Текст книги "Cardinal"
Автор книги: Sara Mack
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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
Chapter Twenty Six
I leap out of the cab as soon as it pulls up to the cemetery.
By the time the airline found me another seat to Chicago, I knew I would miss the church service. With a shaky voice, I called my brother and told him how stupid I was. He tried to reassure me that mistakes happen, but it didn’t make me feel any better. He said he would send me the cemetery address and meet me there. After I changed clothes at the airport, I prayed during the entire flight that I could attend most of the graveside ceremony. When the plane touched down, my body was coiled with tension. Nothing moved fast enough; not my feet, not the cab, and certainly not traffic.
Now, as quickly as I can, I make my way toward the green tent and the people gathered around it. The closer I get, the more I realize everyone is standing in small groups and talking casually.
Damn it all to hell! Did I miss everything here, too?
A group standing off to the side breaks apart and it’s then that Pete catches my eye. He waves and starts to walk in my direction, hand in hand with Jules. The whole Torque crew follows them, and, when we get close enough, Jules lets go of Pete and wraps me in a hug. “You made it.”
“Not soon enough.” I frown over her shoulder. “Did I miss it all?”
She steps back and nods. “We just finished.”
My heart sinks. “How is he?” I look at Pete. “Did you tell him what happened?”
“I did. He seems …” Pete rubs the back of his neck. “He seems pretty pissed, Little J.”
A lump forms in the back of my throat. I knew Latson would be upset.
“You should ride with Kenzie and me to the dinner.” Gwen rubs my arm compassionately. “There’s room in my car.”
“Thanks.” I give her a weak smile.
“Jen!”
In the space between Carter and Felix I see Oliver running toward me. He looks adorable in his little suit and tie. I kneel down and the boys step aside, so Oliver can reach me. He throws his arms around my neck, and I squeeze him tight. “Hi, O.”
“Uncle Gunnar said you were coming.” He leans back. “What took you so long?”
“I got stuck at the airport,” I say. “How are you? I’m sorry about your grandma.”
He nods. “She was sick, but it’s okay. Know why?”
“Why?”
“Because she’s in heaven with my mom.”
The lump in my throat gets bigger. “I’m sure she is.”
“C’mon.” He pulls on my hand. “I want to show you something.”
I stand and look at Gwen. “Go ahead. We’ll wait for you,” she says.
Trailing behind Oliver, I follow him toward the green tent. I search for Latson and find him talking to Dean and a few other people. He stands with his hands in the pockets of his black suit, the jacket fastened by one button at the waist. I’ve never seen him dressed so formally, and it takes my breath away. To say he cleans up nicely is an understatement. The only thing I wish I could change is the sad, distant look on his face. I curse myself for screwing this up; I should have been here for him.
Oliver and I keep walking and, just when I think he’s leading me to his grandmother, he takes me behind the green tent. As we pass by, I get an up-close view of the deep mahogany casket covered with a huge spray of every pastel rose imaginable. The finality of it hits me, and I swallow. Oliver stops in front of a headstone and points. “This is my mom,” he says in a quiet voice. “This is where I come to visit her, although Uncle Gunnar doesn’t bring me a lot. He might more now, since Grandma is here, too.”
My breath catches. This is the last thing I expected him to show me. The August sun reflects off a polished gray stone etched with:
Audrey Jean Latson
Beloved Daughter, Sister, Mother
November 12, 1984 ~ April 9, 2012
“All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.” ~ Pink Floyd
I crouch down and sit on the balls of my feet to study the intricate flowers carved around the stone. They look like Lily of the Valley mixed with Forget-Me-Nots. “This is a very special place,” I say to Oliver. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”
He smiles, then kisses his finger and touches the top of the stone. “This is what we do when we come here, so she knows we love her,” he explains. “Uncle Gunnar says angels can see our kisses.”
Without warning, tears prick my eyes. What an amazing thing for him to say.
“Oliver.”
Latson’s voice is stern behind me, and a wave of anxiety slides down my spine. I immediately stand, but he barely glances at me.
“Uncle Gunnar, look.” Oliver’s face lights up. “Jen’s here.”
“We have to go.” Latson extends his hand toward his nephew. “We don’t want to be late.” His eyes dart to me when he says the word “late”. They’re cold. Colder than I’ve ever seen them.
