Little Secret, Red Hot Scandal. Cat Schield

he was going in for throat surgery tomorrow?”

      “No.” Mia’s heart gave a worried thump. “I knew he was struggling while we were on tour, and that he pushed through because he didn’t want to cancel any shows, but we haven’t spoken much since the tour ended.”

      Nate had made it perfectly clear that he wanted to continue the relationship. As intoxicating as their affair had been, Mia knew it was only a matter of time until their paths diverged. He wanted her to choose him over Ivy, but she just couldn’t leave her sister. Would the time ever be right? It was the question Nate had posed that last morning in Sydney. Mia had no clear answer.

      “I’m worried about him. He’s using a car service to get to and from the doctor’s office tomorrow, and he doesn’t have anyone staying with him at the hotel to help him after the procedure. I was wondering, since you are in LA, if you could check on him.”

      “Of course.” It was something a friend would do and they’d parted on reasonably good terms. Why hadn’t he said anything to her when they’d met earlier?

      Mia ran through what she would say to her sister tomorrow about taking care of Nate, and decided she would simply tell her that she needed some time off. It wasn’t as if Mia got to take vacations like a regular person. All the time she spent around Ivy was work, even when she was technically off. They might head to the Caribbean or the beaches of Europe together for a little R & R, but it wasn’t as though Mia got to party all night, drink too much and sleep in.

      “Do you know what clinic he’s going to?” Mia asked. “And what time the surgery is?”

      “No. I’m assuming that he’s using Dr. Hanson. He’s the best vocal cord surgeon in LA. Nate mentioned the appointment is first thing in the morning.”

      “How about where he’s staying?”

      “He usually gets a suite at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills when he’s in LA. It’s close to West Coast Records’ offices.”

      “I know it well. Ivy stayed there while renovations were being done on her house.”

      “One more thing. Don’t tell Nate you’re coming. You know how he hates accepting help.”

      “I’ve got it covered. He’ll never know what hit him.”

      “You’re a doll,” Melody said. “I’ve been sick, thinking about him all alone after the surgery.”

      “Don’t worry,” Mia said. “I’ll take excellent care of him.”

      “I know you will. And he might never admit it, but I think he’ll be really glad to have you there.”

       Three

      The morning of his surgery Nate’s thoughts were running on a hamster wheel, getting him nowhere. Not being able to talk for several weeks was going to make communicating with his clients a challenge. Although he’d asked for Mia’s help from her father and sister, he hadn’t approached her about acting as his voice for the next three to four weeks.

      It wasn’t that he couldn’t hire an assistant with ASL experience, although it might be tricky finding one on such short notice. He also wasn’t worried that the studio was booked solid and people were counting on him. He dreaded getting turned down by Mia again.

      Pushing all that to the side, Nate left his suite and headed to the elevator. When the car arrived at his floor, a young couple with a baby stroller were already inside. Nate stepped to the side of the elevator and gazed from the infant to the happy parents. Almost against his will, his thoughts turned to Mia.

      During those days with her on tour, for the first time ever, he’d contemplated what it would take to balance life on the road with a family. With the amount of touring Free Fall had done for the first few years when they were making a name for themselves, Nate hadn’t even considered settling down.

      Promoting an album meant grueling months on the road. It wasn’t the sort of thing where you dragged a wife and kids along. Well, some people did. But unless it was the right sort of relationship, traveling from one end of the country to another put a lot of strain on a couple.

      And then he’d met Mia. She was used to long months of touring and being away from home. As Ivy’s personal assistant, she was on the go constantly. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure if she had a home of her own. He’d easily pictured them working together in the studio and then going out on tour. If they had a baby, the whole family would travel. It had been an appealing fantasy.

      The elevator opened on the lobby and the couple with the stroller exited. Nate’s mood, already battered by his anxiety about the surgery, took another hit. Damn, he was tired of being alone.

      Suddenly every muscle in his body ached. He hadn’t felt a sweeping depression like this in ten years. Back then he’d fought off the darkness with pills, booze and sex. None of it had helped, but for a while he’d been able to forget.

      Nate stepped into the lobby, calling himself all kinds of coward and idiot for trying to handle things on his own. He was always the first one to lend a hand if someone needed it. Why did he have such an awful time accepting help?

      Shame. Admitting that he wasn’t strong enough to protect his mother when he was a kid or conquer an addiction to drugs when he was in his early twenties had led to both situations becoming worse. If he’d reached out for help, maybe his mom wouldn’t have been nearly beaten to death by his father and he wouldn’t have ended up burning bridges in the music business.

      Nate headed across the hotel lobby and outside to where a car should be waiting to take him to the doctor’s office. He’d turned down Trent’s and Melody’s offers to help, and he wasn’t feeling great about his decision. But he hated being a bother. Trent was out of town with Savannah and Dylan. Melody was in Las Vegas. And while his mother would have happily flown in from Dallas to baby him for a few days, Nate didn’t want to put her out. The surgery was delicate, but not overly invasive, and he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

      And then the most amazing thing happened. A familiar brunette got up from a chair near the front door and started walking in his direction. Her appearance was so unexpected that he rubbed his eyes to determine if he was hallucinating. If so, she was the most beautiful, wonderful, perfect figment of his imagination he’d ever experienced.

      “Mia?”

      “At last,” she said, gliding into step beside him. “I was worried that I’d missed you. How are you doing?” She peered up at him as the lobby doors opened with a whoosh and fresh air poured over them. “Are you nervous?”

      “What are you doing here?”

      “I’m here to take care of you.” She gave him a stern look. “Why didn’t you tell me you were having surgery?”

      His first impulse was to tell her he didn’t think it would matter to her. But that was a crappy response. He also hadn’t thought she’d be available since her sister kept her so busy.

      Instead he asked, “How did you know?”

      “Melody told me. She said you didn’t have anyone to help you after the surgery and she was worried.” The look Mia shot him was pure accusation. “And so was I.”

      “I’ll be perfectly fine.”

      “Ridiculous. A doctor won’t release anyone going under anesthesia unless they’re being picked up and watched over by a responsible adult. So, I’m going to sit in the waiting room while you have your surgery. And then I’m going to bring you back here. Tuck you in. And keep watch over you.”

      All that sounded like pure heaven. Having her fuss over him for the next few hours would speed his recovery along.

      “You don’t need to wait,” he told her as they settled into the back of the town car. “The procedure could take up to six hours.”