A Heaven Hill Christmas Read online

  There was a sigh on the other end of her line, followed by a soft curse. She could hear fingers beating on a keyboard. “Why the hell not? The muses aren’t talking to me today anyway. Can you come pick me up at my office?”

  Jessica, Layne’s wife, was an ex-actress who made her living now as a hugely successful romance writer. Lately, she’d gotten even more popular and her deadlines were almost as tight as a virgin on prom night. Bianca hated even calling her but figured even she could use a day off every once in a while. She’d started renting an office space downtown to cut down on distractions during her work days but she was an early riser, so if things weren’t flowing for her by eight, they weren’t going to be.

  “Be there in fifteen.” Bianca grinned. She’d been willing to make the hour trek to Nashville on her own, but it was much nicer when a friend came along with her. Throwing her phone in her cup holder, she cranked up her tunes and followed the flow of traffic.

  *

  Jagger yawned as he took their stairs two at a time. He had to work today while B went Christmas shopping. She’d mentioned going to Nashville and he’d watched with longing as she’d backed out of the driveway. Like a little kid, he was jealous she got to have a fun day while he dealt with the responsibilities of adult life. But he knew he would have more days with her next week. Just as he was about to walk out the door, his cell phone rang. A number he’d programed in after many calls flashed across the screen.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  The call was from the power company, meaning he’d forgotten to pay the one bill he was responsible for in their household. He’d only forgotten and had the power turned off once, but it had still been embarrassing. This was their warning. If he didn’t pay it within a few days they’d be shut off, and he didn’t have time for that, nor did he want to be on the receiving end of his wife’s sometimes sharp tongue. She had this voice he called her teacher voice, made him shudder even though he’d never been her student.

  Rifling through their mail on the catchall inside the door, he tried to find the bill. He’d seen it the other day and had meant to pay it, but it’d slipped his mind. Like everyone else in the world he was running on too little sleep and way too much stress. “I know it was here.”

  Grasping a group of envelopes, he flipped them over, dropping one to the ground. When he bent to pick it up, a letter fell out. Turning the paper over, he skimmed it, trying to see if it needed to be kept or put in the trashcan.

  “What the fuck?”

  His eyes fell on what looked like an acceptance letter for B. Taking a moment; he sat down on the bottom step, reading slowly so he could understand every printed word. His heart sank when the impact of what she hadn’t told him hit him square in the chest. She’d been selected as one of ten teachers nationwide to participate in a program that would send her to New Orleans for a week during the summer. There she would be part of an initiative set up for teachers to teach other teachers alternate ways of learning. As the letter said, there was more than one way to get from point A to point B, and there were many different teaching methods. Why hadn’t she told him about this? It was dated the first week of November, and it looked like she had until January first to accept or decline. He rifled back in his memory bank, wondering if she’d mentioned this to him at some point, and he didn’t remember. Nothing stood out to him though. She simply hadn’t told him. And that pissed him off.

  He pocketed the letter and went back to searching for the electric bill. Once he had it in hand, he called the number and paid it before going outside, getting on his bike and making his way to work.

  He hoped like hell Tyler worked today, because he needed to bend the big man’s ear in a major way.

  *

  “Thanks for coming with me,” Bianca greeted her friend and gratefully took the container of coffee Jessica pushed in her direction.

  Jessica’s office downtown was right above one of their favorite coffee joints, so she’d done the friendly thing and picked them both up some caffeine.

  “No problem. It’s actually my pleasure. Anything to get me out of the office today,” Jessica buckled in, putting her sunglasses on over her eyes.

  “Characters not speaking to you?”

  Jessica sighed, and checked Bianca’s blind spot for her to merge into traffic along the square. “You’re good, this little college age guy is waiting on us, and waving. Should I wave back?”

  Bianca laughed. “You act like he’s so much older than we are. Yes, wave back, it’s polite.”

