And from the pause at the door and the glance over her shoulder at me, I know she wants me to stop her, to beg her to stay. Sorry, not going to fucking happen.
I lift two fingers to my forehead and offer a salute, causing her brows to turn down.
“You’re an ass,” she says as she pushes past Ruben and leaves.
Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.
I lean forward with my elbows on my thighs as Ruben shuts the door to my dressing room and straightens his tie. The man is a killer in negotiations and the smartest man I know, but he’s a goddamn dweeb. It’s not the first time he’s walked in on me with a girl, and it won’t be the last, yet he still has the same nauseous and uncomfortable look.
I pour myself another shot of tequila but then lift the bottle to inspect it. We didn’t drink that much. “Fuck.” I sigh. “I think Matt’s stealing from me.”
Ruben steps closer and picks my shirt up off the ground. He folds it and gently sets it on the coffee table. “Your assistant?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “Things keep going missing, and he’s the only one besides you allowed in my private space.” I lift an eyebrow. “Unless you’re stealing from me?”
Utter shock and disgust cross Ruben’s face. “You . . . you can’t be serious.” He tugs on the cuffs of his paisley button-up shirt. “I would never—”
“I’m kidding, Ruben.” I toss the shot back and then lean against the couch again. “What’s up?”
“Two things,” he says, holding his fingers up. “Carlton called and wants to know when to expect the next album.” I roll my eyes.
“Jesus Christ, I told him he’ll get it when he gets it. I’m just finishing up his goddamn tour.”
“That’s what I told him, but since you’ve recently gone viral again, he wants to capitalize on that.”
“I’m sure he does,” I say. “Well, I have nothing, so he’ll be waiting a while.”
“Not even a single?”
“Ruben.” I stand from the couch and snag the shirt he folded. “You know me better than anyone, do you think I have a single up my sleeve I can just release?”
“Didn’t think so, but I thought I’d check.” I slip my shirt on. “What would you like me to tell Carlton?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Are you?” he asks.
“Nope,” I answer, picking up my faded gray baseball hat. “But I will.” After slipping it on backward, I grab my phone and place it in my pocket. “What’s the second thing?”
Ruben hesitates. “Abel called.”
That makes me pause and turn toward Ruben. “Why?”
“Your grandma fell again, fractured her hip. She’s been asking for you. She thinks this is the end.”
“She thinks every day is the end,” I say.
Ruben keeps me from moving toward the door when he says, “Abel thinks she really misses you and will say anything to get you home.” Ruben sighs. “I think you need to go back to Almond Bay.”
Ahh . . . fuck.
ChapterOne
HATTIE
“This is humiliating,” I say as I closely approach the place I grew up.
“Listen, no one knows that you failed your last semester. We went over this. You’re taking some time off,” my best friend Maggie says through the car speakers. “Earning a master’s degree isn’t easy.”
