Page 117 of Hollywood Undercover
When they pulled up to Dad’s house, Bash was sitting out on his front porch. She smiled at him, and he nodded before quickly averting her gaze. No one needed to know what was going on between them until they were both good and ready to share. Part of her tension stemmed from the fact that Dad and Rosa were around, but it had more to do with the fact that the media could be watching. They had already invaded Dad’s space at the hospital, and some could have followed them here. She didn’t want Sebastian to have that burden aswell.
With just a couple of days left here in Tucson, she barely had time to say goodbye to Dad and Rosa, let alone Bash. She wasn’t gone yet and she already missed him. Taking a breath, she set the thoughtaside.
I don’t have muchchoice.
Her phone chirped as she stepped out of the limo and walked ahead to unlock the door to the house. Rosa and the driver helped Dad get up the steps andinside.
It was Rick on the phone again. “What did they say?” she asked once she took thecall.
“They gave you an extrahour.”
“One hour? That won’t do, Rick. Dad’s checking up on the house and after that, the driver has to go across town to drop them off at Rosa’s place before I can make a meeting. I’ll have to leave now to make it there in time, given the traffic, and that’s not possible. Can you swing another hour with the oldwitch?”
“Lexxi, Lexxi,” he whined. “You’ll be sorry you said that when you hear she and I lined up some A&R people to make that style change you wanted. They ‘re already inTucson.”
Dad shuffled past her and headed to the staircase. “Where are you going?” she asked in surprise. “You shouldn’t be trying stairs on your own so soon,Dad.”
“I need to check out my bedroom, young lady. I told all of you already that I’m fine.” He grumbled some more about how much he hated being coddled as he labored up to the first landing, already breathingheavily.
“Wait a minute,Dad—”
Rick interrupted her impatiently, “I’ll do my best. So, can I tell them you’re on yourway?”
“Rosa!” Alexandra shouted, pointing atDad.
Rosa hurried over to her. “I couldn’t stophim.”
“I have to leave now. Do you mind waiting here until the driver takes me downtown? He’ll come back for you within an hour and ahalf.”
“No problem. You go ahead and get to your meeting. I’ve got this, dear.” She turned and rushed up the steps to help, knowing full well that Dad wouldn’t be deterred once he put his mind tosomething.
“What do you want me to tell them, Lexxi?” Rick pressed for an answer just as the driver knocked politely on the wide open frontdoor.
“Did you need me to wait for you, Ms. Storme?” the driverasked.
She nodded as Rick tried again to get her attention. Finally, she told him, “Okay, dammit. I’ll meet them now. I’m heading out thedoor.”
“Thank you, Lexxi. Who’s my favorite rockstar?”
“Just stop, Rick.” She let out an exasperatedbreath.
As she walked out the door, she happened to glance over at Bash again. He was deep in a daze, and seemed so out of it. He hadn’t moved since the limo pulled up. He didn’t even look in her direction. The expression on his face seemed so lost and forlorn. Alexandra groaned a little, wondering if he looked that way because of her. Rick blabbered on through the phone, laying on the empty flattery to stay on her goodside.
She hung up, overwhelmed by everything happening at once. What she wanted to do was walk next door. If she could, she would phone Rick back to tell him the meeting was off. Bash looked like he needed someone right now, and damn, she wanted to be that someone. She couldn’t do it. This meeting couldn’twait.
Sighing glumly, she turned away and stepped inside thecar.
“Let’s go,” she told thedriver.
* * *
Alexandra walkedinto the boardroom at the Arizona branch of Blaze Entertainment, the grittier, western-themed Alpha Country Records. Greeted weakly by execs, she took a seat. Rita Sage, one of the biggest music moguls in the industry barely glanced up from her tablet. Rita’s assistant was standing over her shoulder, showing her something they both seemed alarmed about. Alexandra cleared her throat to get herattention.
“I see you,” Rita acknowledged in an irritated voice without lookingup.
Alexandra wanted to snap back at her and tell her she didn’t have all day, but she knew better. This woman essentially owned her music career. Reluctantly, she clamped her mouth shut and waited. Rita took her time, and eventually finished up with whatever she wasdoing.
“Lexxi.” Rita’s nasal voice rang out across the long conference table. All eyes turned to Alexandra and already, she was in the hot seat before she even took her place at the opposite end of thetable.
