25. Darcy
25
DARCY
J ust as I thought I was working my way through the crowd, the lights in the auditorium flashed, telling the parents the second half was about to begin. Now I was pushing my way through a sea of people trying to move in the opposite direction.
“Excuse me,” I said each time I bumped into another eager aunt or uncle. People groaned at me or rolled their eyes as I elbowed my way toward the door. Callum had left with that strange man, and I suddenly felt panicked that he might simply get in his car and disappear.
Stop being ridiculous , I told myself, but something about Callum and that blond man was making me uneasy. I needed to get out there and hear what they were saying.
Finally, I made my way out of the crowd and had a clear path to the door. In front of me I saw the double doors that led to the elementary school hallway, but there was another door to my right that seemed to lead outside. I couldn’t remember which door Callum and the man had taken. Unwilling to risk setting off some fire alarm by pushing through the door to my right, I pushed out into the hallway. I looked left and right, but Callum wasn’t there.
They must have gone outside .
I turned toward the front entrance of the school as my mind raced with possibilities. Who was that man and what were they talking about? I left the front entrance and turned to my right. I figured I could walk around the outside of the building to get to where Callum and this man were likely talking. If they were still here, that is. I had a quick pang of guilt as I thought of Liz sitting down for the second half of the play with two empty seats next to her, but I reasoned that she would approve of my quest. She was a big supporter of Callum and me being together and here I was, trying to make sure he wasn’t in any trouble.
“You haven’t left us any other options.”
I heard the voices floating to me as I neared the auditorium. This portion of the building seemed to be an add-on, and it jutted out from the original portion of the building. It meant that, as I walked toward them, I couldn’t be seen, but I could hear them clearly only a few feet away from me.
“And the other guys are on board with this?” Callum’s voice sounded strained and a bit frantic. I sensed panic in his voice, and I knew for sure something was wrong.
“I told you they all decided. They need someone dedicated to what we’re doing. Someone who cares.”
“Seriously?” The accusation made me mad, and it wasn’t even directed at me. I could only imagine what Callum was feeling. “You’re telling me I’m not serious? When I’ve sacrificed everything to make that group successful!”
“You used to,” the man said. I had a vague recollection of Callum telling me about his manager, a man he didn’t like much. “But you’ve made it very clear your priorities have changed.”
“Because I want to spend time with my family? Because I don’t want to be in a new city every single night getting barely any sleep between stops?”
“You knew what you were signing up for,” the man said. “When we first started all of this, I told you I would take you to the top. I tried to prepare you for it.”
“Oh, you took us to the top?” Callum’s voice was dripping with disdain. I could hear him struggling to keep control. It reminded me of his confrontation with my ex. I could only hope this argument wouldn’t end in a black eye like that one had. “We should have dropped you years ago, Brady! We’re the only successful band you’ve ever had.”
“Wow, how conceited can you get?” Brady fired back. “You’re a big client, Callum, but I have plenty of other work to keep me busy. If you don’t like my work, then why don’t you talk to your bandmates about it? I can tell you with certainty they have no problem with the way I’m managing this band. In fact, they’re the ones who told me to come here. They know this tour is a great opportunity for you all, and they wanted me to convince you.”
A tour?
“They all want to do this?” Callum asked. I sensed hesitation in his voice, as if he couldn’t tell what was true and what was false. He sounded vulnerable, and part of me wanted to go to him. But the words of his manager kept me in place. Was Callum going back on the road? Was he about to leave after everything we had just talked about?
“They’re all on board,” Brady assured him. “And when you hear what they’re offering you, you’ll understand why. This tour is a big deal. And there’s even more money because it’s so last-minute. I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t think it was the right move for the group.”
“Couldn’t we join the tour late?” Callum asked. “We could go right after the summer.”
“They don’t want two replacements. They want one,” Brady said. “The tour dates are booked. Sold out arenas all over the country.”
There was silence then. I took the risk of leaning out just enough to get a glimpse of Callum and the man standing with him. I could see the blond man’s back, but Callum’s face was there, looking pained and confused. He cast his eyes up to the sky and ran his hand through his hair.
“I can’t do it, Brady. I have plans with my family and ... I can’t just drop everything and leave.”
“Then Liam will do it.”
The words were shockingly final. Brady said them quickly and definitively without any room for conversation.
“No way!” Callum cried out. “He doesn’t have the voice for that. They’re my songs!”
“You’re wrong there,” Brady said, spitting back in disgust. “Those songs belong to the band and the record labels who recorded them. And if you try to take a single one with you for this new solo career you’re planning, then we’ll sue you. You can be sure of that.”
“This is ridiculous! You can’t shove me out of my own band.”
“Who’s shoving you out? You’re the one saying no! You’re the one refusing to put your career and this band before the other things in your life.”
I saw Brady step away, as if he were about to head back to his car. Callum reached out in desperation and grabbed his arm.
“Wait! Don’t do this—just let me think. You’re putting me in a horrible situation.”
“I don’t have time to wait. We’re doing this tour with or without you. So, are you in or are you out?”
“Let me talk about it with my sister. I need a bit of time to see if this can work.”
But Brady was pulling away again. He crossed to the parking lot and Callum followed him, both walking closer to where I was hiding behind the corner of the building.
“I’m calling the band,” Brady said as he walked. “I’ll tell Liam to get ready. We already have a sub bass player lined up. He’s already started learning the songs.”
“Stop!” Callum cried out, his voice pleading. Finally, Brady stood still and turned back to him. It was as if he knew he had won, and my heart sank into my toes. There was a confidence in that spin that made me want to shove the man down to the ground.
Don’t say it , I begged him. Please don’t say it .
“Don’t call Liam,” Callum said. “Tell them I’ll do the tour. Tell them I’m in.”
Disappointment flooded through me and brought tears instantly to my eyes. He was leaving. After all his plans at the hardware store and all those caring words to me, he was choosing to leave. I wanted to kick myself for trusting him. I wanted to scream and yell for letting myself fall victim to Callum Jones when he had shown me time and time again that he shouldn’t be trusted.
“Perfect,” Brady said with a smug smile, but just then he caught sight of me from the corner of his eye. And then both men looked over at me. Callum’s mouth fell open as he realized I had heard their conversation. He took a step forward, but my vision was suddenly blurred by tears that overflowed, falling down my cheeks. I was ashamed to cry in front of him. I felt stupid and small and overwhelmed by the feeling Callum had tricked me into something.
“Darcy,” Callum called out, but I rushed away from him. I couldn’t face him like this, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to have a rational conversation. Right now, I needed to get away from him.
“Leave me alone,” I yelled as I began to walk to the parking lot. I fished through my bag to find my keys, telling myself to stop crying. But the tears kept coming.
He never promised you anything , I told myself. He never said he would stay .
I had taken all his talk about the recording studio and his plans for the future as a commitment to me, but had Callum ever said that? Had he ever told me he wanted a relationship with me? I felt more and more stupid as I reached my car and finally located my keys.
“I had to tell him that,” Callum said, keeping his voice low. He was next to me now, watching as I unlocked my car and opened the door. “I just needed everything to slow down for a minute so I could think!”
“It’s fine,” I told him, forcing myself to look at him. “I always knew you were going back on the road. You don’t owe me anything.”
“Don’t say that!” Callum said. “Just give me a minute.”
But I couldn’t stand there. I got in the car and slammed the door before shoving the keys into the ignition. I backed up too quickly—lucky there were no cars behind me—and then turned hard to head out of the parking lot. Callum stood there, his arms limp by his sides, looking defeated as I drove away.