Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1) Page 6

  “Inspired?” Keith asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool. Hang out here. We’ll move.”

  Archer nodded his gratitude as Keith rose and pulled Nikki after him back towards the bunks. When he was alone, Archer sat lengthwise on the sofa, bringing his legs up so he could press the pad of paper against his raised thighs as he wrote. He closed his eyes for a long moment, clearing his mind of everything except his inspiration for the song in his soul.

  Then he started writing. The pencil flew across the page, driven by the image of Lily with Johnathan. He held nothing back. Lyrics formed as naturally as thought.

  Me, I’m the guy

  The guy who has everything

  Doors open for me and words flow for me

  Yet I have nothing

  Because I don’t have you.

  I don’t have you.

  The lows seem high

  Whenever I’m with you

  Now you’re with him and my soul has dimmed

  I don’t know what to do

  Because you’re not mine.

  You’re not mine.

  The only thing his senses registered as the words ran through his mind was the scratching of his pencil across the paper. He finished the first draft in less than twenty minutes, a new record for him. He even knew what he wanted to call it: “Not Mine.”

  When he finally surfaced, he realized that Keith was sitting by himself on the other end of the curved sofa. He held an acoustic guitar and was strumming it as he looked out the back window. He must have noticed that Archer was no longer writing, as his fingers stilled on the strings and his intense blue eyes met Archer’s.

  “What have you got?” he asked.

  Archer shifted so his feet hit the floor and looked away from Keith before answering. He suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted to share it. The words had come from the deepest part of himself. Keith wasn’t the ballad type and the last thing Archer needed right then was someone mocking what he’d written.

  “Just a song I had to get down,” he hedged, flipping the top of the pad down to cover the lyrics.

  “Uh-uh,” Keith said. “Read it to me.”

  “Not right now.”

  “Yes, now. If you don’t, you know I’m just going to harass you until you do.”

  Archer wrestled with his discomfort and finally extended the notebook towards Keith. “Fine then. Read it.”

  Keith shook his head. “You know my rules, man. I need to hear it the way you intended it. Otherwise there’s no connection.”

  Cursing under his breath, Archer gave in and opened the notebook again so he could read the lyrics. His leg bobbed with nerves as he started reciting. By the time he was into the second stanza and he allowed himself to feel the lyrics, though, his nerves leveled out. Still, he paused for a moment when he’d finished before he looked up at Keith to receive his judgment.

  The silence stretched as thin as Archer’s patience as Keith sat and processed what he’d heard. Finally, he nodded. “That’s some good shit, Arch. Let me get the others so we can bang out the melody.”

  Relief rushed through Archer over his band mate’s approval. “Thanks, man.”

  He rose and got a few bottles of water from the nearby fridge as Keith headed to the front of the bus to round up the others. The exhilaration that came only from songwriting had Archer’s energy revving. It had been a while since the Muse had struck him so powerfully. He intended to enjoy every minute of it.

  Before long, he and Keith were seated beside Sage, Xander, and Noelle on the sofa having a lively and sometimes heated discussion about the new song. They started with the acoustic guitar, working on the melody and rhythm through a combination of the instrument and simply humming or singing together. Noelle then brought her portable keyboard in so they could experiment with different harmonies. Sage had his laptop up and took notes as they finalized decisions, sharing samples for inspiration if they got stuck. Compared to many of their songwriting sessions, though, they didn’t need much inspiration. Everything seemed to click.

  Archer could hardly believe how little time had passed before they were all in agreement that the song was ready to record. Not only that, but everyone had high hopes that the song would be their next number one single. Never before had a song come together so effortlessly.

  He couldn’t help but feel that it was all because of Lily. She had been the key to The Void’s success. If he had anything to say about it, she would also play a big part of their future.

  “That was incredible,” Elijah said, interrupting Archer’s thoughts. “That’s exactly the kind of footage your fans will eat up.”

