“We’re working on a schedule here, remember?”
“Boring,” Jay coughed.
“Responsible,” I sang back.
Jay rolled his eyes and pointed out the window again. “But Tom! ‘Seventeendistincteateries.’ Do you think they mean distinct from each other? Or was that supposed to bedistinctive? What do you think, Chet?”
“W-well…” Chet began.
“Oh, shit.” The man’s teeth were chattering. “Lemme turn down the A/C.” I reached for the dial on the dash.
“D-d-don’t mind me! J-just a little damp from the rain. There’s a sweatshirt on the floor back here. Y’all mind if I borrow it?”
I looked at Jay, who glanced back at the hoodie he’d taken off earlier. He hesitated a second, then shrugged. “Nah. Go ahead.”
“Oh my Lord! Is this genuine Jayd RollinsConstellationsmerch?” Chet asked after he’d pulled the shirt over his head. “I didn’t think this was even on the website yet! You must be a bigger Jayd fan than I thought.”
Jay hummed noncommittally and snuck another glance at the back seat, like he was waiting for Chet to put three and three together and get I’m-riding-in-a-van-with-a-celebrity. Fortunately, this level of math seemed to be beyond him, and I could practically see Jay’s muscles unbunch in relief.
“Whoa, this is high quality,” Chet breathed, running a hand over the sleeve, and Jay gave me a smirky little look that was really fucking charming, damn it.
The song changed over to “Magic Hook,” which was not one of my faves. “You know, I think I’ve heard this one.You got that magic hook,” I singsonged along with the opening line, which had Jay rolling his eyes at me again and fighting a smile. “What’s this one about, Chet?”
“Ohhh, this one here’s about Jayd being at a bar with his wingman,” he said importantly.
Jaythunkedhis head against the headrest and groaned.
“And it’s like, Jayd’s wingman could pull anyone in the place,” Chet continued, “but Jayd can’t get anyone to even toss him a pity fuck. Seems kinda crazy to me, ’cause I told you Chrissea says he’s fifty-four flavors of fine, but who knows what the dating scene is like in New York, you know? Anyway, this song is Jayd complaining about his friend. He’s saying, ‘Why do you have that big dick energy and I don’t? Why do you have the magic hook?’”
Jay and I exchanged a look, and I had to really work hard to hide my smile.
“Or,” Jay grumbled, like the words were being pulled from him. “Orrr.What if it’s about someone who draws you in—whohooksyou—and makes you fall for them, even though they’re not the person you were looking for, and they complicate the hell out of your life?”
“Huh.” Chet ran his tongue over his back teeth. “That’s not bad, Jerry. I mean, don’t quit your day job to take up songwriting full-time or nothin.’”
Jay shook his head and looked like he was going to say something, but I pointed out the window. “Late-night karaoke and the best mountain views in Dry Hump.” I caught Chet’s eye in the mirror. “Is thatyourDry Hump?”
He nodded. “The one and only. My Chrissea works at the All Ears Corn Cafe. Fanciest restaurant in the whole place,” he said proudly. “I used to tend bar at Fantasies Over the Emporium myself once upon a time.”
“Oh, yeah? What happened?” Jay asked.
“The call of the open road happened, Jerry.” Chet heaved a melancholy sigh. “It’s funny, ’cause I started singing at Fantasies on open mic nights mostly to impress Chrissea. Then I got offered paying gigs here and there, and I wanted the extra money so I could take her out, you know? But it turned out that I kinda liked singing. I like making music for people. And I like being something bigger than Chester Hatcher from Dry Hump. When I’m touring with the Newsmen, I got potential.”
“Yeah.” Jay sighed the word raggedly. “Yeah, I get that. But what about Chrissea?”
He shrugged. “That’s the thing, ain’t it? I love Chrissea. I think we could be happy for the long haul. But if I stay with her, won’t I always wonder what else is out there for me?”
“Maybe,” Jay said slowly, like the word was being dragged out of him. “But if you go, you’ll always wonder what you might have had if you’d stayed.”
I looked at him sharply. So did Chet. But Jay stared down at the CD case in his hand like the mysteries of the universe were written on it and ignored us both.
“Maybe also—” Jay cleared his throat and darted a lightning-fast look at me. “Consider that there could be a solution where you have both? I mean, I’m personally shit at balance, but I’ve heard rumors that people can have a careeranda relationship. I… kinda wish I’d tried it.”
Say what? With who? Was he talking about Olivia Merry? He couldn’t be. Was there someone else?
“Huh.” Chet sounded thoughtful. “What would that look like, having both?”
“God, who knows? I guess you two would need to figure that out. Customize it for yourself. Just don’t give up on her.” Another half-look in my direction. “Relationships are important.”
