Something I Need (xoxo Nashville Book 1) (3 page)

“I’m not coming home. No. You’re not coming here to get me. Dad, I’m not a child. I’m an adult, and this is my choice.”

Cash ran his hands through his hair and blew out a breath. Christ, apparently every family had their own shit to deal with.

“Dad, I don’t want to go on any of those TV singing shows back home. Besides, I’m already a finalist in something here.”

A finalist? Now that was new information.

“It’s in six weeks. For this big Nashville competition, American Country Star.”

Cash was trying to figure out how in the hell she’d managed to final in that from halfway across the world, when she answered his unspoken question. He smiled when he realized her dad must have asked that exact question.

“I sent through my audition video online.”

Hmph. Interesting.

“No, Dad. I don’t need money and I’m not coming home.”

Christ. Her dad sure seemed determined to have her back in Australia.

“Daddy, I love you and I didn’t mean to put you in this position. This is my concession: if I’m not settled in six weeks, and if I don’t make it further in that competition, then I’ll come home.”

Cash nodded his head, considering the proposition she’d just put to her father. It seemed to be a reasonable compromise. Determined and goal driven but still logical; what an intriguing combination.

“Whatcha doin’?”

Cash looked up to find Dolly grinning and standing right in front of him.

Oh, shit.

Busted.

How in the hell was he going to explain this? He opted for evasion.

“Hey, Doll. You off work already?”

“Okay, I love you too and I promise I’ll call you soon.” Jonte’s voice wafted through the crack in the door.

“Who’s in there?” Dolly cocked her head to the side, a wide I-already-know-the-answer-but-I’m-asking-anyway-just-to-make-you-say-it smirk plastered across her face.

Damn it. How did she always know this stuff?

“Hmmm?”

Cash heard rustling as Jonte probably picked up her bags and returned the phone to its dock.

“Get over here,” he whispered, grabbing Dolly’s arm. He tugged her towards the bar and nodded for her to take a seat. Cash picked up a dish rag, began wiping down the bar, and shot Dolly a don’t-say-a-damn-word warning look right before Jonte emerged from his office.

“Thanks for letting me use your phone.” Jonte’s eyes met his briefly before she noticed Dolly. “Oh, hey.” She walked over and slid onto the stool next to Dolly.

“Hiya, Jonte.” Dolly’s reply was the satisfied purr of a fat cat who got the last bowl of milk.

Fantastic.

C
ash sat
two beers on the bar. Dolly arched her left eyebrow at him. Yeah, yeah, she’d well and truly busted him. There was nothing to be done about it now.

“I had a feeling we’d be seein’ you again.” Dolly smiled knowingly at both Cash and Jonte. “How’d your day go?”

“Not well.” Jonte shook her head and reached for the beer.

“So I take it you still don’t have anywhere to stay?”

“Nope.” Jonte popped the ‘p’ and then sipped on her beer.

“My offer from last night still stands,” Dolly said, her demeanour casual, although Cash could hear the hint of hope in her voice.

“You two are too nice.”

Yeah, well she should take nice while it was on offer, but he didn’t want to push her one way or the other. He’d already called out to her and gotten her back into the bar earlier. Now it was up to her. After all, you couldn’t help someone who didn’t want to be helped.

“There’s nothin’ wrong with accepting help,” Dolly said.

“No, I know that,” Jonte replied. “I just don’t want to be an imposition.”

“Pft,” Dolly puffed, waving her hand around. “It’s not an imposition if someone offers. Besides, what other options do you have right now?”

“I could find another hotel.”

“You didn’t like the Best Western?” Cash asked.

“The hotel was nice, but I’m not going back there.” Jonte flushed beet red.

“Sounds intriguing.” Dolly looked at her expectantly. But Jonte wasn’t forthcoming with any more information.

“Did you get hold of your parents before?” Cash tried to keep his tone natural and friendly, but really he was keen for her to reveal more about that deal she’d made with her dad.

“Yeah, thanks again for letting me make an international call.”

“I bet they were glad to hear from you,” he continued when she didn’t.

“You could say that. Although I’m kinda relieved to be so far away right now. It’s not going to be pretty when I do eventually go home. My mum is throwing a shit fit that I just up and left, and my poor dad is stuck in the crossfire.”

