Melody, page 2
“I know,” Aunt Melanie says, again with a smile. “If it’s any consolation, Bree, Aunt Ruby and I wanted to tell all of you a long time ago. We got outvoted.”
I hold back a frown. “Yeah, I heard all about it. Donny and Dale leveled with me. I kind of understand. And I kind of don’t.”
“You’re a smart girl,” Aunt Ruby says. Then she turns to Lauren. “I just wish we’d known about you. You’re a full-blooded Steel.”
“I’m still not used to thinking of myself that way,” Lauren says.
“You’ll get used to it soon enough,” I say with an eye roll. “Lots of parties here at the main house. We Steels throw a party every time someone passes gas.”
Aunt Ruby erupts in laughter, though Aunt Melanie narrows her eyes at me. Then she laughs as well.
“I suppose, Lauren,” Aunt Melanie says, “you may as well find out what kind of people we are. We don’t mince words.”
Lauren returns the laughter. “My kind of people, then.” She turns to me. “I understand congratulations are in order. You’ve graduated college.”
I give her a smile. I like Aunt Lauren. “Yeah. A semester early.”
“So what do you plan to do now?”
I shift my gaze between Aunt Ruby and Aunt Mel. I haven’t told my parents my plan to go on tour with the band. I probably shouldn’t tell my aunts yet.
“Well… My plan was always to stay here on the ranch. I’ve been working with my father since I could walk. Dale, Brock, and I are the only three of all the Steel kids who have taken an interest in running the ranch. Unless you count my cousins Bradley and Henry. They run our nonprofit foundation, which is related to the ranch but doesn’t require getting your hands dirty. And Dave, who works on the financial end with Uncle Bryce.”
Aunt Lauren raises her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Donny’s an attorney, Diana’s an architect, Gina’s an artist, Ava runs a bakery in town, and Angie and Sage… I don’t think they know what they want to do yet.”
“So you, Brock, and Dale all work on the ranch, then?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m sure your father’s excited to have you come work with him full-time,” Aunt Ruby says.
Guilt takes a swing at me. I still have to talk to Mom and Dad about my plans to go to Europe with the band. I’ve sworn Donny to secrecy, but he insisted I tell them soon, which I’m choosing to interpret as the day before I leave.
“We haven’t really talked about it yet.” I rise. “It was nice talking to you. I hope you feel welcome here, Lauren. Or should I call you Aunt Lauren?”
“Lauren is fine.” She smiles. “But I could get used to Aunt Lauren if you want to call me that.”
“Well, that’s what you are. I’ll see you later, Aunt Ruby, Aunt Mel, Aunt Lauren.” I smile as I spy Jesse standing under one of the gazebos with a bottle of beer. I walk toward him…but my brother waylays me.
“Hey, sis,” Donny says.
“Hey. Where’s Callie?”
“She and Rory are talking to Jett Draconis’s wife, Heather.”
“Oh.”
“And I need to talk to you.”
“What about?” I ask, mustering as much innocence as I can.
“When are you going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“Maybe on the way to the airport?” I give him a sweet smile.
“No way, sis.” He gives me that big-brother look. “You promised to tell them soon. And by soon, I mean tomorrow.”
“What?” I grin. “You mean you’re not going to make me tell them tonight?”
“Not in the middle of the party with the whole town here. But tomorrow. Capisce?”
I poke him in his chest. “What are you? Some kind of blond mobster?”
Donny chuckles. “You’re funny, sis.” Then his demeanor snaps back to big brother in a flash. “You’ve got to tell them. Dad especially. He’s all excited about you starting work in January.”
I sigh. “I’ll tell them. What if they pull some kind of weird parental shit on me? Forbidding me to go or something?”
“You’re over eighteen, Brianna. Mom and Dad can’t forbid you to do anything.”
“True. They can’t cut me off either. I gained control of my trust fund when I turned twenty-one.”