  Archer kept his smile in place when it threatened to fade. He had forgotten House of Archer’s producer was on the bus. He had also forgotten that the show had installed some cameras on the bus in the common areas in hopes of gathering some solid behind-the-scenes type footage for the show. Something about those facts dampened his enthusiasm over the new song.

  “I agree,” Christopher said from behind Elijah, who blocked the narrow hallway with his wide frame. “That was a strong session. Fans will absolutely love it. We’ll get the track down as soon as we can fit it in.”

  “Great,” Archer said, his smile still firmly in place.

  Xander gave him a thoughtful look. The band’s soft-spoken lead and rhythm guitarist had a way of seeing and sensing things that others didn’t. Archer gave him a look in return expressing that it wasn’t the time to go into it.

  “So,” Xander said, clapping his big hands together and leaning forward. “Got any other song ideas rattling around up there, Archer?”

  After a moment, Archer gave him a genuine smile. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He grabbed his notebook and pencil and flipped to a fresh page. “This one will be called Miracle Worker.”

  Chapter Eight

  After over ten hours in the SUV with only a couple of brief stops along the way for food and restroom breaks, Lily was more than ready to reach their destination. She had known that this tour was basically one huge road trip but the reality of that was only now sinking in. Her legs felt like jelly when she finally exited the SUV in front of the hotel where they’d be staying that night. She stumbled awkwardly to the side as Sydney climbed out behind her.

  “I can’t feel my butt,” Sydney said. “Is it still there?”

  “Yes, Miss Ward,” Barney intoned from his position holding the door.

  Sydney snickered and patted Barney’s arm. “Thanks, Barney. You’re a real pal.”

  Lily also snorted with humor. She even thought she saw the ghost of a smile on their stern bodyguard’s lips before he closed the door and headed to the trunk to assist the bellhops in loading their luggage onto a rolling cart.

  “Just think,” Aria said as she joined them from the other side of the vehicle, “almost ten weeks of this ahead of us.”

  Lily and Sydney moaned at the same time, then laughed over their shared misery. “We sound like old women,” Lily said.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Sydney replied. “Now let’s go have a nap before we have to get ready for tonight’s show.”

  It was a joke they all took to heart. Within minutes of reaching their room, they were all sleeping like stones. Lily’s phone alarm sounded within what felt like seconds of her closing her eyes. She vaguely registered Sydney and Aria getting up and chatting as they readied themselves for The Void’s performance. Since she only took a fraction of the time to get ready, Lily didn’t bother dragging herself out of bed for another half-hour.

  By the time Barney came to collect them to travel to the venue, Lily had changed into her favorite Void T-shirt and a pair of cute denim shorts that Aria insisted made her legs look miles long. At her height, Lily needed all the help in that area she could get. She fixed her braid, touched up her makeup, threw on her practical sneakers, and considered herself ready.

  The sun had set when they left the hotel, making it a challenge for Lily to see much through the
windows as they drove to the performance. There were lots of thick pine trees along the winding roads. What she could see of the town they were traveling through was quaint and picturesque. Dane hadn’t told her much about this stop since it wasn’t part of the tour, so she wasn’t even sure where they were.

  “Barney, what’s the scoop with this show?” she asked through the window separating the back of the SUV from the front.

  “It’s a benefit for the local women and children’s shelter, Ms. Montgomery,” he said. “The shelter provides care for victims of domestic violence and abuse. It’s one of the largest shelters on the west coast.”

  It took a moment for Lily to realize that her mouth had fallen open and that Barney was looking at her in the rearview mirror. She cleared her throat and managed to say, “I didn’t realize The Void did these kinds of benefits. I’ve never seen a news article about them doing this kind of thing before.” Nor had Dane mentioned it. “Is this something new?”

  “No, ma’am. They do at least two a year. Mr. Archer insists on it.”

