“Oh?”
“I heard a rumor—”
Since when was a rumor wonderful news?
“Your boyfriend, Gage, was spotted having lunch with Jenny Fleishman!” She waited for me to react.
“Who?”
“Jenny Fleishman. The wedding planner.”
Something stuttered, but it wasn’t my car. “Um…what?” My brain couldn’t fit Gage and wedding planner in the same sentence.
“He’s going to propose!” Aunt Rose’s excitement bubbled through the phone. “I thought about not telling you, let it be a surprise, but I wanted you to be prepared.”
“Don’t you have to be engaged before you hire a wedding planner?” I said, my voice rising to panic levels.
“Oh, Ava. He’s getting a head start. He’s organized. That’s a good quality in a man.”
“He must have been with someone else. It’s way too soon.”
“It wasn’t someone else. She was bleach-blonde and had an enormous bosom. Clearly, it was Jenny Fleishman.”
I almost laughed. That description could fit over half the women in LA.
“Gage is head over heels for you,” she continued. “It’s obvious. I would give it a matter of days before he proposes.”
She couldn’t be serious. We barely knew each other. I didn’t know his middle name or his favorite book or if he ever learned to play an instrument. I definitely wasn’t in love with him, and I doubted he was in love with me.
For some reason, I felt my heart sinking. “No.”
“Sweetheart, he’s a great catch. Your mother would be so proud.”
I couldn’t have this conversation with her. Not now. It was like my universe had been tilted completely upside down. “Sorry, Aunt Rose, but I’ve gotta go.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it inside my bag. There’s no way Gage would propose so soon—I thought I knew him well enough to be sure of that. He must have been with someone else. Another woman or a friend, even another date. I stomped that train of thought. With my second performance looming, I couldn’t be stressing about Gage. My thoughts turned to Aunt Rose.
She was so gung-ho about Gage. Annoyance flared before I could push it away. I think she was just happy to be part of my life again, to have some semblance of control over it. It had been awkward between us when I first came back, and neither of us wanted that. She seemed to assume that resuming the role of surrogate mother would make things right again. Would take things back to how they used to be.
Your mother would be so proud, she’d said.
My hands clenched on the steering wheel. Why on earth would my mother be proud? And really, how could Aunt Rose know what my mom would think of Gage in the first place?
* * * * *
I focused on my chicken tacos. Across the table from me, Eric had his arm around Lacey as she fed him French fries one by one. The replay of how I’d almost moaned Eric’s name while making out with Gage was hard to forget. Eric would probably get a big kick out of that if he knew—just another way to make my life miserable. My hands trembled and I tried not to spill pico de gallo down my top.
“Quit eating off my plate, Mari,” Charlie snapped as Mari dug her fork into his steak.
“Mine’s gross and I’m starving,” Mari whined.
“I told you not to order the sushi,” he said. “You hate sushi!”
“I like it from that other place.” She wrinkled her nose. “This stuff’s just nasty. Geez, you can’t share with your own wife?”
Charlie grumbled but didn’t stop Mari from using his knife to slice off a large chunk of meat.
“I think it’s cute that you share,” Lacey said.
Charlie grumbled again. “It’s not sharing, it’s grand theft sirloin.” Mari flashed Lacey a conspiratorial smile.
Lacey draped her arm over Eric’s shoulders. “You know what else is cute? You.”
I choked on my taco. Ducking, I put my napkin to my lips to avoid spewing lettuce and tomato across the table. When I finally managed to look up, I’d missed Eric’s reaction. He was staring at his cell phone, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Who is it?” Lacey’s eyes flicked from Eric’s face to his phone and back again.
“An email,” he said without looking up.
“From who?”
When Eric raised his head, I caught a flicker of annoyance before he smoothed it away. “An old friend. He wants me to visit.”
“Where does he live?” Lacey asked.
“Vegas.”
Her eyes brightened. “Ooh! We should all go! It’s been forever since I’ve been to Vegas.” Eric opened his mouth but Lacey was too quick. “Hey, Mari? Don’t you want to come too?”
“I’ve got to work,” Charlie broke in. Mari’s whole demeanor wilted.
“That’s a great idea,” I said. Eric’s eyes shot to mine but I focused on Mari and Charlie. “You guys should really go. When was the last time you went on vacation?”
“Um, never?” Mari grumbled.