“Okay,” Oliver says and reluctantly shuffles towards his uncle. “I’ll see you at the restaurant, Jen.”
“’Kay,” I say, my voice stuck.
As they walk away, I’m rooted in place. Latson didn’t speak to me, much less look at me.
My heart cracks, and the fissure runs to my soul.
~~~~
Hours later, I’m curled up on Pete’s couch. I don’t think my body can get any smaller. Maybe I’m trying to disappear, or maybe I’m trying to hold my insides together. Either way, the feeling sucks. I’d give anything to go back in time and fix today.
“You should go talk to him.” Jules sits by my feet. She places a mug on the table in front of me, and I give her a confused look. “Coffee,” she says. “You didn’t eat anything at the dinner.”
She’s right. All I did was push food around my plate.
“I wasn’t hungry,” I say. I’m still not. I hurt Latson, and I feel hideous.
“C’mon.” She swats me on my ass.
“Ow!” I scowl at her. “What was that for?”
“Nothing is going to solve itself with you sitting here. He’s right upstairs. Go. Talk. To. Him.”
“I want to,” I say. So badly.
“Then what’s stopping you?”
I shrug.
Jules lets out a sigh. “They say never go to bed angry. You should at least go upstairs and apologize.”
She’s right. I wanted to apologize the minute I saw Latson at the cemetery. I wanted to apologize at the dinner. However, he was with family, and he wouldn’t acknowledge me. “I think I need to give him some space. He just lost his mother.” I sit up and reach for the coffee. “I’m not sure it’s the right time.”
Jules’ voice gets quiet. “When you love someone it’s always the right time.”
I’m silent. I’m not sure if he loves me. He’s never said it; but then again, neither have I.
“Think of it this way,” she says. “If he had done something to hurt you, wouldn’t you want an apology? Or at least words?”
I nod.
“So?” She prods. “Oliver should be in bed by now. Go.”
I give her an uncertain look. “I think I should wait until morning.”
She huffs, then grabs me by the arm and pulls me to my feet.
“Hey!” The coffee splashes. “You don’t have to –”
She leads me out of the living room, then opens the door. She takes the mug from my hands and nudges my leg with her foot. “Go say you’re sorry. I won’t wait up.”
Rolling my eyes, I step outside the door. Without another word she shuts it, and I’m alone.
Slowly, I make my way to Latson’s apartment. It’s not like I don’t want to see him. It’s the exact opposite. Every part of me aches to hold him. I want to do what I promised, to be there for him and take away his pain. The problem is he’s angry, and I don’t know if he wants to see me.
When I reach his door, I tentatively knock and wait for a response. When none comes, I knock again, only harder. I fidget as I wait. I guess he could be sleeping. It’s been a long, difficult day. I would give anything to be asleep beside him.
Sighing at the thought, I turn to leave and stop when the door opens. Latson stands there wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt. No fun saying graces his chest, just the solid color blue.
“Hi,” I say when he doesn’t speak. “Can we talk?”
His face is impassive as he steps outside. He crosses his arms, glances at the floor, and then looks at me. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Today,” I say. “I’m sorry about today.”
“Me, too,” he says, emotionless. “I buried my mother and my girlfriend wasn’t there.”
That hurts. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I tried to be there. I really did.”
“Did you?” He tilts his head. “Because it sounded to me like sleep was more important.”
What? I’ll kill Pete if he made it sound that way. “You have to know I didn’t do it on purpose. I had a late night. I know it’s a lame excuse, but it’s the truth.”
Latson nods, but doesn’t look convinced. “Is there anything else you want to tell me about last night?”
I stare at him in confusion. His tone implies I did something wrong. “No. Heidi and Caleb were being obnoxiously loud in the room next to mine and I couldn’t sleep.”
“Bullshit,” he snaps.
My heart starts to pound. “Excuse me? I’m not lying.”
“Heidi was kicked off the tour.”
“And Caleb let her back on.” I study his face. “You can ask Roxanne. Heidi came back yesterday.”
I try to step closer to him and he steps back. It hits me like a punch to the gut. “What’s wrong?”
He lets out a sarcastic laugh as he shakes his head. “I just…I can’t keep up with you, Jen.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I want to believe you. It means I want to have faith in what you say. But when I have proof otherwise, it makes me wonder what else you’ve lied to me about.”
