Love Sparkles in Fortune's Bay Page 2

  Back in the dressing room, Mal braced himself for the inevitable showdown with Boyd. He wasn’t disappointed.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Boyd’s face was tomato red, a combination of the backstage temperature and his anger. “You want to explain?”

  Mal shrugged. “What? So I forget the words to a song once? I’d like to see you try it.” He reached for a bottle of water and swigged greedily from it.

  “No encore. No begging you for more. You realize this is going to get a damaging review?”

  Mal shook his head. He wasn’t stupid; he knew it hadn’t been his best show and he thought he could pinpoint the reasons why. The feelings of homesickness bubbled up again. Maybe it was time to quit and go back to Fortune’s Bay.

  A smile crossed his features at the thought.

  Chapter 3

  Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

  Piper’s brother, Josh, had asked her the same question about a hundred times since she’d told him about the house-sitting job. It was super early, and they were waiting for a cab to take her over to Bayview House. She’d been deliberately vague when Josh pressed her on who owned it and who she’d be working for. She didn’t want to get fired before she had even started.

  Since Therese had told her that it was Mal Colten’s place, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from internet stalking him and finding out all she could. Of course, she knew that the folk-rock singer/songwriter was one of Fortune’s Bay’s most famous residents and he valued his privacy when he was at home. But she couldn’t deny that he was incredibly attractive. He had slightly scruffy, mid-brown hair and a goatee beard with gorgeous, piercing, pale blue eyes and a body that was honed by being on stage almost every night. She felt a little sad that he’d unlikely be at home while she was there. His current touring schedule stretched out for weeks, way beyond the time Therese had told her she would be needed for.

  “Josh, I’ll be fine. It’s not as if you don’t know where I’ll be. I’m sure you can come over for dinner, occasionally.” Piper emphasized the last word. She wasn’t sure if she would even be allowed to have people over, although she hadn’t spotted anything to the contrary in the paperwork she’d managed to read.

  The cab drew up outside of Josh’s apartment building and beeped its horn. Josh hoisted the largest of Piper’s three bags over his shoulder and picked up the second. She picked up the smallest and lightest one and walked down toward the cab. They put the bags in the trunk and Piper went to get in the backseat.

  “Take care, sis.” Josh enveloped her in a hug. “If you need anything…”

  “I’m, like, less than twenty minutes down the road. I promise to call you if I need to.” Piper squeezed him back. It had literally been a couple of weeks since she’d been home, and already she was moving on again. She got into the car and waved as they left Kismet Alley and headed toward Waterfront Avenue.

  This time, she was driven right up to the front door after buzzing the intercom. Again, Therese was waiting at the door for her. She was all smiles.

  “Piper! Welcome!”

  The cab driver dumped her bags in the entrance hall and Therese thrust some notes at him. Piper had expected to pay herself, but clearly in this new world that didn’t happen. Therese shut the door with a bang and turned to Piper.

  “Let’s get you settled in and then I can give you the guided tour.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Piper wished she had a map to find her way around the enormous house. On the ground floor, there was a large room, dominated by a huge TV screen, that Therese explained was the movie room. There was also a cozy study that Piper could see herself spending a lot of time in as well as a large, open space where Therese explained Mal spent a lot of his time. There were a couple racks of guitars, with spaces for the ones that Mal must have taken on tour, music books, and notebooks.

  “It’s probably best you don’t touch anything in here, unless Mal asks you to,” said Therese. “It’s kind of his territory and he’s not keen on anyone being in there.”

  Piper nodded. She had no intention of doing anything wrong and if it meant staying out of this room, that was fine with her. Therese led the way upstairs back to the massive, open-plan living area. Piper knew she’d never tire of the view from there. Fortune’s Bay was a beautiful place to be but seeing it from this part of town was a total revelation. They went upstairs to the first floor, where Piper’s room was.

  “This is the guest floor,” explained Therese. “Mal’s space takes the whole of the top floor and there’s no need for you to go up there.” She led Piper along to the end of the hallway, where one of the bedroom doors was open. “I thought you might like this room, although if not, there are plenty of others to choose from.”

  Piper’s jaw dropped. It was like something from a five-star hotel. A king-size bed, covered with a squishy-looking comforter, dominated one side of the room, and there was a large wing-backed armchair that was perfect for curling up in to look at the views. A small balcony overlooked the garden that led down to the water. It looked like you could swim directly into the ocean from there. A door on one side of the bedroom led to an en suite with a rainfall shower and a claw-foot bath, along with plush towels that felt soft to the touch. Piper couldn’t wait to try them out. She followed Therese back down the corridor. Farther on this floor, there were four similar rooms, and Piper looked longingly at the staircase that led up to Mal’s. If there were the opportunity when she was alone to take a little peek up there…

  They ended up back in the living area and sat down at the table again.

  “Did you read through all the paperwork?” asked Therese.

  Piper took it out of her purse and handed it over. “Most of it,” she lied. She couldn’t really tell Therese that she’d fallen asleep reading the instructions about the alarm system.

