Little Secret, Red Hot Scandal

Ever since Ivy learned that she was going to work with Nate, she’d been more agitated and demanding than Mia ever remembered her being. Mia wasn’t a fool. She understood why Ivy was so reluctant to give her space. Heaven forbid Mia would get a life and walk away.

After leaving Nate, Mia was halfway through the errands she was running for Ivy when her phone began to play Ivy’s latest hit, her special ring tone. Mia held off answering for several seconds. But she’d already ignored a bunch of Ivy’s texts, and her sister would have a fit if she didn’t pick up now.

“OMG. Where have you been? I’ve texted you, like, a dozen times.” Ivy’s voice poured from Mia’s smartphone, scattering her thoughts to the wind. Behind closed doors the sweetheart pop star became a demanding diva. “I’ve been dying to hear all about how excited Nate is that we’re working together.”

“Sorry I didn’t respond.” In fact, she’d been lost in thought and hadn’t heard the alerts. “Traffic was crazy and there was an accident...”

“If you were sitting in traffic you should have called.” Ivy barely gave that a second to sink in before continuing, “Whatever. Tell me. Tell me.”

“Of course he’s excited to be working with you.”

“What did he say exactly?”

“That you’re going to make the best album ever.” It was lame, but her sister would freak if Mia shared what Nate had actually said. “But listen, Ivy—”

Her sister’s squeal interrupted her. “I knew it. He is into me.”

“I’m sorry. What?” Mia almost rear-ended the car in front of her when the driver stopped abruptly to avoid hitting an SUV that cut him off.

“Nate. He’s into me.” Ivy sounded quite pleased with herself. “I told you how he was hitting on me on tour.”

“Nate hit on you?” Mia’s stomach clenched in dismay at Ivy’s words. “When was that?”

When it came to her sister, Mia was like one of Pavlov’s dogs. She panicked at the first sign that her sister was scheming. Ivy made an art form out of keeping the focus on her. Even before Ivy became famous she knew how to manipulate a situation to suit her and often Mia received the full brunt of the backlash. Since then Ivy had pulled several stunts to stay in the spotlight. Mia had learned to keep her head down.

“All the time. How did you not notice?”

“Sure. Of course.” Mia was glad her sister couldn’t see her expression.

“And I never told you, but that last night in Sydney...” She let the confession hang in the air to build suspense.

“What about it?”

“We were together.”

A curse shot from Mia before she could stop herself. “Sorry, I almost hit the car in front of me. This traffic is—”

“Whatever. Did you hear what I said?”

“About you being with Nate that last night in Sydney?” Mia was torn between a laugh and a groan. Good thing she’d already put her romance with Nate behind her. Now that Ivy had decided she wanted him, any hint that Mia had feelings for him would be disastrous.

“I should’ve told you.”

Mia’s voice was uncharacteristically sharp as she asked, “Why didn’t you?”

“You don’t need to be such a bitch. I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner, but I wasn’t sure if what we had was going anywhere.”

“And now?” Mia turned into the parking structure closest to the stores she needed to hit.

“Ever since I found out he asked to work with me on my new album, I’ve been convinced what we have is the real deal.” Ivy sounded at the same time dreamy and triumphant. “When will you be getting back to the house?”

“I’m heading to Rodeo Drive to take care of the stuff you wanted me to return.” Ivy loved to shop, but she could be fickle when it came to liking things once she got them home. “It shouldn’t take me more than half an hour.”

As self-absorbed as Ivy could be, when it came to her twin, she liked knowing everything Mia was up to. It had gotten to the point where Mia gave up on having secrets of her own. Or that’s the way it had been until Nate came along. That they shared the ability to sign had enabled Mia to have something all to herself that Ivy couldn’t barge in on and take over.

Mia realized she’d been counting on this album to launch her sister, hoping that it would be enough of a distraction to allow Mia to escape.

Was that how she viewed Ivy? As someone Mia needed to run away from? The relationship between Mia and her sister hadn’t always been so strained. Until the last three or four years, when Ivy’s career really took off, Mia and Ivy had been as close as two people who shared the same womb for nine months could be.

