Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nash
L ayla was having dinner with her sisters, so we said goodbye after Rocky and I walked her back home. Rocky seemed upset that she wasn’t coming back with us. I know I was. I badly wanted to kiss her but decided not to push my luck. Things were still unsteady at this point, but her saying yes to giving us a try had felt like a winning lotto ticket in an otherwise dreary day.
We were definitely starting out with some major hurdles, but sometimes hurdles made a relationship stronger. The walk had left me feeling inspired to work on the song. It was almost finished, and I had no idea what to do with it, but it was something that had started inside my soul, and I badly needed to release it.
My phone rang before I could pick up the guitar. It was Ronnie finally getting back to me. “Well,” she said in a serious huff. “It’s two for selling and one for not selling.”
“Let me guess—Bosco was the holdout.”
“No, actually, Mr. Big Spender is strapped for cash. He said he didn’t care what we did with the songs. He’s kind of down in the dumps about the breakup. I guess I’m feeling it, too. How on earth did the Beatles walk away from each other? Did Paul just look at John and say, ‘hmm, not feeling it anymore.’ Crazy, right?”
“Actually, I think the cracks started with John and Yoko.”
“I think you’re right. Well, I started this diversion, so I could work up the courage to tell you that it’s me. I’m the ‘no.’”
“Seriously, Ronnie?” It made some sense because she was the only one in the group who’d worked hard to stay financially stable all this time.
“I know. It’s just I feel like those songs are the only thing we have to still hang onto, the only legacy our band will leave behind. We’d probably have to sign some non-compete clauses and take our music down, and we still make some decent download money on our songs.”
I sat back. I’d been selfish. I wasn’t thinking about how my bandmates would feel about giving up our rights to our original songs. There weren’t many, but the few we’d managed to produce were pretty darn good.
“You’re right, Ronnie. Always the voice of reason. Forget I asked. It’s no biggie, just looking for a way to make a big pile of cash … fast.”
“Does this have to do with your mom? You mentioned a specialist the other day. How’s she doing? Medical bills piling up?”
“Yeah, but what else is new? There’s a specialist who says he can help her. Now all we’ve got to do is find a way to pay for it.”
“Sorry to hear that, Nash. You know I could lend you fifteen grand … with interest. You know me—always a businesswoman. Would that help at all?”
“That’s cool of you to offer, Ronnie, and I’m going to give it some thought.” Rocky was staring at the cupboard where I kept his food. “I’ve got to go. Rocky wants dinner.”
“Well, think about the loan. I could have my financial guy draw something up between us.”
“Thanks, Ronnie, I will.” I hung up, and the first thought that went through my head was never borrow money from a friend . Bosco and I had broken that promise a few years back when he fell behind on his rent. I lent him the money and then mostly forgot about it until I really needed it back. He didn’t have it, and we’d stopped talking to each other for a while. He was embarrassed, and I was mad I’d broken that golden rule in the first place. I would never get into such a big loan debt with Ronnie because it would mean another payment, and with no more shows, I was going to be short each month as it was.
I crossed the room, and Rocky began his dinner dance—a series of spins while his tail did its helicopter blade impersonation. I filled the bowl and headed back to the couch to finish the song. Before I sat, I stopped and stared out at the cove. The sun was setting in a dusky orange sky, and a group of snow-white gulls sat on the sand, preening themselves. Even though everything felt unsteady and depressing at the moment, I’d had one huge bright spot in my day. Layla and I were going to attempt to take our relationship further than just friendly neighbors.
It might end up being a big, bad mistake. Or, just maybe, it would be the best thing to happen to me in a long time.