  Lily felt the questioning gazes of Sydney and Aria on her. She ignored them and went back to looking out the window so she could take a moment to process this. Dane had lived a happy childhood, if an unusual one because he became a television star at the age of seven. His parents were happily married and they had never struggled financially or otherwise that Lily knew. Even Dane’s extended family supported each other through thick and thin. There was only one reason Dane would insist upon doing benefits for such a cause.

  Her.

  “Are you okay, Lil?” Sydney asked.

  “Sure,” Lily replied. Seeing her friends exchange dubious looks, she sighed and amended, “I will be.”

  In response, Sydney reached across and took hold of Lily’s hand. Lily gave her a grateful squeeze. They didn’t speak again until they pulled up at the venue. Lily was relieved beyond belief to discover that they weren’t at the shelter itself. That would have hit a little too close to home. Instead, it appeared to be an outdoor amphitheater.

  The evening air was cooler than Lily anticipated. She shivered and rubbed her upper arms as she stepped out of the SUV in the parking lot at the rear of the amphitheater. They weren’t in a public lot, she realized. Only a handful of vehicles were parked around them. She saw The Void’s tour bus a short distance away. Judging by the dark windows, Lily imagined the band was already there getting ready for the performance.

  “Miss Montgomery?”

  Lily glanced over at the approaching female bearing a clipboard and wearing a wireless headset. She hadn’t ever seen the tall blonde woman before. The female moved with a sense of urgency that had all of them looking at each other with concern. Lily’s nerves shimmied when Barney stepped closer to her as though to intercept the woman.

  “Yes, I’m Lily Montgomery,” she replied.

  “Great. I’m Alice Daniels,” the blonde said, stopping a few feet from her. “I’ll be escorting you to your green room. I assume this is Sydney Ward and Aria Simpson?”

  “Green room? Um, yes, we just—”

  “Great. May I please see your IDs?”

  “Uh, sure.”

  Lily joined Sydney and Aria in the scramble to get their driver’s licenses out of their purses. Alice’s demeanor was that of someone who’d had three too many energy drinks. She beat her pen against her clipboard at a rapid staccato and tapped her foot against the pavement as she awaited their proof of identification. Even the few seconds it took Lily to pull out her ID felt too long.

  Alice gave their licenses cursory scans. “Great. And how about...” Her voice trailed off when she met Barney’s cool stare. “Never mind. Right this way, ladies.”

  She turned on one heel and hurried off in the direction of a tunnel leading under the venue. Her voice carried as she barked orders into her headset. Lily, Sydney, and Aria hustled to keep up with her. Barney followed, matching them turn for turn through the tunnels. Lily was so flustered by the time they reached their green room that she couldn’t have found her way back out to the parking lot if she had to.

  “Here you go, ladies,” Alice said, sweeping into the room ahead of them and holding out her arms in a flourish. “The room has been stocked according to the band’s rider. Should you need anything else, my cell number is on the business card on the coffee table over there. Otherwise I’ll be back to get you just before show time. Is there anything you need right now?”

  “Um, I don’t think—” Lily began.

  “Great. Back soon.”

  Alice disappeared through the door as quickly as she had appeared. Barney watched her go from his position in the hallway and then stepped into the room. Lily stood silently with her friends as his eyes moved around the room, taking in the pair of blue velvet sofas by the coffee table, the vanity with lighted mirror, and the buffet table covered in snacks and drinks. She craned her neck when he walked over to an unopened door on the other side of the room so she could see where it led. When he flipped on the light switch, it revealed a bathroom.

  “All clear,” he said.

  “Thanks, Barney,” Sydney said for all of them.

  He nodded. “I’ll be right outside.”

  “Great,” Lily, Aria, and Sydney said in unison.

  This time he actually did smile before he closed the door behind him.

  “Wow,” Aria said as she walked over to a sofa and sat down. She lifted the business card on the coffee table and flipped it over to give it a scan. “That Alice was something else, wasn’t she?”

