Whisky Lullaby: Rock Star Romance, Step-brother New Adult Romance (Tennessee Romance Book 1) (3 page)

Rock Star Royale

1700 Roosevelt Parish Avenue

Nashville, Tennessee 

Dear Mr. Logan Murphy,  

We, the esteemed council gods of the Rock Star Royale, welcome you and your bandmates of Whisky Lullaby, to attend an audition for the 12th annual Rock Star Royale. Popularity is high, the competition is steep, and acceptance is not guaranteed. Bring your A game, your best songs and get ready to perform. To get to the big show, you’ll have to impress the judges! 

We look forward to seeing Whisky Lullaby in action! Below you will find all the details for your appointment. Don’t be late. 

Band or Artist Name: Whisky Lullaby

Genre: Modern Folk Badassery (artist’s definition – not ours)

Band Members: Logan Murphy, Charlie Murphy, Gavin Leary, Chris Brierson, Dale Malloy and Zip Culbertson

Please note: All band members must be present at the audition. If all six members of Whisky Lullaby are not in attendance, you will forfeit this opportunity. Replacements are fine. No shows are not.

Appointment: September 30, 2015, 1:00 PM sharp 

Please pay your registration fee of $500 at the front desk of Pressley Hall before arriving for your audition. 

We look forward to seeing you! 

Best,  

Lee Banes, Rock Star Royale Council God and Lead Singer for the Hammerheads

Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise

Logan Murphy lowered his banjo to his side as he glared up at the red rust horizon. Brushing the sweat from his brow, his fellow bandmate, Dale, gave him a knowing look.

“Meet up at the Cave tonight?” Dale asked as he nudged Logan in his side.

Logan laughed, but it was delayed. Dale had clearly broken him from his thoughts.

“Don’t think on it too much. Go do what you gotta do. We’re not going to be stuck here forever, you know.”

“I know... It’s fine. I’m fine,” Logan stammered, trying to assure more than just Dale. It sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself, too.

“Aye,” Zip, another bandmate spoke up, catching Logan’s attention. “Heard anything on the Royale?”

“We ain’t gonna get in,” Dale said flatly as he sucked on the end of his cigarette. He blew smoke through his lips as he rolled his eyes in a petulant manner.

“You don’t know that,” Gavin insisted, as he ran his fingers through his long blonde hair.

“Actually, I did hear something.” Logan rested his banjo in its case. Reaching into his jean pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded into four quarters.

“What’s that?!” Dale asked loudly, as if he didn’t know. The excitement clearly written all over his face.

“We got in…” Logan said with an unreadable expression. “But there’s a problem…”

“Problem? What problem?” Zip demanded to know.

“Yeah? What’s the problem?! We got in!” Dale belted out.

“Imagine that. A folk band taking the Rock Star Royale by storm!” Gavin said as laughter boomed from his mouth.

“Well,” Logan began as he eyed the familiar piece of paper. He could probably restate the letter word for word. He had read it over fifty times. As the excitement wore off that his band had finally landed an audition with Nashville’s hottest college music competition, Logan was struck with sticker shock. “Shit, man…” Logan griped as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand.

“What? What is it?!” Gavin frowned. “You look like you’re about to have a stroke!”

“What’s your problem, dude?” Zip gave Logan a look as if he thought Logan was insane.

“There’s a catch…” Logan began. “We have an audition, but only if we can pay the registration fee.”

The other band members began to chat amongst each other loudly.

“How much can it be?! We can pool the money together!” Gavin clapped his hands.

“Right! I’ve got some cheddar stashed away.” Zip reached into the back of his jeans pocket.

“I’m working part time at the Cave now, I can throw loot in,” Dale said, sounding confident that he could help out.

“How much is it?” Zip butted out his cigarette on the side of the grey boulder he sat upon. His face was the only one to match Logan’s. Unsure, untrusting and hopeless.

“Yeah, what’s the damage?” Gavin asked. “Fifty bucks. Hundred?”

