27. Rory
RORY
Watching all the buses load up and pull away is sad, like when the circus packs up and leaves town.
Quinn: Let’s catch lunch in Fort Lauderdale or Tampa! I meant to touch base with you before I left, but I had a last-minute chance to interview a band.
Me: No worries! Hope your article goes well!
Quinn has been making the most of this tour. Sometimes I wonder, if I study extroverts like Quinn and Jace, will their charisma rub off on me?
But Jace has been quiet this afternoon after he and Frank chatted. I don’t know what they discussed. Jace said it was nothing, but he’s not playful like he was this morning. He’s been sitting at that kitchen table for hours, scratching out words and scowling at the paper like it’s offended him.
At least he’s finding a way to be productive since we’re the last bus out of the lot. Frank really is a miracle worker because he found someone to change our tire on short notice.
Shane, Derek, and Cooper sit on the opposite couch and recount all the ways they got sucked off this weekend.
Grossed out, I cover Layla’s ears. “Do you ever get tired of all the casual sex?” I’m not opposed to hookups, but these guys have turned sexual conquest into an Olympic sport.
Cooper burps. “Never.”
Shane shakes his head. “Nope.”
Derek just stares at me like I’m a moron.
Okay, then.
Jace grunts at his notebook, stomps to our bedroom, returning a minute later with his guitar. He tosses his notebook on the seat next to me and sits at the end of our couch, turning sideways, so he can look at his notes.
He starts strumming, and I close my eyes, loving the tune. He plays the chords over and over again, humming, until he gets it just right. “That’s so pretty,” I say.
“No one asked you,” one of the guys grumbles across from me.
I don’t think Jace heard because he’s in the zone, and I can’t tell who said it. None of them will look at me. Cowards.
If I thought the music was good, when Jace starts to sing, I stop breathing.
She says she ain’t a heartbreaker, but she’s got that secret smile
The one that keeps me up at night, thinking this might be worthwhile
He clears his throat and glances at me. Is this song about me? Am I delusional? Hayden never wrote me songs. I don’t know why Jace would, but I’d do cartwheels through the parking lot if he did.
“That’s beautiful, Jace. I love it.” Better not to assume and make an ass out of myself.
But when he shoots me that crooked grin, I feel like he’s telling me something. “There’s more, but I’m still working out the kinks.”
Grinning, I nod. I fold my lips in so I’m not too toothy, and he winks at me, making my heart gallop.
Like she loves it too, Layla starts bouncing in my lap. I hang on to her hands and let her do her thing while I try not to swoon over Jace.
When we reach Fort Lauderdale, it’s late afternoon. Jace and I pack up our dirty clothes and the baby’s stuff, and we put Layla in a stroller. Across the lot, next to Marlowe’s bus, I spot Karina, who gives me the stink-eye.
Don’t judge her, Rory. You don’t know anything about that girl. Maybe she’s hurt Cooper moved on thirty seconds after they hooked up.
Frank meets us at the front of the bus with a printed piece of paper. “The laundromat is about two blocks away, and here are some restaurants that won’t give you food poisoning.”
“Thanks, Frank. You’re awesome.” I grin at my new favorite person. “Can we bring you something to eat?”
“Thanks, darling, but I have a salad.” He pats his belly. “Gotta watch my figure so my wife keeps me around.”
Jace pulls out his phone, presses a few buttons, then tucks it in the back of his jeans. “I have my ringer on, so call if you need to reach me. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
Edmond’s back on security duty tonight, and after I get his order—he wants some cookies—Jace and I take off. The beach air is fresh and warm, like the city is welcoming us with a hug.
“This is very domestic of us,” I say as I push Layla’s stroller and he hauls our laundry.
He leans over like he’s about to impart a secret. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a fluff-and-fold genius.”
I love seeing this side of Jace. “And how does one achieve such greatness?”
“It was my job when I was little. I had a lot of laundry duty, especially if I got in trouble.”
“Let me guess. You got in trouble a lot.”
He chuckles. “I always got yelled at for playing the penis game.”
Um. What? “I’m afraid to ask.”
“It’s not as dirty as it sounds. You take turns saying the word ‘penis,’ starting with a whisper. Then the next kid gets louder and so on, until the teacher hears and yells at someone. Well, that was often me.”
