The doors slid open and we boarded. Liam set Samuel’s car seat down on the floor and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the wall like this was the most normal thing ever. My mind was struggling to process this entire day, from the private jet, to the limo, to this exclusive elevator with people I’d only seen in James Bond movies.
Maybe I was in over my head. Maybe I needed to call an audible, text my apology to Abigail, and head back to Harmony. I wanted to believe that I could handle being Liam’s assistant, but there was a part of me that knew the truth. It was only a matter of time before he discovered he’d made a mistake.
I needed to ask myself, did I want to be around when that revelation happened?
5
LIAM
Sabrina was hard to read.
Her arms were crossed and her lips were pulled into a permanent frown as we rode the elevator to the eighteenth floor. I couldn’t tell if she was mad at me or mad at where we were. My first inclination was to think that she was mad at the hotel. After all, I’d been nothing but a gentleman to her ever since she called me last night, asking me to take her away.
But now it seemed like she was regretting her choice. Like she was regretting being here with me. And it was taking all my strength not to take offense to that.
The elevator doors slid open, revealing a very disgruntled Bonnie, so thoughts of Sabrina and how she felt about me were pushed to the back of my mind. I straightened and grinned at Bonnie, but she just narrowed her eyes even more.
“Glad you could finally join us,” she said.
I didn’t even blink at the sharpness to her tone. “Glad to be here,” I said as I reached down and wrapped my hand around Samuel’s car seat handle. I froze when my fingers brushed Sabrina’s. It seemed she had the exact same thought I did. Electricity shot up my arm from every point of contact as I lifted my gaze to meet hers.
For some reason, it frustrated me that she didn’t seem phased. Instead, she just curled her fingers around the handle and straightened before taking a step back. I frowned as I studied her. Had she really not felt anything?
“You missed rehearsals.” Bonnie adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose. As if she hadn’t noticed the shift in the energy that occupied the space around us.
Maybe I was the problem. Maybe I was the one imagining a connection between Sabrina and me. From everyone else’s lack of reaction, it seemed like I was the only one who could feel what was happening between us.
I cleared my throat and shifted my attention away from Sabrina and over to Bonnie. “Are we singing a new song?” I asked as I debarked the elevator. I was standing a few feet away from Bonnie now.
“No,” she sputtered.
“New dance I don’t know about?” I watched as Sabrina followed after me and then moved to stand near the wall next to the elevator, like she didn’t know where to go.
Bonnie sighed, and I glanced down at her. “No,” she admitted.
I shot her my knee-buckling smile before I gave her a wink. “Then I’ll be fine. I can do these sets in my sleep.”
Bonnie slitted her eyes, annoyance oozing from her countenance.
“Besides, I have a new assistant who is going to help me get to places on time.” I patted Bonnie’s arm as I motioned for Sabrina to join us.
Sabrina’s skin paled and her eyes widened as she lifted her eyebrows as if to ask, Me? I nodded and waved my hand to beckon her closer. “Bonnie, meet Sabrina.”
As if she’d suddenly noticed that there was a person with me, Bonnie glanced over at Sabrina. “Oh,” she said, her lips rounded in an o shape as she slowly brought her gaze from Sabrina’s face down to Samuel, who must have been awoken by the jostling and was now currently cooing in his car seat with one hand wrapped around his foot. “Sabrina?” she asked as she turned her attention back to me.
I knew what Bonnie was thinking. Her concerns were as plain as the nose on her face. A baby didn’t belong in a rock star’s world, but I didn’t really care. Samuel was a cool kid, and I liked the idea of helping Sabrina out. If Bonnie had a problem with it, well…it didn’t matter if Bonnie liked it or not.
I did.
Sabrina joined me, setting Samuel’s car seat down on the floor before straightening. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to my side. I decided to ignore the way her muscles tensed under my hand and instead, enjoyed the warmth of having her next to me.
“That’s right.” I glanced from Bonnie back down to Sabrina. “She’s going to organize my schedule. Make sure I’m at rehearsals on time.” I shrugged as I dropped my arm. “Anything I need to do, you let her know.” I patted Sabrina’s back with the hopes that she would relax just a bit.
Bonnie glanced over at Sabrina once more and then back to me. “Okay, then,” she said as she stepped closer to Sabrina. “What scheduling system do you use? Google calendar? That’s what we use. What’s your handle on Master Tour? I can add you to Liam’s schedule.”
Sabrina’s entire body froze as she stared at Bonnie. Her lips were slightly parted, and she slowly glanced over at me with her eyes wide and panicked. That’s when I realized I needed to step in. The last thing I wanted was for Sabrina to slink back into the elevator and demand to go back to Harmony.
I chuckled to ease the tension. “Geez, Bonnie. Let her settle in before you bombard her with all of this.” I wrapped my arm around Sabrina’s shoulders. After I picked up Samuel, I started to lead her down the hallway to the Peninsula Suite I’d stayed in last time I was here.