Logan laughed as his eyes scanned the number again. He had read the letter at least a hundred times, not fifty. He didn’t know why he expected the number to miraculously read different. There it sat in big bold numbers – five hundred bucks. He thought he was going to be physically ill. He wanted this so bad and knew it would never happen. He dryly watched the faces of his fellow band members. “Five hundred bucks.”

“Holy shit!” Zip barked as he choked down air.

“Are they insane?” Gavin shook his head.

“That’s how much we’re payin’ in rent!” Dale complained.

“Like I said,” Logan explained. “It’s a problem.”

“We can try to pick up some gigs at the Cave…” Gavin suggested, always refusing to be beat down.

“Open mic night guarantees some good tips…” Dale offered quietly. He didn’t look very hopeful.

“Not $500 good…” Logan mumbled and stared down at the letter in his hands.

“No, but every little bit adds up,” Gavin rebutted. “I’m not throwing the towel in just yet.”

Logan looked his bandmate squarely in the eyes. There was a spark of hope in Gavin’s eyes that Logan had allowed to fade from his own.
Damn that spark’s contagious!
Logan wondered if he should just let his instincts guide him instead of listening to the objective, but boring, voice inside his head.

“If we had another roommate, we could probably make this work,” Gavin said bluntly as he cast a look over at Logan.

“Yeah!” Dale shouted. He shot a look at Logan as his brows pressed together. “Logan, why’re you still living with the parents, anyway? The rest of the band lives together. We need our lead there, too.”

Logan sighed heavily. He had his reasons for not moving out sooner. He didn’t voice his concerns out loud because he didn’t want to be perceived as weak or troubled. Girls talked about their problems. Men took care of business. “It’s not going to help us cover the cost of the competition.” Simple math equaled easy answer.

“Dude! It would be the best! It’s a three bedroom flat. It’s huge. Zip’s hardly ever there. You’d have the back room all to yourself.” Gavin tried egging his best buddy on.

“Ass-wipe!” Logan called out, chuckling. “I’ve been to the apartment before! We practice there three times a week!”

“We’d be able to pull together the money for the competition. Less rent with one more living there.” Dale grabbed his phone and tapped into it. He held it up to show the others the Facebook update: ROCK STAR ROYALE… HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR WHISKY LULLABY!

“Did you really just make that public?” Logan rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “We haven’t even made our minds up yet.”

“It’s decided!” Gavin let out a whoop. “Pack your bags, Murphy! You’re movin’ in!”

Logan swallowed hard as his stomach twisted into knots. He knew he deserved to live his own life, but he had responsibilities, too. Logan couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter what he chose, someone was bound to get hurt.

In that moment, Logan Murphy decided he was going to live for himself for once. “All right, I’m in…” Logan said with a sheepish grin on his face. “There’s one other problem though…”

“What?” Gavin rolled his eyes. “Damn, do you always have to be full of doom and gloom?”

“We need a replacement for Charlie,” Logan remarked with a serious look on his face.

“So let’s recruit somebody…” Dale shrugged like it was no big deal.

“Yeah, buddy!” Gavin yelled loudly as he slapped his friend on the back. “I say we scout out the cheerleading squad!”

The group nodded in agreement, but knew it had nothing to do with musical ability.

“So when are you moving in?” Zip started cleaning up, practice clearly over.

“Tonight,” Logan said seriously. There was no sense in waiting. “I just have to break the news to my mother.”

Zip jumped off the school steps where he had been chilling. He stood barely an inch away from Logan’s face. “Shut the front door!”

Dale, looking dimly as always, raised his eyebrows. “Wait, what’s happening here? Did hell freeze over? Logan’s moving out of his momma’s house?”

Logan shrugged his left shoulder, playing off the jab from his friend, preferring to let the happiness of the situation envelope him. Sometimes, even for an eighteen year old as responsible as Logan Murphy, it felt good to be a wild and carefree kid.

The only problem was, Logan Murphy was not a wild and carefree kid.