  Jessica did as instructed and he honked his horn in appreciation. Turning back towards the road, she sighed again.

  “Okay, we have at least an hour. Tell me what’s going on with all those sighs,” Bianca took a drink from her cup and turned her gaze toward her friend.

  “So you know I met with the agent in Nashville the other day. The literary agent?”

  Nodding, Bianca encouraged her to continue. “Yeah, but I didn’t hear what came of that meeting. Sorry things have been crazy for me.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve not spoken with anyone besides Layne about it,” she mentioned her husband’s name. “I have a production company interested in optioning the series, as well as a publisher offering mid-six figures. It’s why I met with the agent in the first place. I still have an entertainment attorney at my disposal, but this business is much different. He suggested I meet with the agent first and see what my options are.”

  “Holy shit, Jess. That’s amazing!” She took a moment to really look at her friend, noticing for the first time, Jessica didn’t look so happy. “Or is it not?”

  Jessica heaved another sigh and shrugged. “I don’t know, because you know where I came from.”

  Before being an author and the wife of a Heaven Hill member, she’d been America’s Sweetheart and one of the top actresses in Hollywood. She’d come to Bowling Green and her old friend, Layne, who was an Army Veteran to find a quiet life and flee a stalker that had made her life a living hell. Now she was perfectly content and happy, writing her novels and hanging out with the MC.

  “I don’t know if I wanna put myself back in that situation again. I purposely use a pen name, I never reference where I live, and I wore a wig and sunglasses for my author photo. I did all of that in order to continue living my quiet life here. Do I really want to be thrust back into the public eye again? I mean the money sounds awesome, but I don’t really need it,” she shrugged. “I talked to Layne about it, and he suggested I use someone who looks like me for all the press this whole thing would require. I’m tempted,” she held on tight as Bianca merged onto the interstate, and set the cruise control for their hour-long journey.

  “That would be the best of both worlds, right? More people would be exposed to your work, while you get to keep your anonymity.”

  “I think that’s what I’m gonna have to do, just for my own sanity. I can’t imagine people being that deep into my life again. I mean I still get the occasional person who comes seeking me out, but to give them that kind of a front row look again, I can’t take it.”

  B giggled. “Glad we settled that.”

  “So enough about me, what exactly are we going to Nashville for?”

  Bianca gave an excited grin. “I found the perfect Christmas gift for Jagger last night online and the shop is holding it for me. You know how his guitar has seen better days? Well, this shop has one that’s gorgeous. It’s matte black, acoustic, and I’m hoping to get the Heaven Hill logo painted on it. That’s what I’m going to ask them about today, and then have it shipped home. I figured after that you and I could go do a little shopping on our own.”

  “It all sounds amazing to me,” Jessica admitted. “I’m glad you invited me, I need a little fun in my life.”

  Amen to that. Sometimes they all did.

  ‡

  Chapter Six

  “Tyler here today?” Jagger asked as he made his way into the office of Walker’s Wheels. So far the only person he’d laid eyes on was th
e man who sat behind the desk – their boss and club president – Liam Walker. If Tyler wasn’t around, this would definitely be the man he could talk to, but Tyler was famous in the club. Anyone who had a problem went to him, because he always knew the perfect thing to say.

  Liam held up a finger, finishing whatever it was he worked on before turning his eyes up to his employee and friend. Taking in the irritated look on Jagger’s face, he frowned. “You okay? He took the wrecker out to pick up a car,” Liam glanced at the clunky watch on his wrist. “Should be back anytime now though.”

  Jagger nodded, but didn’t say anything. Instead he took a seat in the chair opposite Liam. If Tyler was on his way, he didn’t want to burden the person who kept the business and club running like a well-oiled machine, not to mention he didn’t really want to get into this twice. Normally he wasn’t the type of guy to run to his friends for issues like this, but he knew he needed an outside opinion. In months past, he would have run to Doc Jones, but she was on vacation through Christmas week.

