“I feel stupid for leaving it behind.” Who leaves a favorite sweater in a laundromat?
Jace gives me a sympathetic smile. “No one was here. I figured it was safe too.”
On our way back to the bus, Jace suggests we grab a bite to eat at a quiet Italian restaurant, and I wonder if it’s to cheer me up after losing my sweater.
We sit in a two-top, and Jace pulls Layla into his lap. The scent of butter and garlic fills the air, candles burn on every table, and twinkle lights decorate the walls. It’s cozy and intimate.
As we wait for our food, I ask the question I’ve been mulling over. “Do you think the Cherry Smasher is done? Or do I need to be worried?” A knife through our tire was scary. But this seems like a safer topic than whether he knows his bandmates hate me.
“I don’t wanna take any chances. Let’s see what the next venue looks like before we make any decisions, but I’m thinking maybe I should walk you back to the bus after our shows.”
“Frank won’t be excited about that.”
“I don’t care. I want you and Layla to be safe.”
I’d hate to be the reason Jace and his manager argue. “I could always walk back with a roadie or call Edmond again. Just a thought.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
Nodding, I smile at my handsome boyfriend. When we finish dinner, I wipe Layla’s face. “How will the concerts work now thateveryone will be performing on one stage?” At the music festival, there were multiple stages.
“They’re not all part of Garrett’s tour. We just happened to dovetail with the music festival, and Frank said to use it as a warmup. There are a few more festivals throughout the summer.”
I take a sip of my iced tea. “I can’t imagine the logistics that go into planning a tour. I get overwhelmed if I have to coordinate more than one event a week at the library.”
He squeezes my hand. “Do you miss it? You seemed really good with those little kids.”
I pause. “You saw me?”
His grin tilts up on one side. “Caught the tail end of your Saturday story hour once. Watched y’all through the window. You were sitting there with all the kids at your feet. They were staring at you like you were a fairy princess.”
“Only I wield books instead of wands.” I laugh off the comment, but then I realize that he noticed me long before we went on tour together.
I’m on cloud nine as we stroll back to the bus, the conversation shifting from books I think he might enjoy to our favorite bands and albums.
It isn’t until we’re boarding the bus when I realize who’s parked next to us.
Marlowe and the Dusty Roses.
Why did her bus move from the other side of the lot?
It starts to sink in—I’m going to have to see that woman the entire summer.
28
JACE
My convowith Rory about writing has me itching for my guitar. When we get back to the bus, I’m hoping to get the baby to sleep so I can hole up in the kitchen and write, but the guys have girls over, and unless I wanna park my ass outside between Marlowe’s bus and mine, I don’t have anywhere to go.
There’s one more thing I didn’t mention to Rory because I don’t wanna upset her if it doesn’t come to pass, but Frank said the label loves the optics of me and Marlowe. They saw some pics of us together on the second night of the Daytona festival, and now they want us to record something.
Together.
Which seems like a really bad idea. Because it won’t end with a song. They’ll want us to promote it and probably perform it together.
I don’t plan to write any duets, so hopefully they’ll get over it.
After I get my daughter ready for bed and tucked in her crib, Rory’s already put away our clothes. “Thank you for taking care of that.”
