“I’m going to be late tonight,” I tell her. “I have an emergency festival committee meeting at five.”
“What’s the emergency?”
I don’t answer right away, wanting to shield her from more bad news, but she’s going to find out about it soon enough. “Pushing Limits had to cancel.”
“Oh, no! What happened?”
“Their drummer was injured in a car accident and is unable to play for at least a month, so we need to figure out what to do.”
“Can I come? Maybe there’s something I can do to help.”
“Sure.” I can use all the help I can get. “Sounds good.”
We end the call, and I phone Lucas to rebook my PT appointment with him since I won’t make it today.
“Sorry about the band having to pull out,” he says after I tell him what happened. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“Why did you have to give up your drumming lessons when you were a kid?” My question comes out on a half-hearted grumble.
Lucas releases a sharp bark of a laugh. “Because I sucked at it. As you pointed out several times.”
I laugh, a low rumble in my throat, despite the world falling apart around me. “Yeah, I do seem to remember that part.”
* * *
An hour later,Lance and I are studying a blueprint stretched out on the hood of my truck when he releases a low wolf whistle.
I turn to where he’s looking.
Olivia’s walking up the sidewalk, carrying her picnic basket. She’s wearing a yellow sundress and a wide grin. “Hey, Athos. I thought you and I could have lunch.”
I return the smile, but mine is nowhere near as bright as hers. Too much crap is falling on my shoulders, especially today, for me to muster the energy to do better than that.
“You look pretty,” Lance says, his expression soft. Damn, he has it bad for her. “The dress looks great on you.”
“Thanks.” She gives him a twirl, and I swear my foreman freaking swoons.
I bite back a laugh. I can’t remember the last time he acted this way around a woman. Hell, I can’t remember the last time he hooked up with one. “Where’s Nova?” I ask.
“At my mom’s. So, are you free for lunch?”
“Sure.” I let Lance know he can tell everyone to break for lunch.
“On it, Boss.” He pushes away from the hood of the truck.
“Actually, I was hoping just you and I could have a picnic together,” Olivia tells me. “We need to talk. In private.”
Never in the history of “we need to talk” has it ever ended well. Olivia has already banned me from letting Jess hang out with Nova and me. What more can there be?
Lance must be wondering the same. His eyebrows are raised as if silently asking me that very question.
“Okay. Where do you want to go? I can’t be long, though. I have a festival committee meeting later, and I have lots to do before then.”
Lance leaves to talk to the crew.
Olivia flashes me a smile, easing my fear that she’s about to dump more bad news on me today. “Why don’t we go to the park? We should be able to find a quiet spot there.”
I walk with Olivia to the nearby neighborhood park. We sit on the empty bench in the shade of a maple tree overlooking the fountain. Several young kids are chasing each other around it, their giggles and shrieks heard over the splash of the water.
