Page 50 of Indescribable Love
The first tear fell and he didn’t let her finish, leaning in to kiss her instead. He hadn’t meant to make her cry or to ruin a beautiful afternoon. So instead, he kissed her, and she kissed him back. Slowly, they reclined back against the pillows and into each other’s arms. And as the sun went down in its spectacular fashion, Simon told himself they’d started something good. Something right.
Something that had the potential to be…everything.
Chapter Ten
It was chaos. That was the only way she could describe it. They had arrived in Seattle earlier that morning, and from the moment they stepped off the plane, it had been a whirlwind.
Cameras were all around them, people asking questions and demanding answers from Simon—and not the kind from your average paparazzi, but from his team of people and the film crew talking to him about how the day was going to go and what the schedule would be. He took it all in stride and the smile never left his face, but Juliette noticed the tension and had to wonder why no one else did.
And if they did, why they didn’t step in to help.
This is where I’m supposed to step in…
Moving in front of him, Juliette went into full publicist mode. “I understand we’re all excited to get started on tour rehearsal and the filming that’s going to go with it. Can we hold off on some of this madness until Simon has a chance to get to the hotel?” It wasn’t really a question; she was telling them to back the hell off for a few minutes.
Maybe she was out of line, but it was all just too much. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Nikki, who gave her a thumbs up.
Okay. I did the right thing.
“We’ve all seen the schedule, and I believe we can accomplish more while we’re sitting together someplace other than the airport,” she added. “Thank you.” Then she ushered Simon to the waiting SUV and climbed in behind him. Nikki joined them, but when someone with a camera tried, Juliette shut the door and motioned to the driver. “Go!”
“That was awesome!” Nikki gushed. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
Juliette gave her an absent smile and immediately began firing off questions to make sure they were all on the same page for what came next.
“Security is ready at the hotel?” she asked Nikki.
“It is. We’ve stayed at The Four Seasons before and they’re fantastic with keeping the hounds at bay.”
Nodding, she asked, “Are we already checked in, or do we need to be in the lobby?”
“I went to the hotel earlier and everyone is checked in. They know we’re on the way, and the concierge team will be waiting for us. Simon, you’re in the Governor’s Suite like the last time. Jules, you’ve got a deluxe room with a view of the bay on the same floor.” She paused and checked her notes. “Actually, we’re all on the same floor.”
It was the wrong time to be thinking about it, but it might make things awkward for her and Simon to get any alone time, especially overnight, if security and his entire team were right there in close proximity. And while it wasn’t like they couldn’t sleep apart, she was finding that she genuinely enjoyed sharing a bed with him, even when they were just sleeping.
So not the time to be thinking about this…
The drive to the hotel took thirty minutes, and most of that time, she and Nikki were the only ones talking. Simon was quiet and just seemed content to watch the scenery, but she had a feeling he was already dreading what was to come. More than anything, she hated that because she could only imagine that under normal circumstances, he would love getting ready to start the tour back up. She knew how much he enjoyed being up on stage and performing, but this whole filming thing was really turning out to be more of a negative distraction than anything else.
And clearly she wasn’t the only one thinking about it because she caught Nikki studying him as well.
Note to self: talk to Nikki alone. ASAP.
When the SUV came to a stop at the valet, they piled out and Juliette had to admit she was relieved that the rest of the team wasn’t right behind them. With any luck, they’d get some solid time to settle in before the madness started again.
Simon waved to a few people, stopped and posed for a couple of photos, and signed some autographs before they all stepped into the elevator. A member of the concierge team joined them and escorted them to each of their rooms, starting with Simon’s. Once he was settled, Juliette stayed in her professional mode and left him to go and see her room, which was connected to Nikki’s. As soon as she was sure they were alone, she knocked on the door connecting them and almost sagged with relief when Nikki smiled at her.
“We need to talk,” she blurted out.
Nodding, Nikki practically dragged her into her room. “I know. Glad we’re on the same page.”
“Is it normal for Simon to be that…withdrawn?” she asked.
“Not at all. Did anything happen since I left you guys in Asheville? Did Max or his team do anything else? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Simon like this. When we’re ready to start a tour up again, he’s practically bouncing in his seat and humming and singing and just…musical all the damn time! This isn’t natural, Jules. Something’s got to give.”
She relayed the conversation she’d had with Vanessa and, as expected, Nikki was outraged too. “So what happened?”
“Simon got his legal people involved but I haven’t heard anything else since. So I’m not sure where anyone’s at! I didn’t think anything was bad as far as the filming was concerned when we landed, but he’s just so…quiet. I realize I don’t know him nearly as well as you, but even I can tell that something’s off.” She paused. “His brothers are coming next week. Do you think there’s any way we can convince them to come sooner? I have no idea what their schedules are like, but maybe if they were here like…now, Simon would relax.” Another pause because Nikki wasn’t saying anything. “Am I being crazy? Is that a bad idea? Maybe his brothers aren’t the answer but…”