“Here.” A hand thrust out holding a card. Wes had joined us. “I told the guys to meet us at the party. Is everything okay over here?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll call my bank in the morning and pay you back.” I studied my shoes, unable to meet his eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to pay and now I can,” Wes said as he took the check from our waitress and signed. “This is good luck if you ask me.”
“Yeah. Good luck.” But I knew better.
I tried not to look like I was rushing to leave the restaurant, but I desperately needed air.
I had expected my grandparents to figure out where I was and cancel my cards but not this fast. My advance from my label and first payment from joining the tour wouldn’t clear for another three days and I was hoping I’d have at least that much time.
If anything, the sidewalk was more suffocating than the restaurant. The pavement was flooded with drunken pedestrians toting novelty drinks. A group of women in their twenties in pink sashes giggled and stumbled past. I shifted back, my shoes peeling up from the sticky sidewalk.
“All good?” Wes asked.
“Yeah, just excited to get to the party.” He knew that my family didn’t approve of what I was doing. But I didn’t tell him I had bought my plane ticket with most of what was left in my savings and left without saying a word. I told him I’d take care of getting here and I did.
“Great.” He beamed. “The hotel is just up the street.” He held out his hand. It was less romantic and more like we were two kids about to cross the street, needing to hold onto each other for safety.
I moved to take it, but my phone chimed in my pocket, and I fished it out. My manager Lydia’s contact filled the screen. Shit. I forgot to update her about the show.
“I need to take this.” I flashed the small digital display on my gray flip phone Wes’s way so he could see. If it was anyone else, I would’ve said it could wait. Lydia offered me representationwhen I was seventeen and thought I was worth waiting for. The least I could do is pick up her call.
“Hello?”
“I heard the show went great. Congratulations.”
“Yeah, is that what you wanted to talk about? If there’s nothing else, could we chat tomorrow? Wes and I are about to head to the hotel.” I was desperately clinging to my state of denial.
“I’m so sorry. The label called. They’ve rescinded their offer.” Her voice was level, intentionally so, the sound of a first responder trying to calm someone who had yet to figure out the extent of their injuries.
“You’re joking.”
“I was at the final meeting with your contract in my hand and then someone walked in to say there was a call waiting for our contact. He left and when he came back, he said the deal was off. I’m sorry. I know how much this meant to you.”
“It’s not your fault.” I forced the words up past the heavy knot lodged in my throat. I knew exactly whose fault it was.
“We have other options. I’ll reach out to my network and see if I can get any more meetings to discuss your demo.”
“Thanks. I should go. Wes is waiting.”
“All right.” She hung up but I still held the phone to my face as I trembled with anger.
“Avery, what did Lydia say?” Wes asked as he studied my face
“My deal is gone. It was my grandparents.”
“She told you that?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t have to. Everything was good to go and then it wasn’t. I was stupid. I used their scanner to send the contract and my grandfather’s computer to email it. I thought that once Lydia had it nothing could go wrong. I should have been more careful. I—” I sucked in breath but couldn’t get enough air. Why couldn’t they let me have this? They didn’t want me in the first place, so why couldn’t they just let me go?
Strong arms wrapped me into a tight hug. I buried my face in the crook of Wes’s neck. The world melted away as I hid there. I nuzzled closer and was met with the familiar woodsy scent of him, it was almost Christmasy. Pine cut with a hint of citrus.
“We don’t have to go to the party. If you want, we can stay in and figure something out. Rent a movie?” he murmured. It was like we were the only people in the world instead of inches from being swept into the relentless tide of belligerent tourists.
“No.” I stepped out of Wes’s embrace and stood tall, composing myself. “We’re going to celebrate, damn it. I won’t give them the satisfaction of taking the rest of tonight away from me too.” I performed in Vegas. Wes organized a party for me. I wasn’t going to let them ruin the good things I still had.
“It’s not like all your money’s gone. You have the trust from your dad, right? That’s fifteen million they can’t touch.” Wes brightened at the idea, like it was a real solution instead of a wishful fantasy that was out of reach.
