Southern Rocker Showdown Read online

  He watched her glare at Tony Paul through narrowed eyes, possibly scoping out a vulnerable spot to inject her venom. Jonah turned back to Lila but she had already moved along to someone else to vent her woes.

  “Sore loser, huh?” Courtney asked from behind. He turned to face her.

  “You can’t really blame her. This is a pretty big break. It has to suck going out the first week, before you’ve had a chance to show everyone what you’ve got.”

  Courtney glanced at Lacy. “She certainly did that tonight, didn’t she?”

  He nodded. He thought about Lacy’s heartfelt performance with a tightening in his gut. He never loved her more than when she allowed herself to be vulnerable. That night she was about as vulnerable as a gaping wound. “She’s amazing,” he said softly.

  Courtney sighed. She knew that he loved Lacy. He’d made no secret about that. It hurt, especially knowing that this was the first time he’d ever felt this way about a woman, and it wasn’t about her. But she loved him, so she comforted him by rubbing his arm with her hand. “So are you.”

  He looked down at her face. She was even lovelier than she had been as a teenager. Her skin was still peaches and cream. Her eyes were still sparkling and blue. She had curves in all the right places, and he knew them all intimately.

  If only he felt the same spark between them that he had felt the very first time he had laid eyes on Lacy. His life would be a lot less complicated. Courtney wouldn’t turn him away. Courtney wouldn’t confuse him. Courtney wouldn’t be ready to claw his eyes out one minute and fall into his arms the next.

  He pulled Courtney into a long hug, just because he could. She was his friend. And he desperately needed one. Her arms wrapped around him and she held on tight. They had been set adrift in such confusing seas, with only their familiarity left to comfort them.

  When they pulled apart, he caught Lacy staring at them. She looked as hurt as he felt. She turned and scurried from the banquet room. When he looked down at Courtney, she just gave him a subtle nod, granting him permission to chase after her.

  He caught up with Lacy at the limousine. He didn’t bother asking if he could join her, he simply slid inside and closed the door behind them. The driver raised the privacy panel and pulled from the curb before she could escape out the other side.

  “Why can’t you leave me alone?” she exploded.

  “You know why,” he told her. “I love you. I haven’t stopped. Not for one fucking day since I first walked into Southern Nights. And you love me too, even if you’re too damned stubborn to admit it.”

  She snorted. “You certainly sound sure of yourself.”

  “You can lie to yourself, Lacy, but you can’t lie to me. Your body betrays you every time I touch you.”

  “Then stop,” she snapped.

  “Why?” he asked softly.

  “Because you’re not my priority right now, Jonah. And I’m not yours. Not really. If it comes down to it, you will choose to stay in this competition. You have to. Your sister needs you to. Your mother needs you to. You’re not going to sacrifice your family over some convenient lay.”

  He laughed out loud. “You think you’re convenient? Nothing about you is easy, darlin’.”

  “Take the hint,” she said, accentuating every syllable.

  He stared into those dark eyes, taking notice of every copper fleck that floated there. He had memorized every detail about them, so much so that he still saw them in his dreams. She was here, right here beside him, flesh and blood. He could take her into his arms if he wanted. He could even steal another kiss. But her heart was as far away as the moon. It always had been.

  “So that’s just it, then? We’re done?” She didn’t want to say the words any more than he wanted to hear them. Finally, softly, he asked, “Is there someone else?”

  Her mouth fell open as she stared at him. Could he really believe all those horrible things about her, even now? And if he could, how could he say he loved her? “Does there need to be? Does someone else need to mark their territory for you to leave me alone? And here I thought you were better than Tony Paul.”

  He grabbed her by the arm and brought her to his chest. She gasped at how hard he held her as his eyes bored into hers. “If you still feel the need to compare us, you never knew me at all.” He thrust her away and scooted to the corner of the seat. He didn’t say another word until they reached the mansion. He slammed out of the car and stalked off to his room.

  She took a deep breath as she exited the car. Sure, he was mad at her, but maybe that was best. Neither of them could afford the distraction now. If he really did love her, or expected her to show her love for him, then it was the only thing they could do. They had to give each other space and concentrate on their Fierce journey.

  Lacy knew there would be no more second chances.

  For the contestants of Fierce, the new week meant toiling over new song selections and more grueling rehearsals. For their families, it meant gathering together on the cul-de-sac of their gated community to get to know each other with a street party. Gaynell was their official hostess. She sprang for the festivities as a celebration of sorts. Jules made it plain to Vi and to Don that she wasn’t about to go. “Y’all can have my share of the fun.”

  What they didn’t want to tell her was that her strange, hermit-like behavior only made Lacy even harder for their small community to accept. Like Lila Cruz, her sister Rosa, who happened to be Richie’s twin, had a few theories on why Lila, who had a strong performance, had been eliminated in Lacy’s stead. And she shared that theory with everyone who would listen.

