Mr. Abelman nodded his approval. “Education is very important. Do you have siblings?”
“Yes, sir. I have a younger brother. He’s 19. I’ve been taking care of him since my parents died four years ago. We’re very close.”
Again, Mr. Abelman nodded. “It’s very important that siblings stick together, especially during times of crisis. Do you have other family?”
“No, sir. It’s just us.”
The servants returned, cleared away the first course and presented a beautifully prepared plate filled with chateaubriand, baby carrots and a swirl of mashed potatoes. Since no one was eating, Brett was unsure if everyone was waiting to say grace or for some other cue, so he sat with his hands in his lap. He looked to Mason, for some reason, and the kid flashed him a smile.
“You’re doing great,” Mason whispered across the table, but everyone heard, and a small rumble of laughter ensued.
Mr. Abelman picked up his knife and fork, which seemed to be the cue for everyone else to dig in. “So, young man. Tell me about your employment with Bulletproof. I understand you’re a roadie. Was that your chosen profession?”
Although it was said without reproach, Brett felt a bit of disapproval behind the man’s words. “Actually, I had a different career path in mind, but I fell in love with setting up the stage and assisting the band. It gives me great satisfaction to know that musicians trust me with their equipment. There’s a lot of responsibility in making sure the stage is set up correctly and efficiently, especially when three or four bands are on the lineup.”
“I agree. It’s an integral part of production. Tell me about your academics.”
Brett gave a brief rundown of his time at UCLA. He saw the impressed raised eyebrow at the mention of the well-respected university and its disappearance at Brett’s admission that he never got his degree. It was a sore subject for Brett, but he stood by his decision and said so.
There weren’t any side conversations at the table. Basically everyone listened as Mr. Abelman asked Brett a series of personal questions about his life. By the end of the meal, Brett felt raw and on display.
“Don’t sweat it,” Jimmy said, slinging an arm around Brett’s shoulder when they retreated to the parlor for after-dinner drinks. “He’s just protective of his daughters.”
Brett watched Kira talking with her father at the mantel, which was a good 30 feet across the room. He hadn’t been prepared for the onslaught of questions and was a little curt, at times. “Did he drill you like that when you started dating Audra?”
Jimmy pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head while genuine laughter fell from his mouth. “You got off easy, man. He basically told me to stay the hell away from his daughter or he’d rip my head off. He may have even threatened Immortal Angel’s record contract. I’m not sure.”
“Really?” It surprised Brett, because Jimmy was a great guy. A good husband and an even better father. He wondered what Jimmy did in order for Mr. Abelman to be so opposed to the idea of Jimmy dating his daughter, or if maybe Jimmy was exaggerating. “He was that against it?”
“He hated my guts, man. I wasn’t always a devoted husband and father.” Jimmy displayed a lascivious smile and waggled his eyebrows. “I was a ladies’ man. I partied hard and lived life in the fast lane.” He put his hand to his chest and bowed his head modestly. “But all that changed once I got my lady. She made a one-woman man outta me. And my kid turned me into something that shocked the shit out of everyone, including me.”
“What’s that?”
“A responsible adult.” Jimmy wrapped his arm around Brett’s shoulder in a brotherly gesture. “You’re starting out miles ahead of me. He’s got a great poker face, so it’s hard to tell what’s going on in his head. But I’ll tell you this. He speaks his mind. If he didn’t like you, we’d all know it. Relax. He likes you, man.”
Mason joined them, his black dress shirt now wrinkled and stained with a dollop of potato soup. “Don’t worry about Granpa Ron. I put in a good word.”
Brett smiled at the kid. “You did?”
“Yep. I told him how you made pancakes for us on the bus and how you make Aunt Kira laugh and smile all the time. He liked that.”
This kid’s got skills, that’s for sure. “Thanks, dude. Appreciate it. Us guys gotta stick together.”
