“No soup,” Riot insisted. “No food. Stomach. Is. Too tight.”
Back in the elevator, all of us were worried.
“We’ve had to cancel shows before,” Violet said. “But it’s not ideal.”
“What you mean is itfucking sucks,” Milo said. “Canceling a show at the last minute is how you piss off your fans.”
“I’ll work on getting him some medicine,” Cash said. “That’s priority number one.”
“What about dinner?” Milo whined. “I want Portillo’s.”
“Go get dinner without me. I’ll figure out food later,” Cash said firmly.
“I’ll go with you,” I said. “I’m not really hungry yet.”
Milo looked shocked. “Not even for Portillo’s?”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“What! Roxie, come on. You’ve heard of Portillo’s. Everyone has. And if you haven’t, then we need to convert you to the church of the Portillo’s Italian beef hotdog.”
“It’s fine,” Violet said as we left the elevator. “She can get it tomorrow.”
Milo perked up at that. “We can get Portillo’s twice while we’re here?”
“Sure, little buddy.”
Milo didn’t even mind that she was treating him like a child. He grinned and hurried through the lobby and outside.
Cash was frowning at his phone screen. “There’s a pharmacy six or seven blocks to the north. Should be easy to walk to.”
“Let’s do it!” I said.
Downtown Chicago buzzed like a living, breathing animal. The wind off the lake tugged at my jacket and carried the smell of roasted nuts and car exhaust. I couldn’t help but gawk at the enormous skyscrapers that climbed so high they made my neck ache, glass catching the late afternoon sun and scattering it across the sidewalks in bright shards.
I laughed when Cash grabbed my arm and steered me around a knot of tourists. “Don’t forget we’re in a city,” he warned. “You’ve got to keep moving or the locals will walkthroughyou.”
“I should’ve learned my lesson when we were in New York,” I said, my gaze drifting up to the sky again. “I’m still not used to cities like this.”
“You’re from Austin. That’s a good-sized city.”
“Not likethis,” I said. “And that was the only real city I’ve ever been to. This is all new to me.”
“I’ll be your guide.” He stuck an elbow out for me to take, and I smiled as I clung to him.
Walking with Cash felt like being folded into the rhythm of the city itself, my pulse matching the thrum of traffic and footsteps as we disappeared into the crowd together.
“Thanks for coming with me,” he said as we crossed the street.
“Of course! You act like it’s a huge favor to join you on a quick errand.”
“Sometimes it feels like it,” he replied. “The others like to tease me about being the band mom, but when it comes to stuff like this? They’re more than happy to leave the responsibilities to me.”
“My friend Meghan calls thateldest child shit,” I explained. “She’s the eldest of four kids, and complains that she has to do everything. They threw a huge party for her mom’s fiftiethbirthday, and her siblings didn’t help at all. They left it all for her to do. But she just shrugs and says that it’s eldest child shit, and that it’s been that way her entire life.”
“Makes sense,” Cash said, “except that I’m younger than my sister Jennifer.”
“Oh. Well, you’re an eldest child at heart.”