  “Anything I can help you with? You look tightly wound.” Liam had closed the computer and offered his full attention, which he hoped Jagger appreciated. It was hard to be there for all his guys, but he made it his mission to do just that. They needed something; he was the first one to offer his time.

  He wanted to tell his pres, he really did, but what he needed more than anything was the advice of Tyler Blackfoot. His advice was legendary and right now Jagger needed legendary. Bianca had kept this from him. How could she have done that? They were honest in their marriage, had been since the moment he’d put the ring on her finger. This pissed him off in more ways than he cared to admit.

  Drumming a beat with his thumb on his jean-clad thigh, he shook his head. While he appreciated the offer, he knew exactly who he wanted to speak to, knew exactly what he hoped to get out of the conversation. While he loved their pres, Liam’s wife wasn’t a career woman, and Tyler’s was. Without a doubt, Tyler would understand exactly what he was going through. “I think I wanna talk to Tyler first. No offense.”

  Liam threw back his head, laughing. He didn’t take offense at all. There were some people who gave great advice, and Tyler was probably the best person around to do that. How could he be offended? “Dude, we’ve all been there, and this is something you wanna talk to Tyler about first, it’s probably woman related. Good luck with all that.”

  Jagger felt the side of his mouth hitch into a half-smile. Everyone knew B, and they knew she could be hard to handle sometimes. He did though, the best he could. “Thanks, I think I’m gonna need it.”

  They both heard the wrecker pull into the shop and Jagger jumped up, hoping to get to Tyler before someone else did.

  *

  “Oh my gosh, B, he’s going to love this,” Jessica gasped as she took in the guitar the sales guy at the shop in downtown Nashville had brought out for them to view.

  It looked just like it had on the internet. She’d been worried that it wouldn’t, because of Photoshop and clever lighting, but it truly did. As soon as she’d seen it on the website, she’d known this was Jagger’s guitar. The price tag had made her think twice about it, but they were better off financially than they ever had been. Neither one of them had made any extravagant purchases; most of the money they made went back into her car, his bike, or the house.

  “I know,” Bianca ran a hand through her hair, biting her bottom lip. Tears even came to her eyes, because she could see Jagger on stage with this beautiful instrument in his hands. She could almost hear him playing it, and the crowd responding to him. He deserved this more than anyone she knew. “How much did you say the airbrushing would cost?”

  The sales guy consulted his sheet, using a calculator to finish figuring out the final price. “With the Christmas special, we’ll do it for half-off, but you’re goin’ to need this rushed. All together with the price of the guitar, you’re looking at around forty-five hundred, and with it being a Gibson…you’re not going to find it cheaper. This truly is a one of a kind and if you’re looking for something that’s a once in a life-time gift, this is it.”

  She knew that. This was top of the line and she knew that it would last Jagger forever. He would get more joy out of playing a really good guitar than he’d get out of a vacation or a new car for the two of them. She’d been putting a little money aside with each pay check so she’d be able to buy him an awesome Christmas gift, but it hadn’t been this much. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again and tried to think about how much she could make tutoring through the second half of the school year and then possibly some classes over the summer. If she charged the remainder, could she realistically pay it off in six months? This credit card was in her name only, so Jagger would never know how much she’d spent on him. But she’d worked so hard to never have any kind of debt that it made her palms sweat and her head spin, trying to figure out if this was the right thing to do or not.

  “Do it,” Jessica nudged her shoulder from where she stood beside her. “If you don’t have enough, I’ll loan you the rest. This will make all of us happy, because we love watching him play. For once in your life, don’t think about the fucking interest rate, and just do it.” Jessica was already pulling her checkbook out of her purse.