Kira headed toward them, finished with the conversation with her father. She was smiling, and there was a sparkle in her eyes.
“Everything OK?” he asked.
“Perfect.” She nodded, happily. “He said that he respected your honest answers to his questions. That’s a good thing. You didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. It showed that you have integrity. And he loves that you take care of your brother. My father values family above all things.”
Relieved, the tension disappeared from Brett’s shoulders. “What else did he say?”
She looped her arm through his tightly. “He said he approves.”
Another week went by before Brett returned to New York. Kira wanted to pick him up at the airport, but the board meeting at Falcon Records coincided with his flight arrival time. It was hard to concentrate on market analyses and projected profits when she knew she’d be seeing Brett in a few short hours, but she put on her best corporate executive face and pushed her romantic fantasies to the back of her mind.
One hour and forty-five minutes later, company business concluded. She tossed spreadsheets and file folders into her Louis Vuitton laptop bag and pushed her chair back, hoping she didn’t look too eager to run out of the conference room.
“Are you meeting Brett now?” Audra asked Kira, as they headed for the door.
“He should be landing any minute.” She tried to tone down her smile but couldn’t help checking the time on her phone. “Ten more minutes and we’ll be in the same state. I swear this day has felt as if it were a thousand hours long.” Her father was a few feet ahead, and she quickened her pace in order to catch up to him. “Daddy, I’m heading out for the day.”
His brows raised in surprise. “At 3:45? Is anything wrong? Are you feeling ill?”
“No. Nothing like that. Brett’s visiting this weekend. His plane is landing at JFK in a few minutes.”
“You two are quite the jetsetters, flying back and forth.”
“We’re making it work.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her. “I’m happy for you, Kira.” He gave her a small smile. “I don’t want you to be a workaholic like me. I’m happy that you’re making time for someone who is important to you. Live your life. The company doesn’t always have to come first.”
Her heart melted at her father’s words and advice, and she hugged him. “Thank you for saying that.”
He patted her back gently. “Go. Meet your beau.”
She smiled at the old-fashioned word. “I’ll see you Monday.”
As soon as Kira dropped her handbag on the couch in her apartment, her cell phone buzzed. “Finally!” she exclaimed, as her happiness soared.
BRETT: On the way! 46 minutes. Can’t wait to see you! ♥
An excited laugh bubbled in her throat at the idea of seeing Brett in under an hour. It was silly, she knew, since she’d only seen him five days ago, but it was too long. A day felt like a week, and a week felt like forever. She hated that they were doing the long-distance thing, but, as she told her father, they were making it work.
KIRA: I’m so happy you’re here!! It’s all I could think about all day! Miss you tons! Let me know if you hit traffic. xoxo
BRETT: Me too. See you soon. xoxo
After she showered, she contemplated greeting him at the door in lingerie but decided against it. Instead, she wore jeans and a tank top because that was what she was most comfortable in. She wasn’t the seductress that dressed up in thigh-high stockings with matching panties and bra or a lace teddy. She was just a girl happy to see her guy.
She suddenly remembered the coffeemaker. Shit! Brett still didn’t know that she was keeping
it at Audra’s, and she ran across the hall to retrieve it. Without bothering to knock, she raced into the apartment and almost collided with Jimmy.
“Whoa!” He jumped out of the way. “Where’s the fire?”
“No time!” She scooped up the coffeemaker, ran out of the kitchen, ran back to get the grinder and the beans, and raced back out. Jimmy jumped out of her way again, and she breezed past him. “Sorry!”
Her phone dinged just as she was plugging the machine into the outlet on the backsplash to her kitchen counter, and she hastily read the message.
BRETT: Traffic. ☹
Kira’s shoulders slumped. Damn gridlock.
KIRA: I should have sent a helicopter!
BRETT: LOL. ETA 20 minutes.
KIRA: Can’t wait! Love you!
BRETT: Love you too.
Kira paced through the apartment until his next text came through.