“Hey, that reminds me. I forgot to ask last night, how long are ya here for?”

Cash could have hugged Dolly for being so damn nosey.

“Six weeks it seems.” Jonte’s shoulders visibly slumped, her relaxed disposition nose-diving.

“Okay, that sounds ominous.” Dolly scrunched her face up. “Why are you so glum about that?”

“Well, that wasn’t my original plan. But I felt guilty and made a stupid deal with my dad just before. So, if I can’t get settled and progress further in this big American Country Star competition in August, then I’ve agreed to go home rather than staying on longer like I’d planned.”

“Oh, is that all? Six weeks is plenty of time to get yourself settled.” Dolly waved her hand around again, dismissing Jonte’s fears. “We’ll help, right, Cash?”

“Um, sure.” Cash’s reply was cautious, his alarm bells going off, not sure what Dolly was planning, but twenty-seven years of experience screamed that she was definitely up to something.

“Step one, come home with me for the night. That should stop you stressing for the next twelve to fifteen hours. Step two, Cash’ll take you apartment hunting like he suggested yesterday. You’re not busy tomorrow are ya, Cash?”

“There’s always something that needs doing, bills to pay, orders to place.” Cash glanced around the bar, making sure everything was still all right.

“But you can spare a couple of hours, right?” Dolly shot him a death glare for not immediately going along with her suggestion.

“See, I’m already being an imposition,” said Jonte.

“No. It’s fine.” His reply was quick, although he was still warring with himself. On one hand, he wanted to help, but on the other, he didn’t want the complication of being responsible for Jonte. Her dad was worried about her from what he’d heard earlier, and she didn’t know anyone else. But she was an adult, and she’d gone and put herself on a plane to get here.

“Great, so it’s all settled.” Dolly clapped her hands together, clearly pleased with herself and the conclusion she’d effectively forced on them all.

“Okay.” Jonte nodded, although she still looked apprehensive of this whole new arrangement. “I’ll be right back,” she added and headed for the bathrooms.

“What are you doing?” Cash whisper-yelled at Dolly.

“What were you doin’?” she whisper-yelled back.

“I let her use the phone. That’s it.”

“You were listenin’ to her conversation, you little eavesdropper!”

“I was making sure she didn’t rob me blind.”

“Sure you were.”

Twenty-four hours and a shit-ton of drama. He didn’t need this headache. When she returned from the bathroom, he needed to shut his damn mouth and let her go on her merry way.

* * *

J
onte splashed
water on her face and rubbed her temples. She’d known her parents would be pissed with her, but she hadn’t anticipated the desperation and worry that had coated her dad’s voice. He wanted her home and safe. He also wanted to placate her mother. Jonte had done that her whole life and it needed to stop.

This was her life and she wanted to be here. She had to prove to herself that she had what it took to make her dreams come true.

“Why did you give in?” she asked her reflection in the mirror, shaking her head, disappointed she hadn’t stood her ground.

Instead of six months, she’d given herself a mere six weeks, taking her chances from virtually impossible to pretty much non-existent. How on earth was she going to get herself settled and make it big or nail her audition all in the space of six weeks?

Of course she didn’t need to go home, but that would mean breaking her promise to her dad, and she wasn’t going to do that. She loved him too much.

With a bank balance at serious risk of being depleted if she couldn’t get her shit together soon, accepting the twins’ help was the only logical thing to do at this point. Besides, they knew Nashville, and their knowledge should come in handy.

Jonte sprayed some more deodorant under her stinky arms and tried to ignore the dark bags under her eyes. She was a damn mess and in dire need of some more sleep and a shower. It couldn’t hurt to accept their generosity. Tomorrow she could reassess the situation. If things turned bad, she’d cut her losses and find another hotel for tomorrow night. A much, much cheaper one.

“Have you eaten?” Dolly asked when Jonte sat back down next to her.

“Not in a while.” Oh, yeah, food. She’d eaten that muffin a few hours ago and was now famished.

“Lemme getcha something to eat,” Cash offered.

“No, I couldn’t possibly,” Jonte started saying, but Dolly cut her off.