True words. But as the youngest of all the Steels, I’ve always been the baby, and they’ve treated me as such.
“They wouldn’t do that anyway,” Donny says. “But you do owe them the courtesy of letting them know that you’re going to be gone for several months after the first of the year.”
I twist my lips. “I know… I just hate disappointing Dad.”
“You don’t have to disappoint him. You don’t have to go on the tour.”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve never been to Europe, Don. Neither have you.”
Despite our fortune, we Steels aren’t world travelers. We’re homebodies. Brock and Rory went to England a couple of weeks ago to visit Ennis Ainsley, who was the first winemaker here when my grandfather opened the winery. That was the first time Brock had been overseas. Ranching is a full-time job, and though we’ve got lots of dedicated employees who can keep things running without us, my father, aunts, and uncles like to have their hands in things.
“You want me to be here when you tell them?” Donny asks.
“No…” I bite my lower lip. “Well, yeah, I would, but I’ve got to do this myself.”
“Good. I agree with you.”
“Do you think they’ll be really upset?”
“I don’t know, Bree. With all the shit that’s gone down with our family lately, they probably don’t want you leaving the country.”
“You’re leaving the country.”
“Yeah, but I’m ten years older than you are, and I’m going because Callie’s going to support Rory. Plus, we’re only going to be gone for the first couple of weeks. You want to go the whole time, like some kind of Deadhead.”
“A Deadhead? Like I’m following the band around?”
“Yeah.” Donny furrows his brow. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”
I have no answer for my brother.
I have no answer because he’s right.
“Why do you want to do this anyway, Brianna? Ever since you put on your first pair of cowboy boots, all you wanted to do was work on the ranch. Now you’ve got a degree in agriculture. Lots of new knowledge, and the best teacher in the world in Dad. I don’t get it.”
Donny is painfully oblivious. He’s going to hate me going after Jesse Pike.
Too bad, how sad, though.
Jesse’s been my one and only since I was fourteen years old.
No one knows this, not even the awesome foursome, but…
I’ve been saving myself for him.
My virginity—a gift I can only give once.
And I’m going to give it to Jesse Pike.
I look toward the gazebo where I saw him a moment ago.
He’s gone.
Chapter Four
Jesse
I finish my beer, toss the bottle in a nearby recycling bin, and decide to enjoy the night. It’s clear, as the majority of nights in Colorado are. Here in the country, the stars are brilliant and plentiful.
I walk away from the yard, up one of the many winding paths, and I find Dragon sitting against a tall tree, his coal-black hair bound behind him in a band. The sweet yet pungent scent of marijuana still hangs in the air.
“Hey, Dragon. You doing okay?” I rub my arms against the chill. It is December, after all, and without the outdoor heaters, it’s pretty brisk.
He glances up at me, his hazel eyes a bit bloodshot. “I’m good.”
“You want to come join the party?”
“Not particularly.”
I sit down next to him. He offers me a smoke.
I shake my head.
“One day you’re going to take me up on it.”
“Doubtful. I stopped smoking five years ago.”
“And you really don’t miss it?”
“Not really. You ask me every time, and my answer’s the same, bud. I’m not into weed.”
Dragon leans back against the tree trunk, twists his back as if he’s scratching an itch. “I just need to take a load off after the performance, you know?”
“We get it. Nobody’s giving you any shit about it. Long as you don’t come to practice or a performance high.”
“I haven’t yet, have I?”
“Nope.”
I’d be able to tell, too. I know Dragon better than anybody does. When he’s high, a little bit of his classic darkness fades.
Plus he’s the best drummer in the business. The band needs him.
“What are you doing over here anyway?” he asks. “Don’t your groupies miss you?”
I let out a soft scoff. “What groupies? I’m kibble when Emerald Phoenix is around.”
Dragon lets out a low chuckle. “Then I guess I’m kibble too.”
In truth, Dragon gets a lot of attention. More than I do, usually. Something about his dark demeanor seems to attract women like flies to honey.
