The Complete Groupie Trilogy Page 35

  It was a pivotal moment, one that established Maggie’s authority. Graham still fought her but not as hard as before. Instead he focused his energy inward toward his recuperation. Andy tried very hard to get him to stop being so mean to her but Maggie didn’t care. As long as he felt something she had something she could work with, and he certainly had a right to be angry at the cards he’d been dealt. It did him good to have someone to scream at, and he’d never dream of doing that to Andy.

  Frankly Maggie was ready for Andy to give them a little breathing room. The girl meant well but it was clear she felt enormous guilt for Graham’s condition. Maggie spotted his covert ways of manipulating her because of it. It was dangerously co-dependent and counterproductive, but she wasn’t sure yet how to make either of them see that. This two-week break was a blessing as far as she was concerned.

  However when Andy stepped off that plane on Friday the 13 she felt a dark foreboding, like she was about to be thrown into the lion’s den. To know that she was back in Vanni’s world had her strung so tight she felt like she could shatter into a thousand pieces just from a faint breeze. Whether she wanted to or not she heeded an internal countdown of when they would see each other again. She knew he was in England for their last European concert, and within days he’d be back home again.

  Against her better judgment she had kept close tabs on the entire debacle under the guise of taking care of DIB business for Graham. But it wasn’t Graham’s best interest she was thinking of when she’d pull up video after video from the tour, or pore over endless articles that detailed in upsetting detail Vanni’s new affinity for alcohol.

  She felt sick when Alana finally called to break it to her friend Iain had had enough and was going to break away from the band.

  She wouldn’t even get to see her friend again before she started her new life in England.

  Everything was changing so fast.

  None of her friends were in Los Angeles to greet her, which made the homecoming all the more lonesome. If there had been any fairness in the world she would be coming home to Vanni, to start a new life finally as the woman by his side. But fate had once again intervened.

  She held her head up high as she scanned the airport for her hired car from the label. He drove her straight to Graham’s Malibu beach house, which seemed even lonelier and more barren after being empty for two months. She took her suitcases into the guest room and began to unpack for her lengthy stay. Several boxes had already been delivered from Tennessee, just her basic needs and some of her favorite things to help her feel at home. Her cat Simon was staying with her grandmother, and all the rest of her belongings had been packed away into storage. It gave her the opportunity to rent out her house while she stayed with Graham. It wasn’t as if she needed the income entirely, she had done fairly well with her finances up to that point. And there was no doubt she’d get paid a wage for what she would be doing for Graham’s business.

  She was still on the payroll for overseeing the P.R. for the band, after all.

  But she figured an empty house should be put to use so she allowed her grandmother to rent it to a young family from her church.

  With any luck at all she would never have to go back to that life again. Graham would soon walk and she could pick up with Vanni where they left off.

  Her stomach lurched when she thought of him. It was hard to stand in that guest room and not think of the last time they were there, when Graham caught them in a passionate embrace. That could never happen again, she thought to herself with a decisive shake of her head. Especially in the emotional shape Graham was in.

  She wasn’t sure how she’d make it work but she knew she had to do something. Vanni was definitely going off the rails. He needed her as much as Graham did. Andy loved both men enough she knew she couldn’t let either of them down. She’d figure out a way.

  The contractor met her at the house promptly at four o’clock that afternoon. They talked about the ramps they’d have to put in and the railings around the toilet and the tub. They ordered the new bed for his room and some of the medical supplies he’d need for his new challenges. It was going to feel like a hospital at first, which she knew would piss him off. So she ordered new fancy new bedclothes and books and blankets so he could feel more at home and pampered.

  She also spent a little money on making Maggie’s room more welcoming. She added pillows and artwork for a pop of color, as well as a throw rug on the hard wood floor. When it came closer to their arriving from Philly she’d make sure cut flowers were in her room to help brighten it and make it more cheerful.

