Worry swirled inside my gut. Why hadn’t they signed yet?
I began to pace the kitchen. I could call Trinity and ask. But I wasn’t ready to talk to her yet. Over the past twenty-four hours, an idea had formed inside my head, and I was now trying to figure out how to bring it up with my boss. I needed more time to think.
“Food’s ready,” Ezra called out. “Molly, you get to sit at the head of the table.”
It was over breakfast that I finally found the courage to tell my family what I was considering. “I’m thinking of taking a sabbatical.”
Ade brought her gaze up from her plate. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Six months to explore something else that interests me. Photography.”
Abel washed down his croissant with a big gulp of coffee. “That sounds fun.”
“I doubt it will come to anything,” I said quickly. “But I think I’ll regret it if I don’t give it a try.”
Silas grunted in approval. “In the beginning, none of us thought Bleeding Moonlight would amount to anything either.”
“Speak for yourself,” Abel replied.
The table collectively eye rolled. “It’s good to keep your expectations low,” Cole said. “Otherwise, you risk becoming an arrogant bastard like this guy.”
Abel flipped him the bird before moving his eyes back to me. “You got any pictures we can see?”
It took me a second to realize I’d never showed any of them any of my pictures. Why?
I guess it felt strange. Even now, as I disappeared in the guest bedroom to grab my laptop, my stomach moved in weird pirouettes. I didn’t want them to say nice things only because they cared for me. False hope was a dangerous thing I wanted to avoid.
But my worry turned out to be for nothing.
“This is good,” Abel said, clicking through my pictures of Last Rites while the rest of the gang huddled behind him. “But you’ve got a ways to go.”
Adeline punched him in the shoulder just in time for my cheeks to heat. “Don’t listen to him, Mol. These are gorgeous. I can’t believe you didn’t send me any.”
“No, no. I appreciate the honesty,” I said to Abel. “I want to use the sabbatical to improve my craft.”
“I can feel your passion in these,” Silas said, his eyes focused on the screen. “Maybe you can take some photos of us while you’re here.”
“Sure,” I agreed with a smile. “Musicians make for good models.”
Ade glanced up at me. “This is exciting, Mol.”
“Yeah, but there’s a but.”
Five pairs of waiting eyes landed on my face. “What is it?” Ezra asked.
“Well, I was wondering…” I cleared my throat. God, this was even harder to get out. But over the past few days, I’d come to the conclusion that sometimes we all needed help, and I was lucky enough to have people who offered it freely. “I was wondering if I could impose on your hospitality for a bit longer. Like, six months longer.”
Ade’s features lit up with excitement, and to my surprise, her partners’ expressions looked similar.
“Of course,” my sister said, rounding the kitchen island to pull me into a hug. “It’s about time you learned you’re always welcome here.”
Silas came over to rub the top of my head, messing up my hair in the process. “Just be ready for Abel asking you to photograph him all the time. He’s vain like that.”
The singer huffed indignantly. “Whatever. You’re all just jealous of this perfection.”
Our laughter filled the room, and I felt lighter. A bit less dead inside. As long as I didn’t allow my thoughts to wonder back to Kaz and Mason, I could pretend that everything was okay, and that my heart wasn’t a sad pile of shattered pieces.
We spent the rest of the day at the park, throwing a Frisbee around, day drinking, and soaking up the sun. The outing did me good. When we came back home for dinner, and while Cole figured out our order, I decided I was finally ready to read the messages from Kaz and Mason.
