Page 87 of Tangled Up In You

“Ah, you think that now. Wait until they hit a nerve, hit on something that’s a little too close.”

“Is there something you’re trying to tell me?” Sophie asked, unable to skirt the issue any longer.

Patsy looked taken aback. “No, no. I’m sorry, I hope you didn’t think I was getting at anything about you. I guess I was really talking about myself and the troubles Christian and I have had.”

“Oh . . . I’m sorry to hear that,” Sophie said, and gave her a small smile.

“It’s in the past now,” Patsy said.

Sophie waited for her to continue. When it was clear that they would instead share silence, she turned her attention to watching Gavin flop about in the waves. He was a hopeless surfer, and Shay wasn’t much better, although they both seemed to be enjoying their attempts. Conor, on the other hand, was a natural athlete and succeeded in getting up on his board a few times.

Eventually both women settled on their bellies as they watched the water. Sophie untied her bikini top and relaxed as the heat drew beads of sweat along the small of her back. She was close to dozing when Patsy startled her by speaking again.

“It was a story that said I had an affair with Scandal’s manager, actually,” she said, her voice flat.

Sophie pulled herself to her elbows so she could look at Patsy. “I don’t understand where they come up with some of these things,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Thing is, there was some truth to it.” Patsy saw Sophie’s look of surprise and laughed. “Oh, not that I had an affair, but I was close friends with him. When the band is in the thick of things, with touring and publicity and everything that goes along with it, sometimes the manager is your connection to your man. So, we got to be friends. We had an … emotional bond, you could say.”

Sophie didn’t know how to respond. She let the silence grow between them.

“It was a little too close to the line, really. And the tabloids picked up on that and ran with it. It challenged our marriage.”

It was hard for Sophie to imagine how a person could let that happen to their marriage. But then her attraction to Conor—and his to her—came to mind and she felt renewed guilt. It hadn’t been anything more than a passing moment, though, and she knew that in the end she would always choose Gavin.

“I can’t imagine how awful it must have been,” she told Patsy, for want of anything else to say.

Patsy blinked away the tears in her eyes and forced a smile. “We made it through. And we’re great now. Again.”

“It’s so nice to see the way you two are together. You’re a very sweet couple.”

“Thanks. I can say the same about you and Gavin, too.”

“I think it’s Gavin and Christian who make a great couple,” Sophie said, and Patsy laughed. “No, I mean it in a way. Christian is a good mentor for him.”

“Yeah. He really is fond of your man. Which is why it’ll break his heart that Gavin can’t surf to save his life!”

Sophie looked up in time to see Gavin slip backward off his surfboard. “Oh, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself!”

“Nah, he’s fine. Christian’s got his eye on him.”

Sophie hoped that was true—not just in the water, but as a friend, too. Gavin had countless “friends” but there were only a few who he had really let close to him. And she knew he could use all the real friends he could get.

50

GAVIN

Gavin sat mesmerized by the show Sophie was putting on. She and Patsy, emboldened by liquid courage, had jumped up to do a karaoke version of Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” They danced together, giggling as they sang with abandon. Sophie’s hair was loose and her short white sundress showcased her long, tanned legs. The smiles both women wore as they improvised dance moves were contagious.

The whole gang had assembled at the Noosa Heads Surf Club Bar to catch the sunset on the covered deck. The club was one story up from the beach and offered a lively spot to drink and enjoy the local scene. They had pushed together four tables and had been there for hours when it was announced that it was karaoke night.

“This is the girl for you. Don’t fuck it up,” Christian said.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Gavin replied with a laugh, though he didn’t pull his eyes away from Sophie.

“Gav, I’m telling you as a friend is all. Rogue is about to fucking explode. You think you’ve seen mayhem? You ain’t seen nothing yet. This album is the real deal. It’s going to send you guys so far over the top you won’t remember what life was like before it.”

Gavin felt a shiver run up his spine at the bold proclamation, though he couldn’t accept it so easily. “Jesus, I appreciate the support,” he said with a glance to Christian, “but think you might be exaggerating a bit?”

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