The Outlaw Prince's Captive - Holly Rayner Page 0,64

couldn’t officially be threatened with disciplinary action for using vacation days, it was well known around the office that Rick kept track of who forewent their time off. Those were the people who deserved praise. Those were the people who upheld the core values of zeal and dedication.

And Naomi had been afraid. Though she had ached for more time with her sister, time during which she could start to heal from their shared loss, she needed this job too badly to risk making an enemy of Rick. She had hurried back home and returned to work, doing her best to act as though nothing had happened.

Betty knew what Naomi had been through. That was why she reached out in little ways like bringing muffins. And it helped. It was good to know that someone was still thinking of her, making sure that she ate and took care of herself.

God knew Rick didn’t care.

Coming to work here every day had been torture ever since. She hated Rick. She hated the sight of him. And she hated that her labor was contributing to his success.

Every day, she wished she could quit this job. But the idea of being out of work, of having to apply for something else, was overwhelming. She couldn’t face it. And so, day after day, she dragged herself to the office, sat at her desk, and put up with Rick’s snide comments about how she wasn’t dedicated enough to her job because she did things like eat lunch and go home at the end of the day.

Of course, her life hadn’t always been like this.

As she so often did at work, Naomi allowed herself to drift away into a fantasy.

Different cities every week. Her name—Naomi West—on posters and marquees. And the feeling of walking out onto a brightly lit stage, her guitar slung over her shoulder, taking her place before the microphone, and beginning to play to a packed house.

It felt like something that had happened to someone else. Something that had been a part of someone else’s life.

But it had been hers. For a few short months after college, she had actually found a measure of success with her music. Her first single, “Starlight Boy,” had been a surprise hit on both the country and pop charts.

Naomi had always been passionate about her music, but she’d never expected it to take her anywhere. She had assumed throughout her education that once she graduated, she would have to settle down and get a real job.

But that hadn’t happened. Not right away. Instead, one of her favorite bands, the Desert Flowers, had approached her with an offer to join them on their next national tour.

It had been an easy decision. Nothing could have persuaded Naomi to turn the opportunity down.

She’d spent five months on the road with the Flowers, playing sold-out arenas in cities she’d never visited before. Of course, it wasn’t her name that had sold the tickets. She was popular, yes, but she was still an up-and-comer, and she’d really only had one song that anybody knew. The Flowers were the famous band, the one everyone was coming to see.

But there was nothing like performing for a massive crowd.

Every bit of it had been exciting. Naomi had loved seeing a little bit of Naomi West merchandise at the table with the piles of Desert Flowers T-shirts and tote bags. She had loved the chaotic, jubilant feeling when the show came to an end and they all piled back on the bus to drive to their next destination.

She’d loved the Flowers, the way they had made her feel included in everything they did offstage, as if she was just another member of the group. And sometimes, of course, they had stayed in luxurious hotel suites, the kinds of places the Flowers could afford and Naomi would never have been able to pay for on her own.

But the best part of that time in her life had been sharing energy with the crowds. When a set had been going particularly well, she had been able to feel them responding to the music. It had driven her to perform even better, with even more emotion than she might have otherwise. Performing live was like no other feeling in the world, and Naomi missed it desperately.

Unfortunately, she had never come up with another hit song. Eventually, the tour with the Flowers had ended, and she had had to come back home. And then it had been time to get a job.

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