Hold on. “I’ve never lied to you.”
“Yeah?” I don’t like the look in his eyes. “You promised you’d be there today and you weren’t.”
My face falls. “I know and I feel awful. I fell asleep; it was an accident.”
“You promised you’d stay away from Caleb and you haven’t.”
I frown. Are we back to that night at the bar? “I told you he found me and took my phone. I didn’t find him.”
“And last night? How do you explain that?”
I’m at a loss for words. I already told him Caleb and Heidi were next door. Does he think I booked the room? “I don’t know what you’re trying to say.”
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Have you been online today?”
“Why in the hell would I be online?” I’ve been riding an emotional rollercoaster ever since I woke up this morning; checking social media has been the last thing on my mind.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “It’s all over the internet.”
What is? Latson taps something on his cell and hands it to me. The minute I see the pictures all the blood drains from my face. Someone posted pictures of me and Caleb standing in the hallway. He’s facing me, covering his junk, and I’m trying not to smile. The second photo shows us entering my room. How is this possible?! I read the caption and the hashtags: The fun things you see on tour #groupielife #renegadetour #niceass.
Oh my god. I heard someone open a door.
“I can explain.” My voice is barely there. “I went over to shut them up. Heidi got mad about the flowers Caleb sent and she started hitting him and –” I’m rambling.
“Flowers?” Latson goes from incredulous to angry. “What flowers?”
Fuck. I can barely breathe. “Caleb sent me –”
Latson grabs his phone from my hand. “I’ve heard enough.”
“But –”
“Don’t.” His eyes flash and his entire body looks tense. “You need to go.”
I’m shaking. “Go where?”
“Anywhere but here. I can’t talk to you right now.”
I hate the way he dismisses me. “Please.” I reach out and graze his arm. “Let’s –”
He jerks his arm away and ignores me. He opens his door and walks inside.
“Latson.” I step forward. “Wait.”
He slams the door in my face.
I stand there, stunned. Tears burn behind my eyes and my heart threatens to pound out of my chest; I want to beat down the door and run away at the same time. Never in my life have I felt so helpless. Nothing I say will make this better. No apology will make this better.
I don’t know how long it takes me to walk back to Pete’s. When I get there I’m grateful Jules didn’t lock the door. I try to make it to my bedroom without anyone noticing me. It doesn’t work.
“Jen?” Pete sticks his head out of his room. “I thought you went upstairs.”
I look down to hide my face. “I’m back. Goodnight.”
“No.” He steps in front me and his face fills with concern. “Why are you all red?”
“It’s nothing. Just –”
“How’d it go?” Jules joins us, way too perky. “I didn’t expect –” She stops talking and narrows her eyes. “What happened?”
I can’t help it. The tears I was holding back spill over. Pete sets his jaw before pulling me into his arms. “What did he do?”
“Nothing. It’s my fault,” I say against his chest. “I messed up.”
Jules rubs my back to soothe me. “It’s okay. You’ll work it out.”
I close my eyes and remain silent. I can’t bring myself to say I don’t think so.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Oh, Ed. How I’ve missed you.
The soothing sound of my boyfriend’s voice travels from my phone to my ear buds. He’s kept me sane over the last three weeks, reminding me that everyone falls in love and everyone gets lost. I may be biased in thinking I get hurt more than others, but one look at my love life proves it hasn’t been stellar. I’m grateful my pretend boyfriend hasn’t abandoned me because I’ve needed him.
I’ve needed him ever since Latson slammed the door in my face.
With my eyes closed, I curl on my side in my bunk. We just left Pittsburgh, and Beau is driving us to Ohio. When we’re finished playing Columbus and Cleveland, the tour will end in Detroit. My rock star life will be over two months earlier than planned. It’s perfect timing really; Tricia called and my apartment is ready. I have a home back in Michigan.
Too bad my heart is in Illinois.
Sensing someone behind me, I roll over. Ariel pulls out one of my ear buds. “I need to interrupt your time with Ed for a minute.”
She knows I’m obsessed. I sit up and scoot back, so she can join me. “What’s up?”
“I’m staging an intervention.” She pulls her legs beneath her and gets comfortable. “I miss your smile.”
I look down at my lap. “Me, too.”
“I think you should know,” she pauses, “Dean and the guys are concerned.”
