That wasn’t an answer, which makes me more curious.
We’re all quiet for a few seconds while I chew on everything I’ve heard. “This tour’s over, but you established relationships with every bar. They loved you guys. You know they’d jump at the chance to have you back. It’s like printing money; they’re guaranteed a profitable night and bragging rights. I have phone numbers for all the managers, and I can help you set up a new tour and schedule it, if you want.”
“You’d do that for us?” Jesse asks.
“Of course. I don’t think you understand how much I want you guys to succeed. You were born to do this.” I mean every word.
Jesse stands, steadies himself, “Man, that hit hard,” and then proceeds toward the bathroom. “You’re the best, Soph. I gotta piss. Be right back.”
When we hear the door click closed, Ever asks, “Would you come with us? I can’t do this without you.”Not we,I.It’s a plea.
I rotate completely so I’m facing him and fold my legs like a pretzel. A big hand comes to rest on each of my knees resting on his spread thighs.
Normally, this is where I would start to worry about bills and money and responsibilities, but instead, I repeat what he told me yesterday, “I’ve got you.”
“This might get crazy. The music industry is mental,” he says quietly.
Taking his face in my hands, I search his worried eyes and repeat, “I’ve got you.” My thumbs stroking his cheeks, I give him a quick kiss. “Besides, I’ve lived with Lola Wren for thirty years, I’ve seen some shit.”
“Who’s Lola?” Jesse asks as he returns to the room and the conversation.
“My sister. I think you’d get along.”
He laughs. “What does that say about me?”
“I’ve seen some shit,” I repeat.
My answer makes him laugh harder.
Ever points at the cupcake box. “Can you pass me one of those, Jess?”
Jesse brings it to us since we’re tangled up. I take the chocolate, and Ever takes the red velvet.
As I’m licking the icing, I think out loud. “What about this? If we get on the road early in the morning, we can be at my house by evening. You guys can stay with us for a while. It’ll give you a chance to sleep in real beds, get some rest, and decide what you wanna do.”
Ever looks at Jesse, and I know he’ll do whatever his brother needs him to.
They stare at each other for several seconds, as if a silent conversation is going on, or maybe it’s a game of chicken.
“I’ve got nothing else going on.” It sounds lighthearted, but knowing what I know now about Jesse’s personal life, I know it’s anything but.
Ever looks at him and then me. “You’re in, no matter what?”
What I’m about to say deserves a gigantic check mark on the board, but I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. “No matter what.”
Like he can read my mind, Ever says, “Let’s go to Denver.”
twenty-five
TWO MONTHS EARLIER
“Don’t fuck this up,kid. You’re on top of the world.Listen to that crowd.” The rumbling voice coming from the other side of the door sets my teeth on edge. And the roar of the distant crowd makes my chest ache.
Only minutes off stage, the performance-induced adrenaline spike’s still lacerating through my veins. Heart pounding like a bass drum and breaths sawing in and out as I grasp the zipper at the base of my skull and ease it up. Slipping out of the mask I’ve worn like armor feels like emerging from the undertow. My lungs expand, greedy for a future that’s unknown, but also, for the first time in four years, solely mine.
A loud knock on the door is followed by, “Let’s talk. It’s not too late to change your mind. You’re on track to be the biggest name in music. You’d have to be a fucking idiot to throw that away.” He’s the type of guy who’s relentless when he hears the word no. Power transforms people into the worst versions of themselves.
Which is why I need out now.
