“Be careful. That may be every day. It gets old eating alone every night,” I admit.
“I’m sure you miss Andi terribly.”
“I do,” I admit. “But it’s more than that. I guess I just miss having a friend to hang out with sometimes.”
“I’d be honored to be your friend,” she offers.
“I’ll take you up on that offer,” I say as I extend my hand to shake hers.
Taking my hand in hers, she lightly squeezes as she shakes it. “As friends, I expect us to spend time together that’s not work related. Your schedule doesn’t allow much downtime, I know. But I’m sure you can findsometime for me.”
“I think that can be arranged,” I chuckle.
When the check arrives, Syndi tries to take it first. Snatching it from her hands, I give her my stern look of warning. “This is my treat tonight.”
“I’m the one who invited you, remember? We came to talk about your magazine shoot next week. That makes itmytreat, or rather, my company’s treat.” She smiles and takes the check away from me.
“Fine. This time, since it’s a business expense. Next time, I’m taking my friend out for dinner.”
“Deal,” she agrees.
When I walk into my hotel room, it hits me that I’m alone again. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I hit the button to FaceTime Andi and wait for it to connect. When she answers it, the screen is mostly dark but I can hear screams in the background. Glancing over at the clock, I’m surprised to see my dinner with Syndi lasted so long. It’s already well past the time I’m usually in the bed, but I’m much too energized to sleep now.
“Luke?” Andi yells over the background noise.
“Where are you tonight?” I yell back.
“We’re in Washington, DC. Sound Bar is onstage right now. I’m waiting to do our duets together.” She smiles. “Hear that crowd? They’re crazy tonight!”
“Everyone’s crazy about you, Andi,” I say.
“I gotta go, Luke! Travis is ready for me. I love you,” she says quickly.
“I love you,” I manage to get in before she climbs the stairs beside the stage.
She blows me a kiss and disconnects the call. I sit staring at my phone for a minute while her words run through my mind like a freight train.
Travis is ready for me.
I just bet he is.
Scrolling through my contacts until I find Syndi’s number, my thumb hits her name and I wait for her to answer.
“Hello?” she answers.
“Hey, Syndi. It’s Luke,” I state the obvious.
“Hey, you. What’s up?”
“If you see or hear anything that indicates this coverage of Andi and Travis is more than just a sales ploy, you’ll tell me, right?”
“I will definitely tell you, Luke,” she promises. “Did something else happen?”
“I just have an uneasy feeling that I can’t explain away. We’re not talking as much as we used to. She’s so busy with the tour, and I’m busy with my career. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I’ve never felt further away from her,” I admit solemnly. “And I don’t know why I’m telling you this, other than I don’t have anyone else to tell.”
“Luke, I meant it when I said I want us to be friends. You can trust me.”
“Thanks, Syndi. I appreciate that,” I say sincerely. “I also need to ask you about my schedule over Valentine’s weekend. If it’s clear, Andi’s planning to fly out to spend some time with me while she has a break in her schedule.”
