Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Kit
“Chanice, you can’t leave Nate. He’ll be lost without you,” I pleaded as I helped her set the food out for the party Nate was hosting at his house to celebrate the successful first half of Accidental Fire’s tour.
She sighed as she handed me a large bowl of pasta salad to place on the kitchen table, where she was setting up the buffet.
“Kit, dear, it’s time for me to go. I’ve held on for too long, hoping Nate would change, but my life is speeding by, and I want to find someone to spend the rest of it with. You can’t hold that against me.”
“When are you leaving?” I couldn’t fathom her not being there. I didn’t know what Nate would do without her.
“Nate accepted my resignation and even bought me a first-class ticket home. He even gave me a nice check, so I’m all set.
He’s already interviewing housekeepers, so don’t fret.
You know he’ll always be fine. Now, let’s change the subject.
How are things going with River?” She turned and gave me a kind smile.
Hearing his name triggered my goofy grin. We’d spent all day on Friday in bed, and we’d decided that maybe someday in the future, we might venture into penetration, but for now, we were happy with loving each other in the ways we were currently enjoying.
“Things are going great. We’re just enjoying these two weeks before we head to Vancouver for a show at the Commodore Ballroom.
The band has been writing songs like crazy, and they’ve introduced a few new ones while on tour that Olive thinks have to be included on the first album.
Nate said that if there are enough songs, they’ll issue a double live album or put out a second one shortly after the first releases.
River and the guys are trying to decide which songs they really want on the first album and which ones they think can go on their second. ”
River had been excited when Olive texted the group and said Nate loves everything he’s hearing from their concerts. She’d been sending him the recordings after every show so he could hear the music for himself.
The possibility of releasing a double live album as their first release had the band reeling. I never thought I’d call myself a metal head or a groupie, but that was exactly what I was turning into.
Chanice laughed. “Wow, you’re more fired up than I think I’ve ever seen.”
The doorbell rang as I was putting napkins and bamboo plates on the counter next to the drink station Chanice had set up.
A moment later, River came into the kitchen with Pop following. That was something I’d neglected to do—tell my father I was in love with River.
“Hey, Pop! Good to see you. We were coming over tomorrow to hang out. I’m sorry I haven’t called, but we just got home yesterday morning.” I sounded nervous, and when the knots started tying my intestines, I knew I was about to have my own panic attack.
Pop hugged me and pushed back, smiling at me. “Who’s this we? You got a mouse in your pocket?”
“Oh, River, do you mind helping me wipe the tables outside? It’s going to be a beautiful night, so I thought people could eat on the patio.
” Chanice grabbed a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray disinfectant, handing both to River as she retrieved a stack of tablecloths before the two of them rushed outside.
“Uh, yeah, about that, Pop. I’m sorry I didn’t call while I was gone.
It’s unbelievable how busy things get. You’re setting it all up, the band performs, and then you’re tearing it all down and moving on to the next town.
Not as glamorous as it looks in movies.” Yes, my nerves were showing, and based on the babbling, my pop recognized something was up immediately.
“Son, what’s wrong? Is it too much for you? Tell Nate you quit.” Sure, my father would see things as cut and dry.
“The tour’s fine. I’m enjoying the hell out of it. I’ve made some decisions about my life that I haven’t shared with you, and I’m a little nervous to tell you because I’m not sure what you’ll think,” I said.
My father glanced out the large glass doors to the patio where Chanice and River were cleaning tables and covering them with plaid cloths. “Are you and Chanice…? Are you two seeing each other?”
Wow! That was out of left field. “Uh, I’ve been gone in case you forgot. How would Chanice and I be seeing each other?”
“I just know that the two of you get along very well, and I thought maybe—”
“Pop, I’m in love with River.” I pointed to the sexy guitar player who was telling Chanice something that had her laughing hysterically.
“River? That guy with the band?” He pointed toward the patio. “You’re in love with that young man?” He stared out the doors, not taking his eyes from River’s animated antics.
“Yeah, Pop. I’m in love with him. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, and we fell in love.
I’m still the same guy who comes over and throws out the old food that all your harem ladies bring over.
I’m still the guy who likes to come over and watch baseball when I’m not on a job.
I haven’t changed,” I said, hoping he would understand.