Charlie dug his fork into the steak, his eyes like thunderclouds. “I’ve got a new game coming in and they want me to help with the development—”
He cut off under my glare. A few days after Mari had begged me to talk to him, I reluctantly pulled him aside. We had a long chat about how he couldn’t ignore his wife no matter how annoying she could be sometimes. In four years of marriage, he still didn’t realize she just needed love and attention. He could lessen her depression and sporadic hypochondria—all it took was a bit of his time.
The whole thing didn’t make me feel any better and I didn’t think he’d been any different since. At least, Mari hadn’t reported anything to the contrary.
“You guys should go,” I repeated. Charlie’s face softened. Mari waited on the edge of her seat.
“You’re right,” Charlie said, looking at Mari. “It’s a great idea.”
Mari squealed and pulled Charlie in for a noisy kiss. When they broke apart, he looked flustered but pleased.
“What about you, Ava?” Lacey asked. “You coming?”
“Um, no. That’s okay.” I avoided looking at Eric. “Two couples and me? I don’t think so.”
“Bring Gage,” Mari said. “Then we’ll be three couples.”
“Yeah, bring him!” Lacey put in. “You’ve been keeping him all to yourself and we want to meet him, don’t we?” She looked at Eric, waiting for his response.
Eric’s jaw went rigid and I wanted to laugh. “It’s a bit too soon for vacations together,” I said.
“That’s not what Aunt Rose says.” Mari waggled her left hand at me.
I shot her a look, hoping she’d get the hint to shut it. “It’s okay. You guys have fun.”
“You have to come! I can’t go without you!”
I wanted to ask Mari how my presence would be good for patching the holes in her marriage—they needed to work things out on their own. But then Charlie added his pleas to hers.
“Come, Ava,” he said. “We—Mari needs you.”
I sighed. If Charlie needed me, that meant Mari needed me.
“Fine.” It would be nice to have a small vacation before I started teaching in the fall. Mari whooped. “But only if Lexi will be my plus one.” I would not be the only single.
I glanced at Eric to see if he was upset that I was crashing the mini-vacay with his girlfriend, but he wasn’t looking at me, or anyone. He was focused on his phone.
“We should go tomorrow,” Lacey said. She started enthusing over what hotel we should stay in and how many bikinis she would bring. I studied Eric, wondering why he didn’t seem happy about the trip.
When he finally looked up, he put his hand on Lacey’s cheek, cutting her off mid-sentence. “You know, this might be a trip I should make on my own.”
Lacey drooped. “Why?” she asked, g
iving him doe eyes. Her voice lowered. “You don’t want me to come with you?”
The table went quiet. Eric put his other hand to Lacey’s face and leaned in close. “Of course I want to go on a vacation with you. But this won’t be all parties and good times. My friend is…seriously depressed.” Pain cracked his voice and my heart reached out to him.
“We could help cheer him up,” Lacey said. His hands dropped from her face and he ducked his head. “I want to be with you,” she whispered, so low I wasn’t sure if those were her exact words.
Eric gave her a sigh-and-smile. “Me too. It’s just an awkward situation and it might not be much fun.”
“What’s this awkward situation?” Mari butted in. I cringed. “Tell us, and if it’s really something we shouldn’t be part of, then we won’t go.”
Eric chewed his bottom lip. “Okay. Adam and Sam used to be in my band. Adam’s sister, Farrah, was engaged to Sam.”
There was something ominous in the way he said was.
He took a deep breath. “Last year, Farrah got sick.” Eric ran a hand over his hair, his discomfort showing. “Cancer. Adam and Sam both left the band to be with her but it accelerated fast and she passed away only a month after they got home. She was only twenty-five.”
I wanted to reach my hand out and touch him. Comfort him. He was hurting, I could practically feel it seeping from his pores.
“I haven’t seen them since they left. We’ve kept in touch but… Adam says Sam hardly leaves the house. He won’t play music anymore.” He sighed in frustration. “I doubt there’s anything I can do, but I feel like I should be there. I missed the funeral because I couldn’t cancel the tour but now…”
No one knew what to say. Except Lacey.
“We’ll cheer them up.” She put her hand on Eric’s arm. “If you go alone, you might just sit around and join in their misery. If we all go, we can get Sam out. Get him to have fun again. I know we can.”
This was a decision Eric should make, not Lacey. He knew what would be best for his friends. He looked back down at his phone. Finally, he turned to Lacey. “I think you’re right. We’ll all go. It might even be fun.”
He glanced at me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Lacey bounced in her seat. “When do we leave?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
I mentioned the Vegas trip to Gage, just to see how he’d react. He said “have fun” and gave me a send-off kiss. Not exactly the kind of guy who was ready to propose. But then the night before the trip, he begged me not to go, tried to reorganize his plans so he could come, then pouted when nothing worked out. We spent the rest of the night snuggled up on his couch watching movies. Part of me wished he could come, but part of me was relieved he couldn’t. I didn’t think I was ready for that yet.