If anything demonstrated how much Mia craved a chance to get out of Ivy’s shadow, it was her clandestine flirtation with a man her sister had shown an interest in. And now Mia realized that despite the way she’d left things that last morning in Sydney, a part of her hadn’t given up on pursing a relationship with Nate.

In the beginning she’d simply enjoyed Nate’s charismatic presence. Not only was the lead singer of Free Fall a musical genius, he had killer dimples that rendered her speechless, and the sort of lean muscles that made her all too aware of her vulnerable heart, unsteady knees and tendency to blush.

At first she hadn’t taken his attention seriously. Fate had seen to it that Ivy was granted all the beauty and most of the talent. Most people outside their family didn’t even know Mia and Ivy were sisters, much less twins. Ivy had taken their mother’s maiden name because she liked the way it sounded, and Bliss worked great for marketing.

And then one day Nate had been backstage while Ivy rehearsed. She’d stopped the sound check and was shrieking at the drummer for messing with the tempo. Across the ten feet separating them, Mia saw the gesture Nate made, and amusement must have shown on her face because he snagged her gaze and winked.

Mia had signed, asking him if he knew what that particular gesture meant, and he signed back that he absolutely did. For the duration of Ivy’s sound check, they’d discovered through sign language that each had a hearing-impaired family member. That day something unexpected had happened to Mia. She’d made an unlikely friend. And in the weeks that followed, it became more.

Ivy broke into her thoughts. “Can you stop and get me a coffee on your way back? You know how I like it.”

Keeping up with Ivy’s demands required Mia’s full attention. For most of her life that hadn’t bothered her. But ever since Nate had come along and actually noticed her, not as Ivy’s twin or her assistant, but as a desirable woman, Mia spent more and more time thinking about a life away from Ivy.

“Sure.” Now all she needed to do was find a way to explain to her family that she wanted to strike out on her own. And that was not going to be easy. “I know exactly how it needs to be.”

Two

As soon as Mia left the studio, Nate got on the phone with Trent’s sister. Melody had been on the tour with him as the opening act for Free Fall the entire twelve months.

Because he knew her as not only a fantastic songwriter and singer, but also as the little sister of his best friend and business partner, when she’d asked what was going on between him and Mia, he’d told her. Melody didn’t like the way Mia was treated by her sister any more than he did. She’d grown up with a father who liked to bully people and had a particular sensitivity to such treatment.

Once she’d been clued in to what was going on, Melody had helped keep Ivy distracted so Nate and Mia could have as much uninterrupted time together as possible. At first Nate wasn’t sure if Mia had any idea how Melody was helping them, but she’d caught on quickly. Mia and Melody shared a talent for songwriting and during the hours they spent collaborating became good friends.

The difference in Mia when Ivy wasn’t around showed Nate how unhappy Mia was being her sister’s personal assistant. Yet whenever he broached the subject of leaving her sister’s employment to do something for herself, he hit a brick wall.

“You told your brother I met someone while on tour?”

“I might have mentioned that you were a bit distracted.” Melody responded carefully, but there was laughter in her tone.

Nate closed his eyes and rubbed his temple. Melody had a romantic nature and succumbed easily to simple gestures of affection, like the dozen handwritten notes her boyfriend, Kyle Tailor, had tucked amongst the clothes in her suitcase. She’d discovered them halfway across the country and been over the moon that Kyle had done something so romantic.

Unfortunately, the strain of separation for so many months had led to trouble in their relationship. Nate blamed himself. If it weren’t for him, Melody never would’ve gone on tour. He’d been the one who persuaded her to leave behind the anonymity of songwriting and to join him onstage. She had a fantastic voice and deserved to shine.

Fortunately, Kyle didn’t blame him. If he had, it might have put a strain on their business partnership in Club T’s.

“He thinks it’s Ivy.” Nate spent the next minute listening to Melody’s laughter. “It’s not funny.”

“Oh, it is. Why does he think that?”

“Because I suggested I produce her next album. It’s the only way I could think of to spend more time with Mia. She’s determined we’re over.”

“I think that’s fantastic. The girl has a killer voice and needs a producer who can showcase it. Besides, no one but you can stand up to that father of hers and make sure her next album kills it.”

“I’m flattered that you think so.” Nate’s tone was as dry as the Mohave Desert.

