Chapter 13
Gang up – when four women decide what you’re going to do and you get no choice in the matter
Aurora
I open the door to my hotel room back in Winter Falls and screech to a halt at the scene in front of me. Indigo, Leia, and Mercy are scrambling around the room opening and closing drawers and throwing stuff into suitcases.
It’s been a long ass day and all I want to do is sleep until my head isn’t foggy anymore. Based on this scene, I don’t think sleep is happening anytime soon.
“What in the hell is going on in here?”
Virginia groans from the armchair in front of the fire. “I was sleeping.”
“Come on. Hurry up and help,” Indigo orders as she opens a drawer and stuffs the clothes – my clothes – into a bag.
“Help what? Why are you packing my things?”
“Duh. You’re moving.”
I drop my bag and collapse on the desk chair with a sigh. “I wasn’t planning on checking out this very second. I need a good night of sleep before I start the drive back to San Diego.”
Leia snorts. “As if you’re driving back to San Diego.”
“I can’t fly. I need my car.”
Mercy jiggles a set of keys in front of my face. “By the way, I gave your car a tune-up while you were away.”
I snatch the keys from her. “Thank you. Send me the bill.” Fingers crossed I can afford to pay it.
She rolls her eyes. “You’re not paying.”
“I’m too tired to argue with you about this now. I’ll pencil in a disagreement with you for tomorrow afternoon.”
“Can I use this?” Leia picks up the suitcase I dropped by the door.
“Can someone fill me in as to why you’re kicking me out of my hotel room before I fall asleep?”
“We’re helping you,” Indigo says.
“Is she always this mysterious?”
Virginia grunts. “Don’t tell her she’s mysterious. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
I focus on Leia. She’s the straight shooter of the group. She’ll fill me in. “What’s going on?”
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re helping you pack your stuff to move.”
“Leia,” I growl.
“We don’t have time for this. The guys will be home soon.” Indigo drops a suitcase near the door. “Is the car ready, Mercy?”
“Ready and waiting.”
Indigo glances around the room. “Did we get everything?”
“Ellery will let us know if we forgot something,” Virginia mumbles from where she is once again falling asleep in front of the fireplace.
Leia steps out of the bathroom. “Nothing left in there.”
“Come on.” Indigo motions me toward the door. “We don’t have much time.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m beyond exhausted. Do you know how it feels to be stuck in the middle seat on a four-hour flight? The guy on my left fell asleep on my shoulder and proceeded to fart for the entire flight while the guy on my other side decided to show me what man spread means.”
Mercy’s nose wrinkles. “Why didn’t you fly on the private jet with the band?”
“Mike doesn’t want me getting used to creature comforts.”
Such as a nice hotel room. Meanwhile, he charges every expense he can to the band as part of his management fee. I’ve got news for him. Thinking about the band while getting a massage does not make the massage a business expense.
She scowls. “Mike’s an asshole.”
I can’t argue with her there. “Yep. But from what I’ve seen, all music managers are slimy assholes.”
Leia holds out her hand. “Come on. Time to go.”
I ignore her hand. “I’ll leave in the morning. I need some sleep before I begin the drive to San Diego.”
“You’re not driving.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Are we doing a road trip?”
Virginia moans. “Oh god. Please no. I need to pee every five minutes. It would take us forever to reach California. Speaking of which.” She hauls herself to her feet and hurries into the bathroom.
I allow Leia to help me stand. “Why won’t anyone answer a direct question? Usually, I can count on you to be honest with me.”
“I promise to be honest with you as soon as we reach our destination. But we’re on a deadline here.”
“Whatever,” I mumble and allow her to lead me out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the inn.
She snatches my car keys from my hands before nudging me into the passenger seat of the car.
“At least I don’t have to drive.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not going far.”
Leia follows Mercy’s car as we drive out of the Inn parking lot. But we don’t turn to leave town.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I glance around.
I haven’t had much time to get to know Winter Falls since Mike started pressuring the band to go on tour the second Gibson got out of rehab. Not surprising since he nearly lost his mind when they cancelled their earlier tour for Gibson to go to rehab. He thought they should hire a replacement guitarist. Told you the guy’s an asshole.
“Not far.” Leia pulls to the side of the street and parks in front of a large house.
“Is this an Airbnb? I didn’t find any in Winter Falls when I searched.”
“All will be explained once we’re inside the house,” she claims.