  Vi wasn’t about to step in the middle of that. She had no patience for drama queens or gossipers. She already knew that Gaynell and Jacinda were two of the biggest in both categories. She had seen how they gravitated to Lila and the whole Cruz family, to get the skinny on why Lacy had eked her way through on such a crappy performance. Vi wanted to point out that Lila’s performance the second night was equally bad, but they all seemed to derive a lot of enjoyment out of contemplating something more nefarious than that, like a juicy sex scandal between Vanni and Lacy, would stack the deck in her favor.

  Vi couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing this to lay groundwork, just in case Tony Paul didn’t win. Were they throwing flies in the soup, imbedding innuendo so that others would back up their claims that someone like Lacy, who had sung rings around everyone with her last song, had not earned her title legitimately, as such invalidating the entire contest altogether?

  Fortunately the people she had befriended from the start wanted no part of all that. They were there to support their family. Any of those contestants could be sent packing over just one bad performance, and everyone knew that now. It raised the stakes a lot higher than some on-set gossip.

  She found herself staying close to Don as they socialized with the other families at the block party. How long they stayed in each circle generally depended on how long it took for folks to start whispering about this person or that person.

  With Rosa and Jacinda leading the charge in their campaign against Lacy, it didn’t take long for the rumors to spread.

  The one benefit of this was that Vi instantly knew what kind of people they were, just by how they responded to the negative stimuli. She was so proud when Leah made a similar comment, expressing her disgust that so many had so badly misread Lacy, who was second only to Jonah as Leah’s favorite contestant.

  “She’s not like what they say,” she said to her mother as they took a break from the festivities. Other kids had jumped into a bouncy house, but Leah couldn’t join them. She’d been in reasonably good health since their move west. She didn’t want to risk infection or overexertion.

  Vi wrapped her arm around Leah’s shoulders. “The targets of gossip rarely ever are, honey.”

  Gay brightened when she spotted Leah, whom she had gotten to know when Jonah was the star singing attraction at Southern Nights. “Leah!” she exclaimed as they approached the long tab
les set up with food. “Look how you’ve grown! California certainly agrees with you.”

  Vi leveled her steely eyes on Gaynell Hollis. She would have loved to point out that they wouldn’t be in California at all had it not been for Gaynell. She used her leverage in Austin society to get both herself and Jonah virtually blacklisted from finding or keeping any job worth having. It was because of her they had to move at all, but to hear her talk it was like she did them a favor.

  And perhaps she had, but it wasn’t for altruistic reasons. Vi was too much of a Christian to say what she thought of this woman to her face.

  Gay turned to Vi with her hand held out. “Gay Hollis. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Vi shook her hand, but her smile was cool. “Likewise.”

  “Who would have thought we’d have all ended up here,” she chortled merrily, like it was some kind of family reunion. “But your Jonah is a star. I saw that immediately. I’m excited for what will happen for him now with this exposure.”

  Vi smirked. Exposure, she thought. Of course that was all she thought it would be. Up against her precious Tony Paul, of course no one else could actually win.

  “Tony Paul as well,” Vi said.

  She could tell by the way Gay’s eyes narrowed that she had gotten the message. Vi was a sweet country woman, but no one – absolutely no one – was going to disparage her son. Gay changed the subject to offer her some of their bounty. “Care for some barbecue? Or,” she added with a snicker, “what people out west consider barbecue, anyway.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Vi accepted, which forced Gay to prepare her plate. She did so without a fuss. Instead she stole glances at Vi.

  “Any idea what Jonah has planned this week?”

  Vi shrugged. “It’s his race to win. He doesn’t consult with me over his choices.”

  “He’s a smart boy,” Gay conceded. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. There are plenty of other people who are much more likely to stumble and fall.”

  Vi knew she meant Lacy, but she wasn’t about to be pulled into that conversation. “No one has to stumble. They just have to endear themselves to the audience. I’m sure some will have a better time of that than others.”

  It was the bitchiest thing she had ever said and she felt an instant pang of remorse. The remorse was fleeting, however. She saw that her zinger had hit its target. Gay had to know how arrogant and off-putting Tony Paul could be. Otherwise he wouldn’t need that competition at all.

  “Too true,” Gay agreed with a phony smile. She nodded towards Jules’s townhome, which was darkened and quiet, despite the fact that its occupants were tucked safely inside. “That’s a lesson she should learn before it’s too late. The only thing that counts for more than talent in this competition is likability.” She peered at Vi. “You’ve gotten to know her. Is Lacy’s mother as difficult as Lacy?”

  “I find them both likable,” Vi informed her.

  Gay decided to try another tactic. “I understand that there’s a child living there with her.” She left it with that, maybe hoping that Vi would fill in the blanks. She didn’t. “A story like that could make both of them more accessible to the audience.”

  Vi chuckled inwardly. Was that really what she was afraid of? That the audience would fall in love with Lacy for the very same piece of information that could send Tony Paul down in flames? She was clearly feeling out Vi for the possibility.

  Vi decided to let her twist in the wind just a little bit more. “Couldn’t tell you. Like I said. Everyone is running their own race.” She offered her thanks with a smile as she took her plate and headed off in search of a friendlier face.

  Don was quick to catch up with her. “Talk about swimming with sharks,” he grinned as he sat with her on the curb next to her townhome. He sipped a beer while she drank sweet tea. “For a second there, I thought Gay was going to hook me up to a lie detector. She certainly knows how to play the game, doesn’t she?”