But I get enough attention. I certainly don’t envy Dragon. I know his backstory, and it’s far from pretty.
“I’m a little afraid,” Dragon continues.
“Afraid of what?”
“This whole thing, Jess. I love playing. Love being in the band. Love all you guys. You’re like my brothers, man. The brothers I never had.” His bloodshot eyes widen. “What if we take off? What if we become famous?”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me, Drag.”
“No. I mean, I could use the cash for sure.”
“You and me both.”
“What I mean is that when you’re famous, people want to know about you.” He pauses and lights up a joint, takes a long drag. “They look into your stories. Into your life. I don’t need that shit hauled out.”
“It won’t be.”
“Can you guarantee me that?”
I pat his shoulder. “There aren’t any guarantees in life, bro. I can’t guarantee that I won’t be hit by a truck tomorrow.”
Dragon flinches. “Jesus, Jess. Way to go dark on me. Isn’t that my job?”
I chuckle. “Listen, Dragon. Everything’s going to be fine. Seriously, what are the chances we’ll ever be as big as Emerald Phoenix? Kind of a million to one, whether we open for them or not. What this is going to do for us is get our name out there. We’ll be more than just some bar band who goes on tiny little tours. We might actually get some downloads of our songs. Make some decent money. Go on a few regional tours even. We’re not going to be Emerald Phoenix, Dragon.”
The truth of my words hits me like a brick.
We will never be Emerald Phoenix. Opening for a big name is never any guarantee, and while it will lead to some publicity, most opening acts never make it big.
Then there are the one-hit wonders. A band has a big hit, and then you never hear from them again. That could be us as well.
Whatever happens, I won’t let Dragon get lugged through the mud. I’ll always have his back, just like he’s had mine.
The two of us have been through some shit together. Shit the rest of the band doesn’t even know about. Shit my sisters and my parents don’t know about.
And they never will.
I tilt my head back. The stars are easy to see through the bare branches of the cottonwood tree we’re sitting under.
“You ever wonder if fame is worth it?” Dragon asks.
“Honestly, bro? I’m not sure I was ever looking for fame. I was looking to make a living doing what I love. I watched Rory give up on her dream of being an opera singer. She became a teacher. A good one. But I never wanted to give up. Eking out an existence as a rock band made me happy, even if it didn’t make me rich.”
“Rory’s with us now,” Dragon says.
“Yeah, she is.” I look back into Dragon’s eyes that look more green than brown in the light of the moon. “She completes the band, Dragon. The only thing we need now, if anything, is a bass player so Cage doesn’t have to pull double duty. But even without a bassist, we rock, man.”
“Yeah, we do. It’s just…” He takes another toke.
I shake my head. “Dragon, you’ve got a major fear of success.”
He lets the smoke out of his lungs and scowls. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s kind of like a fear of failure. Except it’s not.”
He wrinkles his forehead. “Exactly how high am I? You’re not making a lick of sense.”
“Fear of failure keeps you from trying. Fear of success is worse. Once things start to happen for you, you rebel against them. We can’t do that, Dragon. We’ve got to see this thing through.”
Dragon is silent for a moment as he watches the ashes burn on his joint. “Maybe I am afraid of success. You and I both know why.”
I’m not the hugging type, but I pat Dragon’s arm. “It’s going to be okay. You’ve got to remember that rock bands are an entity. Fans don’t think of us as individuals. They think of us as a unit.”
“That won’t stop the tabloids from doing their research.”
“Then we’ll just have to erase everything about your past. You’ve already done that for the most part.”
“As much as I could.”
“Listen. Two of my sisters are engaged to Steels. They have access to all the Steel resources. I’ll see that you’re covered. Okay?”
Dragon shakes his head, chuckling. “Listen to you. I never thought I’d see the day where you might ask a Steel for a favor.”
“Not for myself. But for a good friend? You bet I would.”
