me. I’ll get changed and grab a cab. I should only be about half an hour behind you.”
“I figured you’d got all caught up with something,” she laughed. “Don’t worry about it—take your time.”
I appreciated her understanding but I didn’t take my time. Instead, I raced around my hotel room like the Tasmanian Devil, pulling clothes off their hangers and tossing them over my head. It should’ve been easy to get dressed, but I was trying to keep Tyson’s stupid hickey covered. I’d been wearing a shirt with a decorative scarf while I was working but when I was backstage, I didn’t like to wear too many accent pieces. With all the running around things tended to get snagged or lost.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I yanked my lone short sleeve turtleneck from the closet. It was black, and I usually wore it under a jean jacket, but it was too hot for that. I teamed it with a pair of skinny jeans and my purple converse. As ready as I was going to be I grabbed my purse and slammed the door to my now completely messy room behind me. I raced to the lobby where I was thrilled to find a string of cabs at the curb. I arrived at the arena twenty-five minutes or so behind everyone else, which wasn’t so bad.
I held my head high as I walked in, waving hello to my co-workers as I made my way toward Lacey. I relaxed when I realized the band weren’t in the room because they were in their pre-show meeting.
Lacey smiled and gestured to the wall of food behind her. “You’re just in time for dinner. Let’s eat before we meet with John.”
John was the band’s manager who Lacey and I met with each night. I’d been so worked up earlier in the day I hadn’t eaten anything, so I nodded my head as she led me to the table. I grinned when I saw the massive quantities of Chic Fil A on the table, as it was one of my favorites. The band loved it as well, so we had it as a before show meal fairly often. After choosing our food Lacey and I went to a corner table and sat down.
“So,” she said as she opened a container of dipping sauce, “you were quiet all day—so much so I didn’t even see you after I handed the briefs off this morning. What’s up?”
I dipped a waffle-cut fry in ketchup as I shook my head. “Not a thing. Just needed some good ol’ fresh air today, so I worked up on the rooftop lounge.”
One of her perfectly arched eyebrows went up. “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy,” she murmured, “we both know that isn’t why you stayed off the radar today.”
I felt myself blushing as I looked down. She hadn’t said anything to me when I’d seen her in the morning so I’d hoped she didn’t know anything. Obviously, that dream wasn’t realized.
“Lace—”
“I gave you room this morning because I could see you needed it,” she explained. “But now I have to say something.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It was unprofessional and completely out of line. I’m so sorry—”
She reached out and set her hand on mine. “No! Nothing like that, Dais. This isn’t a Fortune 500 job,” she laughed. “If it were, Flynn and Tessa and Cole and Devon wouldn’t be together. I’m not talking to you as a manager I’m talking to you as a friend. You looked upset when you came out of the bathroom last night, and I couldn’t have missed that hickey if I tried.”
I grimaced and shook my head. “The stupid hickey,” I groaned.
She laughed. “Men. Always trying to leave their mark.”
“He didn’t mean to leave a mark,” I mumbled. “In fact, he tried to moonwalk out of the bathroom to get away from me. It was like I was Ground Zero for disease and he had to get away before catching it.”
Throwing back her head, Lacey laughed. “Don’t believe that for a second. He’s so obviously infatuated with you—”
“Did you smoke a fatty on the ride in?” I asked incredulously. “Because you’re hallucinating. He couldn’t hate me more if he tried.”
She shook her head emphatically. “That, my dear,
“I figured you’d got all caught up with something,” she laughed. “Don’t worry about it—take your time.”
I appreciated her understanding but I didn’t take my time. Instead, I raced around my hotel room like the Tasmanian Devil, pulling clothes off their hangers and tossing them over my head. It should’ve been easy to get dressed, but I was trying to keep Tyson’s stupid hickey covered. I’d been wearing a shirt with a decorative scarf while I was working but when I was backstage, I didn’t like to wear too many accent pieces. With all the running around things tended to get snagged or lost.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I yanked my lone short sleeve turtleneck from the closet. It was black, and I usually wore it under a jean jacket, but it was too hot for that. I teamed it with a pair of skinny jeans and my purple converse. As ready as I was going to be I grabbed my purse and slammed the door to my now completely messy room behind me. I raced to the lobby where I was thrilled to find a string of cabs at the curb. I arrived at the arena twenty-five minutes or so behind everyone else, which wasn’t so bad.
I held my head high as I walked in, waving hello to my co-workers as I made my way toward Lacey. I relaxed when I realized the band weren’t in the room because they were in their pre-show meeting.
Lacey smiled and gestured to the wall of food behind her. “You’re just in time for dinner. Let’s eat before we meet with John.”
John was the band’s manager who Lacey and I met with each night. I’d been so worked up earlier in the day I hadn’t eaten anything, so I nodded my head as she led me to the table. I grinned when I saw the massive quantities of Chic Fil A on the table, as it was one of my favorites. The band loved it as well, so we had it as a before show meal fairly often. After choosing our food Lacey and I went to a corner table and sat down.
“So,” she said as she opened a container of dipping sauce, “you were quiet all day—so much so I didn’t even see you after I handed the briefs off this morning. What’s up?”
I dipped a waffle-cut fry in ketchup as I shook my head. “Not a thing. Just needed some good ol’ fresh air today, so I worked up on the rooftop lounge.”
One of her perfectly arched eyebrows went up. “Daisy, Daisy, Daisy,” she murmured, “we both know that isn’t why you stayed off the radar today.”
I felt myself blushing as I looked down. She hadn’t said anything to me when I’d seen her in the morning so I’d hoped she didn’t know anything. Obviously, that dream wasn’t realized.
“Lace—”
“I gave you room this morning because I could see you needed it,” she explained. “But now I have to say something.”
“I know,” I sighed. “It was unprofessional and completely out of line. I’m so sorry—”
She reached out and set her hand on mine. “No! Nothing like that, Dais. This isn’t a Fortune 500 job,” she laughed. “If it were, Flynn and Tessa and Cole and Devon wouldn’t be together. I’m not talking to you as a manager I’m talking to you as a friend. You looked upset when you came out of the bathroom last night, and I couldn’t have missed that hickey if I tried.”
I grimaced and shook my head. “The stupid hickey,” I groaned.
She laughed. “Men. Always trying to leave their mark.”
“He didn’t mean to leave a mark,” I mumbled. “In fact, he tried to moonwalk out of the bathroom to get away from me. It was like I was Ground Zero for disease and he had to get away before catching it.”
Throwing back her head, Lacey laughed. “Don’t believe that for a second. He’s so obviously infatuated with you—”
“Did you smoke a fatty on the ride in?” I asked incredulously. “Because you’re hallucinating. He couldn’t hate me more if he tried.”
She shook her head emphatically. “That, my dear,
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