Chapter 26
Dalton
THEY SAY NEW ORLEANS has more personality than any other city in the country.
I’ve been to a lot of places, but I’m learning quickly that this place is special.
Tonight’s performance will be one for the books as well, it being Mae’s home state show and all.
Trenton even gifted her a longer set for the night, and the city is practically buzzing for her return.
They even decorated Bourbon Street in her honor.
Our accommodation for the weekend is a grand hotel, the nicest I’ve ever stayed in. It towers above the rest near the French Quarter and hosts a slew of food offerings and luxe extras. Even the elevator I am currently in is finished with crystalline touches and dark woods.
In one hand, I hold a bag of beignets, in the other, a coffee for Raleigh. It’s meant to be a nice surprise. The two of us haven’t had any time to talk since Birmingham, and I know she’s been pulling some ridiculously late nights.
Mae has the entire top floor, so as the elevator attendant escorts me up, I take a moment to take in the lavishness and hope that the mood will be stress free.
As far as I know, Mae and Trenton are doing well, and the tour has officially sold out.
All the more reason to celebrate with some beignets.
As soon as the doors open, my hopes are whisked away.
The women are locked into a clear argument; Mae is in tears, Raleigh looks defeated.
As Mae looks over her shoulder toward me, she scoffs.
“Did you tell him? Tell him and not me? I know you talk.” There’s venom in her words.
Suddenly, I wish I’d taken the treats to Mitch and my team instead.
Raleigh hurriedly pulls her hair back into a bun and fans her neck.
I can practically feel the heat from across the room.
“Mae, I told you. I only called Bill. I didn’t tell Trenton or Dalton or anyone.
” There’s a brief pause but Mae doesn’t respond so the onslaught continues.
“Maggie’s information is public, you know that.
Your relation to her is public. A visit home that spirals could be worse than bad. ”
I’m stuck like a deer in the headlights, and Mae catches it. “Raleigh really hasn’t told you?”
My eyes find Raleigh, but she’s hunched over the couch clinging onto it for dear life.
“Hey, Dalton.” Mae snaps her fingers, regaining my attention. “Raleigh hasn’t told you about my mother?” She laughs and continues, all to spite Raleigh who has to take it in stride. “I know you guys share a lot.”
Raleigh and I both straighten at this.
“She forgot to tell you that you’re working for the daughter of a drug addict that abandoned her kid at the ripe old age of too young.”
Raleigh winces.
“What is it that I could do to help?” I manage to say.
“You could take me to visit her.”
Raleigh shakes her head, interrupting.
“I spoke to Officer Bill Overson, a man very familiar with Mae’s story.” Raleigh directs her words at me. “He doesn’t think it’s a good idea for anyone to go, let alone Mae.”
“Please stop talking like I’m not in the room.” Mae breathes through desperation.
“Mae,” I start, “if she’s dangerous, maybe—”
Mae lights up, but not in the good way. “I have you now, Dalton.” She leaps forward and pauses in front of me before taking a pleading breath. “You and Trenton could take me. You’d both protect me.”
In this moment, Mae is nothing but a kid, a kid suffering the deep wounds of childhood and I ache for her.
“It’s about more than your safety,” Raleigh says, softly at first before growing stronger with more certainty. “It’s about your image and the safety of your mother and fans. Imagine if—”
Mae blows her off and turns to me with rage. “Dalton, take me to my mother’s.”
“Now?” I ask, trying not to get caught up and trying not to give away my position by looking at Raleigh. There’s a show in mere hours and all of this sounds too complicated to make a decision in five minutes of my being here.
“Now,” she says, stomping her foot. “I pay you. You work for me. Do as I ask.” There’s a flinch as she says it.
“You can’t talk to him like that, Mae! What the hell has gotten into you?” Raleigh stays planted where she’s been since I got here, but she’s nowhere near being finished with this argument. “This raises a larger issue we have, and that’s how you’ve been treating people.”
“Me?” Mae laughs. She looks her dead in the eye as she says, “At least I’m not sleeping with a coworker to get over my would-be husband marrying someone else.”
Dread instantly pools on Raleigh’s face before she goes pale.
“I’m going down to Trenton’s. Don’t bother stopping by before the show.