“So how did the meeting go?”

“It didn’t. Mia showed up without her sister and father. Apparently they were taking a meeting with someone from Mayfair Cosmetics. They’re considering Ivy as their next spokesmodel.”

“Are you kidding? They stood you up? Don’t they realize who you are?”

“Obviously someone they can skip a meeting with.” Nate thought about his stern words to Mia about her sister and regretted taking his frustration out on her. It wasn’t her fault how her sister and father behaved. “I’m taking them to dinner tonight. Hopefully, they’ll show up this time. I’m going to be out of commission for a few weeks starting tomorrow.”

“Out of commission? What’s going on?”

“I’m going in for surgery on my vocal cords.”

“What? When did this come up?”

“I started noticing a problem on the tour, but we were so close to the end, and I didn’t want to cancel any shows.” In part because to do so meant shortening his time with Mia. Their relationship heated up a lot in the last two weeks and he wouldn’t have missed that for anything.

“This is serious. Why didn’t you say anything to me? Does Trent know?”

“I told him earlier today.”

“Is he taking you to the surgery appointment?”

“He’s out of town. I have a car scheduled. It’ll be fine.”

“No it won’t. I’ll get on a plane and be there to take you back to the hotel.”

“That’s not necessary. You need to stay in Vegas and work on your album. I’ve given you a deadline, remember?”

“A couple days isn’t going to matter one way or another.”

“Humor me.” Letting anyone baby him was not in his nature. “It’s outpatient surgery. I’ll be in and out in a few hours.”

“Why do you have to be so strong all the time? It wouldn’t kill you to accept help once in a while.” Melody let loose an exasperated sigh. “You are so stubborn.”

After a childhood spent bouncing from one backwater town to another, Nate had learned to take care of himself. Sometimes his dad would be gone for months, sent all over the country to whatever oil fields needed his expertise the most. If the job required an extended stay, he might bring Nate and his mom along. Nate’s dad never cared if this meant his son had to fit in at a new school or that his wife would have to take whatever job she could to make ends meet.

“I could say the same of you.” Nate knew of only one way to get Melody off this particular subject. “How are things between you and Kyle? Have you talked yet?”

“Did you know that Trent hired Hunter to DJ twice a month at Club T’s?”

“He mentioned something about it. I told him it was a bad idea.”

Hunter Graves was Melody’s ex-boyfriend. Several months ago he and Melody had run into each other in a New York City club. As they were leaving, to keep from getting separated while passing through the raucous crowd outside, Hunter had taken Melody’s hand as they headed to a waiting car. The paparazzi had snapped several pictures of the couple and the media had ruthlessly promoted its theory that the former lovers had reunited.

Back home, while Kyle hadn’t really believed Melody was cheating on him, he hadn’t appreciated seeing the woman he loved hand in hand with her ex. And the months of separation had created tension for the couple, making Kyle even more reactive.

Melody sighed in Nate’s ear. “And to answer your earlier question, Kyle and I have exchanged several texts, but we haven’t sat down to talk.”

“Don’t you think that should happen soon?”

“I’m afraid if we have the talk we’ll just end up fighting and the subject of us being over will come up.”

“Kyle hasn’t come to Las Vegas and taken over temporary management of Club T’s because he’s ready to give up on you two.”

“He’s here because Trent’s in LA with Savannah and the club needs a manager.” Melody’s voice had a ragged quality that tore at Nate’s heart. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I really hope you’re right about him, but I can’t stop feeling like he’s going to use what’s happened between us since that photo came out to rationalize that we’re not really meant to be together.”

“He’s not going to do that,” Nate said. “Especially after he finds out what’s really going on.”

“What do you mean by that?” Melody sounded more wary than confused.

“You forget how hard it is to keep secrets on tours.”

“You and Mia managed.”

“That’s because the only one we had to keep in the dark was Ivy, and in general she’s so preoccupied with herself that she isn’t sensitive to what’s going on around her.” Nate circled back to Melody’s problem. “When are you going to tell Kyle he’s going to be a father?”

“Damn. Who else knows?”

“Both Dan and Mike commented that you were looking a bit off and mentioned that their wives had both been sick like that when they were pregnant.”