He continued to stare at River, who was now laughing with Chanice as he wiped down the chairs around the patio tables. River glanced at me, concern evident, so I winked at him and turned to my father. “Thoughts?”
“He seems young, Kit. Do you guys have enough in common to sustain a relationship?” It was a thoughtful question, which was what I’d expected from my father.
“I believe so. We’ve been getting to know each other better, and when we have downtime, we go out or stay in and watch movies.” I didn’t need to go into any more detail than that.
I caught him studying me as I continued watching Chanice and Riv.
I started to go outside to leave my father to his thinking, but Pop grabbed me in a bear hug.
“I’m happy for you. I know you don’t just go willy-nilly into anything, so if you’ve fallen in love with that young guy, I’m happy for you.
I love you, regardless of who you love, son. Never forget that.”
We clapped each other on the back a few times, and I dried the few teardrops that had slid down my cheeks. I exhaled deeply, and all the stress disappeared.
The doorbell rang again, and then the front door opened. I could hear JD, Goldie, Arlo, and Hardy coming through the living room at the same time as the garage door opened and Olive came in with Nate on her heels.
“Leif, my friend, it’s good to see you. I was afraid you were going to beg off tonight,” Nate said as he put his briefcase on one of the stools by the kitchen island.
“I wanted to see my son, so of course I came. How’ve you been, Nathan?” The two of them chatted while I showed everyone else out to the patio.
“Arlo, when are you going to court?” It turned out Antel Reardon was licensed to practice in California, which was good news for Arlo’s case.
“Monday. Brittany called me and wanted to get together tonight, but I told her that, on the advice of counsel, we aren’t allowed to have any communication without counsel present.
” I did a double take at his turn of phrase.
That didn’t sound like the pot-soaked guy I’d gotten to know at the beginning of the tour.
“And where’d you come up with—”
“Ant told me to say that when I talked to him Thursday morning.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Got it. Good planning. Do you want me to go with you?” I asked. I was sure he was nervous about it, and if he needed someone aside from Regal Ashe to go with him, I’d go. I was sure River would want to go along.
“Thanks, but Ant thinks if I go by myself it’ll look better to the judge that I’m stepping up and taking ownership of my mistake, so I’ll call you guys when I know what’s gonna happen.
I hope like hell I don’t go to jail. She lied about her age from the beginning, and I was an idiot for dating her. ”
That old hindsight would kick you in the ass every time. It was a shame there wasn’t a way to have foresight.
“Going forward, ask for ID, and trust your gut. If you change your mind about tomorrow, call Riv. We don’t have to go into the courtroom with you. We can wait outside.”
Arlo nodded and joined the others. I felt for the kid, but we all had hard lessons to learn. I just prayed his lesson wouldn’t end up putting him behind bars.
Ching…ching…ching!
Nate stood from his chair next to Pop and Olive, banging his knife against the glass. Chanice was seated next to my father, and I was sitting with River and the band.
“Thank you guys for coming. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how this tour was going to go, especially after the first show, but I have to congratulate Accidental Fire for pulling it together and finding their feet.
The music I’ve heard is fantastic, and the idea of mixing things up from show to show is fantastic and highly marketable.
“I had an idea of my own regarding the album. I’d like to talk to you about releasing a double live set, with one LP devoted to the acoustic songs and the other devoted to the metal songs.
Something for all your fans, so think about it.
The reviews have been great, and they get better with each show. Keep it up.”
Everyone clapped, and then we filed inside to make plates.
It was a beautiful spread—eggplant parm, chicken Milanese, pasta salad with Italian meats, and for dessert, I’d seen two tiramisus in the large kitchen fridge.
Everyone had wine or beer, and the vibe was great with some jazz playing in the background.
“What do you think about one album with the metal versions and one with the acoustic versions?” River asked as he turned to face me while we stood in line to serve ourselves.
“Well, it could be great. You could get some new fans and expose people to another side of the band. You guys are more versatile than I imagined when I first started listening to your music, and I think it would be good to show that to your audience,” I said.
River kissed my cheek. “Thank you for your excellent advice. I think it’s a great idea too.”
His beaming smile gave me a warmth in the pit of my stomach that I was growing to love. After getting my father’s blessing and hearing Chanice’s comments about wanting someone to grow old with, I knew my life was shaping up to be exactly what I was sure my mother would have wanted for me.
I was happy to be on my way.