“Why?” I frown. I’ve hidden my feelings pretty well on stage. So what if I don’t go out to bars and parties? The tour’s almost over.
Ariel tips her head. “When’s the last time you played the Fender?”
Ugh. “Last week.”
“Why?”
“Because I figured after two weeks of silence we were done.” I pull out my other ear bud and wad the cords up in my hand. “Latson doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
Ariel studies me in silence and crosses her arms. “You know I disagree.”
“Yes, oh Wise Sage.” I roll my eyes. This isn’t a new conversation. “I told you I wish things were different, but they’re not. I lost his trust. There’s no coming back from that.”
“Your brother said he’s miserable.”
“Probably because Pete threatened his life.” I knew my brother would stand up for me, but I didn’t realize he would hold it over Latson every single day. Jules sent me a screenshot of the reminders on Pete’s phone. Each day there is an alert for Remind my boss he lost the best thing he ever had. I don’t think my brother’s behavior is helping any.
“Let me ask you this.” Ariel shifts her weight. “If Latson called you right now and said he was sorry, would you take him back?”
“Of course I would, but …”
“But what?”
“We’d have to have a serious discussion about jumping to conclusions.”
If Latson has a fault, it’s thinking everyone is out to get him. I understand why he feels the way he does; a lot of close people have betrayed him. Yes, I missed the funeral, but he has to realize accidents happen. He can’t hate me more than I hate myself for that mistake. On the other hand, the situation with Caleb was coincidental. Should I have stayed in my room and tried to ignore the sex-a-thon? Given the outcome, probably. However, I was standing up for myself and Roxanne. I won’t ever stop defending what I believe is right, regardless of who is involved. Whether it’s loud neighbors or Ariel’s right to choose or Gwen’s small chest, it’s part of who I am.
“He does tend to think the worst,” Ariel says. “He needs to move past the Caleb thing.”
I nod. “I don’t think it will be easy for him, though.”
“I don’t think anything worth fighting for is easy.” She pats her still-flat belly. “Case in point, Lil Munchkin.”
I smile.
“There it is!” She grins. “I knew you could smile.”
“Only temporarily.” I smirk on purpose.
She groans and then bites her lip like she has a secret. “What if … what if I had news that might make it more permanent?”
I’m intrigued. “Keep talking.”
“What are your plans after the tour ends?”
My shoulders sag. I’ll be right back to square one. “To find a job so I can refurnish my apartment. Why?”
“If you say yes,” she taps her chin, “I’d like to make you my primary songwriter.”
I stare at her, stunned.
“I’ve talked to Mason, and he thinks my publishing company would take you on after hearing “Fairytale.” If it works out –”
I launch myself forward and hug her.
“Ah!” She squeals.
“Oh my god, yes,” I say over her shoulder.
She laughs. “Do you want to hear the rest?”
I try to contain my enthusiasm and lean back. “Sorry.”
She smiles. “I’m not exactly sure how everything will play out, but there could be yearly advances on top of royalties. You’ll have to discuss the business stuff with them, but I know several people in the industry who make a good living writing songs. I can’t give you an exact amount of money, but –”
“I still say yes.” Is this really happening? Is Ariel Allyn asking me to write songs for her?
“Excellent.” She extends her hand. “So, we have a deal?”
I reach for her hand, but stop short. “Wait. You’re not doing this because you feel sorry for me, are you?”
She gives me a pointed look. “Your songs will directly affect my career. I can’t make a call like this out of sympathy.”
“Noted.” I shake her hand and let a smile sneak out. “Thank you.”
She smiles back. “No, thank you.”
“Time to celebrate!”
Paul leaps in front of us and we both jump. I smash my shoulder against the side of my bunk. “Don’t scare us like that!”
“Gotcha.” He winks.
Drew appears behind him with Dean. He grabs onto the bottom of Roxanne’s bunk and hangs there. “We were eavesdropping.”
My pulse races from the scare. “Are you bored?”
“A little.”
Dean points his phone at me. “Jen Elliott! You’ve just been offered a new career! What are you going to do next?”
“Is this where I say I’m going to Disney World?” I hold up my hand to block the camera. “Are you recording this?”
“Damn straight I am.”
“Stop! I look like crap. There are enough bad pictures circulating of me as it is.”
“Hey. You might want to watch this one day,” Dean jokes.
