Page 45 of Tangled Up In You

Sophie recognized in his good looks and careful style the epitome of a rock star. He was made for this.

She placed her other hand on Gavin’s forearm and her appearance seemed to trigger in Conor a wild mixture of emotions. First it was surprise, but that turned into a sweet smile before fading into what she had seen at the Palladium: lust. Finally, frustration took over.

She had to blink to clear all that away. It was a lot to take in when she was already apprehensive about seeing them all.

“Isn’t this brilliant?” Gavin asked as they got to Conor. “She came round last night to see me before the show today.”

Conor raised his eyebrows and stared at her for a beat too long. “Good to see you again, Soph.”

“You too!” She gave him a quick hug.

“Em, and you’re coming with us, then?”

She looked to Gavin with renewed hesitation.

“Yes, she is,” Gavin said with a note of finality in his voice.

Conor turned and started out to the hotel driveway, mumbling “fuck me” under his breath.

“Is this a bad idea?” Sophie said. “I don’t want to interfere.”

“It’s fine, darlin’. Relax.”

She nodded and followed him to the black Suburban idling at the curb. Conor disappeared inside and Gavin wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her so they could both look into the car.

“Lads, look who I’ve got,” Gavin said with a grin.

“Sophie!” Martin said. “Why amn’t I surprised to see you?”

She laughed.

“Because it’s the natural fit, isn’t it?” Shay said and winked at her.

“Good to see you guys,” she said. It felt better than good to see them. Shay was right. Being back in the company of these boys felt like returning home.

“After you, darlin’,” Gavin said, gesturing for her to get into the car. He slid in after her, sitting to her right while Conor was on her left. Martin and Shay were in the third row. Gavin made the introduction to their manager, James Kelly, who sat in the front passenger seat opposite their driver for the day.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sophie said, offering him her hand.

“You’re the one, are you?” he asked in return. He gave her hand a brisk shake.

She wasn’t sure how to take that greeting. “Um, I guess?”

“We’ve got plenty of time to get acquainted. I hear Irvine is a bit of a drive,” James said. “Oh, and you’ll want to see this bit of media.”

He held up the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times. It was folded open to a short article with the headline: “Mystery Girl Rocks Rogue Singer on KROQ ” and detailed the phone conversation Gavin had had with Sophie live on the radio the day before. The angle was that the call had generated so much interest that an informal campaign had formed to discover who “Sophie” was and whether she would give Gavin another chance. The article said the station had been inundated with calls asking for more information on what was behind the episode. The only official comment from the station was that they, too, hoped to learn the answer when Sophie showed up at the Weenie Roast.

Sophie was stunned, but saw that Gavin was bemused.

Conor didn’t bother to hide his irritation, though, saying, “This isn’t what we’re about, this, this?—”

“What?” Gavin asked with a lazy smile.

“‘Spectacle’ is the word I’m after,” Conor said. “James and I agree on this, you know.”

“That so, Jamie?” Gavin asked.

“It’s not exactly the focus we need,” James said. “We had some momentum going and this feels like a huge distraction. No offense, sweetheart.”

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