So I Married a Rockstar

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ch.39: Arson

"Have you taught him any tricks yet?" Elle asked, watching Digger as he sat at my feet, his eyes fixed on the treat hidden in my hand.

"At the moment, I'm focusing on the basics, like sit and stay," I replied.

"He doesn't already know those?"

"He does, but I've never had a dog before, and I want to make sure I know what I'm doing."

I finally offered Digger the treat and he eagerly gobbled it down.

"I've never had a dog either. They've always seemed like too much hard work," Elle said.

Digger rested his head on my knee and I scratched his ears. "They can be, but he's worth it. Aren't you?" I cooed, and his tail started to thump.

Elle smiled, but it was sad around the edges. "Maybe I should think about it. At least I can trust a dog, no matter how famous I get."

She patted her knee, and Digger turned to her, his tongue lolling.

"Have you told your parents about him yet?" she asked.

"Yeah. My mum thinks he's adorable."

Elle scratched under Digger's chin, her expression thoughtful. "They still haven't met Jude, have they?"

"Not yet."

"Don't you think that's a bit weird?"

"It's just . . ." I searched for the words. "Jude and I have extended this trial by another month because of everything that's been going on, but that's no guarantee of anything. I still don't want to bring my old life and my new one together until I know what the future holds."

I could tell from the look Elle gave me that she thought I was making a mistake, and maybe she was right.

"I'll talk to Jude when he gets back from the studio tonight, and see what he thinks," I said.

"How's the album coming along?"

I pulled a face. "It was doing okay until this stalker shit ramped up."

Two days had passed since Elle and I had confronted Natalie, and we hadn't moved any further than that. Darius Keller had told Jude that there was no way Cole Roth was involved with of this, and Jude trusted Darius, so we were back to square one.

"Has Jude heard anything from Darrell?" Elle asked.

"Not since the morning after the party."

"And you still don't know what Darrell's blackmailing him with?"

I sighed and shook my head.

Elle's eyes slid away from me, and suddenly I got the feeling she was holding something back.

"What?" I said.

"I didn't want to worry you, but I don't think Darrell's bluffing. He's been active on social media these last couple of days, for the first time in a long time, and he hasn't said anything specific, but he's hinted that he has a bombshell to drop about Jude. Apparently several media outlets are vying for exclusives."

"Okay," I said slowly.

"I don't know what's going on between Jude and Darrell, and I'm guessing you don't either, but whatever it is might not be a secret for much longer," Elle said.

The front door flew open before I could respond.

Digger started frantically barking, and I jumped off my chair, my heart hammering.