  As for her own room she set out pictures of Simon, her grandmother Lydia, her parents. She had books and a jewelry box and the contents of her home office. Pictures or tokens of Vanni she kept packed away. That was not part of her life that she’d share while staying with Graham. It just wasn’t fair to him.

  By nightfall she had heard about the London show. She found the video for “Let Her Go If You Can’t Treat Her Right,” which became a huge Internet hit since the band had never performed it before. She could see the guys have their power play with Vanni and the rage with which he responded. It was an ugly scene for the last time Iain would play with the band, and Vanni didn’t even bother to send him off with any kind of recognition at all.

  That Monday Andy drove to Graham’s office where she had scheduled to meet with the new public relations representative from the west coast office of Schuster and Beckweth. Alana was no longer with the company, or with any company, so they had to replace her with a woman named Gwen Perry.

  Replacing the likes of Iris and Alana meant she had pretty big shoes to fill. Andy hoped it would be a smooth transition.

  After about an hour chatting with her, Andy felt reassured that she once again had another ally when it came to business with the band.

  Gwen was a larger woman, even heavier than Andy, but stylish and confident. She was full of positivity and vigor, and had a happy smile that was contagious the moment she bestowed it. She was older than Vanni by about five years, so she had a maturity Andy instantly knew the band – and Vanni himself – needed. Best of all, even though she had been a fan of the music, she was a happily married mother of four. There was no risk for being star struck by someone like Vanni, especially with the caliber of celebrities she already had on her roster.

  She and Andy went to lunch after their successful interview and within an afternoon became instant friends. Like Andy, Gwen was a writer by trade and basically did the PR work to pay the bills. She had a robust family to support; she needed something more than the feast and famine of freelance work.

  “So what do we do about Iain’s departure?” Gwen asked as she dipped into the cheesecake they had decided to share.

  “I don’t know,” Andy answered honestly. “I think I’ll have to talk to the band to see how they want to spin it.”

  Even as she said the words, “the band,” her stomach rolled at the idea of having to discuss anything with Vanni after their last encounter. Gwen picked up on the mood change right away.

  Delicately she broached the subject she had been reluctant to discuss. “What happened in Philadelphia?”

  Andy sighed as she sat back in her chair. “I wish I knew. One minute it was shaping up to be the happiest day of my life and the next everything got literally shot to hell. Honestly I don’t even know how receptive Vanni will be to me now. He’s so resentful I stayed with Graham.”

  Gwen nodded. She had heard all the stories. Their firm had to spin everything to the positive but there was no getting away from critical facts: Andy Foster and Vanni Carnevale had been involved. Andy ultimately chose to stay with Graham, whom it was also rumored that she had been involved. Since then Vanni had gone completely off the rails with self-destructive behavior.

  It wasn’t hard to connect the dots, as most of the tabloids – and fan sites – had already done.

  Now the band was fracturing and they had to scramble to keep Dreaming in Blue fro
m taking a nosedive in the process.

  “Good thing that there’s no such thing as bad press,” Gwen said with a reassuring smile, leaving it unsaid that Andy being painted as the bad guy in the scenario made Vanni even more sympathetic to his fans. “Just keep me updated when you’d like me to meet the band and possibly talk about what direction they’d like us to go with the story.”

  “I think right now the family angle is the way to go,” Andy told her. “I know that’s the way Alana and Iain would want it to read. Amicable split, despite what you see on the videos.”

  Gwen nodded. “That’s what we were going to suggest. I’ll write up some copy and have it to your office by the end of the day.”

  “Good. I’ll set up a meeting with the guys tomorrow and we’ll go over it and get back to you.”

  Just the thought of having a set time she would see Vanni was enough to make the cheesecake in Andy’s tummy rebel. She was so nervous she had Graham’s assistant make the calls for her just so she wouldn’t have to face his hanging up on her.

