Page 8 of Love is a Lyric
His lips curled up. “Don’t tell Quinn.”
“Definitely not. I put them in the highest cabinet. She won’t look, anyway. She’ll just ask me whenever she wants anything to eat.”
A grown man shouldn’t like Pop-Tarts, but it was the only way to get actual food into Ben in the morning when he was too wired to eat. The adrenaline from a show hit him hardest the next day.
“Thanks.” He took another sip.
“Like I said, it’s my job.” She checked the time on her phone. “It’s also my job to remind you of whatever meeting Melanie set up that she won’t tell me about. I don’t expect you will?”
He drained the rest of his coffee and grinned. “Not a chance, Piper.” This was his secret.
“Didn’t think so.”
He stood and stretched. “Can you make something up to tell Quinn? If she hears the word meeting, she’ll be mad I went without her.”
“Can you promise me this doesn’t affect her?”
Ben met her gaze, wondering how she could be so loyal to her sister. He saw the way Quinn treated Piper, yet Piper was always there willing to take it.
“Yeah, I promise.”
She nodded. “Then, go. Keep your secrets, Benjamin Evans.”
He shot her a wink before re-entering the house, dumping his mug in the sink, and reaching for a blueberry Pop-Tart. That girl was his savior. He spared one more glance over his shoulder, but she didn’t look his way. Throwing on some clothes, he did his best not to wake Quinn and have to answer her questions.
As he stepped out the front door, a feeling of freedom assaulted him. A rental car had been dropped off sometime in the night, and he couldn’t remember the last time he drove himself anywhere. He slid into the car and laughed when he noticed a hat on the passenger’s seat. Piper was always a million steps ahead of the rest of them.
Pulling the hat low on his head, he slid his prescription sunglasses into place and fixed the rearview mirror before pulling out into the streets of Gulf City, Florida. It was a cute little beach town, one he’d learned of on recommendation from Drew Stone of all people.
Italian-styled buildings lined the wide roads, arched salmon roofs lifting to the blazing sun.
He opened the Pop-Tarts with one hand as he pulled into the gated community his GPS directed him to. A sign read “Wentwood.” He punched in the code he’d been given, and the gates swung open.
When he reached his destination, it looked like he was the last one there. He parked in the long driveway leading up to the columned, yellow concrete house. Sprinklers spritzed over the manicured lawn as Ben weaved his way between cars on the drive. He didn’t knock at the door; instead, he pushed it open to be immediately assaulted with an argument.
“We should have been there.” Jo Jackson, one of the most famous drummers in the world at present, tapped her boot-clad foot as she faced off with their publicist.
Melanie sighed. “You weren’t in any condition…”
“You don’t get to decide that for me!”
Ben shut the door behind him, walking right into the lion’s den. “Whoa, what’s going on? This is supposed to be a no-fighting zone.”
Jo ran a hand through her pink-tipped hair as Drew Stone and Noah Clarke walked in carrying giant mugs of coffee. Jo pointed from the boys to Melanie. “Noah and I were supposed to perform at the benefit last night with the rest of you, but these three decided I wasn’t up for it.”
Ben couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew the rift was bull.” A Twitter war wouldn’t have kept Noah out of a concert. Besides, that was all for publicity.
“I didn’t perform.” Dax Nelson spoke up from his spot on the couch.
Jo grunted. “But you never perform.” It was true. Dax was a musical prodigy whose talent with any instrument he picked up shot him up the charts and into stardom. But his fans didn’t even know what he looked like. He refused every public appearance, despite being the most famous of them.
Melanie joined Dax on the couch. “Come on, Jo. Calm down. Now that Ben has finally graced us with his presence, we can begin.”
“Is there more coffee?” Ben asked.
“Sorry, bro.” Drew offered him a smile. “We finished it off. Too bad I don’t have a Piper living with me. Matt insists on not being with me all the time for some reason.”
“I wonder why.” Melanie rolled her eyes. “Everyone, sit. We got up early the day after a concert for a reason.”
