I closed my eyes and took a calming breath like my therapist had taught me. This was Evan, my best friend, the only person who stood by me during the nightmare that had been the last eighteen months of my life. Even my parents—the people who poured countless hours and huge sums of money into molding my precocious talent on the piano into a multimillion-dollar enterprise—left me. They had no idea how to deal with my fall from grace, so they did what they always did when things got hard—they ran.
I felt Evan’s arm go around my shoulders, and I leaned into him, thanking whatever gods existed for his steady strength. He kissed my temple. “You’ve got this.”
“Hey there, are you making moves on my man?”
I snorted and grinned at Evan’s fiancé, Raphael. “He was mine first.”
The other man’s smile lit up the room. “And I will be forever grateful for that. Without you, I never would have met him.”
Evan rose and wrapped himself around Raphael. God, they were a beautiful couple. Evan was a big man, tall and muscular, with dark-brown skin and waist-length locs. People often mistook him for a bouncer. They had no idea that those big strong hands coaxed the most delicate, gorgeous sounds out of his cello. Raphael looked like a model. His light-brown skin and wavy black hair caught people’s attention wherever he went. I was sure he used his looks to his advantage in the courtroom whenever he could.
The pair met when I hired Raphael to fight the lawsuit Pierce filed against me. After all the pain and suffering he caused me with his shitty driving, he tried to sue me for five million dollars, saying I distracted him that day and the accident was my fault. I brought Evan with me to meet my new lawyer because I was still having trouble making it out of my apartment, never mind meeting someone new. The moment they laid eyes on each other, it was over. I had never seen Evan so gone for a man before. Most of the time, he was one and done, but Raphael had my best friend twisted around his little finger in no time flat. Of course, Evan had his own magic, and Raphael was definitely under his spell.
Raphael made quick work of Pierce’s lawsuit during the deposition. He simply asked the opposing lawyer how I could have possibly been giving Pierce a blowjob when the first responders had to cut me out of my seatbelt after the accident. Pierce was livid, shocked that I’d fought against him. I guess he figured after my world imploded, I wouldn’t have the energy. Frankly, I only did it because Evan wouldn’t let me give up.
Raphael drew Evan into a long, languid kiss. “I’m going to leave the office early so I can drive you to your concert,” he said when they came up for air.
“Are you sure, love?” Evan asked. “I have to be there two hours early.”
“No problem,” Raphael replied. “Jeremy and I will keep each other company.” Raphael glanced over at me. “You are coming, aren’t you?”
A spike of panic tore through me, momentarily rendering me speechless. I almost shook my head to say no, but I could not, would not do that to my best friend. Evan was the featured performer in a concert at Lincoln Center. His star was finally rising, and I wanted to see it. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Evan smiled at me, and his eyes shone with pride. He knew how hard it was for me to go out in public. I was easing my way back into life, but it seemed to be taking much longer than I expected. Tonight’s concert would be the first big challenge I’d had in a long time. Thankfully I was only going to watch, not perform. Evan gave his fiancé another kiss goodbye, and then Raphael was out the door and off to do lawyerly things.
I wondered if I would ever be ready to play in public again. I guessed I would find out at Evan and Raphael’s wedding. I looked down at the program, and the address of the venue caught my eye. “New Jersey? Are you serious? You live in Manhattan. Of all the places you could get married, you’re getting married in New Jersey?”
Evan looked surprised at my outburst. “You knew this. We talked about it months ago.”
I shook my head. “I must have blocked it out.” I closed my eyes and sighed heavily. “I almost died in New Jersey, you know.”
“This is nowhere near Livingston,” Evan said patiently. “It’s on the shore, in the summer. No snow. Just sand and the ocean.” He woke up his tablet and slid it over. “Look at this place. It’s gorgeous.”
The picture was of a huge old Victorian home painted bright white. In the background were carefully cultivated gardens, rooftops, and the church steeple of a small sleepy town. A swipe gave me a view of the beach and the ocean. More swipes showed me the tastefully decorated rooms, the heated outdoor pool, and the gigantic wraparound porch. One last swipe and my eyes went wide. “Is that…?”
Evan nodded. “A Steinway concert grand.”
“In that tiny hotel,” I said with wonder.
“Technically, it’s an inn,” Evan said. “But whatever. The piano is in the restaurant where we’re holding the wedding. Wait until you see it in person. It’s the perfect place.”
I shrugged. “I guess I’ll see it next month.”
Even cleared his throat and glanced away from me. “About that…”
I felt my brow furrow deeply. I could always tell when he was up to something, and Evan was definitely up to something. “What’s going on?”
He squared his shoulders and said, “We booked your room there starting next week.”
I tilted my head. “I must have heard incorrectly. I thought you said you booked my room starting next week. That can’t be right.”
Evan let out a soft sigh. “It’s right. We did.”
“Why? Why would you do that?” Panic constricted my chest and my vision clouded.
Evan took my hands in his. “Breathe with me, Jeremy.” His voice was soothing and his touch grounded me. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I tried to follow suit. He did it again and again until I was breathing normally. He squeezed my hands. “This right here is why. You used to travel the world without batting an eye. Now you barely leave my apartment.”
I reared back, pulling my hands out of his, stung by the implication of his words. “I told you to let me know if I’d overstayed my welcome.”
