THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock - WILLOW SON - novel) (19 page)

“
What?
”
both Tessa and Wendy said at
the same time.

“
There
’
s room,
”
Anna said.
“
And
…”
Anna pointed.

They looked and there was a
Help
Wanted
sign in the window.

“
Here?
”
Tessa asked.

“
Yes,
”
Wendy said.
“
I can deal with this. A big
change. On my own.
”

“
With
me,
”
Anna said.

“
Without
me,
”
Tessa said.

They all nodded.

Tessa felt relief. She looked at
her sisters. She realized they were women. Grown women. Smart women. Beautiful
women.

“
She
would have been proud,
”
Tessa said.
“
Of you both. I
want you to know that. I know we never have been religious and stuff
…
but whatever is out there, she
’
s there. She
’
s watching. She
…”

They all took hands again.

Three sisters, their eyes all
filled with tears.

Another couple minutes of silence
fell and it was comfortable.

Tessa took a deep breath.
“
If you need help with anything,
Wendy. Moving and stuff, let me know. We can pack up a rental and road trip.
”

“
I
’
ll be fine,
”
Wendy said.
“
I
’
m
going to sell everything I can. So I have my own money then.
”

“
You
know, we can use a volunteer at the park,
”
Anna said.

“
I
can
’
t draw a straight line
with a ruler, let alone paint,
”
Wendy said.

They all laughed.

“
No,
”
Anna said.
“
I know you suck at drawing and
painting. And writing. But you can help clean up the park. Meet some people.
Look at life through my eyes for a second.
”

“
Is
this really happening?
”
Tessa asked.
“
I mean
…”

“
It
’
s life,
”
Anna said.
“
It
’
s fast. It
’
s never long enough. It
’
s
…
life.
”

Tessa was breathless at her baby
sister
’
s wisdom.

“
And
speaking of really happening
…
and life through someone
’
s
eyes for a second
…”
Wendy reached
into her purse and took out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and it was the
picture of Tessa and Colby kissing.

“
No,
”
Tessa said.
“
No, no, no
…”

“
Since
when did our big sister become a groupie?
”
Wendy asked.

Anna started to giggle, covering
her mouth. Wendy smiled big, eyes wide.

Tessa wanted to be angry but couldn
’
t. Her sisters were beautiful
…
they were her best friends.
Real friends.

Tessa put a hand on the paper.
“
You can
’
t imagine.
”

“
I
’
ve got time,
”
Wendy said.

“
I
’
ll buy the next round of coffee,
”
Anna said.

She stood up and started to walk
away.

Wendy jumped up too.
“
I
’
m
going to get an application.
”

“
You
’
re serious?
”
Tessa asked.

Wendy looked down at Tessa.
“
You
’
ve done too much. You
’
re
the greatest sister anyone could ever ask for. But we
’
re good now. We
’
re
grown. And when I
’
m done
with the application, I want every possible dirty, nasty, sexy, raunchy detail
of Colby from Willow Son.
”

Tessa felt her cheeks blushing. She
forced a smile.

Yeah, she
’
d tell the details
…
every possible dirty, nasty, sexy, raunchy detail
…
but what about the detail where she was supposed
to just be a friend and ended up falling in love with him?

**

Colby sang the last note and then
took the plugs from his ears. Everything sounded great. He had no doubt in his
mind it wouldn
’
t sound
great. He looked back at the band and gave the thumbs up. They nodded and the
practice was over.

Portis stood up, put his cell away,
and clapped.
“
Sounds great.
”

“
Of
course it does,
”
Colby
said.
“
It
’
s Willow Son.
”

He walked by Portis and went for a
bottle of water.

“
Colby,
”
a voice said.

It was Harry.

“
What?
”

“
You
have to stop acting like that to Portis,
”
he whispered.
“
The guy is
ready to put up millions for the band.
”

“
Good
for him,
”
Colby said.
“
He
’
ll
make millions. What
’
s it
matter?
”

“
He
’
s trying to get to know you.
”

“
I
don
’
t need a friend. I need
someone to promote the band. Get us on the road. Now.
”

“
What
’
s with this obsession about the
road?
”
Harry asked.
“
Christ, Colby. The last week you
’
ve been an asshole.
”

Colby gritted his teeth.
“
Feel better?
”

“
A
little.
”

“
Good.
”

“
Hey,
talk to me, man. What
’
s the
…”

“
What
happened with that legal thing. With Dan.
”

“
Nothing,
”
Harry said.
“
I pulled it off the table. He
’
s free to do what he wants.
Including hurt you.
”

“
I
deserve it.
”

“
You
don
’
t deserve it. You made
a decision.
”

“
Everyone
thinks I
’
m a murderer.
”

“
People
used to think the world was flat.
”

“
But
maybe I am a murderer. When I think about
…”

“
Don
’
t think about it,
”
Harry said.
“
It
’
s
done. It
’
s the past.
”

“
It
’
s always there,
”
Colby spat.