BRETT: I’m downstairs. ETA 2 mins.
Running to the door, she smiled so wide her cheeks hurt. In her excitement, she flung open the door with so much enthusiasm that it banged off the interior wall and made a mark. “Oh, shit.” She laughed and made a mental note to get a doorstop. Footsteps in the hallway made her forget about the sheetrock completely, and she darted out of the apartment to greet him. He was just getting off the elevator. They locked eyes, smiles bursting from their lips, and both ran toward each other just like in the movies. He lifted her off the floor and kissed her so hard her teeth hurt, and his beard brushed roughly against her cheeks with a beautiful burn.
Once he set her down on her feet, he held onto her shoulders and stepped back to rake his eyes over her from head to toe. “Were you this beautiful last week? Did you do something different?”
She laughed a little. “No.”
He shook his head in wonder. “You look more beautiful every time I see you. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it is.” He traced his fingers along the perimeter of her face and down the length of her hair. “I hate being away from you. It breaks my heart a little more every day.” He stared at her for a moment without saying anything, but clearly holding back something. “Let’s go inside so we can talk.”
She swallowed the rock in her throat, unsure of what he wanted to say. But she had something to say, as well. It had been on her mind a lot these past few weeks. She hadn’t talked about it with anyone, not even Audra, but she was ready to share it with Brett.
They quietly returned to the apartment with their arms around each other. Once inside, she shut the door and they sat next to one another on the couch, hand in hand.
“I want to tell you something,” she blurted out.
“I want to tell you something too.”
They were silent for a few seconds, then they both spoke at the same time.
“I’m moving to California.”
“I’m moving to New York.”
“What?”
“What?”
They stared at one another, mouths gaping open in disbelief.
“Did you just say you were moving to New York?”
“Did you just say you were moving to California?”
A shocked laugh burst from Kira’s throat, and she covered Brett’s lips with her fingers. “Stop talking at the same time as me. I know I keep saying that I’m a New York girl. I know I have a lot of commitments here. All of my family is here. But I don’t want you to give up everything for me.” She shook her head, afraid that his plan to move to New York was a spur-of-the-moment decision and he would later regret it. “It’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair that you move to California,” he reasoned. “Your whole life is here. Your job. Your father. Your sister and your nephew. You have the entire Immortal Angel family here. You have more to give up. I don’t want you to do that for me. It’s too much. All I have is my brother and my friends.”
“Just because I have more ties doesn’t mean your life is less important. I know how much you love California. Do you really want to trade the sunshine and palm trees for the hustle and bustle of New York City? With the humidity? And the cold? And the snow? And the traffic? It’s not fair to you, either.”
He smiled. “We got traffic in California too. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I’m willing to give everything up so we can be together full time. Like I said before, I’m going to cut back on my tours with Bulletproof. And when I do go with them, maybe you can come with me, like we did with Immortal Angel. I love you, Kira, and I need to see you more than just on weekends.”
Her eyes filled with tears. He was willing to leave everything behind for her. She couldn’t let him do it. He’d never be happy in New York. There was nothing for him here. Except her. At least she would have new opportunities in California. Plus the sun and sand. She was actually looking forward to getting away from the slush and ice and freezing cold wind chill. There were parks in California. And mountains and nature. And the big city. She could acclimate more easily. “No. I can’t let you leave the leisurely relaxed ambience and perfect weather of the West Coast only to be thrust into the fast-paced, go-go-go, non-stop New York lifestyle. People in California are nice. We’re cranky here. You’re not used to that.”
He smiled at her last statement. “I can be cranky.”
“It means so much to me that you’re willing to move here, but I don’t think we’re any closer to agreeing on what to do.”
He took her hands and stared down at them for a long time. When he looked up, he had a pensive look on his face, as if ready to make some profound statement. Nerves crept up her spine and left her throat dry as she waited for him to speak.
