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Laney’s fake boyfriend winked at me, and even though I had no interest in dating Riley Conrad and my thoughts were occupied with a certain other masked man, my tummy tumbledat the sight. Riley wasn’t just a star, he was a bonafide hearthrob. He would’ve been one even without Laney’s help, but with it? With the two of them parading around Nashville as the hottest country duo since Tim and Faith, their individual appeal was amplified by about a million.
“Long enough to hear that you’re hittin’ it off with someone and you’re too busy thinkin’ about your job managin’ Laney’s life than worryin’ about your own,” he replied with a pointed look.
“For your information, I manage Laney’s career, not her life.”
Laney snorted, and Riley grinned wildly. “Oh yeah? You do realize you’re tellin’ that to the man you’ve got Laney datin’ just for publicity, right? I’d say that bleeds into her life. What do you think, Lane?”
“Yeah, but I’m not complainin’. Trust me, havin’ a fake boyfriend is a whole lot better than tryin’ to juggle a real one in the midst of... Well, all of this.”
My eyes scanned the lavish party as Laney swept her hand out, and when I turned back to them, it was with a triumphant smile. “Exactly. Addin’ everythin’ that goes along with a relationship to my to-do list doesn’t sound fun whether it’s real or fake. But tonight? I’m just gonna have fun.”
Laney and Riley shared a look.
“What?” I asked, blowing a strand of hair out of my face since I now had a plate in each hand.
“Well,” Laney began, looking to Riley for encouragement. He nodded, and Laney squared her shoulders and faced me fully. “Maybe if you didn’t look at a relationship like somethin’ you’d have to add to your to-do list, it wouldn’t be so unappealin.’”
Now, it was my turn to snort. “Really? Relationships take work. Everyone knows that. And y’all, trust me, my plate is full.”
I punctuated my statement by holding out the hand that held a very full plate of delicious appetizers, feeling a little like it was a mic-drop moment.
But then Riley only chuckled, shaking his head. “Darlin’, you’ve got more than one hand.”
I scowled, looking down at the plate I’d made for my mystery man. Two plates? Two hands? How on earth were there enough hours in the day to manage all of that?
Truly, I’d had no idea when I started my job as a music manager thanks to a chance encounter in LA that it would bring me so much fulfillment. Friendship, a sense of accomplishment, a fire in my belly when I woke up every morning knowing I had another chance to share Laney’s music with the world. Not only did my efforts help her make herdreams come true, but she was a hero to tens of thousands of young girlswho had simlar dreams, and I loved being a part of it.
But... love? Anything worth doing was worthy doing right, in my book, and I simply didn’t have time to dedicate the same amount of efort into a relationship that I put into my career.
Maybe if I also didn’t have my brother to worry about, I’d be more willing to sacrifice some work energy for dating. But as it stood right now, making sure Tyler got on the right path in life was more important than carving out space for romance.
Lifting my chin, I held up the other plate. “This plate actually does have somethin’ important on it. More important than dating a man who apparently lives pretty far away, based on what he’s told me. So, if y’all are done meddlin’ I’m gonna go enjoy my one night of swoony conversation and record-breakin’ kisses before I turn into a pumpkin tomorrow.”
Laney’s shoulders drooped, but she tried to hide it with a blinding smile. “You do that. And if you think I won’t be askin’ for more details on the kissin’ once you’re a pumpkin again, you’re dead wrong.”
I laughed, walking away to find my masked man before Riley had a chance to reply to my last words. There wasn’t anything he could say that would make me change my mind about wheremy priorities were, and wasting time talking about an impossible future when I could have been enjoying the present didn’t make sense.
“I mean it,” I told the stranger, pointing at him in warning. “Don’t miss, I need to keep both of my eyes.”
He laughed, and the sound filled me up like wax being poured into a candle jar. Complete with the sensation of knowing it had the potential to burn.
“I would never do anythin’ that would risk those eyes of yours. They’re like nothin’ I’ve ever seen.”
I waved away his compliment with a chuckle. “Uh-huh. I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”
“That’s the second time you’ve said that tonight.”
Wrinkling my nose, I looked around the room. “Can you blame me around here? The lines that come out of the mouths of these men, I swear.”
“You think I’m usin’ old lines on you?”
I shrugged. “You could be.”
He looked at me seriously, and then his dark brown eyes locked on my green ones with total sincerity. “I’m not. I’ve meant every word I’ve said to you tonight. Especially the compliments.”
“The very smooth compliments.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “I’m gonna tell my youngest brother you said that. Trust me, I’m not the one with all the smooth lines in my family. That’s Travis’s style. You should hear the stuff he comes up with. I swear, the guy could give lessons in how to charm a woman, and he’s called me a lost cause for years.”
