The Rocker's Muse

Henderson was nice. While I’d been to Vegas before, I’d never been to this suburb just southeast of the city. Her neighborhood was pretty residential, with a park located at the end of her street. She lived in a small, one-level home that looked like a single-family residence.

Licking my lips anxiously, I walked up to her door and knocked. My heart pounded as I waited for her to answer. Jesus. I’d performed onstage for thousands of people, and my blood had never been pumping quite like this.

When the door opened, it wasn’t Emily, though. It was another girl.

I cleared my throat. “Hi. I was wondering if Emily was home.”

The petite blonde stumbled over her words. “Uh…”

It took me a moment to realize she was acting strangely because she’d recognized me.

She pointed. “You…you’re…”

I held out my hand. “Tristan Daltrey. Nice to meet you.”

“I know. Um…wow.” She shook her head. “Emily…yeah. She’s at work.”

“Where is she working?”

“She got a temporary position with a local company. Marketing coordinator for a project.”

“I see.” I nodded. “Does she like it?”

The girl ran a hand through her hair. “She seems to.”

“What time does she get home?”

“Around six. You’re welcome to stay here and wait.”

That was hours from now. Kind of dumb of me to expect that Emily would be home in the middle of the day. “I don’t want to bother you,” I said. “I can catch her later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. But would you do me a favor, please, and not tell her I’m in town? I don’t want to distract her. I’ll just come back later when she’s home.”

“Okay…” She blew a breath up into her hair. “Won’t be easy to keep this a secret. But I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.” I took a step back. “I appreciate that very much.”

What the hell was I going to do in Henderson without being recognized for the next three hours? I was in no mood to interact with people today. I probably should’ve traveled with someone, had security or something, but I hadn’t felt like dealing with that, either. This was a trip I wanted to make alone, and anyone I would’ve trusted to come along was in Europe at the moment anyway.

I decided to go back to the hotel in Vegas and hide out in my room. After stopping for a few autographs in the lobby, I was finally alone again. Why I hadn’t rented a house was beyond me.

I sat on the bed, contemplating my return to Emily’s later. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but I ordered room service and ate as I flipped through the channels, never able to settle on anything. I just kept watching the clock, counting the minutes until I could go back to Henderson. I prayed that my being here wouldn’t be an unpleasant surprise. I hadn’t warned her I was coming, because I was curious about seeing her in her element, not via some contrived scene she might prepare for me.

At 5:45, I left the hotel and drove back to Emily’s neighborhood.

I’d been prepared for her to seem shocked when she saw me, but the fact that she was standing outside her house, looking like she was waiting for me when I arrived told me that her roommate hadn’t kept her word.

Emily looked even more beautiful than I remembered. She wore a black skirt and white blouse—very professional. I’d never seen her so dressed up. It made me feel like I’d missed years with her, not a few months.

As I stepped out of the car, she walked toward me.

“Hi, Tristan,” she said calmly.

She’d definitely been expecting me.

“Hi, gorgeous. I take it your roommate told you I stopped by earlier?”