Tempting Perfection

Kurt sounded panicked. “Sawyer! Hurry! In the living room! Come quick!”

“Coming! What’s wrong?”

No answer.

I hurried down the hall and came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Kurt standing there in his jeans and T-shirt with his hands to his temples. “We’ve been robbed. Call the cops. Someone made off with our Christmas shit.”

I rolled my eyes. “You scared the shit out of me!”

Kurt pulled out his phone and put it to his ear. “I need to call the cops. The demon Rudolph must be saved.”

I laughed and swatted his arm. “Hardy har har. I had it shipped to the tour bus we’re sharing.” His eyes widened, and I gave a sweet smile. “Gotta run. I’ll see you in LA on the thirtieth.”

“Wait! You’re not flying out there with us?”

Is that regret? I kept a neutral face.

The original plan was to fly out on Kurt’s jet in the morning for last-minute dress fittings. But I wasn’t needed for that, so I figured why come earlier than I had to? As it was, we would be together too much.

“No, I decided to go commercial so I can see my parents. Everything is set. You’ve got sticky notes on the fridge with reminders. I left a folder on the kitchen table with all the details. The ad campaigns are rolling, and we’re getting a good response. My luggage is ready for pickup if you could make sure it goes to LA.”

For a second, he seemed at a loss for words. I gathered my bags. Then he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “How’s your mom feeling?”

She was lucky to be alive. Normally, we went to Colorado as a family for the holidays, but with Mom still recovering from her snowmobile accident, we’d stayed in Florida. “Good. She’s walking with a cane now but still tires easily. With Cameron’s proposal on Christmas, I didn’t spend a lot of time with her. So I figured I’d go stay with them for a night or two before I take off on tour.”

Fact was, money had been tight for my parents. I knew it, but they’d kept it hidden, which worried me. It made me remember worse days, ones I wanted to keep buried. Dad would be signing the papers to sell his company in two days. It was bittersweet. From what I could tell, they’d be fine financially, but it had to have been hard for Dad to sell the company he’d built from the ground up. It had been what defined them for so long. Change was never easy. At least I was back in their lives and could be part of this transition. For many years, that hadn’t been the case.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

His offer was sweet and full of the best intentions. Problem was the something I needed was him, which I couldn’t have. So until we left for the tour, I needed some space. Kurt was a rock star. Women wanted him. Though he wasn’t a man-whore by reputation, I highly doubted he’d be celibate on the road.

I can do this. It will be for the best.

An awkward silence fell over us. I took a deep breath and shifted my bag. “I will. See you in LA! If anything changes, let me know.”

“Will do. Thanks for organizing my shit.”

“You’re welcome.” I gave a sassy smirk. “It’s why you pay me the big bucks.”

I opened the door.

“Wait.”

I turned toward Kurt and waited for him to continue. He popped his knuckles, an odd habit that betrayed the nervousness he rarely showed. Normally, Kurt appeared completely unaffected.

“Are you meeting up with anyone?”

Part of me wanted to say yes, but what if that spurred him on to meet someone? That was a dangerous game. And those types of games were not my deal. “No, just taking some me time.”

He nodded. “Have a massage on me.”

I gave a playful wink. “I’ll take you up on that. Thanks. See ya.”

“Bye, Sawyer. Be careful.”

“Of course. Always.”

Chapter Three