18. Deacon
I’d always been an early riser, but on Sunday morning I got up extra early, fighting a restlessness I couldn’t seem to shake. I then did what I always did if anxiety crept up—I sweated it out.
Although my LA house didn’t have the full gym facility my Australia home boasted, it did have a treadmill and a set of weights in one of the spare bedrooms. After running five miles and lifting with purpose, I sat on the bench, finally ready to be honest about the reason for my agitation.
I’d caught feelings for the woman currently in my bed. It made no sense given our timeframe. Perhaps the sensation was a side effect of us faking it. Grabbing my iPad, I queued up the first season of City of Angels, desperate to discover what it was that had me fascinated.
Two episodes in, I turned it off, pissed off at her selfish ex and jealous of how in love and supportive of him she’d been. Determined to ensure Andrea wasn’t screwed over by the prick, I dialed Lawrence, aware he was also an early riser.
“You know I’d only answer the phone for you at six something in the morning.”
“Appreciate it. I wanted to talk to you before you meet with Andrea later today.”
“And you’re whispering because she’s asleep beside you?”
What I both admired and found annoying about Lawrence was his candor. “She’s in the other room.” I proceeded to explain how I wanted to supplement his rate and for him to bill me directly.
He let out a long sigh. “I don’t keep secrets from my clients. Why not tell her that you’re footing the bill?”
“Because she won’t take the money. And without a shark, her ex will get more than he deserves.” I described the way Jeff had used their home equity to fund his bar.
“How about instead of billing you the difference, you do me a big favor?”
“Name it.” I preferred this idea.
“My daughter and her friends are huge fans. Sing a couple songs at her birthday party in October.”
My manager would have a complete fit over me agreeing to do a kid’s birthday party, but I didn’t care. “Consider it done. Send me the date, and we’ll make it happen.”
“If your girlfriend agrees to my representation, then be confident I’ll go for the jugular.”
I didn’t bother to correct his assumption about Andrea being my girlfriend. “Good.”
After hanging up, I took a quick shower and made breakfast, intending to bring it to her in bed. But she puttered out to the kitchen before I’d finished, wearing my robe and looking absolutely adorable with her messy bun and sleepy eyes. How easy was it to imagine more mornings like this?
“Hi, beautiful. Did I wake you?”
“Mm, the smell of bacon did.” She let Callie outside before heading over to nip a piece I’d placed on a paper towel.
“Guess I won’t ever make you choose between me and bacon.”
She laughed, licking her lips and going in for a kiss. “Smart man. Did you sleep all right?”
“I get anxious before I take time off to write.” It wasn’t a complete lie.
She let Callie back in and gave her a scoop of food. “Anxious in what way?”
I was always careful what I shared regarding my creative process because I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. “I’m thankful for the success I’ve achieved, but every time I go into the studio, I fear my next effort won’t be as good as the other albums.”
“I suppose it would be tough to keep raising the bar, especially when it’s so high already. Of all the songs you’ve written, which is your favorite?”
Leave it to her to make it easy to talk to her. We spent the rest of the morning in casual banter before I drove her to a nondescript office building where Lawrence rented space. Given how often he worked for high-profile clients, he rotated office locations every year so as to make it less obvious who might be seeking him out. I hoped we’d get lucky and be able to avoid the paparazzi.
“Thanks for driving me,” she said, appearing nervous in the passenger seat.
“Happy to. I have an appointment with my record label, but it won’t take long.”
I’d just finished up the meeting and was shooting the shit with people on my team when my phone buzzed. I smiled when I saw it was a text from Andrea, but it dropped when I actually read it.
Shit. She was on her way to confront her ex.
“I have to go.”