Roxanne appears from the back of the bus. “I’ll get some drinks. What does everyone want?”
My eyes get wide. “You were listening, too?”
“It’s kinda hard to avoid in this space,” she says. “Besides, I finished the book I was reading. You want the regular?”
We nod and the guys follow her toward the front of the bus.
“So,” Ariel pushes on my knees, “I think you should call Gunnar and tell him. It will give you something to talk about.”
I shoot her a skeptical look. “Are you sure you didn’t do this to be nice?”
“No, but it’s a conversation starter, don’t you think?”
“I think you’re trying to play matchmaker.” I find my phone. I won’t text Latson, but I will send a message to Pete and Jules.
Dean reappears and hands Ariel a ginger ale. I get my Angry Orchard. My phone sounds with an alert and I look down. No way Little J. Congratulations! It’s my brother.
Ariel’s eyebrows jump. “What did he say?”
“My brother says congrats.”
“You didn’t tell Gunnar?”
“No.”
She groans. “Why?”
“Because.” How can I explain this? “Contacting him is all I have. If I call him now and he doesn’t respond, it will kill me.” I meet her eyes. “It will be confirmation, you know? If I put it off, it seems …” I shrug. “It seems like I still have something to hold on to. Like I haven’t burned my last bridge.”
Ariel’s expression falls. “I get it,” she says. “It’s your last card to play.”
I nod. This fight, this break up, whatever it is, it’s different. I’ve left guys before and they’ve left me. It wasn’t fun, but it didn’t hurt this much. I never felt like a part of me was missing. Losing Latson … I feel like there’s a huge hole in my chest. If I let myself think about him too much, it’s hard to breathe.
“If you could tell him anything what would it be?” Ariel looks genuinely interested. “I need to know for when I find the love of my life.”
The hole in my chest aches. If Latson is the love of my life I would hope we’d have a happier ending than a fight over a mistake and a misunderstanding. Since my apology didn’t work, the only thing left to share is how I feel.
“I would tell him I love him,” I say quietly. “It’s the only thing I never got to say.”
~~~~
“Come on, guys. I want a picture.”
Rox, Dean, Paul, and Drew all gather around as I try to fit us in the frame. I’ve never been good at selfies; I don’t think my arms are long enough.
“Let me do it,” Paul says. “I’m taller.” He takes my phone from me, and we all pose for a few fun shots. I’ve been taking a lot of pictures over the last week – my last week on tour. I’m going to miss these guys something fierce. I can’t believe it’s all ending tonight. After Ariel’s encore, everyone in this room will go their separate ways.
“Send me some of those,” Roxanne says. “I’ll put them on Dean’s website.”
“Will do.” I nod and start typing.
“So,” Dean approaches me, “you using the Fender tonight?”
I look up at him and frown. “No. Why?”
“I don’t know.” He leans against my vanity table. “We’re in your home state, your parents are here, and it’s your last show.”
I narrow my eyes. “Do you want me to use it?”
“Would you if I said yes?”
Why does he care? He hasn’t over the past few weeks. “I guess so,” I answer. The whole Latson thing is still a sore spot for me. I was planning to send the guitar back to him when I got home and settled.
“Good.” Dean’s eyes light up. “I thought you’d agree, so it’s already backstage.”
“What’s going on?” Yes, I’m suspicious.
“You want to impress your family, right? Plus, it’s the last show. I like the sound better.”
“Now you tell me?” I make a face.
He smiles as Roxanne gets our attention. “All right, lady and gentlemen. Let’s head to our final meet and greet.”
The five of us file out of the room and down the halls of the Palace of Auburn Hills. I’ve been to countless concerts in this arena throughout my life; it’s only thirty minutes away from my home. Never once did I think I’d be playing on stage here, though. The farther I walk, the more mixed my feelings become. Excitement, intimidation, a little bit of sadness … they’re all there.
When we enter the room to meet the fans, I spot my family right way. My parents faces light up when they see me; they wave and I wave back. My eyes find my brothers Adam, Josh, and Pete, then Jules ... then Carter, Felix, and Gwen. Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting them. Adrenaline surges through me and my heart dares to hope a certain someone else is here, too. My eyes search the room, but they don’t find him. I hide my disappointment. Did I really think he’d show up?
No. Not until I saw everyone else.