Dragon brings the joint to his lips. “Brothers to the end. Sure you don’t want a toke?”
“I’m sure.” I take the joint from him and put it out with my boot. “And you don’t need any more.”
“When you’re right, you’re right. I guess it’s time to get back to the party.” He rises and rubs his hands together. “Besides, it’s fucking cold out here.”
I stand as well. “Dude, that’s the smartest thing you’ve said all night.”
Chapter Five
Brianna
Once the Emerald Phoenix band members take their leave, Angie and Sage find me near the gazebo Jesse vacated.
“Where’s Gina?” I ask.
“She went home,” Angie says. “She’s still… You know, digesting everything about her dad. About her newfound grandmother.”
I nod. “Yeah, I get it. It’s rough for all of us, but probably especially for Ava and Gina, knowing that they’re not descended from Daphne Steel.”
Sage smiles. “She’ll be all right. She loves the holidays, and then we’ll be back at school for the last semester, partying and having fun.”
“Yeah, I know she’ll be all right. I just still…” I push my hair behind my ear. “I can’t imagine some of this. How our parents kept all of this from us for all these years.”
“That’s what bugs Gina the most, I think.” Angie takes a drink of wine from the stemmed glass she’s holding. “She’s pretty mad at Uncle Ryan and Aunt Ruby.”
“What about Ava?” I ask.
“Ava knew about it before Gina. Plus, she’s engaged to Brendan Murphy. That’s the thing about Ava. She doesn’t let Steel drama get her down.”
“Sometimes I wonder if she wishes she weren’t a Steel,” Sage says.
“I don’t think so,” I say. “She’s just a…different kind of Steel. Frankly, I admire her. I mean, I don’t want to give up my trust fund. Do either of you?”
“God no.” Sage giggles.
“Maybe I could,” Angie says. “If it were for a good reason. Like if I could help people, you know?”
“Good for you, Angie.” I give her a smile. “What would you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Help battered women maybe. Or better yet, help mentally ill people. People who suffer from the same issues as our grandmother.”
I nod. “Yeah, I could see that. So does that mean you’ve decided what to do after you graduate?”
“Well…” A smile breaks across Angie’s pretty face. “Yeah. I’ve only told Aunt Melanie about this, and I’ve sworn her to secrecy. But I’ve been applying to medical schools. I’m going to take a gap year first, but then I’d like to study medicine and become a psychiatrist like Aunt Mel.”
“So that’s where your desire to help the mentally ill came from.” I give her a hug. “Good for you, Ang. You’ll be a great doctor.”
“Yeah,” Sage says. “And since when do you not tell me these kinds of things? We’re twins.”
“Fraternal twins, not identical.”
“So what? We grew in Mom’s uterus together. We don’t have secrets, Ang.”
“Right. We don’t. Not anymore.” Angie meets her twin’s gaze. “Don’t tell anyone. Not even Mom and Dad. Only Aunt Melanie.”
“I think it’s great,” I say to Angie. “What about you, Sage? What are you going to do after college?”
“I am done with school, that’s for sure. My degree is in business, so I’m thinking I’ll probably work for Dad on the business end of the ranch. Show Dave I’m as smart as he is.”
Uncle Bryce, Sage’s father, is a financial wizard and our chief operating officer. “That sounds…not even remotely fun,” I say, laughing.
“Growing apples and peaches doesn’t sound like a lot of fun to me either.”
“Are you kidding me?” I look out into our vast backyard, imagining the green orchards from blossom to fruition. “I get to be outdoors. Plus I get to help run the business. The best of both worlds.”
Angie and Sage don’t know I’m leaving yet. I can’t tell anyone until I tell my parents. Only Donny and Callie know, and if I start telling the awesome foursome, it won’t remain a secret for long.
“Have you seen Jesse?” I ask.
Sage looks around the yard. “Nope. Dragon seems to be missing, too. Cage and Jake are by the pool house. They’re holding court over some townies.”
“And you two aren’t there?”
