Page 3 of Rockstar Retreat

2

Sharon

Why didit have to be here, of all places? I lamented but kept my thoughts to myself as I watched Jerrik from across the check in counter. By the look on his face, he hadn't expected me either.

Holy crap!

I’d signed up working here on a lie, a premise, the type that girls like me need to tell to get away from our past. I told the center that I was brought up by a bunch of hippies, the type that believed in yoga, the ones that inspired me to be a teacher. That’s the message that my boss, Henry, wanted to hear and I had convinced him that I’d lived by this belief my whole life.

Jerrik should be in the city somewhere, doing drugs, alcohol, and women, if the tabloids were anything to go by.

Then again, the same magazines and websites that posted seedy stories about him had started up a rumor that he would be sent out on a retreat after his last scandal and that it would be where I worked, but I had wished fervently that the rumors were false.

I had no desire to see a familiar face, and Jerrik’s was perhaps the least welcome. I wanted to turn and run, but I had a job to do, and Jerrik, of all people, wasn’t going to send me running, even though I had my hands clenched on the counter with the temptation to duck down underneath it, even when he’d already laid eyes on me.

“Excuse me, sir?” I called tentatively, watching as the two of them were locked in some stare down. “I still need some of your details for check in.”

The man that had his hand on Jerrik’s shoulder turned to me with a polite smile. “Ah, it’s only this guy over here. I just brought him here.”

I was tempted to ask if he was Jerrik’s babysitter. Instead, I asked, “And you are, sir?”

He looked at me curiously, and I felt my face warm a little when I realized that was probably not something I should be asking. Still, he answered.

“I’m his agent, Tom. I’ll be leaving him here, so please take good care of him.”

My face warmed some more, but at least I bit back the harsh “No” that I wanted to say instead.

“Well, I need information from one of you for check in, so who will be giving me that?”

Tom slapped Jerrik on his shoulder before pushing him ahead. Jerrik stumbled and shot Tom a glare before his eyes turned back to me with a frown.

“What do you need from me?” He looked as though he wanted to run just as fast as I did.

As we went through the process, he had his eyes on me the entire time, while I did my best to avoid his gaze. At least he wasn’t saying anything about how we apparently knew each other.

“All right,” I said finally, breathing a sigh of relief. “I have everything, and your room is ready. Would you like to go there now, or…?”

I looked up to meet his eyes and my voice trailed off. His eyes were staring intently at me, and I resisted the urge to flinch back from the look on his face.

I had to get him aside and talk to him before he said anything he shouldn’t. Tom finding out wouldn’t be a problem. Tom would be leaving in a bit, but I would be stuck with Jerrik for a few weeks. Acting like I didn’t know him would be pointless, he obviously recognized me the moment he saw me and that was probably the reason why his own eyes were just a little wider than normal.

He probably wasn’t happy to see me either. Oh, joy.

“I could show you the way to your room,” I offered.

Of course, it was just so I could get him alone and talk to him, before he had a chance to give me away. I was lucky to be alone when they entered the reception. Someone else usually sat behind the counter with me, but he’d left because he was called elsewhere. Besides that, Jerrik hadn't made it obvious that he knew me yet.

“That right there is my cue to leave,” the agent said, then turned to give Jerrik a look. “I will be checking in on you. And don’t you dare think of skipping out early.”

Jerrik frowned at the other man. “Where would I go? How? Unless you’re leaving me the car.”

Tom scoffed. “You can be creative; don’t play with me, kid. And like hell I’m leaving you with my car.”

“You could have let me come with my own,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, no. That way, you would definitely run.” He turned to me with a wink and a smile. “Take care of my boy for me, would you? Sorry in advance if he causes any trouble. I’m sure deep, deep down inside, he’s good.”

Jerrik’s frown grew fierce, and my lips rose in a small smile, a little amused in spite of myself. Jerrik said something quietly, probably a curse, and the agent left, laughing as he went.