Wise Man
DAPHNE
“You cannot light fireworks on university property, Daphne.”
“Why not? It’d be a great way to announce the re-opening! And you’re basically the Dean—”
Frankie lets out an exasperated sigh.
“I’m the Department Head! The most power I have is vetoing shitty pizza orders for staff parties.”
We’re on a break for lunch, trying to come up with some ideas for the grand re-opening, but it hasn’t been going particularly smoothly. Personally? I’m a fan of pyrotechnics. They’re exciting, theatrical, and exactly what this bar needs for its rebrand.
“You need a new job, Frankie,” Violet mumbles, her mouth full of food.
“You need to tone down the attitude, sassmouth,” Frankie shoots back with a smirk.
“No, I like her like this!” Abi laughs. “She’s feisty!”
Violet beams as Abi reaches over to give her arm a squeeze. The two have been thick as thieves all afternoon, starting when Violet noticed her skeleton earrings and Abi graciously told her she could wear them for the rest of the day.
“Frankie needs to be taken down a peg sometimes. It’s why I whoop his ass in Halo.”
Jay reaches over and snags his third sandwich, Frankie only rolling his eyes.
“You do not whoop my ass!”
“I totally do, dude!”
“Okay, how about tonight you come over and we’ll see if you can back up all that shit talk.”
“Fellas, can we get back on track, please?” Audrey cuts in, sliding her tablet into the middle of the table. “Hopefully with a much more work-appropriate conversation?”
It looks like in the time we’ve been talking, she’s managed to finish another rough sketch of some of our decor ideas. Thank god one of us is on-task.
“I’m thinking we make the stage the focus of the venue. Cole didn’t damage it too badly, just needs a scrub and some polish. Denny, you can get some more lights in here for some extra ambience, right?”
Denny looks like he’s ready to speak up, but after a couple moments of chewing he gives up on that, throwing out a thumbs up instead.
“Jay and I can help get the word out!” Abi chirps. “We can put up posters all over campus! I don’t mean to brag, but I’m kind of a wizard in Photoshop.”
“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”
None of them have to do this for me. I could probably call in a designer from LA and a whole marketing team to get this done, but my grandpa always said it was the people that made the Hi-Dive special. One of the many things he was right about.
“Oh…”
My phone’s buzzing on the table, thankfully not displaying a blocked number for the first time in what feels like weeks.
“It looks like Damien’s… FaceTiming me. Uh, okay, hang on a second.”
For a man who professes to hate technology, he absolutely loves FaceTime, especially with Violet. Sometimes, they watch movies together, sometimes they just chat. It’s fucking adorable.
“What’s up, D?”
Damien beams. Even on vacation, far off across the ocean, his warmth is palpable.
“Hi, sweetheart. I got your text, figured we’d do this face to face… sort of. Everything okay over there?”
I nod.
A few years ago, Damien and I performed at a fundraiser for a children’s hospital. We had a blast prepping the set list and rehearsing together, and he was the first person I thought of when Audrey suggested putting on a concert.
“We’re just working on cleaning up the bar right now, but it’s actually not that bad all things considered.”
The hardest part about all of this has been trying to keep my head above water. I thought the actual business was going to be the most difficult thing for me to handle, but it’s everything surrounding it that’s causing me grief.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Damien grins. “So, tell me what you had in mind.”
“Well, we thought it might be a good idea to do something big for the grand re-opening. Really come out swinging, you know? Food, drinks, dancing, and… well, I was thinking maybe you and I could duet on a couple of songs?”
“I’ll do you one better. The band and I have been talking about getting together for a reunion, but I figure I can drag ‘em out a little earlier than intended.”
It’s been ten years since Revolver’s farewell tour, and while they never actually broke up, they all forged different paths, opening their own businesses or working on solo projects.
“That would be amazing,” I laugh.
“If I remember right, you said you were planning to re-open on your birthday?”
“That’s right.”
“Alright, prefect. I’ll make a few calls. If I know those guys like I think I do, I figure we’ll be able to swing something pretty spectacular.”
“Thanks, D. I really appreciate it.”
Over the course of my career, I’ve had multiple offers to go work with different labels, but I never saw the appeal despite the promise of more money. I chose to stay with Titanium because they treated me like I was one of them, and cared about nurturing my talent.
I was never a product to them.
“Hey, anything for family, kiddo— speaking of family, where’s my little hellion of a granddaughter?”
“Hi, grandpa!”
“Hi, baby bear!” Damien coos. “How’s my favorite girl?”
“Good,” Violet chirps back. “I read six books this week.”
Damien whistles, leaning back in his seat.
“Six?! I could barely get through one!”
Those two love to talk about books. Whenever we visit they always go out on little bookstore crawls in New York, and he buys her anything and everything she can get her hands on.
“Frankie got me a bunch for my new room!”
“Oh, yeah? What kind?”
“Goosebumps, R.L. Stein, oh and Nancy Drew!”
Damien chuckles, his blue-grey eyes twinkling as he sips his coffee.
“Nancy Drew, huh? That was your auntie Ava’s favorite series when she was a kid.” He pauses for a moment, furrowing his brow. “Where is this elusive Frankie? I’d like to meet my brand new son-in-law.”
I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. He pretty consistently refers to me as his daughter-in-law, even though Huxley and I were never married.
“He’s right here!” Violet beams. “You wanna talk to him?”
“Pass me over, baby bear!”
She thrusts the phone into Frankie’s hands and I can feel my whole body get tense.
“Frankie!” Damien bellows. “So nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too, uh— do I call you Mr. Bell?”
“Damien is just fine, and hey, thanks for doing this for Daphne! And for Joe, I suppose. You really are the man of the hour.”