“
Whoa,
what
’
s wrong?
”
Jett asked as he approached.

The band circled around Colby.

“
Just
talking,
”
Harry said.

“
Songs
sound great,
”
Brantley
said.
“
We still have the
sound.
”

“
We
’
ll never lose the sound,
”
Ryker said.

“
I
agree,
”
Colby said.
“
You ready for the road?
”

“
Let
’
s do the big show first,
”
Van said.
“
The road is there. We
’
ll be touring.
”

“
I
can
’
t stay around here much
longer,
”
Colby said.
“
I
’
m
going crazy.
”

“
Does
it have anything to do with that woman from the picture?
”
Harry asked.

Colby shot dagger eyes at Harry.
There were times he wanted to smack Harry. Then again Harry was basically the
father figure Colby never had. Harry took care of things, cared about the band
members, and stayed through it all, thick and thin. From the worst of the worst
…

When I murdered someone.

Colby cringed thinking about it.

“
He
’
s got something on the brain,
”
Jett said.

“
Yeah,
”
Ryker said.
“
Starts with a
P
and ends
with a
Y.
”

Colby shot a look at Ryker.

“
Pretty
…
,
”
Jett said.
“
Eyes. Pretty
eyes.
”

“
That
wasn
’
t what I meant,
”
Ryker said.
“
But it works.
”

Everyone started laughing,
including Harry.

Colby grinned.
“
You guys are really assholes.
”

“
I
don
’
t get it,
”
Brantley said.
“
You dig the woman yet you don
’
t pursue it.
”

“
That
’
s just me,
”
Colby said.
“
We bumped into each other a few
times without meaning for it to happen. I
’
m
not going to go and force anything right now. Just let it be. The music is what
matters.
”

“
That
’
s why you want the road,
”
Harry said.
“
Because you want to escape.
”

Van put an arm around Colby.
“
Bro, just go to your cabin for a
little while. Why don
’
t we
take a couple days off? We have nothing left to do but let Portis promote the
hell out of the show. We
’
re
free.
”

“
He
’
s right,
”
Harry said.

Colby looked at the ground. He had
thought about going up to the cabin more than once. But if he went there, Tessa
could never find him. Nobody could find the cabin unless you knew where it was.
That was the appeal to it.

Fate had been tempted. And this
time
…
fate was about to
lose.

(19)

They met with Portis early that
morning. He offered his condo on the beach and the band declined. He offered
his yacht. Ryker perked up at that notion, but Harry quickly shut it down.
There was a night when Ryker took a boat out and sunk it during one of the wild
Willow Son nights a long time ago.

What Portis wanted was the band to
be together. For press. To write music. But Colby needed a breather. He needed
the cabin. The woods. The silence. He needed to clear his mind. Plus, this time
of the year, it was cold and sometimes it even snowed. That
’
s just how California was. It
was Colby
’
s favorite state
and where his home was.

They were packed up and out of
Portis
’
office well before
lunch.

The band shook hands, hugged, Harry
giving the lecture of being safe. Telling them to call for cars, planes,
anything to make sure nobody did anything stupid or dangerous. Ryker and Jett
were taking a private jet to Vegas. That made Harry sweat just thinking about
it. Jett and Brantley were going south to a beach to soak up the sun and some
women.

Colby had a bag strapped to his
back and was on a thundering motorcycle, taking the twists and turns of the
road. He loved riding the motorcycle. The wind against his face, nothing but
the horizon in his way, and a sense of freedom that could only be compared to
standing on a stage in front of forty thousand fans.

The motorcycle roared and Colby
kept his mind clear.

Once he was outside Sacramento, he
decided to take a pit stop. The Willow Son fanfare was back alive, and stopping
anywhere was a big risk. Especially without security. And without the band it
would only fuel rumors that they were breaking up. None of bothered Colby
though. He
’
d sign
autographs. He could venture alone. Soak up as much attention as there was to
get before he disappeared into the mountains.

Cruising the streets of a little
town, he admired the
home
feel of it. The houses that were landscaped.
Two cars were in the driveways, usually one of them a minivan. A tricycle in
the front yard tipped over. A basketball hoop above the garage. Sidewalk chalk
sticking out on blacktop like bright tattoos on the ground.

He rode by a park that looked half
cleaned up. A large mural was against one of the back walls. A beautiful
display of colors, animals, random shapes and pictures.

Once through the main part of the
small town, a corner coffee shop caught his attention. He could go for a coffee
and a small bite.

