She’d have to sue me for divorce and marry someone else, and I’d probably still be pawing at her door, trying to win herover.
Yeah. That was thetruth.
I wanted to be Maggie Omura’s husband like I wanted to be Dirty’s leadsinger.
Ihadtobe.
What the fuck else would I do if I didn’t have Dirty? If they ever voted me off the fucking island? I’d be lost withoutthem.
I could sing with another band, but it wouldn’t bemusic.
I could fuck a lot of otherwomen.
It wouldn’t belove.
Someone was knocking on the door. I had no idea how much time had passed, if someone was waiting to take me back to the hotel, if the guys were heading out to a bar, whatever. I just ignored it and keptsmoking.
Then the door popped open and Shady stuck his head in. “Maggie’s outside,” he told me in a low voice. “Said she needs to talk toyou.”
I sat up and brushed the weed aside. “Let her in.” I took a final hit from the joint, then crushed the rest in anashtray.
Shady stepped back and Maggie poked her head in the door. “Need to go over a few things for tomorrow,” she said. No expression on her face. No warmth. NoHow the fuck areyou?
I nodded and she came up the steps, shutting the door behind herself. She lingered there, barely inside the lounge, one foot practically out thedoor.
She glanced at the weed on the table but she didn’t say anything aboutit.
She used to say a lot aboutit.
These days, she chose her battles with mecarefully.
She wore tight jeans and a long, loose sweater that hid her petite curves. Gray, to match her eyes. Her dark hair was smoothed down straight around her face, as usual. She looked a little tired… But those fuckinglips. I only realized she was talking because her lips weremoving.
Kinda got lost looking at hermouth…
“… three phone interviews in the morning,” she was saying. “The first is ateight—”
“Eight?” Christ, I was barely out of bed at eight. What about the gym? Andbreakfast?
And maybe a morninglay?
“East coast,” she said. “Brody wants you to do it.” She watched as I got to my feet and moved toward her. “Talia will be over at five-to to get you set up…” Her eyes widened as I got close, as I reached past her and flipped the lock on the door. “You’ll probably want to set analarm…”
I drew the curtain behind her, closing off the front steps and the driver’s seat, blocking the front windows so we were totally alone in the lounge. The blinds on the windows down the sides of the bus were alreadyshut.
Then I went back over to the couch and satdown.
Maggie just stood there with her arms crossed, watchingme.
“That all?” Isaid.
“Fornow.”
“How was the showtonight?”
She stared at me for a moment, searching my face, like it was a trick question. “That screw-up on ‘Road Back Home’?” she said. “It wasn’t as bad as you think. You handled it reallywell.”
“Come sit down.” I nodded at the couch beside me, loungingback.