  Therese took it from her and flicked through it to check that it was signed. “Great.” She fixed Piper with a stare. “I’d make sure you finish reading it soon; there’s a lot you need to be aware of.”

  Immediately Piper felt guilty. She was normally the sort of person who would be thorough and examine everything, but this felt different. After all, she was going to be house sitting, which didn’t require a great deal of knowledge—just how to switch things on and off.

  “How much longer are you going to be here?” Piper asked.

  Therese checked her watch. “Maybe about another fifteen minutes. I’m getting a flight up to Raleigh for a meeting with Mal and Boyd.” She hesitated. “There was an issue at his concert last night and we need to do some damage limitation.”

  Instantly, Piper wanted to know what happened, although it wasn’t her place to ask. As far as she could tell from all the paperwork, it was for her to be seen but not heard.

  “Is there anything else you want to know?” asked Therese. Piper shook her head. Therese pulled out a business card and pressed it into Piper’s hand. “Call me if you need to. Anytime. And if you’re sure, I’m going to head off now.”

  Within a couple of minutes, she had gone, leaving Piper alone. She wandered around between the kitchen, dining area and living room, simply enjoying the peace and quiet. This was exactly what she needed: some time and space to sort out her head and be creative. She needed to make it work.

  Chapter 4

  The gym in the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel was mercifully quiet when Mal had gone in there mid-morning. He’d hoped the early morning gym bunnies would have been and gone and he would be able to enjoy some peace. To be fair, he didn’t usually get recognized that much when he worked out. The type of people he saw use hotel gyms didn’t really look like the people who would come along to a Mal Colten gig. Of course, there were the exceptions to the rule, but they were few and far between.

  As he pounded the treadmill, the thought of going home was becoming stronger and stronger. He just needed to know how to broach it with Boyd. After a good hour of running and weights, he headed back to his room, s
till without an answer. He pushed the card key into the slot and went into his room.

  Sitting at the table were Boyd and Therese.

  “Jesus, that’s some welcome party! How did you get in?” asked Mal.

  “I’m your manager, Mal, perks of the job, I guess.”

  There were three takeaway coffee cups on the table, along with muffins. Immediately, Mal knew it was serious. Therese usually didn’t do gluten.

  “We need to talk,” said Boyd.

  Mal looked down at his sweaty attire. “Can I at least get cleaned up first?”

  They nodded without speaking. Mal headed into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. He had the quickest shower in history and after less than five minutes, he reentered the main room and took his place at the table.

  Therese was nibbling on one of the muffins, a look of pleasure on her face, which she soon replaced with a more serious expression. Boyd had his tablet open, showing an online news story on one of the more scurrilous gossip sites.

  “I think you need to read this.” He pushed it towards Mal.

  The headline screamed HAS MAL COLTEN LOST HIS GOLDEN TOUCH? Mal scanned the article, which appeared to be nothing more than speculation about how the recent shows on his tour had been lacklustre and Mal wasn’t interested in interacting with his fans; audiences had been left short as gigs had been curtailed; the most recent set had Mal forgetting words and basically the current tour was tanking. He got sucked into reading the comments on the article and there were some less-than-complimentary missives, in particular from people who had been at the most recent show.

  He looked up at Boyd and Therese. “Pure fabrication, right?” He spotted the look that the pair of them exchanged, which made him question the truth of the piece. “How are sales for the remaining dates?”

  His manager took the tablet back and consulted another document on it. “I can’t lie, Mal, they’re not good. A couple of the smaller venues have sold out, but the bigger places are struggling.”

  Up until now, everything had been rosy: sold out tours, extra dates, requests to go to other towns. And Mal had always agreed to them. If he analyzed it, he knew he was struggling. The lure of Fortune’s Bay, particularly over the past few days, was growing even more compelling. Maybe it was time to stop fighting, head home, take a break, and regroup.

  “Then we should cancel the rest of the tour.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized.

  “What?” Both Boyd and Therese exclaimed at the same time. Boyd’s eyes looked as if they were going to explode out of his head, and Therese stuffed a huge piece of muffin into her mouth.

  “I’m serious. I know this is just some story whipped up to make things look bad. If you’re telling me we’re struggling with ticket sales, then why push myself and make things worse? By the looks of it, no one really wants me to do it either.”

  It was a massive step to even consider scrapping the tour. For Mal, it was the right thing to do.

  “Have you thought this through?” Boyd was already scribbling a list of things that would need to be done.

  “I don’t think I have really, Boyd, but I know it’s what I want to do. I’m done.” It was as if the fog had lifted. Mal felt a lot lighter than he had done in days, and the thought of going home was a huge boost. “I want to head home for a while, sort my head out, then we can work out what’s going to happen next.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Boyd tried one last time. “The negative publicity around cancelling a whole run of shows could be damaging.”

  “Versus the negative publicity around a bunch of shoddy shows that should never have taken place? I know which I’d prefer. We’ll refund anyone who has a ticket and they’ll be good for whenever I choose to reschedule.” Mal was more and more adamant that this was the right thing to do.