There was a little town right
before the base of the mountain where he could hit a country store for
supplies. That was a little bit further away though. The caffeine would do him
good. And the second the smell attacked him, he hurried to pull to the side of
the building and stop.

Checking left to right, Colby
opened the door. A small bell rang and a hiss of steam echoed around. There
were half a dozen people in the coffee shop, all of them looking
…
and looking again
…
at Colby. He nodded and smiled.
A couple people were quick to whisper to each other.

Is that the lead singer of
Willow Son?

Colby went to the counter.

The woman behind the counter smiled
and then her eyes went wide.

“
Hey,
Wendy,
”
he said, pointing
to her name tag.

“
Colby
…”

“
Yeah,
”
he said.
“
Taking a trip. Need some coffee.
”

“
You
’
re Colby. From Willow Son.
”

“
That
’
s right.
”

“
You
were the one making out with my sister
…”

Colby heard the words and laughed.

Making out with my sister
…

He did a double take.
“
What did you just say?
”

Wendy put a hand over her mouth and
then started to laugh.
“
You
were making out with my sister.
”

“
Sweetie,
I
’
ve been known to make out
with a lot of people. I
’
m
sure I
’
ve made out with a
lot of sisters.
”

Colby smiled, trying to be cool.

“
No,
”
Wendy said.
“
No, no
…
you were making out with my sister. Tessa.
”

And fate barreled back into
Colby
’
s life.

**

Tessa swore she wasn
’
t going to get involved. She
carried a box that was labeled
KITCHEN/RANDOM/NOTSURE
and put it on the
bed. The house was nice, an almost cabin feel to it.

This was where Anna, her friend,
and Wendy were staying.

Everything had gone to plan,
without a problem, and without Tessa
’
s
involvement.

In fact, Wendy was at work right
now.

She snagged the job at the coffee
shop and had shown up to every shift. That alone was a major relief for Tessa.
Wendy was finally taking some kind of control on her life. That was a definite
first. Part of it Tessa blamed herself for. Not only did she try to raise and
protect her sisters but she also tried to shield them from pain. The pain of
their father leaving, something that Anna definitely didn
’
t remember, and something that
Wendy only vaguely remembered. And she tried to shield them from the pain of
losing their mother. But grieving was good. Necessary even. On top of that, it
was okay to think about her. To talk about her. To miss her.

Taking that away from her sisters,
Tessa realized she had pushed them into a corner. Anna could always break free
and be herself. That was just Anna. She floated around. She painted pictures,
drew pictures, and made friends who were just like her. For Wendy, being the
middle child, she was always caught. Always stuck in the middle.

Not anymore.

Tessa peeled the tape off the box
and looked inside. It was a disorganized mess. She let out a laugh. That was
just Wendy. Yet somehow Wendy would know what was exactly in the box.

Her cell started to ring and it was
Wendy calling.

Tessa stepped away from the bed and
answered the call.
“
Hey.
Don
’
t get mad.
”

“
What?
”

“
I
touched a box. I moved it. Did you sense it?
”

“
Tessa
…
he
’
s here.
”

He
’
s here?

“
Who
…”

Her heart already raced. Her mind
begged that it was Colby.

That was impossible though.

The pictures online showed a
different life and side of Colby. He was partying and living the rockstar
lifestyle. Which he deserved. Tessa was meant to take care of things. Take care
of people. Maybe have a chance to take care of herself. Then again, the amount
of stuff she had been reading about the lead singer of Willow Son left her
aching to know more. To see him again. To do
…
anything
…

“
He
’
s here,
”
Wendy repeated again.
“
Get here right now. Before he leaves. I can only
flirt for so long.
”

The call went dead.

He
’
s here
…

Tessa turned and bolted from the
room. She skidded to a stop at the bathroom and looked at herself in the
mirror.

“
I
look like hell,
”
Tessa
whispered.

Her hair was pulled back in a quick
ponytail. No makeup on. Some old jeans, old shoes, and a shirt. Nothing like
He
had ever seen her in before. All those other times, while it was fate, she was
cleaned up.

At the door, Tessa was leaving as
Anna and her roommate were coming back. Covered in paint, smiling, laughing,
living a good, innocent life.

Tessa got into her rental and sped
to the coffee house. She pulled up and the scene was eerily quiet. Considering
who could possibly be inside, she figured there would be reporters, fans, a
limo or something.

She opened the door, while the bell
made its annoying
DING!
sound, and Wendy was at the side of the counter.
Her hand was touching someone
’
s
arm.

“
Tessa,
”
Wendy said.
“
Look who
…”

Then
He
turned around.

Tessa gasped and felt her knees go
weak.

“
Hey,
pretty eyes
…”