This One Moment (Pushing Limits, #1)(59)

I could’ve sworn Blonde #2 sighed as if she was about to swoon. Either she didn’t notice his wedding ring or she didn’t care that he was married.

While she might have been sizing him up as her next target, the feeling wasn’t mutual. Seeing that I was okay, he excused himself and headed for the main entrance without giving her a second glance.

“So, are you and Tyler still together?” Blonde #1 asked, returning to the original inquisition.

I let out a long exasperated breath. “Nothing’s going on between Tyler and me.” I didn’t wait for her to ask me another question. I told Chris I would talk to him later and walked off to ask about the class.

The guy working the registration desk checked his computer. “That class is full. But there’s space in the one after that.”

“When is it?”

“January fifteenth.”

“That’s fine.” Even thought I hadn’t told Kayla my plans, I registered her in the class too. She could thank me later.

As if sensing I was thinking about her, she sent me a text: Dylan’s got a work Christmas party Thursday night. You want me to bring over the popcorn? That was Kayla’s way of asking me if I wanted her to come over to watch a movie that night.

Sounds great.





Chapter 38


Nolan


The final notes of the song we’d been working on faded away, and I nodded. The energy electrifying Mason’s studio loft was at an all-time high since my return two days ago. For the past six hours, the band had been creating the arrangement to the song. No one had mentioned the lies I’d been feeding them all these years.

I figured Jared had something to do with that.

From the moment we’d walked through the front door, we were all business. We had just over a week to pull everything together before hitting the studio. And for the first time I realized how much I’d f*cked things up for these guys. I’d been so focused on Hailey and how much I loved her, I’d forgotten how much the music meant to them. Being a recording artist wasn’t just my dream. It was theirs too, and I’d put it in jeopardy.

No one mentioned that either.

We were working on the song Hailey loved. It was a ballad, and the moment I’d begun singing it, the guys’ eyes had lit with a level of excitement I hadn’t seen in a while.

“I think that’s it,” Jared said at last, grinning. The guys nodded in agreement. But as much as we wanted to celebrate, we still needed to create the music for five more songs and the lyrics and music to two others. While I’d been away, Jared and I had written eleven songs in total. Some we’d collaborated on via the phone and Skype. Others we’d written on our own. He’d presented them to the band, and they had already arranged the music and tweaked the lyrics to six songs by the time I’d left Northbridge.

Mason ordered pizza and we took a quick break to check our phones. Disappointment kicked me in the gut that Hailey hadn’t texted or called me. Since returning to L.A., I’d received one text from her, thanking me for letting her know I’d arrived safely. All my other attempts to contact her went ignored.

Alyssa was a different matter. Now that I had returned and the media were talking about our relationship (from what I’d heard), she sent me regular texts. I’d already warned her the band and I were in hiding while we worked on the album. So other than her movie premiere tomorrow night, which the label insisted I attend with her, I wouldn’t be in contact with the outside world until the album was completed.

What she didn’t know was that Hailey was the exception. If Hailey went back to acknowledging my existence, I’d be on the phone faster than you could say foosball champion.

While my phone had been turned off, Brandon had texted me: Call me ASAP. Important.

I called him. My heart pounded something fierce, each rapid beat spreading fear through my body like poison.

He answered on the second ring. “Hailey’s fine,” he said before I could say anything, “but I figured you’d want to know that someone she works with was found murdered yesterday.”

“Who?”

“Chris Witterholm.”

I could barely breathe. I remembered chatting with him a few times. He was a good guy. Why the hell would someone want to kill him?

“The police haven’t released any details,” Brandon continued, “other than he was in Westgate when he was shot.”

My body turned to ice at his words. “Did it have anything to do with Hailey?”

“I have no idea. All I know is what I’ve told you.”

“Let me know if you hear anything else.”

“Will do.”

We ended the call, and I began typing Hailey a text: Heard about Chris. I’m sorry. Call me. I love you. Then I deleted the final three words before hitting send. Given the situation with Alyssa, those three words would only screw things up more than they already were. I didn’t want a long-distance relationship. I wanted Hailey in L.A. with me.

I contacted the detective who’d been assigned to Hailey’s case. “All I can tell you,” he said, “is that we’re looking into the possibility they’re linked.” His tone was all business, and nothing I said would convince him to reveal anything more, especially to someone who was constantly in the media spotlight.