  “What about the girl I’ve just hired to look after the house?” asked Therese. “She literally just moved in. It wouldn’t be fair to kick her out straight away. I can give her a week’s notice if you want?”

  Mal shook his head. “No need to do that. If I were home, Alena would be there to cook for me. I’m sure you wouldn’t want me living on takeout and beer.”

  Therese shrugged, admitting defeat. “If you’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “The refunds will wipe a lot of profit off the tour, not to mention the unhappy fans.” Boyd tried one last time to convince him to change his mind, but Mal wasn’t having any of it. The thought of heading home for an unscheduled break with no end date filled him with joy. He could take some real time out, write new stuff if he wanted to, do what he wanted, when he wanted and rest. Having no one to answer to would be refreshing.

  Mal looked between the two of his team. “What’s better though? An unhappy star making people even more unhappy or a happy and refreshed star enjoying life? I know what you’re trying to do, Boyd, and it won’t work. I’m taking this break whether you like it or not. I’m going home.”

  Chapter 5

  Piper padded downstairs into the kitchen in search of coffee. Her first couple of nights at Bayview House had been less than restful; she’d woken at every sound, convinced there was someone in the house. She now knew that the security system was more complex than Fort Knox, having finally gotten around to reading the full instructions. Then she’d slept later than planned because she wasn’t used to the relative silence of the surroundings. Bayview House was so different to Josh’s place where, on her first morning there, she’d barged into the bathroom to find his roommate, Seb, naked, because there was no lock on the door. Or the first night she’d arrived and there was nothing to eat and she’d had to heat up leftover pizza for dinner.

  The morning sun streamed in through the huge windows overlooking the bay and it was already warm. While the coffee brewed, Piper flung open the door to the balcony and stepped out. The sun beat down on her skin and she turned to face the sky, basking in the heat. Not for the first time, she pinched herself, unable to believe her good fortune of living in a mansion that belonged to an actual rock star. Albeit that it was a temporary arrangement.

  She poured herself a mug and took it over to the squishy sofas on the other side of the room. There were papers strewn over the coffee table with instructions as to the different things she needed to do. She couldn’t face reading them and switched on the TV instead, flipping through the channels until she found something that held her interest. Piper stared at the screen, watching without really seeing the contestants on Project Runway. It made her think about her jewelry designs. The ones she had shown to the fashion team at Who’s Got Style had received great comments and promises to feature them in the magazine, but nothing ever came of it. When the eliminated contestant broke down as she was told she was leaving the competition, Piper’s own eyes instinctively filled with tears. They weren’t tears of sadness, but of determination. Now was a great time for her to start over and really make something of her dreams.

  Just as she was about to get her sketch pad, her phone buzzed with a text from Josh, asking her if she was okay. Piper started to type out a reply, but thought better of it and called him instead.

  “If by okay you mean waking up every twenty minutes thinking there was a madman in the bedroom, then I’m okay,” she said as soon as he answered.

  Josh laughed. “Good to hear. I mean, that you’re okay, not that there might be a madman in your bedroom.”

  “I’m fine.” Piper paused. “What are you up to tonight? Do you want to come over for dinner? Maybe ask Seb and his girlfriend?”

  “Not lonely already?”

  Piper didn’t even bother to answer. She was already planning her day: a trip into town for supplies, the afternoon sketching, and then preparing dinner. After a few glasses of wine, she might even get to have a better night’s sleep.

  “Just so happens I have the night off. I’ll check out Seb’s plans and message you later,” said Josh. “Even if he and Milla can’t make it, I’m still coming. Can’
t wait to see where you’re working.”

  “Remember you can’t tell anyone about it,” warned Piper. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Half an hour later, she was in town. The walk from Bayview House had taken a little longer than anticipated and she was hot and sweaty. She took her time browsing around the grocery store, selecting things for a simple supper, along with a couple of bottles of wine. It had been a while since she’d cooked for anyone other than herself and she was looking forward to it. Because of her late start, it was almost lunchtime when she checked the time. She decided to grab something from the bakery and head out to Providence Park for half an hour or so before heading back.

  “Piper Jarrett? What are you doing back in the Bay?”

  The familiar voice from behind her caused her to spin around. Standing in front of her was Bronte Sheridan, an old classmate.

  “Hey, Bronte! How are you?”

  The redhead gestured to the bookstore next to the bakery. “I’m on my lunch break and needed a caffeine fix. Do you want to join me?”

  It was great to see a familiar face. “That would be lovely. We can catch up.”

  They queued, chatting about other friends and acquaintances until it was their turn to be served. Once they’d purchased lunchtime snacks, they headed over to the park and found an unoccupied bench near the children’s play area.

  “Where are you working?” Bronte asked. “I know it’s not always easy finding work around here.”

  Piper hesitated. She didn’t think that Bronte would go screaming to the gossip magazines if she told her what she was doing. “Well, I came across a job for a house sitter. It’s a massive house on the waterfront and the owner isn’t around much.”

  “Ah, one of those second homes that tourists come to stay in. Although why would they need a house sitter?”