I cover my mouth, laughing. “I suppose that’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“No, the worst was when Mav and I climbed the water tower and couldn’t get down until the fire department rescued us.
As punishment, Mav had to shovel the barn for months, and I got stuck doing laundry and shoveling cow shit.
” He chuckles. “Unfortunately for my brothers, I washed a lot of stuff on hot. Rhett walked around with pink t-shirts for years.”
“I was an only child growing up. What was it like having a big family?”
He gets a faraway look in his eyes. “My brothers are awesome. Always have been. But when we were little, my family was broke. My mother took off and my father was a drunk, so we spent a lot of time scrambling to get by. Rhett worked his ass off so child protective services wouldn’t take us or foreclose on the ranch. ”
My God. I had no idea. “I’m so sorry. That had to be hard.” Jace’s life has been so much tougher than I’d imagined when I first met him.
He glances down at Layla, who’s reclining in her stroller. “That’s why it was important I bring her on the tour. I know what it’s like to be left behind when my mother ditched us. Layla’s been through enough. I might not be perfect, but she’ll always have me.”
Ugh, he’s killing me. “I can take more photos and videos of the two of you. Not to post, but so you can show her someday. So she’ll know you had her by your side on your first tour.”
“Hopefully, it’s not our only tour,” he says quietly.
“It seems like it’s going well. You got bumped to the larger stage in Daytona, and your fans online are pretty rabid.” Good Lord, the messages he gets are over the top. I’ve accidentally clicked on a few when I was posting, and I got an eyeful.
“Nothing’s ever guaranteed, and it’s harder to write on a bus than I imagined.” We reach the laundromat, and he sets down our laundry bags so he can open the door for me and Layla.
“But don’t you have until the end of the summer to write something?”
“That’s what I thought, but Frank told me this morning the label wants me to record something in Dallas next month. I’m not one of those people who can hammer out a song in twenty minutes.”
After he sets the laundry on a washing machine, I step up to him and put my hands on his broad shoulders.
“You can do this, Jace. Don’t freak yourself out.
Write what you know and love. Don’t overthink it too much.
The words will come.” I’m no writer myself, but if I was, that’s what I would want to hear.
Jace has written some great songs, so he obviously has the talent. He just has to lure that talent out.
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he smiles. “That’s what Frank said, but I worried he was blowing smoke up my ass.”
“I read somewhere that David Bowie cut up his lyrics to mix and match lines and Paul Simon tossed a ball because the repetitive motion helped relax his mind. Other people take showers or go for long runs.” I grin up at him. “Want me to get you a canister of tennis balls?”
He chuckles. “At this point, yeah. I’ll try anything.”
Pushing up on my toes, I kiss his stubbly chin. “Done. Now let’s get our laundry done.”
I pull out my light lavender sweater I should wash by hand, but I’m afraid if I don’t clean it now, it’ll just sit in my hamper.
After we get our clothes stuffed into the washing machines, Layla gets fussy, and Jace pulls her out and kisses her cheek. “Hey, sweet girl.”
She grabs his cheeks and giggles. “Dada!”
Affection shines bright in his eyes. “Rhett says having kids changes something for you, and I have to agree. Never thought I’d be a parent, but now I can’t imagine not having her.”
“I know I said Layla didn’t seem like the right name for her, but I stand corrected. She stole my heart from the get-go, so maybe it’s fitting.” I retie her shoelace. “And she’s so smart. We’ve been working on counting. Layla, let’s show Daddy how much you’ve learned.”
We put her on top of a washer, and she bounces as she counts with me. We cheer when she reaches the number five. I hand her off to her dad. “Here, you do it, and I’ll get it on video.”
I end up taking several pics and videos of Jace with Layla. They’re both super photogenic, and it ends up being a fun way to spend time while our clothes wash.
When my sweater is clean, I lay it flat in our laundry basket and tuck that by our stuff in the corner while Jace moves the rest of our clothes into the dryers. There’s no one here but us, so I figure my sweater should be okay.
Once we’re done, Jace motions outside. “Want to hit the beach for an evening stroll? I’m not sure if we’ll get a chance later. Frank has a lot of promo set up this week with radio stations and meet-and-greets.”
