“Let me take a look at it first.”
He shrugs and steps back.
“Come here, I have a surprise for you,” Chaser says, taking my hand.
“For me?”
“Close your eyes.”
He takes my hand, leading me outside, but when I stumble on the sidewalk, he swoops me up into his arms. “Chaser! What are you doing?”
“Shh, eyes closed, little dove.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and hang on. A few seconds later, he gently sets me down.
“Okay, open.”
Shiny, pearlescent blue-green paint. My gaze scans the length of the little Honda CRX hatchback sitting in our driveway. “Chaser?”
He turns to the man with the clipboard and scribbles his signature at the bottom. The man hands him keys and a copy of the paperwork. “Enjoy.”
“Chaser, what is this?”
He turns to me. “You need a car while I’m gone. You can’t depend on Pamela all the time.”
“But?” Words, where are my words? “I can’t.”
“What did you tell me? We’re in this together for the long haul.” He nods to the little Honda. “This is an investment in our future, so you can get to the set on time.”
“Chaser!” I press my palms against his cheeks and lean up to kiss him. “Thank you. I love it so much. How’d you know?”
“I’d love to buy you a fancy BMW or—”
“Absolutely not. I love this. This is exactly what I would’ve picked out.”
He glances down. “I know your dad probably gave you much nicer…”
“What are you talking about? My father taught me how to drive in his precious Mercedes, long enough to get my license, then never let me touch another vehicle again.” My mouth quirks. “Well, until he got arrested, then I drove that little beauty all over.”
“Fuck, I love you.” He picks me up, squeezing me tight.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” I whisper against his neck.
“I know, baby. Me too.”
I sniffle and use a handful of Chaser’s T-shirt to dry my cheeks before he sets me down.
“Keys.” Chaser sets the keys in my palm.
I stare at the car. “Can we afford this?”
“Yes. I put a chunk of my advance down and the payments are low.” He glances at the house. “Our living expenses took a dramatic decrease. I got a phone call from Mitchell Howard the other day. He invited me to come down to his studio and play on two songs for his next album.”
I blink at him as I absorb the enormity of what he just said. “Mitchell Howard? He’s all contemporary pop music. Why does he want a heavy metal guitarist?”
“He’s done some stuff with heavier riffs in the past. I think he wants to continue in that direction.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “He heard about the Guitar God nomination.”
“That’s…” I can’t even form the right words. “Incredible.”
“I haven’t said anything to the guys yet. Alvin and Garrett won’t care. As much as I’d enjoy bruising Jacob’s ego, I can’t afford to do it right before we leave for a tour.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Try and lay down the tracks before we leave. Thom’s supposed to get something in writing.”
I reach up and hug him. “I’m so proud of you.”
He snorts. “Mitchell’s offering more than our last advance for two songs. So, yes, we can afford the car.”
“Holy crap.”
“Yup.”
Things are finally looking up for us.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Mallory
As Pamela so cheerfully keeps reminding me in the days leading up to the awards show, it’s not the Oscars.
I’m still having trouble containing my excitement as our limo pulls up to the red carpet. Gold ropes keep fans at bay, and photographers jostle one another for the best position.
An entire roll of boob tape seems to be keeping my dress in place so far. I’m still nervous about accidentally flashing someone when I climb out of the limo.
Chaser squeezes my hand and drops his gaze to where my fingers are pressed against my chest. “I got you, babe,” he whispers.
“Go on,” he says to Jacob and the others. “Singer should go first.”
Naturally, Jacob doesn’t disagree. He scoots out and raises his hands over his head, waving to the crowd. Garrett follows.
Alvin stops in front of us and pats my leg. “All my money’s on you, Mallory.”
A huff of laughter escapes me, chasing my anxiety away. “Thanks.”
After he steps out, Chaser and I are alone.
I run my hand over his black pinstriped trousers. “You look sexy.” He’d paired the pants with a plain black T-shirt and a pair of black Converse sneakers, assuring me that was as dressy as he was getting.
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “No matter what, you’ll always be my favorite Video Vixen.”
I’m too emotional to respond, and someone knocks on the window, signaling that we need to hurry anyway.
Chaser steps out and turns his back to the crowd, blocking their view while I do a quick check to be sure my boobs don’t try to escape.