“White horse, remember?”

And so it was settled. Despite her reservations, after dinner Jonte headed upstairs with Dolly. Having spent more time with them again tonight, she was fairly certain the twins were not axe murderers. Plus, she figured if things got weird, she could just bail in the morning – or later tonight if shit got really bad – and that would be that.

D
olly’s apartment
was up the top of a private stairwell, literally just outside the bar. It seemed safe-ish because you needed to punch in a pin to access the stairwell. But then again, how would someone find her if she was screaming out for help?

Ugh. Stop being ridiculous. No one is getting murdered.

The apartment was funky but more subdued than Jonte expected. There was a suede mocha sofa and a small square wooden kitchen table with metal legs. The table was surrounded by industrial-looking charcoal metal chairs, the kind you’d find in a funky café. Two matching stools, similar to the ones downstairs in Cash’s bar, sat propped under the breakfast bar on the other side of the room.

Dolly immediately began stripping the sofa of the cream and chocolate scatter cushions. Jonte dropped her bags just inside the door and rushed over to help.

“I’ll just grab ya some sheets and stuff,” Dolly said and disappeared up a hallway.

While she was gone, Jonte took a closer look at the artwork on the wall behind the sofa. Painted on stretched canvas was an intricate set of three flowers – a chocolate one on the right, a cream on the left, and a red one in the centre – wrapped together with brown vines and leaves.

“This is beautiful,” she said when Dolly returned and caught her checking it out.

“Thanks.” Dolly busied herself by pulling out the mattress from the inside of the sofa.

“Did you paint it?”

“Sure did.”

“Wow. You’re a really talented artist.”

“Well, I haven’t done canvas in years. I stick to skin now.”

“You’re a tattoo artist?”

“Uh huh.” Dolly nodded.

“That’s cool.”

“Do you have any ink?”

Jonte shook her head. “Nah, I’m a bit of a wuss.”

Dolly let out a melodic chortle. “Well, let me know if you change your mind.”

Jonte helped Dolly tuck the sheets under the mattress and together they threw the quilt over the top.

“There. You’re all set.”

“Wow. Thank you.”

“No problem. Bathroom is down the hall. There’s food and stuff in the fridge. Help yourself to anything you need.”

“Um, I was wondering if it would be okay to borrow your phone or laptop or something so I can message my friend back home and let her know I arrived?”

Jonte’s sense of responsibility and self-preservation had kicked in and she simply couldn’t help herself. Since Mimi was the only person who knew the finer details of her plans, she really should tell her where she was now. Come to think of it, she should have told her dad earlier, but he’d been more concerned about convincing her to come home.

“Oh, sure.” Dolly skipped back down the hall and returned almost immediately with a Mac, settling herself down on the mattress and gesturing for Jonte to join her. Once Dolly had entered her password and brought up a browser, she spun the laptop around so Jonte could use it.

“Right, well I’m gonna take a shower and then head off to bed. I’ll leave some fresh towels in there for you.”

“Awesome. Thanks again. You have no idea how grateful I am. Truly, you’re wonderful.” Jonte smiled.

“You’re welcome.” Dolly flipped on the lamp next to the sofa and then left the room, switching the main lights off behind her.

Jonte logged onto Facebook and was relieved to see that Mimi was also logged on. She opened up a message box and began typing.

Jonte:
Arrived in Nashville. Not staying with Misha. Met a bartender named Cash and his twin sister Dolly (no joke, I couldn’t make this shit up) and I am spending the night on Dolly’s sofa. Will try to figure out more permanent accommodation tomorrow and keep you posted. If you never hear from me again, tell the detectives that Dolly’s apartment is right above her brother’s bar. The bar is called Rock on Nashville and is on Division Street (across the road from Misha’s apartment) xox

Mimi:
OMG that is hilarious. Hope you’re okay and get everything sorted soon. Tell me more about the bartender.

Jonte:
Seriously? Horrendous 48 hours. Need sleep and a shower.

Mimi:
That means he’s hot!!

Jonte:
Okay, fine. Think rugged cowboy sans hat…super hot. Going to wash now.

Mimi:
Stay safe xox

Jonte:
Promise – love you, bye