  “Better than anyone here,” Vi told him. Gay was all about winning, and she didn’t care who she hurt in the process. Jonah was living proof of that.

  “I don’t know about that,” Don grinned. “Jacinda has a few tricks up her sleeve as well. She is cozying up to most of the men here, using her feminine wiles to gather information. She cornered me by the potato salad. I finally managed to lose her at the dessert table. Thank God for chocolate. I barely made it out of there.”

  Vi laughed. “There are worse things in the world than being propositioned by a pretty young woman.”

  “Please,” he snorted. “The only reason that Mata Hari is even remotely interested in me is because I’ve been inside that house,” he said, nodding towards Jules’s place.

  “Did she ask you about Cody?”

  “Not yet. She’s still trying to get me into the pot of water. She won’t turn up the heat until I’m actually in the pan. Otherwise it would give too much away.”

  Vi nodded. “They’re slick.”

  “They’re rich,” he shrugged. “But neither you nor Jules have anything to worry about. Just so you know.”

  “I know,” Vi assured. He wouldn’t have been allowed as close as he was if they hadn’t trusted him.

  “So what’s Jules’s situation, anyway?”

  Vi glanced over at him. He delivered the question so casually, but it was clear he was really interested in the answer. She grinned. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

  “Because I’d like an actual answer,” he grinned back. “She’s pretty closed off. I can see where Lacy gets it.”

  “They’ve been hurt,” she explained.

  “So have you,” he pointed out. “It hasn’t even been a year yet since you lost your husband. I know from experience how hard that is.”

  “Yeah, but I had a good marriage. We were happy until the day he died. He didn’t leave me because he wanted to. He left because it was his time.” Don nodded. He knew all about that. “Bottom line, we’re not as gun-shy.”

  He sighed as he put his paper plate on the curb beside him. “It’s probably for the best. I get the feeling this season is going to be dramatic enough. No sense in adding more to it.”

  Vi caught sight of Gay and Jacinda, standing close, talking privately as they surveyed the crowd gathered in the cul-de-sac. With a sick sinking of her gut, she figured Don was probably right about that.

  They had only just begun.

  Chapter Eight

  The second week was a lot easier for Lacy than the week before, mostly because she stopped treating everyone around her like an enemy. She picked a song using Shiloh’s mindset, taking something familiar but fiddling with the arrangement to make it brand new. When Imogene critiqued it, Lacy actually listened to what she had to say and tweaked her performance accordingly.

  When she arrived at Jorge’s Magic Kingdom, she gave him cart blanche to make her over. He had one chance to prove he wasn’t out to put her sex on display. Instead he remade her in hipster chic, which fit her song choice perfectly. It was a nice compromise between hard-edged rocker chick and sexpot, which made her sexy on her own terms.

  She was surprised to find that giving in on all these battles actually took more work than fighting them. It was like an instant college education in stardom and artistry. She barely had time to worry about Tony Paul or Jonah. She focused on delivering such a kickass performance that week that all three judges would know they made the right choice to keep her.

  That Monday she performed first, which helped her get it out of the way. Her performance was such an improvement over the week before that it set the bar high for all the female contestants that followed. Jonah worried about her placement, especially after Lila’s and Jermaine’s eliminations proved there might be something to that Curse of First. But the judges raved about her performance, especially Vanni.

  “You just won the heart of every detractor,” he assured with that triumphant smile.

  Jonah decided that was true except for three notable exceptions. Gay and Jacinda
looked as sour as a bushel of lemons at the party that Monday night following the live show. And Tony Paul clearly regarded Lacy as a bit more of a threat. He watched her thoughtfully but didn’t approach, as if calculating his next move carefully.

  Both he and Jonah performed mid-way through the Tuesday performance show where guys reigned supreme. Their performances were strong, which made both of them confident that they had lasted through to the next week.

  By Wednesday, it was Sage Bruski who was sent packing, an angry rocker chick who didn’t get the memo from the week before, when Lacy was on the chopping block. Joining her was an older, Rat Pack-style balladeer who hadn’t been able to connect with a more contemporary audience.

  Lacy didn’t even land in the bottom, despite her early placement in the lineup. Both Lacy and Jonah breathed a little easier about that, but they didn’t have the luxury to enjoy it. On Thursday everything reset. The twenty contestants that remained doubled down on their efforts to court the viewing audience. The Texans were confident in that week’s country theme, but for people like Richie Cruz and Harper Clark, the new genre proved a little trickier. They both made their displeasure known that they had to sing such songs.

  Tony Paul used the opportunity to take Harper under his wing, much like Shiloh mentored Lacy. He took great pleasure in flaunting this new relationship in front of her until he realized that Lacy really didn’t give a shit. She was glad he had a distraction now. She had too much shit to do to fend off his ineffective and unwanted advances.

  For some reason this bothered Tony Paul most of all. It wasn’t that long ago when she thought he hung the moon. She had been dazzled by him, under his control from that very first touch. She used to look at him like a god. Now she looked at him like dog poop on her shoes.