Page 1 of My UnTrue Love
Chapter One
One night when it was very late,
And the Dark Moon rose,
A coyote sought to change his fate,
Down at the old crossroads.
Lyrics from the folk song “Crossroads Coyote”
Johnny Jacobs leaned forward in his chair, his handsome face reflecting nothing but compassion. "I want to collaborate with other people.”
Clementine Miner stared at him. “What?”
“Obviously we’ve been a great team. Everybody knows it.” He splayed a hand over his heart. “Since high school, it’s been Johnny and Clementine. We’re roommates, we work together, we’re best friends…” He trailed off, driving home the monotony of their relationship. “It’s too much.”
Green eyes blinked rapidly, as Clementine tried to process his words.
“We’re stifling our own growth, ya know? We need to break out of our rut.” Johnny went on. “And Rosalee has all these ideas for the album. I’msoexcited for that, as lead singer. Something fresh. Something sophisticated. You get that, right?”
Clementine said nothing.
Johnny understood it would take a second for her to adjust. The two of them had founded The Yellow Roses together. The band had been their dream. And now, after years of hard work and sacrifice, it had finally come true.
At least for Johnny.
Clem had contributed to their success, at first. She was his muse. Literally. The girl had been born to inspire creative types. Her magic was subtle. She didn’t even consciously control it. It just ran quietly in the background, adding a bit of flow and sparkle to a composition.
All that was great. …For guys whoneededthe help. For a talented musician like Johnny, a muse quickly became superfluous, though.
Clementine had done what she could for the band. She’d drummed up gig after gig when they were just starting. She’d cashed in the insurance settlement from her parents’ deaths to afford their first recording equipment. (It wasn’tgreatequipment, but Johnny had made do.) She’d overseen all their promotion and spent hours on the phone developing contacts. She’d made sure all the day-to-day stuff was handled, so Johnny could write hit songs.
Once they established themselves as an up-and-coming band, Johnny had insisted they hire a professional manager, obviously. Rosalee Tawny would be the one whoreallyelevated them to the big time of the Red River Valley country music scene. She was a legend in the business.
However, Rosalee had a thing about muses. She didn’t feel like theyreallyadded to the band. And she wasn’t wrong, you know? What did Clementinereallydo for Johnny?
Johnny took care of the music. Rosalee could handle the business stuff. Clementine couldn’t even play an instrument. Where did she fit?
Her health wasn’t that great, either. Clem had nearly died in the mining accident that had killed her parents. She’d beentrapped for a few days underground and it affected her. She was scared of the dark, which was just childish.
Worse, there had been some kind of weird problem with the medical-spell that saved her damaged lungs. A very rare magic complication, the doctors said. Nothing could reverse the issue, but it was treatable, so long as Clem took pills every day, watched her salt intake, and avoided stress. Too much stress and she’d faint dead away for hours.
The music business was allaboutstress. Clem wasn’t up for the job of helping him create art, if she was so fragile. Every time he sent her for coffee, she might keel over. That kind of guilt wasn’t healthy for Johnny.
Having her around was a drain on his creative energy. A muse was supposed to inspire, not weigh you down. It was time for a change. Everybody knew it.
“I mean, you want to grow, too, right?” He gave an encouraging nod. “Staying here isn’t going to help you do that.”
“You’re… firing me?”
“No! Of course not.” Johnny shook his head indulgently. “I’m just pushing you out of the nest. Both of us have to spread our wings.”
Clementine’s eyes were huge behind her big, round glasses. She was such an awkward little thing. That was another problem. She was cute enough, don’t get him wrong. In fact, there had been a moment where they’d been childhood sweethearts. Holding hands and first kisses. Then, Johnny had lost weight, learned to style his ebony hair, and invested in some much-needed orthodontics work.
He’d surpassed Clementine.
Johnny cared for Clem, but The Yellow Roses had to keep up a certain appearance around Red River Valley and she just couldn’t cut it.
