Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Dave Simpson may not carry the Steel name as the son of Bryce Simpson and Marjorie Steel, but he’s every bit a Steel, right down to his gorgeous good looks. He’s the prettiest of all the Steel men, but hardly a pretty boy. He’s masculine all the way, with dark hair, a rippling muscular body, and long-lashed eyes that sparkle a vivid crystal blue, like the clear sky on a bright summer day on the western slope of Colorado.
I grip my armrests until the plane finally lands in Paris.
A collective sigh of relief echoes throughout the cabin. A few people even clap.
The members of Emerald Phoenix are seated ahead of us, so they deplane first. Once Dave and I walk through the gateway and into the airport, only my cousin Cage and Jake Michaels, the guitarist for Dragonlock, are waiting.
Jesse and Brianna arrive after us, and then Rory and Brock.
Rory is clinging to Brock as if she’s afraid he’ll disappear into thin air.
“You okay?” I ask her.
She nods slowly. “I’m fine. Just shaken. I’m sure we all are.”
Brianna is hanging on to Jesse, of course. She and I have a room reserved at Le Narcisse Blanc, where the bands are staying in Paris, but I’m sure she’ll spend tonight—what’s left of it—with Jesse.
I don’t want to be alone tonight, but I’m honestly not sure I want to be with Dave, either. I like him a lot, but this has been traumatic, and I’m not sure we know each other well enough to be each other’s rocks in this situation.
I walk to Bree. “Hey, I hate to ask you this, but could you stay in our room tonight?”
She widens her eyes. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to be alone. That’s why. I’m freaked out.”
She frowns. “I mean, I am too, but…” She draws in a breath. “Sure. That’s fine. I’ll stay with you. But then that leaves Jesse alone.”
Jesse is talking to Cage and Jake, and he seems to be doing okay. “I could probably get Dave to stay with me, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate.”
She cocks her head. “Why not? You’ve already slept together.”
“I know. But it’s not like you and Jesse. We’re not in love.”
She smiles. “Maybe you could be.”
The thought warms me but also scares me. Dave is only two years older than I am, but he knows what he wants out of life. He has goals. He works with his dad on the financial end of the Steel empire.
Seems like everyone knows who they are except me.
Brianna’s a rancher, a cowgirl, who will work alongside her father, Talon Steel, in the Steel orchards. Jesse and Rory, of course, are musicians, their true calling. Donny’s a lawyer, and Callie is going to law school.
Then there’s me.
Madeline Jolie Pike.
I don’t have a clue who I am or what I want to do with my life.
My college major is English. I couldn’t decide sophomore year, and I had to make a choice. I like English. I like reading and writing, and I’m good at it. But I have no clue what I want to do once I’m done with school.
That’s me. Always the odd one out, and I’m sick and tired of it.
I turn at a gentle touch on my shoulder.
Dave stands next to me. “Doing okay?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re all here, so we’re going down to baggage claim. You ready?”
I yawn. “I suppose. What time is it anyway?”
“A little after midnight.”
I nod and follow Dave and the others through the concourse to the terminal where we get our luggage and go through French customs. It’s so late, and apparently we don’t look threatening, because we pass right through, getting our passports stamped.
Paris.
This was the part of the tour I was most looking forward to. Just Brianna and me tooling around on the Métro, visiting the sights, noshing on baguettes, and drinking French wine.
We can still do some of that since Jesse will be in rehearsal much of tomorrow—or today, rather. But Dave and Brock will probably join us, and that should make me happy.
Which it does.
Sort of.
I don’t labor under any delusion that Dave Simpson will fall in love with me. He’s the last of the Rake-a-teers and still very young at twenty-four. Brock’s the same age, though, and he fell hard for Rory.
But Rory is Rory—the most beautiful woman in our hometown of Snow Creek, Colorado.
She’s my older sister, and I love her, but envy creeps into me more often than I’d prefer. Not only is she beautiful, she also has the voice of an angel.
Then there’s my middle sister, Callie. She’s beautiful too, but what truly sets her apart is her intelligence. She’s a genius, always has been, and Mom and Dad always knew she’d do great things. She’s marrying Donny Steel and going to law school.
Jesse, of course, stands out because he’s the only boy in our family, and he’s crazy talented as well as handsome.