“I wonder how the acoustics hold up.” Caleb warbled a few notes of a current pop song. “Nice. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “We get a place to practice that’s out of the public radar, and I get to hang out with my wife.”
“Good plan.”
“I liked it,” Ryan said.
“What about Julia’s friends? Won’t they wonder why we’re playing music?”
“We’ll tell them we got the bug and are starting our own band. Besides, we’re working on new songs. If we play an oldie, they’ll think we’re doing a cover.”
Caleb smirked. “I never knew you were so devious.”
“Whatever it takes to win back Julia,” Ryan said.
Whatever it takes.
“Julia! Where did you meet two roadies? They’ve worked withFrench Letters,” Christina said, excitement making her bounce around like a kid. The motion set her multitude of bracelets jingling.
“Did they say how long they were back in Auckland before they head off again?” she asked in an attempt at casual.
Christina and Maggie both stared at her. “Don’t you know?”
“We’re getting a divorce. It’s none of my business,” Julia said.
“He doesn’t want a divorce,” Maggie said. “I think he’s cute.”
“Connor, your wife is lusting after my husband,” Julia shouted.
Maggie clicked her fingers in Julia’s face, her satisfaction veering close to smugness. “So you admit he’s yours.” She sobered. “Was he the father—?”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Julia snarled, her teeth bared in a heart-pounding flash of rage. “And if you tell him I’ll never speak to you again.”
Maggie’s humor faded and she backed away, her hands held up in a gesture of surrender. “Julia, I’d never do that to you. I’m sorry I mentioned it. It was a bad joke. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Anguish filled Julia then, the feelings she’d tried to stuff in the pockets of her mind jumping front and center. The fury at Ryan, at herself for losing their child. The accursed guilt that never seemed to go away. Why had Ryan crashed back into her life? She’d pulled herself back together, and now that he’d appeared every bad memory seemed brand new again. She sucked in a breath, battling the need to blubber. God, she was turning into a crybaby. Her hands clenched the clipboard like a lifeline.
She wondered how long Ryan was back for this time.French Letterswas doing well on the charts. Surely it wouldn’t be too long before they headed off on tour and her life could return to normal.
Julia’s glance hit the stage and landed on Ryan and Caleb. Or as normal as it could be for the manager of an ailing strip club.