I blow out a breath and follow her out of the car. She grabs two suitcases but when I try to snatch one from her, she glares at me. “Pregnant women do not carry their luggage.”
“I guess you’re coming on tour with me from now on then,” I mutter.
I follow her as she climbs the stairs to the veranda. The door to the house is already open and she walks right in.
I don’t get a chance to look around before she’s urging me upstairs. “The bedroom’s on the second floor.”
Mercy, Virginia, and Indigo are already in the room. Mercy and Indigo fly around the room emptying my suitcases while Virginia lays down on the bed.
“Don’t worry,” Mercy begins. “I replaced Gibson’s old mattress.”
“Is this your house?” I ask.
“Not unless you happen to find an old man clogging the toilets up.”
She is not making things any clearer. “I didn’t believe this whole pregnancy brain thing was real, but it’s real all right. I have no idea what’s going on. Did I miss a memo?”
Leia clasps my hand and leads me to the rocking chair in the corner. She presses me in it.
“This is Jett’s house.”
I gasp and try to stand but she blocks my escape. “I’m not staying in Jett’s house.”
“And we’re not letting Mike, the asshole manager, kick you out of Winter Falls,” Indigo says.
“But I can’t live with Jett. We’ll kill each other within minutes.” I rub a hand over my belly. “He doesn’t want our baby. You’re going to make me live with the man who got me pregnant but now is ignoring the situation? I thought you were my friends.”
I feel tears well in my eyes. But I sniff and suck them up. I don’t have time to cry. The band will be home any minute now. I need to get out of here before Jett returns.
Ah, now I understand the reason for the urgency. “You think if I’m all settled in the house when Jett arrives, he won’t freak.”
“I’m betting he still freaks,” Mercy says.
“He’s definitely going to freak,” Virginia mutters.
“But he won’t be able to do anything about it,” Indigo says. “Since you have nowhere else to go.”
I scowl at her. “I am not a charity case. I can return to my apartment in San Diego.”
Leia raises an eyebrow. “The apartment you sub-let?”
Damn. I forgot about sub-letting my apartment. I was convinced Mike wouldn’t mind paying for a hotel room for six months. I should have known better. The man who gets manicures every two weeks for himself doesn’t spend money on things that don’t benefit him.
I force a nonchalance I don’t feel. “I can stay at the Inn.”
Maybe not in the executive suite but there must be cheaper rooms.
Indigo shakes her head. “No can do. Ellery’s booked up for the Christmas holidays.”
I throw my hands in the air. “There must be someplace to rent in Winter Falls.”
“It’s a small town. There’s one apartment building and there are no vacancies.”
I rub a hand over my face. “I’m too tired to deal with this. I’m certain I can come up with another solution after a bit of sleep.”
“The band agreed you’d stay here,” Indigo says.
“The band agreed?”
“Yep. They think it’s handy having you nearby.”
“Jett knows about this? He knows his baby mamma is going to be living down the hallway from him?”
She cracks her knuckles. “Yeah.”
“She’s lying,” Virginia says from where she’s lying on the bed with her eyes closed. “She always cracks her knuckles when she lies.”
Indigo gasps. “You’re not supposed to tell anyone.”
“She’s going to figure out Jett didn’t agree when he gets home anyway.”
A car door slams outside. Crap. Time’s up.
“I’m out of here. Fender will flip his lid when he realizes I left Isla alone. She’s twelve. She can be left alone for an hour. But Fender thinks his precious daughter should be wrapped in bubble wrap and protected from every possible hurt.” Leia waves as she leaves the room.
Indigo follows her out. “Cash is home.”
Virginia shoves to her feet. “I better get home before Dylan sends out a search party. I’m not joking. He once couldn’t reach me for five minutes and called the police. My phone battery was dead. And now I have to carry a charger and a power bank with me at all times.” She waves as she trudges out of the room.
“Mercy?” Jett shouts. “Why is your uncle’s car parked in front of my house?”
“Time to face the music,” Mercy sings before pulling me to my feet and dragging me out of the room.
“We dropped Gibson a—”
Jett stutters to a halt when he notices me standing behind Mercy.
“I helped her move in,” Mercy says before bounding down the stairs. She kisses Jett on the cheek before rushing out the front door.
“Traitor!” I shout after her.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Oh goodie. Jett has recovered his ability to speak and he’s in a delightful mood.