“When will we make the public announcement?” Logan asked, pulling Derek’s thoughts back to the task at hand—celebrating Midnight Storm’s nationwide reunion tour, not obsessing about how to soften the blow of Jo’s departure.
“The marketing team will put together an announcement in the next week so we can capitalize on the momentum from NostalgiCon,” Derek said. He turned to Beckett. “Are you ready for this?”
The tattooed twin nodded, his expression impossible toread.
“Jo, I have an idea for a video series to help promote the tour,” Zach said. “I’ve been messing around with doing some of our old hits in different keys—changing major to minor. We could do something about hearing the songs you love in a new way.”
“That’s a great idea,” Jo said, shifting Annie in her arms, “but I won’t be running your accounts once we leave here.”
“Why not?” Jackson sat forward, turning an accusatory glare Derek’s way.
She looked uncertainly between the two men. “I’m only running the account for NostalgiCon. You’ll need someone who’s on tour with you to manage it.”
“Then come on tour with us,” Beckett said.
Derek’s heart leapt into his throat. Jo, on tour with them? He hadn’t dared to imagine it, but now that it had been suggested, it was all he wanted. They could have more time—without needing Kat to make up reasons for them to be alone, without worrying about what that time would do to Annie if it ended. They’d still need to be discreet, of course, but they could sink into this feeling, roll around in it and make sure it fit, so that when the time came—ifit came—to introduce her to Annie as more than the nanny, he could be sure. They could have six months together, maybe even eight—
“I—I can’t,” Jo sputtered, and Derek’s heart stopped.
“Why not?” Nico asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Because I—I just can’t,” she said. “I have a job toget back to.”
Jackson blew a raspberry. “The Bay Breeze will survive without you. I, however, might not make it with someone new who doesn’t know my good angles.”
“I have a life to get back to,” she insisted.
Jackson flung his arms out to the side, knocking over a potted plant on the ledge behind him. “Everyone wants to live like this.”
“Jacks, she said no,” Beckett said firmly.
“Come on, JoJo. It’ll be fun,” Jackson said with a wink. “I’m sure bossman can make it worth your while.”
Jo’s face went white, her eyes darting to meet Derek’s and then skittering away again. Something cold and heavy gathered in Derek’s stomach, a sickly weight that threatened to pull him under.
“Jackson,” Logan said, a warning in his tone.
“What? Are we all going to pretend there isn’t something going on between you two? Come on. You picked her up at a bar and suddenly she’s the nanny?”
“Jackson,” Jo hissed, tilting her head meaningfully towards Annie, asleep but barely.
Nico shook his head. “Not cool man.”
Jackson took a sip of his whisky and leveled Derek with a smug glare. “What do you say, bossman? I don’t want to lose the best social media manager we’ve had in years. Are we still pretending she’s just staff, or do you have some extrabenefitsyou want to throw Jo’s way to sweeten the deal?”
“Enough,” Derek barked. His voice cut through the chatter at the table and made Annie jump in Jo’s arms. The surpriseon his daughter’s face as she woke soured in his stomach and he pushed his chair back from the table. He had to get out of there.
What was he thinking? Of course the band knew. Annie had slept in Kat’s room for the last two nights while her nanny stayed with him. They’d have to be idiots not to know. But he couldn’t have his artists gossiping about his relationships, making it out to be something tawdry.
You’re paying her, and you’re sleeping with her. It isn’t exactly wholesome.
He pushed to his feet and tugged Annie from Jo’s lap, lifting her in his arms like she was still a toddler. Jo recoiled at the roughness of his movements before her expression went blank, a mask he recognized from her own social media accounts. He wanted to wipe it away, wash away the makeup and the fake smile until there was nothing but him and Jo and Annie.
Annie.He had to get her out of there, away from whatever accusation Jackson was poised to lob their way. If he hadn’t been so focused on watching her with Jo, he would have done the responsible thing and sent her to bed hours ago. If he hadn’t been so selfish, he wouldn’t have had an affair with her nanny in the first place.
“Enough,” he repeated, more to himself than anyone else.
He was halfway back to their cottage before his heart stopped beating so loudly in his ears that he could hardly hear Annie soft voice, her head resting on his shoulder. “Daddy, what’s wrong? Don’t you want Jo to go on tour with you?”