Welcome Home

Kaylee led the way down the long hallway towards suite 3J. Her heels clacked loudly against the brightly polished white linoleum floors. Ashley, following quite a bit behind her cousin as she lugged her stuff, gawked at her surroundings. It was impossible not to be intimidated by the experience. Both male and female students wandered the halls without a care in the world. A muscle-bound jock strolled toward them wearing nothing more than a crisp white beach towel and a pair of flip flops. He sauntered down the hall winking at a few of the girls that gawked his way.

Kaylee recognized the face and rolled her eyes heavenward.
Geesh! This guy thinks he’s what women want?

“Char-lie…” Kaylee crooned as towel guy strolled past.

“Babes!” Charlie called out as he planted a loud kiss on Kaylee’s cheek.

“Have you met my cousin yet?” Kaylee asked as she giggled and then looked back at Ashley.

Ashley, meanwhile, kept moving her eyes to the floor, the ceiling, the end of the hallway. She’d look at anything just to keep her eyes from zoning in on Charlie.

“Oh, yeah… I think we met earlier… Hey new girl,” Charlie said with a chuckle. “I kind of ran her over on the lawn.” He winked at her. “She kinda fell for me.”

Oh, hell. Mortification Station part two
. “Yeah, you never did say sorry,” Ashley snapped saucily as she shot him an irritated look.

“I totally did,” Charlie defended himself with a flippant tone of voice.

“Seriously, Char?” Kaylee grilled him.

“Babe. I totally did. I said ‘My bad’. I was totally polite.”

“Yeah,” Ashley perked up, sounding unimpressed. “Not quite the same thing. Your stepbrother Logan helped me up.”

“That’s Logan.” Charlie straightened as if the name only meant trouble. “Always the do-gooder.”

“Ugh, do-gooders,” Kaylee complained in a facetious tone. “Always making the rest of us look like jerks.”

Ashley wondered if Kaylee realized how vapid she sounded. What’s wrong with a do-gooder? They looked out for others. Maybe they didn’t like being shown up. Meeting Logan had been the high point of Ashley’s day so far. “I happen to
like
do-gooders.” She arched an eyebrow. “Logan had the courtesy to make sure I was all right.”

Charlie stared at Ashley with deer in the headlight eyes. Shrugging his shoulder, he quipped, “My bad.”

Ashley covered her face with her free hand as she shook her head in disgust. Her cello rested against the wall and she had three suitcases balanced together by her left hand.
Is this guy for real?

“You going to accept the apology or be rude and keep staring at my chest?” Charlie flexed his pecs and set his hand on his hips, giving Ashley a better view.

She nodded her head quickly as her eyes darted away from his chest.
I wonder if Logan looks that good without his t-shirt
. She pushed the thought aside. She was here to play her cello, not daydream about hot boys’ chests.

“Awww! So cute! You guys are friends already!” Kaylee gushed in a high-pitched voice as she stared at Ashley and Charlie.

Ashley wanted to take a pin to her cousin’s head to see if it would pop. “Oh, yes. Kaylee. The best of friends.” She didn’t try to hide the sarcasm in her voice. Charlie looked like mischief. Only trouble could come out of that.

“Well, come on. Our suite is right down here. 3J,” Kaylee said as she strolled further up the hallway, her heels clacking loudly against the bright linoleum floor.

“My home away from home!” Charlie pronounced loudly.

Groaning louder than she meant to, Ashley grabbed her stuff again and followed her cousin up the hallway. “I foresee a lot of nights out in my future,” she mumbled.

***

“Out here is our living room,” Kaylee explained non-chalantly with a wave of her hand. “It’s nothing to write home about. My dad installed the 44-inch flat screen on the wall. We have HBO, Cinemax, Starz and Netflix. Oh! Plus, thanks to Charlie boy, Daddy sprung for an Xbox gold account.”

Charlie laughed loudly as he held up a hand for Ashley to slap, “Sa-weet! Am I right?”

Ashley stared at Charlie’s hand and forced herself to stop rolling her eyes. She needed to be more discrete. Deciding she needed to play nice, she met Charlie’s hand with her own, giving him the high five he wanted. She slapped it hard, leaving his palm red. She laughed as Charlie shook off the pain.

