Page 33 of Songbird
“Okay.” Charles nods and then mutters like she’s processing the information, “My brother is Rosalie Thorne’s bodyguard.”
The rest of it isn’t my story to tell, and I exchange a look with Rosie that saysif you want me to shut this down, I will. She replies with a slight shake of her head.
“Kind of.” Rosie slides her hands under her thighs and curls in on herself. “I’m dealing with some stuff and needed a place to stay while I figured it out.”
“And you camehere?”
Charles’s surprise is borderline offensive, and Rosie clears her throat to disguise her amusement. “I needed somewhere nobody would look for me,” she explains. “Somewhere safe while I sorted out my life. It was only supposed to be for a day or two, but it’s been nearly a week…”
“Things got a little complicated,” I jump in. “Figuring it out is taking some time.”
Charles crosses her legs one way, then the other. I rarely see her this fidgety. “I read about the wedding and all that,” she admits.
Her confession surprises me. My sister isn’t one for celebrity gossip, and she’s usually too busy to see much anyway. “You did?”
“I didn’t go looking for it,” she says defensively before her voice falls apologetically. “But it’s kind of hard to avoid.”
Rosie mutters under her breath, but I’m pretty sure her words are “I bet.”
“So you can understand why we need to keep this under wraps,” I say. “Nobody knows Rosie’s here, and it needs to stay that way.”
“I spend all my time working and I’ve got nobody in my life to tell, but for what it’s worth”—Charles mimes zipping her lips—“your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.” Rosie’s voice is soft with genuine warmth. “I appreciate that.”
It’s hard to believe that after all she’s been through, Rosie is willing to share so much with a new person so quickly. It was the same with Violet, though I chalked that up to them having already established a professional relationship. I wonder if this might be part of the reason for Rosie’s heartache. She believes too easily and opens up too readily. Charles might have won Rosie’s trust because she’s my sister, but Rosie is vulnerable for reasons other than her stature and her money and public profile. She’s got no walls. She holds nothing back. She assumes the best in others because there’s only good in her, and that’s not how the world works. Rosie’s vulnerability is a bullseye on her back, and nothing tempts bad guys like an easy target. She needs a protector, but why the hell am I suddenly so sure that protector needs to be me?
I’ve tuned out the quiet hum of the girls’ conversation, but it starts playing in high definition when Charles says, “Why don’t you borrow one of Finn’s? He’s got three of them. He plays all the time.”
Rosie straightens in her seat, eyes blinking with disbelief. “He does?”
Uh…what?
Both women turn their heads in unison so perfect they might have rehearsed it. Charles hits me with a look of exasperation, like there’s any sane reason I would tell a global music icon I can hold a guitar, and Rosie with pleasant surprise.
“Is it true, Finn?” Rosie asks. “Do you play the guitar?”
I scowl at my sister. “I don’t playall the time, but yes, I do play.”
Charles hums with satisfaction before she smacks her hands on her thighs and pushes to her feet. “On that note—I’m going to go. It was nice to meet you, Rosalie.”
“You too. And thanks, Charlie.”
Charles crosses the room, smirking at how clever she thinks she is, and I retaliate by pulling out her ponytail again as I see her out the door.
“Will you stop that?” she hisses as she swats at my hand.
“Will you mind your own business?” I retort, pushing her out onto the porch.
“I always do.” Charles pauses with one foot on the top porch step as she reties her ponytail. “But if Rosalie Thorne wants to talk music with you, then you should talk music. If I can’t convince you that it’s something worth pursuing, maybe Rosalie can.”
I snort. “You’ve got a funny way of minding your own business.”
“Fine. Fine!” She raises her palms in surrender. “I won’t say another word about music or Rosalie or any of it, but just so you know, Daisy’s got some busy days on the trails lined up later this week. She’s going to need your help with the horses.”
I rub the back of my neck, thinking about my baby sister and her big, fat mouth. “Think you can cover for me for a few more days? Keep her out of my hair?”
Charles shakes her head as she skips down the steps. “Fine, but you owe me, Finn.”
