Page 35 of Love is a Lyric
11
Piper
“You’re where?” Melanie’s skepticism came through the phone.
“The mall.” Piper sifted through shirts in the men’s section of Macy’s to find the right size.
“Honey, Ben Evans doesn’t wear clothes from the mall.”
“He does now.” She held the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she lifted a shirt to examine the color. “He looks good in blue, right?”
“He looks good in every color.”
“Right.” She folded the shirt over her arm. “Look, Mel, all Ben has with him is beach wear, and in case you forgot, we’re in Ohio now.” She’d driven into the city from the Evans’ property outside Columbus. Polaris might not have the shops the L.A. fashion district had, but Ben always hated those clothes anyway. When he didn’t have to go in public, he preferred graphic t-shirts with his expensive designer jeans.
She picked a pair of jeans from the shelf. He’d survive. “I don’t think it’s Ben who will care where the clothes come from, only you, Mel.”
“Because that’s my job. I called you in hopes you’d tell me Drew was a big fat liar when he saidFatewas on the rocks.”
Drew. Of course. He shared Melanie as publicist withFate. “I’m not really worried about the band right now.”
“Okay, then tell me about Ben.”
Piper shifted the phone to her other ear. How much of this should she tell Melanie? Probably all of it. It was her job to deal with scandals, after all. “Quinn and Conner were doing the hoobidydoobidy behind Ben’s back.”
“The what?”
“Sex, Mel. Naked bodies, cheating girlfriends. That kind of sex.”
“Wait, am I supposed to be surprised?”
“I was.”
Melanie sighed. “That’s because you are a dear good person who wants to see the best in everyone. Me, on the other hand, I’m paid to see the worst. And your sister… she never deserved Ben.”
“He loved her.”
“So? You think love erases a person’s flaws?”
How did Piper not see this coming? It seemed she was the only one other than Ben himself. Melanie, Chase, even Drew knew the real Quinn more than her own sister.
“What happens now?” She set the clothes on the checkout counter and let the cashier start removing security tags.
“Now, we figure out a way to save Ben’s career.”
“Gotta admit, Mel, his career isn’t what I’m worried about.”
“That’s because his career is no longer your job. Drew told me he’d hired you—something I’ve been pushing him for—but we’ll circle back to that. Ben means a lot to you, right?”
“Of course. He’s family.”
“Then, make sure he doesn’t let this destroy everything. That boy needs his music.”
“I know.”
“I can hold off the label for a little while, but they want new songs for aFatealbum. They need to work this out.”
“I don’t know—”
