out.” I was on the verge of calling her the same names I used on the field for some of the guys. I was close.
“Mandy Brown is Lexi Wilde. Before she was a country star apparently she was an escort in Nashville.”
I almost missed the turn for the ranch. I thought I heard what Charlie said, but it didn’t register.
“Luke?”
“Yeah. What did you say?”
“Lexi used to work for an escort service as Mandy Brown. I don’t have all the details, but I’m going to have to advise you right now that we have no choice but to call off the red carpet appearance. You can’t be seen with a former hooker.”