Nothing to write home about, huh? This is nicer than my living room at home
. She gazed around the surprisingly spacious room. Weren’t dorm rooms supposed to be compact?
My uncle’s wrapped around Kaylee’s little finger. He clearly shelled out a lot of cash for his princess’ comfort.

“How do you get any studying done with all this electronic goodness?” she asked as she eyed up the TV, the Xbox, and all the various other devices strewn around the living room.

“Huh?” Kaylee replied dumbly, clearly not understanding where her cousin was coming from. “It’s just a smart TV, an Xbox and an iPod dock. Totes not a big deal, cuz.”

“It puts my cell phone to shame.” She knew she sounded miserable, but this was ridiculous. Way too over the top.

“You watch TV on your cell?” Charlie asked in a condescending tone.

“Well yeah… Mom doesn’t believe in having TV in the house. She thought it was a distraction.”

“From what?” Charlie stretched his arm over the back of the couch, inviting her to join him.

Ashley stayed standing. “From everything.”

“And to think that your momma and my momma are sisters,” Kaylee said with a laugh.

The differences were certainly remarkable
. Ashley moved past the neatly arranged sofas and followed Kaylee into the kitchenette. Charlie got up and followed too, still dressed in only his bath towel.

Lifting an eyebrow saucily at him, Ashley asked, “Don’t you want to put on some shorts or something?”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Charlie smirked, a lame attempt at flirting.

Kaylee laughed loudly. Apparently everything Charlie did was a hoot.

Without a blink, Ashley replied in a firm tone of voice, “Yes. You are… and that’s not a compliment.”

“Hooo! We’ve got a firecracker, Kay!” Charlie clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “All right ladies, I’ll be right back with some clothes. Don’t want to get kicked out or whipped by the freshman.”

“Thank bloody goodness,” Ashley mumbled under her breath, not loud enough for her cousin, or her dim-witted boyfriend to hear. She watched in surprise as Charlie turned, not out of the suite, but into a bedroom just down the hallway. Hopefully to Kaylee’s bedroom.

Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me.
Ashley groaned.

Kaylee appeared completely unaware. “So! We have a little kitchenette. No stove, but there is a micro fridge, a heavy duty microwave, and all the mac and cheese you can eat.”

“Yum…” Ashley replied, not knowing if her cousin knew mac and cheese was her go-to food of choice. She could be offered a prime rib or a hot bowl of macaroni and cheese, and Ashley would always choose the latter.

Kaylee continued, “We have three bedrooms but no bath. You still have to use the bathrooms down the hallway. The back room is for studying or playing your thingy, so obviously, that’s all you.”

Is it sound proof?
Ashley nodded.

“My room’s on the right, yours is on the left. The bathroom is down the hall. I would get some flip flops because those showers are gross!” Kaylee warned.

“Noted. Flip flops, disgusting showers.” She turned and reached for the handle of her cello case and her suitcases. “I’m going to unpack, I guess.” When Kaylee squeezed past her to go find Charlie, Ashley shrugged and followed.

She set the suitcases down so she could open her dorm room door and caught her breath as she straightened. Dorms were usually cramped, but her bedroom had space. A twin size bed sat tucked away in the corner by a set of windows. Crisp white linens covered it. Ashley assumed her Aunt Delilah must have freshened up the room before she came. Aunt Dee was famous for her southern hospitality, almost as well as her Southern Comfort.

“Awesome!” Ashley exhaled a breath of deep relief. It felt great to have a space of her own after traveling for so long and so far. This, by far, was the best part of her day.

“All right, girl.” Kaylee popped her head in. “Quiet hour is eleven, so no playing that violin thingy after then.” She winked and disappeared shouting, “Charlie, ready or not, here I come!”

“It’s a cello, but thanks,” Ashley whispered before turning to start unpacking her things.

It wasn’t home, that was for sure. But it could be the start of something amazing. She pushed her shoulders back.

Whatever would come, Ashley Slater intended to make the best of it.