He stared at her hands again, still folded in his, as he collected his thoughts. After a long moment, he said, tentatively, “I have a crazy idea. What if we lived half the year in New York and half the year in California? It’s a compromise.”
It didn’t sound crazy at all. It was a compromise, as he said. One that sounded like it could work. “I could easily split time between Falcon Records’ New York and L.A. offices,” she said, excitedly. “I could go with you on tour with Bulletproof. I travel all the time anyway.” She jumped to her feet and pulled Brett up with her. “This could work! I’m so excited! We’re going to live together! I want to scream it off the balcony.” She threw her arms above her head. “I have to tell my sister!”
“Not yet.” He caught her by the wrist and stopped her from flying out of the apartment door. “Let’s take a walk in the park first.”
“A walk in the park?”
He nodded. “I haven’t seen you in a week. I want some quality time along with my girl first. Is it OK if we wait to tell your sister? You don’t mind, do you?”
Her chest filled with love and her legs felt wobbly at the sentiment in his words. “Of course not. I want to spend time alone with you too.”
While Brett placed his duffle bag in her bedroom and changed his T-shirt, she grabbed a light jacket and then they headed out.
They crossed 59th Street and entered the park on 6th Avenue. The row of food trucks reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and Brett hadn’t eaten since he got on the plane. “Let’s grab something. You must be starving.”
His stomach growled, and he laughed. “I am. But let’s just get something light. I want to take you to dinner later.”
She bought a dirty water dog with sauerkraut, mustard and onions, a big salty pretzel and a diet coke from the hot dog cart, and Brett got a gyro off the food truck. Just inside the park was a bench that faced the path and they sat so they could eat. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the combined flavors of that Sabrett hotdog and toppings hit her tongue, and she ate three big bites without pausing.
“You’re really enjoying that.” Brett chuckled. “You haven’t said a word in five minutes.”
She covered her mouth with her hand while she chewed, embarrassed that she was eating like a heathen. After she swallowed, she drank some soda and wiped her mouth. “I’m such a lady, aren’t
I?”
“That’s what I love about you, Kira. You’re classy and sophisticated. You’re an heiress, but you sit on a park bench and stuff your face with street food and crowd surf in a mosh pit.”
“Technically, I only crowd surfed once, and that was in a music video.”
A passing squirrel stopped as it ran across the path and perched on its hind legs to sniff the air. It scurried closer, inquiring about a tidbit from their meal. “He’s so cute,” she whispered, trying not to scare him away.
Brett broke off a piece of his pita bread and tossed it on the ground, where it bounced and landed a few inches from the squirrel. The little guy grabbed the crumb with his front paws, sat back on his haunches and nibbled on it.
Kira let out a small laugh. “They’re adorable when they eat like that. I once saw a squirrel eating a full-size Nutter Butter cookie while he held it between his little hands. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” When the squirrel was done with the morsel Brett had given him, he looked up asking for more. Kira tossed him the last piece of her hotdog bun. While he ate it, she took the pretzel from the bag and shared it with him, flipping a few large pieces his way. Brett offered him the last corner of his pita as well, so the critter had a smorgasbord in front of him.
A pigeon joined the squirrel. Then a few more landed next to them. The squirrel ran off with an elbow-shaped piece of the pretzel, leaving behind a half dozen pigeons to squabble over the remaining bits on the ground. Another pigeon flew down from the air, flapping its wings in Kira’s ear, and she shot to her feet and darted away.
Brett followed her, almost colliding with several more birds that were targeting the scraps left behind. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a pigeon darted straight for him. He ducked out of the way at the last second like Neo from The Matrix, which made Kira laugh so hard her side hurt and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “You narrowly escaped that one,” she said, when her laughter died down enough so she could speak.
“No. I didn’t.” He held up his arm to show her a nice white splotch of bird poop on his sleeve.
The Roadie: Radical Rock Stars Book 7 Page 19