Iwas used to fighting for everything I got. It was just the way things were done in my world, and I accepted it as fact. So, when Quinn told me what he’d done for my father—for me—I really wasn’t sure how to react.
There were tears. There were thanks. There was laughter. And there were kisses. Lots of them. Thanks to this man, I had a real shot at getting my father back. If this was what it felt like for people to care and follow up, then I wanted more of it in my life. I wanted Noah to experience its wonders.
Quinn’s phone rang. He checked the sender before sending it to voicemail. He’d been doing that a lot today. Quinn was a busy guy, and it wasn’t lost on me that he’d forsaken everything to spend the day with me.
“More business?” I asked.
“Yes. Sorry. We’re putting the finishing touches on our album. It’s been hectic. Plus Tucker is trying to get us a tour this fall, but it’s a monumental task with it already being July. Things are already booked up, so now it’s looking like it might not happen until next year, which totally sucks.”
All I heard was—I’ll be around many more months. Isn’t that awesome?
“Is that a problem?” I asked.
“It is in the sense that tours help promote albums, so if we aren’t touring, then is it smart to release the album without one? But at the same time, Sketch Monsters has buzz now, so waiting is dangerous.”
“Oh. I get it.”
“Sometimes I wonder if people are just excited by the idea of us, you know. You’ve got theNext in Linestuff and my brother’s awesomeness and Jesserella’s fandom. We generate a lot of chatter. But will people want to buy our music if they view us as a gimmick?”
“You’re no gimmick. The new single is everywhere. How can you fail?”
“You’d be surprised how fast things can fall apart in the music world. I feel like we’re at this place where we’re either going to take off or disappear. And the odds seem fifty-fifty. I just worry because what am I going to do without this? This is the biggest opportunity of my life. If it fails, I won’t get another shot.”
“But it’s hardly been enough time. Sketch Monsters just formed.”
“I know. Maybe it just feels slow. Not sure what I was expecting. Tucker made it seem like we would shoot into the sky strapped on the back of a rocket, but it feels more like we’re tooling around town in a Prius. At this speed, I’ll never catch up to Jake.”
His admission surprised me. Was that what he was trying to do? Overtake his world-famous brother?
“I see your face, Jess. And yes, I know it’s wishful thinking.”
“Not wishful thinking, but Jake has a big head start. Do you think you’re setting yourself up to fail by making him your barometer of success?”
“Of course I am, but it plays into my whole ‘not being seen’ theme, see. I can never be totally happy with my success unless I’m standing on stage next to Jake as equals.”
Quinn’s phone rang again. He flipped it over on the table as if he were planning to ignore the call when his eyes widened and he hastily answered it.
“Hello?”
I watched as the stress lines in his forehead disappeared, replaced with a genuine smile. “When? Where? Okay. I’ll be there.”
He hung up and looked at me. “Get up. We’re going out.”
“Where to?” I asked, already out of my seat and grabbing for my purse.
“My big brother, Keith, is about to become a daddy.”
I put my purse on the table and slid back onto the chair. “That’s really awesome, but, uh… no flippin’ way.”
“What do you mean no way?”
“I’m not going to the hospital, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
“That is what I’m suggesting. Why not?”
“Why not?” I repeated. So many reasons. Where to start? “Because I can’t show up at a family function. They don’t know me. And to the birth of a little McKallister? No. Just no.”
“Uh-huh.” He smiled, grabbing my arm and pulling me off my seat. “Let’s go, Getaway Girl.”