“Why did they tell you?”

“Because you’re like my little sister and I’ve made it pretty clear all along that anyone who messed with you would get their ass kicked by me.”

Melody huffed out of a breath. “I can take care of myself.”

“Aww, that’s cute,” he mocked. “But you really can’t. You are too sweet for your own good and people take advantage of that.”

The same could be said of Mia. And his mother. Nate recognized he had a pattern when it came to women. He didn’t actively seek out those most in need of protecting, but he did tend to gravitate to the ones who had a hard time sticking up for themselves.

“And you don’t let anyone take care of you,” Melody countered. “Case in point, tomorrow’s surgery.”

“Okay, we’ve both poked at each other’s shortcomings long enough,” Nate said with a laugh. “I’ll shoot you a text tomorrow after it’s done and let you know how it went.”

“I’m not kidding about coming to LA to sit at your bedside.”

“And I appreciate the offer, but I’d rather you take care of things there.” He paused before delivering his final bit of advice. “Talk to Kyle. He’s going to be thrilled.”

“I will. Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

After talking with Melody, Nate made a reservation for four at WP24, Wolfgang Puck’s contemporary Asian restaurant on the twenty-fourth floor of the Ritz-Carlton. He selected this particular restaurant knowing Mia would love the downtown LA views and the blackberry soufflé with key lime ice cream for dessert. Once that was done, he texted her the details and then headed to grab a late lunch with his former buddy whose music career had nosedived six years ago, thanks to a drug problem, but who was making a small comeback.

Nate didn’t return to his hotel until nearly six. He spent the time before dinner Skyping with his mother and letting her know in rapid ASL about the surgery the following day. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being able to communicate with her over the next two to three weeks while he was on total voice rest. If only the rest of his clients understood sign language, he might be able to maintain his work schedule with barely a hitch.

At a little before eight, Nate stepped off the elevator on the twenty-fourth floor of the Ritz-Carlton and approached the hostess. His pulse kicked up as he looked around for Mia, but he didn’t see her or her family. The hostess confirmed they’d not yet arrived, and escorted him to a table by the windows. When the waiter arrived, Nate ordered a vodka on the rocks with a twist of lime. Normally he’d wait until his party showed up, but he expected Mia and her family to be late and they didn’t disappoint them. What he hadn’t expected, however, was Mia’s absence.

Nate stood as Ivy approached. She wore a strapless emerald dress that clung to her slim body and brought out the gold flecks in her brown eyes. Her five-inch heels put a sexy sway in her stride.

“Nate,” she cried in delight as if they were the best of friends. “It’s so wonderful to see you.”

They hadn’t gotten along particularly well on the tour. She’d made demands on everyone from the roadies to the tour manager, and some of her requests had been ridiculous. The amount of time Nate had spent running interference hadn’t sat well with him. And he had a particular distaste for how she treated Mia.

“Hello, Ivy,” he said, pushing down his annoyance at how he’d been stood up earlier. “Good evening, Javier.” He reached out his hand to Ivy’s father, a handsome dark-haired man trailing in the pop star’s wake. One member of the party was missing. “I made the reservation for four. Will Mia be joining us?”

Ivy settled into the chair beside his. “She wanted to come, but what’s the point?”

The annoyance that flared in his gut was familiar. Everything about this spoiled narcissistic brat made him long to hand off her album project to another producer, but his whole purpose in working with Ivy was to have time with Mia.

“The point is I invited her.”

“I thought the point of this meeting tonight was to discuss Ivy’s album,” Javier said, coming down on his daughter’s side. “Mia’s presence is unnecessary.”

“Of course.” Giving in was exceedingly painful. Nate could only imagine the conversation that had kept Mia away, and his heart ached that she’d received yet another slight from the people who should have had her best interests in mind.

The waiter approached before Nate could say anything more. Ivy ordered champagne and Javier ordered a gin and tonic.

“I’ve heard the food here is quite good,” Javier said.

Ivy rolled her eyes. “If you like Asian.”

Nate was pretty certain no matter which restaurant he’d chosen Ivy would’ve found something wrong with it.

Without Mia’s presence, Nate had no desire to linger over the meal. As soon as they’d ordered he cut straight to business. “I have some ideas for how to proceed with your new album.”

