“I know. It’s just that, did you see the way Matt looked at her? He’s never looked at anyone like that. What if she’s not the nice, sweet girl I remember? Penny might have changed in the last decade. What if she’s crazy and evil now? Matt’s been through a lot in the past year. I just don’t want him getting blindsided. Either way, Eli won’t do it. He turned me down flat. I need you guys to help me change his mind.”
“Good luck with that,” Kay drawled. “Eli doesn’t change his mind. He thinks his way is best all the time. Plus, he’s too busy stalking my every move just in case there’s a crazed fan in the bushes outside my condo.”
Eli had been a nightmare the past few weeks. He acted like she was some dim-witted twit who couldn’t be left alone to do much besides shower and sleep.
Mara tilted her head and regarded Kaylee through narrowed eyes. “Eli’s been following you for a while now. Maybe you should ask him.”
“What? No. I’m not getting in the middle of this. Besides, he follows me because he has to, not because he wants to. He’s barely said two words to me all day.”
Except for when I yelled at him, she thought.
Ridley picked at the food left over from the party. “It wouldn’t be that hard for Jackson to book you a gig in D.C. Then you’d have a perfectly good reason for going that way. Eli would have to follow and keep you safe.”
Everyone turned to look at Ridley. Raina snorted out a laugh. “And you all thought she was so innocent.”
“I’m starting to realize I’ve grossly underestimated you,” Mara said with a note of respect in her voice.
Kay turned to Ridley. “This is crazy. What would I say when I got there? I’ve only spoken to Matt a handful of times. Wouldn’t it be weird if I just showed up?”
Ridley pursed her lips. “Mara, have you been collecting Matt’s mail while he’s gone?”
“Yeah, I usually pick it up every other day so it doesn’t pile up,” Mara said.
“Why didn’t he just forward his mail?” Ridley asked.
Kay rolled her eyes. “He probably got the same lecture about security Eli gave me. If you forward your mail, then your name goes on a list somewhere and potential thieves will know your house is empty. Also, anyone observing will notice that you’re suddenly not getting any mail.”
“Well, that’s the perfect excuse for you to stop by. Surely something has come in the mail that’s important. Right?”
“Not really, but I can pretend I thought it was.” Mara shrugged. “I doubt he’ll question Kay about why she’s there. He’ll just say thank you and to tell everyone hi.”
Ridley clapped her hands together decisively, as if the matter was all but settled. “Excellent. If we’re lucky, Penny will be there when you see him, so he’ll do the polite thing and introduce her. If something’s off when Eli meets her, he won’t be able to resist checking her out. It’s in his nature. When he gets a hunch about something, he can’t let it go. He’s like a dog with a bone.”
“I know,” Kay muttered crossly.
“Cheer up. At least you two will have to stay overnight in a hotel,” Ridley whispered.
Kay placed a hand over her chest, trying to contain her suddenly rapidly beating heart. “What? Why would that cheer me up?”
Ridley gave her a sarcastic look. “Gee, I wonder. Are you really going to pretend you haven’t been panting after my incredibly buff brother-in-law for months now?”
Kay groaned. “Great. I guess that means everyone knows. I’m sure that means he knows. He’s probably gotten a good laugh out of it. God, this is so embarrassing.”
“Calm down. Eli has no idea. I just like to watch people, so I see things. It’s not a big deal. You guys will stay in a hotel and have a nice dinner. All paid for by the record company.”
“Why would we stay in a hotel when Eli has a house there? Won’t he want to go home?”
“Matt’s already staying there. Eli won’t drag you back to his house and inconvenience Matt when the hotel is already paid for.”
“Ridley, I don’t think this is such a good idea.” Kay had never been a rule breaker. In general, if there was something that could go wrong when she was taking a chance and bending the rules, it would. Historically, it had never worked out for her. She had a feeling that if she tried to pull the wool over Eli’s eyes, he’d wrap her in it until she was bound so tightly she couldn’t move. Especially since he didn’t seem to like her much anyway.
“Don’
t worry. I’ll take care of everything,” Ridley assured her.
Somehow, Kay didn’t find that all too comforting.
* * * * *