” As Mae exits, Raleigh slams her hand on the back of the couch before collapsing down into it.
There is no treading lightly in this situation.
Walking into an argument is not ideal, but for Mae to say something so callous about Raleigh’s personality, her work ethic, it’s hard to swallow.
“Raleigh.”
“Dalton.” She looks up at me with puffy eyes.
“I will walk away today if it will fix the situation. Just say the word.”
Sniffing once, she stands. “I can’t ask anything like that of you. The situation with Mae’s mother is old and complicated, and has nothing to do with us. Any time we come to Louisiana, we argue about it.”
“Is it really so bad that she can’t visit?”
“Maggie is dangerous, Dalton. Like violent and out of her mind half the time. Mae does what she can, moneywise. But I haven’t let her see her since I started. I know that might be wrong, but someone has to be strong enough to do it, to be the bad guy.”
“You’re not the bad guy, Raleigh.” The silent beat between us goes on for too long. “What can I do?”
“Hug me.” I’d expected her to shove me off, to tell me we can’t have anything to do with each other now that Mae’s accused us, but she doesn’t. I set the food and drink down on the ottoman and then gather her to me. “She’s just overwhelmed, and homesick.”
“I’m sure,” I reciprocate. I truly hope so. Tiffs like this aren’t always so often overcome.
***
The fight doesn’t blow over. From the moment the lights went up and the stadium began to clear, Mae started her war path. Starting by marching off the stage, Mae gives Raleigh the cold shoulder and purposefully leaves plenty of space between the two of them as she makes for the green room.
“I’m going to the car,” Raleigh whispers beside me. She’s been fighting tears all day. I want to reach out to her and give her the same sort of bolstering hug as I did earlier, but there are too many eyes around and the last thing we need is for Mae to have more fodder to launch at Raleigh.
Mae takes her time backstage but finally emerges about 45 minutes after the end of the show. She’s seemingly not speaking to me either. She holds out her bag, which I take knowing I won’t get a thank you or an apology.
When we make it to the back door of the auditorium, the rest of my team reaches us and forms a semicircle around Mae, who has her eyes glued to her screen.
Trenton skirted out of here before a single attendee could reach their car in the parking lot.
He’s heading for the bars and that’s where I assume we will be heading to next.
When the door to the running car is opened, Mae ducks her head inside.
Raleigh’s waiting across the cab. My fists tighten at the sight of her tear stained face, but I close the door and climb into the passenger seat as Mitch puts the car into drive.
I pray that Mitch was at least here to lend her an ear and it wasn’t too awkward for either of them.
Glancing over shoulder, I watch as Raleigh wipes away her tears once more and glances over at Mae.
It’s a stalemate that fills the car with a frigid chill.
It’s not long before Mae senses the gaze on her. She drops her phone into her lap and whips her head over to Raleigh. “What are you looking at Raleigh? What could you possibly have to say?”
“Umm, Ms. Evans? Where is it that we’re going?” Poor Mitch has slipped at the worst time, but we can’t drive around in circles forever.
“My mother’s.” Silence follows, each of us waiting for the other to tackle Mae’s request.
I can tell that Raleigh has had all but enough of fighting her on it, so I clear my throat and try my damndest to find the right words. I know whatever I come up with won’t be good enough for Mae, but I feel like I’ve got to try.
“Maybe we should just head back to the hotel for the night,” I start. “We can stop by tomorrow morning? You do have a few days before the next show, I’m sure we can adjust the schedule—”
“I want to go now!” Mae bursts, slipping to the front of her seat.
“Take me back first,” Raleigh hisses. It seems timid Raleigh has finally taken a back seat, because when she speaks again, it is all annoyance and no grace.
“If you want to go risk your reputation, then so be it. When something inevitably happens and I’m not around to fix it for you, like I have for years, then do not find me. ”
In two seconds, she’s pushed open her car door—thank God we haven’t pulled away from the curb—and escaped into the night.
Mitch and I can do nothing but hold our tongues as Mae slides across the back seat and follows her out of the vehicle, all sorts of words that will be regretted later flow from her lips.
Mitch and I awkwardly watch on as everything comes to a head.