  The next day she had to dry the excess sweet from her trembling hands on her pantsuit as she waited for the band to arrive. Yael was first, punctual as always. He gave her a powerful hug that indicated far more than he could have ever articulated. He usually saved that kind of communication for the guitar. Felix strolled in, laid back as ever, grateful to be back in his home state with all his favorite places and things to pass the time. He swooped her up in a bear hug that reassured her just how much the other accepted her and welcomed her.

  It was Vanni’s reaction she dreaded, and he had picked this particular moment to make her wait for it. He was about a half hour late and reeked of booze when he lumbered into the office.

  The minute their eyes met Andy felt electricity shoot to her toes. Just one look in those dark and hooded brown eyes rendered her mute. They didn’t speak, they didn’t hug. They just stood there for a long minute staring at one another.

  Finally Vanni’s eyes traipsed over her professional outfit, one more fitting an executive than a writer or P.R. lackey. “Looking good, boss,” he sneered before he flopped into one of the leather chairs. “Why the official pow-wow?”

  She cleared her throat as she went to sit behind Graham’s desk. It was territorial but she couldn’t help it. She needed the gesture of strength to get over what Vanni’s eyes had done to her resolve. “We’re wondering what the plan for Dreaming in Blue is now that Iain has officially left the band.”

  “We get a new Iain,” Vanni remarked as he swung his leg up on the arm of the chair. His pants were so tight she could see every bulge and muscle in the lower half of his body. He had a triumphant little smirk on his face as he watched her wrench her eyes away.

  “It’s not that easy to replace a band mate, is it?” she asked as she looked at Yael and Felix for support.

  “He’s a bassist,” Vanni answered for them with a shrug. “Leo’s already on it. Says he knows a guy who does studio work. He’ll learn the songs and record the next album with us, meanwhile you guys get to do what we pay you for and make it all look like the best thing that has ever happened to us.”

  Andy stared at Vanni. Who was this asshole? She wanted to ask him that but decided against it. There would be other times.

  Unfortunately.

  “Fine. What’s his name?”

  Vanni remained openly hostile. “How should I know? Ask Leo, it’s his contact.”

  “Fine,” Andy repeated again through clenched teeth. “And what shall we say about Iain’s departure?”

  Vanni broke out an expensive flask. “Tell ‘em it takes a stupid rat to jump a perfectly fine ship,” he retorted before taking a long drink as he stared at her defiantly.

  She looked at Yael and Felix, neither of whom seemed particularly keen to jump into the conversation. She could tell by the way they clenched their jaws and averted their eyes they had become used to this douche bag version of Vanni, and she could easily see both of them forming their own exit strategy because of it.

  She didn’t know how she was going to keep this band together. Maybe she’d make an appointment with Leo to see if she could enlist his help at least.

  “As… poetic… as that is, I think we’re going to go another way,” she said as she picked up the press kits Gwen had prepared and walked around the desk to pass them out. “Iain wanted to take time off to spend some time with his new family in his homeland. He wishes his brothers in the band nothing but success,” she recited as she finally stopped in front of Vanni and held out the papers.

  He glared up at her. He was so angry it seemed to seep from his pores. She fought the urge to step back a bit. “If you already knew how you wanted to handle it, why ask?” he wanted to know.

  Andy put her hands on her hips as she stared down at him. “Because we wanted to know if you had a better idea. But it’s clear you don’t.”

  He rose slowly from the chair and towered over her where she stood. She held her ground, although with his new hobby she had no idea what to expect from a very drunk, very angry Vanni. She felt somewhat secure knowing Yael and Felix were nearby if the situation escalated, which – with the venomous look in Vanni’s eyes – it definitely could.

  “My career’s in your hands,” he sneered as he stood just mere inches from her. “I guess I have to trust you, don’t I?”

  “You don’t have to,” she said as she tipped her chin. “But I hope you do. I mean you no harm, Vanni.”

  His face contorted as a wave of emotions crashed over him. He swiveled on his heel and stalked from the office, slamming the door behind him. She jumped in spite of herself.