Roxanne and the Palace staff start to let people through to meet us like usual. Attendance has picked up during the tour like Rox had hoped; there have been at least a hundred fans, if not more, at the last several meet and greets. Mid-way through the signing, my parents make it to me.
“Baby girl.” My dad looks at me out of the corner of his eye before opening his arms for a hug. I gladly sink into them. It’s been months since I’ve been on the receiving end of a Dad Hug.
“Hey, Dad,” I say against his shoulder before he steps back and holds me at arm’s length. He looks me over, and I do the same to him. What the hell? “Who dressed you?” I ask.
He chuckles. “Jules got ahold of me.” He looks down. “You don’t like my jeans?”
“They have holes in them.” They’re distressed and ripped, very hip for a fifty-five year old English instructor. He’s also wearing a vintage, little-too-tight Moody Blues tee.
“Let’s get one with my girl!”
My mom’s hand slides around my shoulders as she pulls me into a picture with her and Drew. She pops one knee and winks as Jules takes the picture, a total confident fan-girl pose. I look at my dad. “What did you feed her?”
“I’m just excited,” she gushes and leaves Drew to hug me. “I’m so proud of you! This is so big time.”
I smile. “It kinda is, isn’t it?” She kisses my temple and leans away. It’s then I notice she’s dressed the same as my dad. “What’s with the Moody Blues?”
“It’s the first concert I went to with your father. We still had the t-shirts!”
“Let me get a picture of all three of you and then one with the boys.” Jules starts ordering us around. My parents stand on either side of me and wrap their arms behind my waist. Jules raises her camera and says, “Say pickles!”
“What?” My mouth falls open just as she takes the picture. “Ugh. Take another one.”
She takes a few shots, and then I pose with my brothers. “’Sup.” Josh jerks his chin, trying to look like a badass. It doesn’t work; he’s a much more boyish version of Pete.
“I’ll take that as a hello,” I say.
“Way to go, Little J!” Adam tries to give me a noogie, but I jump out of the way.
“Adam!” I slap at him. “Would you act your age? Jesus.”
“I don’t think they’re used to seeing you like this,” Pete says. He slaps Adam on the back of the head. “Don’t mess up her hair, dick face.”
“Hey, now.” My dad uses his stern voice. Coupled with his signature glare, it’s enough to make my grown brothers behave.
Once my family steps to the side, I hug the crew from Torque and sign things for them. “You guys know you can get my autograph anytime. You didn’t have to come all the way here.”
“Mi amor.” Felix’s voice is smooth. “Montamos en el coche siempre para ti.”
“Huh?” I frown.
“We all rode in your car.” Gwen sounds as excited as my mom. “It was cozy but fun!”
“All five of you fit in my car?” My surprised eyes jump to Pete. “I thought only you and Jules were bringing it back.”
I had to get my car from Chicago somehow, so the plan was for the two of them to drive it to Michigan for the concert. Then, after, they would take the train home.
“Road trip!” Carter grins. “Any excuse to see our favorite bartender.”
Gwen elbows him. “Thanks a lot.”
“What?” He shrugs. “She’s your favorite, too.”
“Okay, you’re right.” Gwen gives me a smile.
I feel a tap on my arm and turn around to see Roxanne behind me. She whispers, “I’m all for the family reunion, but we need to keep the line moving.”
I nod and face everyone. “Okay, guys. I’ll see you from the stage.”
“We get to go to the after party, right?”
I nod my head and push Adam’s arm. “Yes. Go. I’ll see you later.”
Everyone waves goodbye, and my parents give me a quick kiss. Pete lets the group walk ahead of him and then quietly asks, “After “Over-Exposed”, right?”
“Yep.” I grin my first legit grin in weeks. Operation Propose to Jules is officially in motion.
“Break a leg.” Pete fist bumps me.
“You, too.”
He starts to walk away, then stops. “Listen. I caught the look on your face earlier. I’m sorry Latson isn’t here with us. I tried to talk him into –”
“Stop.” I push on his arm like I did Adam’s. “It’s fine. Go have a good time.”
Pete smirks like he doesn’t believe me, then leaves through the exit. Before I turn around to meet the next person, I take a deep breath. The last thing I need right now is to get emotional. I have one more show to play, and it’s important. After tonight, I can wallow in misery for as long as I want. It will make me happy.
Cardinal rule.
