Page 35 of Hollywood Undercover
Chapter 15
ALEXANDRA ranup to her bedroom to get her hair into some semblance of style. She giggled at the thought of wanting to look attractive, even in the boyish get-up. She studied her reflection, wondering what she must look like through Sebastian’s eyes. She was still in the plaid skater shorts, black t-shirt and tan shirt from earlier in the day. Her hair was a wild, spiky tumble of black layers. Without eyeliner and mascara or any other makeup, she thought she could still pass for aguy.
A damn good-looking one, too,Alex.
She smirked and ran back down the stairs after grabbing the baby monitor off her dresser. She had Rosa buy a set before she left, so she could listen for Dad from upstairs through the night while she slept. Even with twenty-four hour nursing care, she wanted to listen out for him. Between the sounds of his medical equipment and his occasional weak calls for her, it came inhandy.
“I’ll be right next door, Dad,” she called out, nodding to Joanne as she made it to the wide living room door. “Give me a call on my phone if you need anything,Joanne.”
“Will do, Mr.Roberts.”
Alexandra smiled, reaching for her keys and locking up. Before she stepped off the porch, she looked over at Bash’s house. His Jeep was no longer parkedoutside.
“Darn.”
She gnawed on the corner of her lip and let her anticipation fizzle out. It sucked. Just when she got up the nerve to go over there, he wasn’t home. Sighing, she marched back inside and went into the kitchen. She got a pen and ripped off a sheet of paper from the grocery list sticky notes. She would jot down a quick handwritten message to let Bash know she had stopped by. Other than signatures and financial documents, she couldn’t remember the last time she had done up a handwritten note for anyone. It felt weird, but she was on autopilot as she wrote themessage.
What the note really meant was she wanted to seehim.
God, this is so highschool.
She told herself it wasn’t a love letter, but a friendly note to let him know she missed—she struck through the word “missed” and then scribbled through it like she was trying to redact a government secret. All the scribbling in the world wasn’t going to make that look manly. She ended up crumpling up that note, and yanked another sheet from the sticky pad to startover.
“I haven’t seen you around lately,” she spoke aloud as she wrote, “and thought I’d stop by to say hey…” she pressed the pen to her lips and tilted her head to one side, rereading it. She added, “Stop by whenever you get achance.”
Satisfied the note was now manly enough, Alexandra went back next door and stuck the folded piece of paper in the crack between the doorjamb and the stained-glass door. Her phone rang as she was speed-walking back to Dad’s house. She ran through the front door and threw her back against it as she slammed it closed. With a sigh of relief, she was proud for taking the note over while she still had thenerve.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket on the beginning of the fourthring.
“Hello?”
“There you are!” It was Rick. “I thought I’d have to leave a message. How’s my favorite rock starprincess?”
She ran up to the second floor to take the call in her father’s office. “Hi Rick. I’m great. How’s this for good news? Daddy’shome!”
“That’s fantastic news, princess!” he said, relieved. “How is hefeeling?”
“He’s sleeping most of the time, but he looks better everyday.”
“That’s the Max I know, the old fighter. So, you won’t be long now, rightLexxi?”
“I…I’m not sure, Rick. He still needsme.”
“Lexxi, honey, I’ve got hounds on me trying to sniff out when you’ll be back in town. That story about the French Riviera has taken on a life of its own. It was probably a bad call on my part. Now two of the concert venues are thinking you blew them off to party! It’s bad for business,honey.”
“Wait,nowyou think your cover story and stand-in were a badidea?”
“I should have anticipated they’d find out Max washospitalized.”
She was annoyed about Rick’s eagerness to get her back to work. He had no right to put her return above Dad’swellbeing.
“I’ve only been gone a little over two weeks, Rick. You can keep them off my back for a little while longer, can’t you? I really need thistime.”
“Sweetheart, I understand you’re…you know, I know what you’re going through, and I’m happy to hear he’s improving. You’ll have to come back eventually, and the sooner the better. I don’t see why you can’t just fly in, do a few appearances and then goback.”
She dropped her voice to a hushed whisper, feeling her blood begin to boil. “I’m not leaving Tucson until I know Dad’s completely recovered. I can’t believe you would even suggestit.”
She was so upset, she held back a growl. Rick sighed in frustration on the other end of the line. He would do anything in this business, and had forgotten her in the process. That was the one thing about the celebrity circuit that ticked her off themost.
