She snorts and I don’t think I’ve ever heard her make that sound.
“I know a thing or two about ridiculous expectations from parents. Sometimes it’s best to be honest about them and let them know how you feel.” She sighs and stands before turning toward the hallway. “But don’t wait too long. I didn’t learn that lesson until this year, and I’m kicking myself for not realizing what my parents were doing sooner. Like in my teen years.”
With those parting words, she disappears down the dimly lit hallway. You’d think that’s something her boyfriend would have fixed when renovating the back of the store. Though I can see why he didn’t. It allows the space to be open but not completely visible.
Emily’s advice bounces around in my head. While I love the idea of telling my parents to drop any and all expectations of me, they aren’t the only one’s who’d need to hear the words. My brothers and sister would have to be told as well. At this point it’s easier to go and put on a fake smile than it is to get into a heated battle with them.
The bell above the door jingles as someone pushes open the door. I force a smile even though I’m feeling anything but happy at the moment. Fake it 'til you make it. The mantra I repeated to myself since I was a teen andhad the silly idea my parents wouldn’t want me to take part in the business.
It’s funny how wrong I was all those years ago. Even still, they never give up. Maybe I can appeal to my brother during this trip. Surely, he’s tired of staying on my ass about it.
Best not to worry about it right this second. I have time. For now, I’ll worry about the customer who walked in.
CHAPTER TWO
tristan
“Tristan!”Dale pushes through the crowd at Out of the Ashes to get to me. The door is feet in front of me. I almost made it out with someone requesting something from me.
It’s not that I dislike my job. I have a blast, but sometimes it feels like they are constantly looking at me to be their gopher.
The urge to keep walking and act like I didn’t hear him is strong. It’s not who I am, though. I would feel horrible, and I don’t want to put myself through that.
Turning, I wait for him to catch up. “What’s up?”
Hopefully I don’t sound annoyed. If I do, it doesn’t register to him because he’s catching his breath and holds up a finger.
My foot taps despite trying to keep my cool. I just want to get back to the hotel. Though, it might be time to invest in a property here since we’re in town so much. I’llget around to looking once I’m done doing whatever Dale needs.
Now that he’s caught his breath he glances up and down. “Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, I want to unwind since we just came off tour again.”
“I totally get it. It’s the whole reason we’re building a studio out here. Being treated like a normal person in a town is nice, and it’ll give us a place to hang out when we have down time.”
He’s not wrong. They’ve come here so often, they are practically locals. The people here don’t get star struck anymore. Is this seriously what he wanted to talk to me about?
“I’ll be checking out rental properties soon, or invest in a property soon.”
“That’s a good idea. This is our home away from home.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Anyway, if you aren’t busy, I have a favor to ask you.”
So much for my day off. I’ve been with the band for a few years now, and I can’t help but wonder how they got things done before I came along. They didn’t have a crew when they started out.
“What do you need?”
There’s no point in trying to deflect. Dale will give me the puppy dog eyes and knows I’ll fold. One of these days I won’t be such a pushover. There’s only one night I stood my ground, and I regret not being my normal self in that one instance.
“So, you know Valentine’s Day is coming up, right?”
“I’m aware.”
“Well, me and some of the guys need to get some flowers ordered for our partners. But we want it to be a surprise so we can’t use our personal cards.”
Honestly, I’m shocked they all have joint accounts. I’m not sure how normal that is in celebrity relationships, but it seems odd they don’t have at least one account of their own.
“Okay.” I drawl. “Why do you need me?”
“Well, we know you talked to one of the women who runs the flower shop. We thought you might be able to get us a last-minute order and also put it on your card. You can expense it, of course.”
