Jeremy let out a short laugh. “I see what you did there.”
“Listen,” I began, “You’re doing this partly to help me. Shouldn’t I do what I can to make it as easy as possible for you to get it done well?”
“Yes, of course. I just didn’t want to put you out or cause you to lose money.”
I found his hand in the light of a passing streetlamp and put my hand over it. “How about you let me worry about that and you concentrate on making your fundraiser a success. Then we all win.”
Jeremy turned his hand palm up and entwined his fingers with mine. “Okay.”
A thought occurred to me. “Did you ask Evan to play in the fundraiser?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him bite his bottom lip. “I thought about it,” he said. “But I was hesitant to ask because his wedding is less than a month away.”
“I think he’d want to. He seems like that kind of guy.”
He looked at the clock on my dash. “It’s after midnight. I’ll send him a text to call me in the morning.”
“Not too early,” I said. “I have plans for that sweet little ass of yours.”
He hummed in agreement and squeezed my hand before drawing his away so he could text his friend. Jeremy hadn’t even gotten his phone back in his pocket when it began to vibrate insistently. “It’s Evan,” Jeremy said in surprise. He swiped to answer. “Hey, Ev. I thought you’d be in bed with your hot fiancé.”
Jeremy was silent while he listened to Evan’s response. I expected him to laugh or say something mildly inappropriate, but instead, he said with some confusion, “Yes, Sean’s here. I’ll ask him if he’s all right with that.”
“If I’m all right with what?” I asked.
“Evan wants me to put him on speaker.”
I lifted a shoulder in a shrug, “Sure. That’s fine with me.”
Jeremy hit the speaker button. “Okay, Ev, you’re on speaker. It’s just me and Sean in the car.”
“Hey, Evan,” I said cheerfully.
“Hey, Sean,” the other man replied. “I wanted to thank you.”
Now it was my turn to be confused. “Thank me for what?”
“Tony sent me some pictures. The one with you two is adorable, by the way. But the ones that got to me were of my bestie playing the piano with a bunch of people around him.” There was a pause, and when Evan spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion. “I was worried I’d never see that again, Sean. But somehow, you got him to do it, and he looked like he was having the time of his life. So, thank you. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”
“It was all him, Evan. I didn’t do anything. He’s the one who’s determined to make it happen.”
“I disagree,” Evan said. “I thought I was helping him by keeping him safe from the world.”
“I’m right here,” Jeremy muttered.
“I know you are, babe,” Evan said. “I’m telling your man how I messed up with you.”
“No,” Jeremy said firmly. “You gave me everything I needed, including a push when I dug in my heels. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all you’ve done.”
“Jeremy…”
“Evan, listen to me,” Jeremy demanded. “I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for you. Stop blaming yourself for my actions. Besides, I wouldn’t have met Sean if you hadn’t sent me here. So it’s all good.”
“I’ll say,” I commented with a leer at Jeremy.
“I heard that, you dirty boy,” Evan said with a chuckle. “So why am I calling you in the morning?” he asked Jeremy.
“I’m hosting a fundraiser at the hotel next Thursday. I’m going to play.”