  “Seriously,” Sydney said. “And how about this room? Look at all of this food!”

  Lily automatically glanced over at the buffet table and was surprised to see a few of her favorite things sitting there. Actually, she realized as she walked over to it, there wasn’t anything on the table she wouldn’t enjoy.

  “Geez, Lily...this table was made for you,” Sydney declared, picking up a package of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies and tearing it open. “Look—there’s only lemon and orange Skittles in that bowl and that looks like your favorite granola with the dried cranberries and pecans.”

  “Damn, girl,” Aria said from the sofa. “I’d say Archer is doing his best to tell you something.”

  Lily automatically started to argue. Sure, the green room was more than she was used to when she attended Void performances. Usually she just waited in the band’s green room with them. She had her friends with her now, though. Dane had probably just wanted them to have their own space.

  Then her gaze fell on the vase of pink plumeria sitting on top of the vanity. Pink plumeria was her favorite flower. She knew it hadn’t been easy or inexpensive to come by. It was a touch too personal and romantic to ignore. She couldn’t stop her smile as she walked over to it and took a deep breath of the beautiful fragrance.

  She plucked the card from the holder in the vase and opened it. Thanks for being here, Lily Momilly. Love, Dane, it read.

  She didn’t read anything into the “Love, Dane” signature because they had been signing off their messages to each other that way for years. It was also just like Dane to present her with a thank-you gift on the first tour stop. Still, she couldn’t deny that all of the thoughtful touches seemed a little excessive.

  Just what was she supposed to think about that?

  Her cell phone rang inside her purse. Lily pulled out her phone thinking it was Dane making sure they were settled. She frowned when she saw Johnathan’s name instead, then instantly felt guilty for being disappointed.

  “Hi there, Wingerson,” she answered.

  She and Johnathan had met in a class where the professor called them all by their last names, so that was a thing between them. Seeing Aria and Sydney looking at her, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door so she could have some privacy.

  “Hey, Montgomery,” Johnathan greeted her, his native Alabama drawl sliding over the words. “Glad I caught you. I was worried you’d already be at the show.”

&nb
sp; “Nah. We’ve got about thirty minutes or so until show time. We’re just hanging out for now. How’s everything with you?”

  He laughed. “I love how casual you are about that. ‘Just hanging out and waiting for The Void to hit the stage.’ Meanwhile I just got assigned to cover Liz Ashley’s fifth rehab admission.”

  Lily groaned. Johnathan was an aspiring entertainment journalist who had accepted an entry-level position at a regional magazine after graduation to get his foot in the door of the industry. They both knew his job was just one slippery step up from straight-up tabloid reporting. The rehab story was practically a kick in the groin. No one cared about the aging actress’s ongoing struggle with drugs and alcohol.

  “God, that sucks,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, well...this is the path I’ve chosen. If I’d just had more courage and self-respect like you, I wouldn’t be sitting here waiting in an alley to talk to the guy who serves Liz Ashley’s meals in hopes of getting some brilliant scoop.”

  Lily didn’t know what to say to that. Yes, she had stood her ground after graduating, insisting that she wanted to work freelance so she didn’t corner herself into a niche until she was sure what she wanted to write. Yet she hadn’t achieved any of the goals she had set for herself. Her bills were piling up and she was more and more fearful that she’d soon be asking Johnathan to talk to someone to get her a job where he worked.

  “I’m sure you’ll come up with something.” Her voice carried more enthusiasm than her reflection showed in the mirror over the sink.

  He chuckled again. “We’ll see. Just use this as motivation to get yourself a hot story while you’re on this tour. Otherwise you’ll be stuck working these shitty leads with me.”

  “Yeah,” she murmured.

  He was right. She really had to start thinking like a writer and looking for inspiration now or she’d be desperately stalking terrible stories just to earn a paycheck once the tour was done.

  “Tell me about the venue where you’re at tonight,” Johnathan said.