“Tai is not going to be happy about this. Neither is Paul.”
“Fuck, I know.” The last thing I wanted to do was open that fucking can of worms, but the sooner the label knew about it, the sooner I could get our flight to Nova Scotia booked.
I called Tai to let her know the latest news. As expected, she was livid when I told her Cal intended on missing the show, and we’d have to cancel it.
“I understand his grandfather just died, but what the hell?” It wasn’t my place to tell Tai…but then, I couldn’t be sure Calum was in the right place to even think about it. He’d suffered a sudden loss and found out he was a father in one fell swoop. It’d be enough to shake anybody up.
“Calum hasn’t been home for nine years, Tai. He’s never bailed on a concert, never left us hanging. If he’s asked for it, it’s because heneedsthis.” I was firm, unyielding. “Not only did he lose his grandfather, but he found out he’s a father.”
“What?!” Tai’s voice boomed through the speaker. “Are you serious right now?”
“Yeah, so cut the guy some slack.”
“Oh man, the label is going to flip about this,” Tai grumbled.
“The label will have to deal with it,” I responded, growing increasingly frustrated.
“It’s not a matter of simply dealing with it, Dare.” Her frustration was evident, even Evan could hear it halfway across the room. “Fans paid to see The Forgotten Flounders, and if they don’t get to see you…that falls onyou guysto cover.”
“We know. Killian and Two Stoned can handle the show, and we’ll reimburse a portion of the ticket sales and add an extra show onto our next tour,” I replied without hesitation. “Hell, we’ll do two extra shows. The funeral is Friday, and our radio interview is tomorrow morning. Evan and I will handle that, but then we need to get on a plane. We are going to pay our respects to Frank Murphy and be there for our friend.”
Tai was quiet for several long moments, then she sighed heavily. “Paul and I will handle it. But, Dare, Rhett isn’t going to be pleased about this.”
Rhett Hall, the CEO of the recording label was hardly ever happy, and it didn’t matter anyway—I couldn’t care less about the guy. My thoughts and concerns were on the Jacobs siblings, both of them.
“Yeah, well. Rhett will have to get over it. Life happens, and so does death. Calum needs time to sort out his affairs, and Evan and I back him.”
“I’m not saying I don’t back him,” Tai rushed to explain. “But the labelisgoing to want us to control the narrative. They’re going to want an exclusive interview with Cal about this…situation…as soon as possible.”
“In time.” I frowned, knowing Cal would hate that. He detested when the press tried to pry into his personal life. “He’s in no state for that right now.”
Tai sighed. “All right. I’ll text you with flight details, and then I’ll deal with everything else.”
I felt a little guilty leaving her to sort out the mess, but it was what we paid her for. Hanging up, I set to packing my bags after telling Evan to do the same. As soon as we finished with the radio interview tomorrow morning, we’d be hopping on the first flight out of here.
All I could think about was getting to Connor and holding her in my arms.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Connor
My phone vibrated,buzzing on the mattress beside my head. I reached for it, eyelids fluttering open. I didn’t bother looking at the screen before answering.
“Hello?” I whispered, my throat croaking from the tears I’d cried before passing out after rereading Gramps’s letter. I hadn’t meant to prompt another crying session, but it happened. It’d only been a couple days since I’d learned of Gramps’s death, and the sting was still fresh.
“Hey.” The timbre of Dare’s voice coated me in comfort, and I closed my eyes…wishing I could feel his arms wrap around me from behind. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Not really,” I admitted, pausing long enough to clear my throat before continuing. “What about you?”
“I passed out for a couple hours, but I can sleep on the plane. We’re at the airport now, we’ll be boarding soon.”
I nodded before remembering it was a phone call. “Yeah, that’s true. What time does your flight get in?”
“Round five, I think.”
“Do you need me to pick you up?” I asked, purposely keeping my voice low. I wasn’t sure if Calum was up yet, or my father for that matter. I didn’t have a vehicle of my own, but Mom still let me borrow her SUV whenever I was home without question. I could slip away, and I knew she wouldn’t ask any questions.
“Tai’s got a rental car lined up for us, but thanks.” Dare cleared his throat. “I’ll be there soon.”