  Andy let out the breath she didn’t even know she was holding. She glanced back at the other guys. “Oh my God,” was all she could manage to say.

  Felix stood to give her a supportive hug. “Now you see why Iain needed to bail.”

  She nodded. This was not the same man. For any of them. “How long can I expect you guys to stay?” she asked finally.

  Felix shrugged. “I don’t know, Andy. This environment is toxic. It makes people toxic too. I can’t give you an expiration date. I just know when that time comes to go, I’m sure it’ll be sudden and definite.”

  Yael nodded as he stood too. “This is my band,” he told her. “I started it, I want to finish it. But Vanni’s made it clear we can be replaced.”

  She grabbed his hand. “No, you can’t.” She pulled him in for a group hug.

  She was contemplative as she drove home that night. She couldn’t get that look in Vanni’s eyes out of her head. Was it wounded? Was it angry? It seemed like another person entirely.

  This wasn’t the man she had held in her arms mere months before. Gone was the playful smirk. It had been replaced by an angry and entitled sneer. His ego was accelerating at the same pace as his skyrocketing star power. It really did seem like he thought everyone was replaceable.

  She shrugged off her jacket as she walked in the front door and threw it down on a chair just inside the living room. She unbuttoned the restrictive dress shirt and pulled it away to expose her camisole underneath. It was way too hot to be wearing layers, but as an unintentional businesswoman she had little choices until she returned to the sanctity of her new, albeit temporary, home. Perhaps she’d eat on the patio, she thought to herself. She was getting in a little later than usual but no doubt the staff would have left something for her to eat for dinner before they left for the night.

  The minute she entered the kitchen she had to stifle a scream. Vanni loomed in the stark white room larger than life, with his wild dark hair and even darker, ominous eyes. “What are you doing here?” she demanded as she pulled her blouse closed. “This is Graham’s house.”

  He tipped some expensive scotch into a crystal tumbler before he rounded the counter and approached her. “Au contraire. This is your house. You live here now.” He stopped within breath of where she stood. “And if you don’t mind me saying, you’ve done pretty well for yourself.�
��

  She took a deep breath. She wasn’t ready for this familiar fight. “Vanni, don’t.”

  His face twitched slightly when she said his name, as if she had stabbed him right in the heart. He lifted her hair from her shoulder and smoothed it behind. His voice was quiet and controlled. “Don’t what? Don’t congratulate you? Isn’t that what friends do?”

  “I’m not having this conversation with you,” she said as she turned and marched from the kitchen. His aura threatened to overtake her with nothing more than a casual touch or softly spoken word. She had to get away from him before it closed around her like the web that it was. “You found your way in. Find your way out.”

  Instead he followed her into the living room. “Come on, Andy. This is what you chose. Own it, for God’s sake. A big, sprawling mansion on the beach. A full staff. A cushy job. Tell me. What kind of car are you driving?”

  Andy spun around to face him, full of her own anger. “You think this is fun for me? You think this is what I want? You have no idea what I’ve been through the last two months!”

  He tossed the glass on the marble floor before grabbing her by the arm. “And you don’t know what I’ve been through the last few months,” he yelled back.

  She tried to wrench her arm away but he held fast. “Oh yes, I do. I’ve been watching courtesy of the Internet. I’ve watched every botched interview. I’ve watched every blown lyric. I saw you nearly fall off the stage and bust your ass in Berlin. Most of all I’ve watched you act like an entitled brat for the whole damn world to see. Meanwhile there’s a man in Philadelphia who can’t even lift his leg without help. He can’t wiggle his toe. He can’t stand or walk or do a thousand things you take for granted every single day.”

  “It’s always about Graham, isn’t it?” Vanni sneered.

  “It is now,” she agreed. “Because it has to be. What happened to him was a horrible accident. What you’re doing to yourself is purposeful and self-destructive. He doesn’t have his legs…”