Page 75 of Beneath a Tennessee Sky

“The label dropped you.”

His flinch tells me everything. “Liz already has a new client. They’re kicking me out today.”

I stand abruptly. “Then let’s get you packed.”

“What are you really doing here, Jinnie?”

“I’m here for you, Jack. Not Jumping Jack. Not the rockstar. You. I’m here to support you in any way I can. When I saw the scandal, I knew your new so-called friends would drop you like a hot potato.”

He stares at me, vulnerability in his eyes. His shoulders slump, and for a moment, he looks like the boy I once knew—not the glittering persona he’s become. “I don’t deserve you,” he says softly, his voice breaking. “Not after everything.”

“Stop,” I say firmly, stepping closer. “You don’t get to decide what you do or don’t deserve. I’m here because I care about you. That’s it. Now, let’s get your things together and figure out the next step.”

Jack hesitates, his gaze flickering around the room as if seeing the chaos for the first time. He exhales slowly, nodding. “Okay. Okay, let’s pack.”

We move through the suite in silence, gathering his scattered belongings. I start to pack some of the outfits he wears on stage into the open suitcase.

“No,” he says. “Leave all that shit. You know what, leave it all. I only want the clothes on my back and my guitar. All that stuff belongs to Jumping Jack.”

I smile because I can see him coming through the fog. “Good idea. We’ll get in my car and drive home.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I’m not going to do that to you. You drove all the way here. I have a wallet...”

He looks around the room. I assume the room has a safe and find it. “Maybe someone had the insight to lock it in there.”

“Oh shit, yeah, Liz did. She’s the one that threw this fucking party. Got me drunk before that show, too.”

I nod because I suspected as much. It still doesn’t eliminate his culpability in the situation, but that’s not what he needs to hear right now. He quickly opens the safe and pulls out his wallet and passport. I watch him open his wallet and grin.

“Shit, I wasn’t sure if they took all my money.” He laughs. “I’ve got about a thousand in cash. I want to find an ATM so I can check my bank balance. Would you believe I don’t even know if I have any money?”

“I would.” I nod.

We leave the room and head downstairs. He walks up to the front desk and apologizes for the state of the room. He tells them to charge it to the card on file.

When he joins me, he’s smiling. “It’s Liz’s card on file. She says she’s not paying for the mess. But she encouraged the mess. She can pay for it.”

We get in my car while he looks up the address for another hotel. On the way, we go to an ATM. I sit in the car and wait for him. When he turns around, he gives me a thumbs up.

“I’m rich,” he says when he gets back in the car. “I thought they might have taken that, too.”

“Was it an advance?” I ask him. “Because if it is, they can still take it.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I have a lawyer. I don’t know the name, but I did meet with him once.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I say.

We get to the new hotel. I check in while Jack waits in the car. His image is mud right now. I feel like I need to protect him. We make it to the room without anyone recognizing him.

He sits down and I take another hard look at him. “I’m going to guess you haven’t eaten today,” I say.

He looks up at me with dull eyes. “I don’t remember the last time I ate.”

I take a deep breath. “As much as I would like to take you to a decent meal, we’re going to need to settle for delivery.”

“Just no burgers,” he begs. “Or pizza, please.”

I pull out my phone and scroll through the delivery options. “How about Chinese? Or maybe Thai?”