“I want to go in a completely different direction,” Ivy said, cutting him off before she even heard what he had to say. “I’m not going to write my own music this time. I’d like to record some of Melody Caldwell’s music. I heard what she was working on during the tour and I think it suits me.”

While Nate agreed, he was dismayed that Ivy had no plans to record her sister’s songs. Few people knew Ivy didn’t write any of her own music but claimed credit for what Mia composed. Nate had discovered this during the tour and couldn’t believe Mia let her sister get away with it. He suspected that part of the reason Mia stayed with Ivy and acted as her assistant was to have her music heard by millions. Did Mia know that Ivy was cutting her out? Would this at last be the catalyst that encouraged Mia to sever the bonds with her sister and strike out on her own?

“I can see if Melody would be open to working with you.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Javier demanded. “Having Ivy Bliss record her songs would be a good career move for her.”

“Currently Melody is working on an album of her own. A song list hasn’t been finalized and I can’t promise what will be available for you until that happens.”

“I have several songs I’m interested in. I’ll have Mia send her a list in the morning. I’m sure Melody will understand that I can do them justice.”

“Perhaps you and Melody could collaborate on some new stuff,” Nate suggested, hoping the offer made Ivy squirm. “I’ve worked with her on several songs she’s recorded. I think you two would enjoy collaborating.”

He smiled through the patent lie. If Melody caught wind of what he’d just offered, she’d probably kill him. Nate doubted anyone on the planet enjoyed working with Ivy Bliss.

“I’m afraid my daughter will be too busy to write any music this year. This afternoon she signed a deal to become the new face of Mayfair Cosmetics. This will entail many media appearances beginning a month from now. We’d like to get in and get her album recorded as soon as possible.”

So they expected him to clear his schedule? Nate wasn’t surprised. And he would not be bullied. “I’m afraid the next month will not be good for me. Let’s look at something after the first of the year?”

“Ivy is doing a movie in January.”

Once again Nate reminded himself that the reason he’d agreed to produce the album was to have time with Mia. And then something occurred to him. It was brilliant, and he kicked himself for not coming up with it sooner.

His lips slid into a genuine smile. “Perhaps we could work something out. I’ll need to rearrange my schedule and would appreciate having Mia’s help to pull it off.”

“Mia’s help?” Ivy frowned. “What could she possibly do for you?”

“She understands sign language, doesn’t she? I could use her as a translator.”

Javier frowned. “A translator?”

“I’m going in for vocal cord surgery tomorrow and won’t be able to speak for at least three weeks. I can sign and Mia can relay my instructions.”

“Couldn’t you find someone else to help with that?” Ivy demanded. “An actual interpreter?”

No one else but Mia would do. “Mia knows the music industry and will understand what I’m saying.”

“Daddy?” Ivy’s dismay was palpable.

Nate fixed Javier with a flat stare. “Surely you can spare her for a month if it means getting Ivy’s album done.”

Javier glanced at his daughter. “W-well,” he stammered. “Of course. If that’s what we need to do.”

Nate gave a satisfied nod. “It absolutely is.”

* * *

Mia sat in a chair beside the window of her bedroom in Ivy’s house and stared at the front lawn. An hour earlier she’d watched her father’s Mercedes retreat down the driveway, and still couldn’t believe that she’d been forced to stay behind. More than ever her role as Ivy’s personal assistant grated on her.

Though Mia felt trapped by her responsibility to Ivy, she knew that her sister carried an even heavier burden: the weight of their parents’ expectations. Mia barely remembered a time when her sister didn’t sing. She recalled their modest house in San Diego, where the twins had shared a bedroom with their older sister, Eva. Their mother had homeschooled all three girls, which offered the flexibility for Ivy to audition anytime an opportunity presented itself. And their parents were able to buy a bigger house when Ivy signed a contract for a new TV show on the KidZ Channel. While she wasn’t the star, in the show’s four-year run Ivy had demonstrated star potential, which had led to her landing a role in a Broadway musical and eventually a record deal with West Coast Records.

With each rise in her career, the family home got bigger and better. Their father had quit his job with the post office to manage Ivy when she signed with KidZ Channel. Ivy became his whole focus.