  “No,” Bianca put her hands up. “Don’t you dare, I didn’t invite you to come with me today for you to pay for it. Just give me a second.” Mentally, she was calculating how much she’d have to pay monthly and she knew she could swing it. There would even be some wiggle room, not that they were poor, but there had been too many times when she’d had to choose between paying a bill and eating. It was hard to let that part of her past go partly because those habits were so deeply ingrained in her. She didn’t like purses, wasn’t big into name brand clothes, and she could do without jewelry. She loved the things most important to her—good friends, good food, and the music her husband played whenever he had the chance.

  “I know, but I want to help you if I can.” Jessica eased the checkbook back in her purse. “You’ve always told me to go for what I want. If you want this for him, don’t let a little thing like price stop you. Go for it.”

  Would they be able to take money with them? This was something she’d found herself asking lately. If they didn’t at least enjoy some of the fruits of their labor, what would they do with it? She’d been poor for so long she didn’t know how to enjoy being able to spend money without questioning every single purchase. Maybe it was time to break that habit, and if she was going to break it, she’d break it in a big way. Nobody deserved it more than Jagger, especially after he’d gone to such amazing lengths to buy her the most romantic engagement ring in the history of engagement rings.

  Bianca made her decision, threw all her money on the counter and then fished out her credit card and set it on top. “I’ll take it! Please run that card before I get buyer’s remorse.”

  The sales guy laughed as he scooped up the card first, and then went about counting the cash.

  Beside her, Jessica giggled and put her arm around Bianca. “I’ll be here in your time of need. Owing a little debt is okay.”

  Her hands were wet with nervous sweat and she flexed them as the sales guy ran her card, handing her a slip to sign. Her hand shook as she signed it. The feeling was almost worse than when they’d bought the house. A little debt was okay, that’s what Jessica had said. Bianca wasn’t sure, but she damn sure couldn’t wait to see the look on Jagger’s face when he opened his gift.

  *

  Tyler and Jagger sat in one of the empty repair bays, away from everyone else. This area was kind of like an unofficial break room. They guys had set up a table with some chairs and a couch.

  “So why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  “I found this,” he pulled the letter out of his cut and handed it over to Tyler. “Read that and tell me what you think.”

  He waited while Tyler went over the letter, his eyes widening as he read the offer that had been exten
ded to Bianca. “Wow,” he blew out a deep breath. “She didn’t tell you about this?”

  “Not one word,” Jagger’s voice was soft as he said the words. And fuck, that hurt to admit. They’d been together for years, had gotten married, and were on their way to spending eternity together. She couldn’t tell him about an amazing opportunity she’d been extended? That made him feel like a piece of shit.

  Tyler’s response was slow. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that it makes you feel like shit because you didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t even know she applied.” And maybe that’s what pissed him off more than anything. He wanted to be her cheerleader, wanted to be the person she ran to when these type of opportunities came up. Hell, he’d thought he was that person. Now he wondered how many she’d passed over.

  “I have to be honest,” Tyler ran a hand through his long hair. “If it were me and I found out Meredith had kept something like this a secret, I’d be pissed too. Not because of the secret, but because of the magnitude. This is big for her in her career.”

  “I know,” Jagger pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up, inhaling deeply. He let the nicotine course through his body, hoping it would settle his nerves. “Why would she hide this from me? Why would she not go for it? This is something she’s wanted since she started teaching – to learn and teach others. I can’t understand why she wouldn’t grab this opportunity and not let go,” he stopped talking, taking another drag deep into his lungs. “Then I wonder if it’s me, ya know? Does she not want to think about doing it because she’s afraid I’m gonna get mad about the time it’s going to take away from the two of us? Does she think I’m not going to support her?” He stopped again, rubbing a hand on his sternum. “Not gonna lie, that fucking hurts.”

  “The only thing you can do, is ask her. If you don’t have honesty in your marriage, then you’re in more trouble than you think,” Tyler advised. “This right here,” he gestured to the paper, “is not really that big of a deal, but it sure as hell can turn into one. If you don’t stop it now, it’s going to. Don’t let your fears of what she’s not telling you fester. Confront this head on, and make sure you have open communication.”