One of my favorite Frankie-quirks is the fact that he can barely take a compliment. He gets so bashful so quickly; the tips of his ears turn bright red, and he gets pink in the hollows of his cheeks. I wish I could snap a picture of him right now just to tease him with later.
“Oh, no thanks needed. I’ve known Daphne since we were both about two feet tall.” His eyes flick up at me for the briefest of moments as his mouth curls into a soft smile. “It was a no brainer.”
“Well, you’ve got my granddaughter’s approval, my son’s approval, and my wife’s approval. So I guess that’s ‘welcome to the family.’ You’re stuck with us now.”
Frankie chuckles, playing it off, but I can tell he’s touched.
“That’s awfully nice of you. I appreciate it.”
“Any time, son. Hey, can you give me back to Daphne? We gotta talk shop for a bit.”
“Oh, yeah, no problem! Nice talking to you.”
“We’ll see you in person soon.”
“Can’t wait!”
Frankie hands the phone back to me, pretending to wipe some sweat off his brow.
“Alright, what’s up, gramps?”
“Nothing too big, just band stuff, but uh… can I chat with you about it in private?”
Judging by the look in his eyes, he wants to talk about something a hell of a lot juicier than the show, and I have a feeling the topic of conversation starts with an F.
“Sure, no problem.” I grab what’s left of my sandwich. “Alright guys, I’ll be right back, but don’t wait up.”
I head into the office, shutting the door behind me and hopping up to sit on the desk.
“Alright. What was so secret that you had to pull me away from all that fun?”
“So, what’s your deal with Frankie? You get the bar, he gets his book deal? That’s the whole plan?”
I shrug, already feeling his words weighing on me.
“That’s right.”
“Kiddo, you’ve always been a shitty liar.”
“I’m not lying!”
I never really delved into my history with Frankie with anyone other than my grandpa, and even then, I didn’t tell him the whole truth, so there’s no way Damien knows anything concrete.
“That look in your eye says otherwise. Besides, I only needed to talk to him for a minute to see he’s your type.”
I snort.
“What are you talking about, I don’t have a type!”
“Come on!” Damien laughs. “The tattoos, the big sad eyes? That guy has ‘bad boy with a tragic backstory’ written all over him!”
Shit. I hate how intuitive he is sometimes.
Or maybe I’m just that obvious.
“Well, we are sleeping together,” I sigh. “No feelings involved, but…”
“You know, Pheebs and I tried that at first. Look how well that worked out.”
“Yeah, for you,” I laugh. “You’ve seen how things go for me. I wreck things, Damien.”
“Daph, you know you can’t go down that road.”
He’s been there through every breakup and helped me write songs about it. He knows better than most.
“Back when we were kids he told me he loved me. He actually said it, and I rejected him. And then I moved to New York and pretty much never talked to him again. He put his heart on the line, and I crushed it.”
“But here you both are all over again. What makes you think things have to go the same way this time?”
“Because it’s me we’re talking about! I’m the Heartbreak Queen, remember? I date, I dump, and then I write a song. God, Damien, the closest thing I’ve had to a real relationship since way back with Huxley is Cole, and look how that turned out.”
Damien sighs.
“First of all, your relationship with Huxley is a hell of a lot healthier than most divorced couples I’ve met, and you didn’t even have to get divorced!
Second, and more seriously, Powers is an abusive piece of shit who’s running his career into the fucking ground, and that has nothing to do with you at all.
He’s a leech, Daph, and you shine like a goddamn diamond without him. ”
I sigh.
I appreciate the sentiment, but for twelve years it’s been co-parenting, casual flings, and the dead-weight of Cole Powers. After a while, you’re forced to ask how much of it is your fault.
“Can I tell you a brutal truth?” Damien asks.
“Hit me with it, wise man.”
“People are fickle, and relationships in this industry are more fleeting than most. A lot of us are never able to commit because this life takes us absolutely everywhere, except back home.” Damien’s eyes flicker, with just the smallest hint of sadness.
“But you are home now, and it looks good on you.”
“Shut up,” I laugh. “It’s not love.”
“I didn’t say the word, kid, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this happy, and that’s in spite of all the shit that’s going on. You’re making it work.”
Damien told me his biggest regret was not spending more time at home with Huxley when he was a kid. He and Phoebe even fought about it. It’s why I took Violet on tour with me everywhere I went, but with Frankie…
“Look, I just built whatever this is with Frankie back up, and now…”
My eyes well up with tears.
“You’re afraid you’re going to lose him again.”
“Yes.”
I barely manage to choke it out.
The longer I’m back here, the harder it gets to leave.
“Can I tell you a secret?”
I nod.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that if you just tell him how you feel, things might end up working out in your favor this time.”
“Well I don’t.”
There’s so much at play— our past, our present, our careers… and I just know he won’t want to leave Emerald Bay. He’s stable here, and my being in the picture just messes all that up.
“Listen, if that man didn’t worship the ground you walked on, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry you. He said it was a no-brainer, took one look and realized he’d already made the decision.”
“It didn’t quite go down like that,” I laugh. “I told you, it’s all just a big act we’re putting on.”
“I don’t give a shit how it started, what matters is what’s happening right now.”
“The whole point of this is for us to not have feelings, D. It’s a business arrangement.”
“I hate to break it to you, Daph, but that’s basically what Pheebs and I had at the start, and guess what?” He points to himself. “I broke first.”
“You did?”
“Yep, it wasn't even that long if I’m being honest. Red Rock Canyon in Vegas, about a week into the tour. We ate burgers, watched the sunset, and then I told her I wanted her. That everything else was noise. When I’m with her, the whole world gets tuned out, and that’s the way I like it.”
“That’s… god, I think that’s how I feel about Frankie.”
Damien sips his coffee, his eyes twinkling.
“Look, we don’t all get to choose our happy endings, but I think yours may already be written out just right.”