“If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh?”
“Cross my heart.”
“I’ve never been to the beach.”
He stares at me a long minute before he shakes his head. “That travesty ends today. Your family never took you?”
“My dad was always working, and when he met Camille, she wanted to go on vacation with just him, so they’d go to the beach by themselves.”
“I’m sorry, babe. That sucks. We’ll have to go to Port Aransas after the tour. Everyone always raves about Padre Island, but that’s too touristy. I love Port A. It has that sleepy small-town vibe I love.”
He’s making plans for us in the future? Smiling, I nod. “Count me in.”
We stroll a few blocks over and find ourselves a beautiful stretch of shops across from the ocean. Jace gets Layla out of her stroller to show her the beach, and I get video of him dipping her into the water, just low enough for her feet to get wet. She shrieks with glee every time.
I kick off my sandals and sink into the warm sand. The ocean breeze is so refreshing that I don’t even mind what it’s doing to my hair.
Afterward, Jace crooks his finger. “Let’s take a photo of the three of us.”
“I’d love that.” I pat down my hair and join him.
We take silly selfies until someone walks by and offers to shoot a few for us with Jace’s phone. Then Jace drapes his arm over my shoulders as we return to the laundromat. “Sorry we can’t stay longer or go swimming.”
“I don’t know how I feel about swimming in the ocean. I read that you have a one in forty-three million chance of getting bitten by a shark, but I’d hate to test those odds.”
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “I won’t let you get gobbled up by a shark. Promise.”
I poke him in the chest. “I’m going to hold you to that, sir.”
When we get back to the laundromat, we fold our clothes and tuck them away. We’re headed for the door when I stop. “My sweater.” But it’s not in the corner where I left it. Jace helps me check the entire place and every dryer, but it’s gone.
He hugs me. “We’ll get you another one.”
“I feel stupid for leaving it behind.” Who leaves a favorite sweater in a laundromat?
Jace gives me a sympathetic smile. “No one was here. I figured it was safe too.”
On our way back to the bus, Jace suggests we grab a bite to eat at a quiet Italian restaurant, and I wonder if it’s to cheer me up after losing my sweater.
We sit in a two-top, and Jace pulls Layla into his lap. The scent of butter and garlic fills the air, candles burn on every table, and twinkle lights decorate the walls. It’s cozy and intimate.
As we wait for our food, I ask the question I’ve been mulling over. “Do you think the Cherry Smasher is done? Or do I need to be worried?” A knife through our tire was scary. But this seems like a safer topic than whether he knows his bandmates hate me.
“I don’t wanna take any chances. Let’s see what the next venue looks like before we make any decisions, but I’m thinking maybe I should walk you back to the bus after our shows.”
“Frank won’t be excited about that.”
“I don’t care. I want you and Layla to be safe.”
I’d hate to be the reason Jace and his manager argue. “I could always walk back with a roadie or call Edmond again. Just a thought.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
Nodding, I smile at my handsome boyfriend. When we finish dinner, I wipe Layla’s face. “How will the concerts work now that everyone will be performing on one stage?” At the music festival, there were multiple stages.
“They’re not all part of Garrett’s tour. We just happened to dovetail with the music festival, and Frank said to use it as a warmup. There are a few more festivals throughout the summer.”
I take a sip of my iced tea. “I can’t imagine the logistics that go into planning a tour. I get overwhelmed if I have to coordinate more than one event a week at the library.”
He squeezes my hand. “Do you miss it? You seemed really good with those little kids.”
I pause. “You saw me?”
His grin tilts up on one side. “Caught the tail end of your Saturday story hour once. Watched y’all through the window. You were sitting there with all the kids at your feet. They were staring at you like you were a fairy princess.”
“Only I wield books instead of wands.” I laugh off the comment, but then I realize that he noticed me long before we went on tour together.
I’m on cloud nine as we stroll back to the bus, the conversation shifting from books I think he might enjoy to our favorite bands and albums.
It isn’t until we’re boarding the bus when I realize who’s parked next to us.
Marlowe and the Dusty Roses.
Why did her bus move from the other side of the lot?
It starts to sink in—I’m going to have to see that woman the entire summer.