It wasn’t hard to convince Lexi to come. She needed the break and a chance to relax. Her mom was happy to keep Elle for a few days and I was happy to have my best friend along with me.
The six of us—Eric, Lacey, Mari, Charlie, Lexi and I—boarded a plane first class for a short flight to Vegas. While the flight attendant closed the overhead bins, I pulled a magazine from my bag and absently flipped through the pages. Across the row from Lexi and me, Lacey was busy getting her pillow fluffed by another flight attendant.
“You know what would have been cool?” she asked Eric, sitting beside her. “A private jet.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, babe, but I don’t have a private jet.”
She stuck out her lip. “You could rent one, couldn’t you?”
Eric looked at me over her head and rolled his eyes. I turned away, ignoring both his sudden camaraderie and their hands entwined on Eric’s knee. I took a deep breath and stared at the chair in front of me.
“You look a little tense,” Lexi said.
“Shut up.”
She laughed.
My phone buzzed in my bag. When I pulled it out, there was a text from Gage.
Gage: Miss u already.
With a smile, I texted back: Miss u too.
Lexi craned her neck so she could get a peek at my phone. “Aww, miss you already, how sweet!”
I elbowed her. “Get out of here.” Looking up, I caught Eric staring at us. My phone buzzed again.
Gage: Dad got me 2nd audition with Thea.
It took me a moment to remember that Thea was the producer from that HBO show he’d been trying to get on. Congrats.
“Is he talking about his dad?” Lexi asked.
“No, mine.”
Gage: Wish me luck.
“Your boyfriend calls your dad, Dad?” Lexi sounded surprised.
“It’s a text. People shorten things.”
Me: Luck.
“Wow. That’s serious.”
Gage: Have fun in Vegas. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
Me: So, no restrictions then.
Gage: Don’t make me come after u.
Me: U better not. Lexi wouldn’t appreciate sharing a room with us.
He didn’t respond.
“I didn’t realize you guys were so serious,” Lexi repeated.
“We’re not. I mean…” She arched an eyebrow. “My dad’s been helping him get ahead with his auditions.”
Lexi’s eyes widened and then she tilted her head. She was trying to tell me something but I didn’t know what. Turn around, she mouthed.
Trying to act casual, I shifted in my seat and glanced around. Eric was still staring at us. This must have been what Lexi wanted me to see, but I didn’t know why. Eric’s expression was unreadable, but he didn’t look away. His eyebrows crinkled for one moment before he dropped his head.
I turned back to Lexi. “What?”
She shot me a knowing look but didn’t answer.
Gage: Who’s Lexi?
Me: Friend from Juilliard. I told you about her, didn’t I?
A voice came over the intercom beginning the flight spiel and telling us to turn off all electronics. I texted a quick goodbye and then turned off my phone.
* * * * *
Eric rented an SUV big enough to fit us all plus our luggage. How he managed to fit in Lacey’s five suitcases was beyond me. Why Lacey needed five suitcases for a three-day trip was way beyond me.
We only caught a glimpse of the bright lights coming off the strip as Eric drove southeast to Henderson. It was six in the evening when we pulled up to a two-story house with pale pink stucco and shutters around the windows. Eric parked beside a Mazda in the driveway and we all piled out.
“Adam!” Eric shouted when the door opened. He and Eric shared a man-hug: brief tight squeeze, hard pats on the back, just right for any beer commercial. “Great to see you.”
Adam pulled away and motioned us all into the house. “Come in, everyone. I can’t wait to meet all of Eric’s friends.”
Adam was mid-height, skinny, with dark curly hair that flopped in his eyes and thick-rimmed black glasses. With his tight black jeans and sneakers, he looked like he was right out of high school. The white shirt and tie he had on was the only thing to convince me otherwise. That, and his wife.
“This is my Britt.” He put his arm around a redhead a few inches taller than he was. Another man came into the room behind them, his hands in his pockets. Adam introduced Sam. Sam mumbled hi, then sank onto the couch.
“This is Lacey,” Eric said, nodding to the girl hanging off his arm. She nudged him. When he didn’t add anything else, she held out her hand and said, “His girlfriend.”
Adam and Britt both welcomed her warmly.
“This is Charlie, a friend of mine from high school, and Lacey’s brother,” Eric continued. “And this is his wife, Mari.” He hesitated. His next words came out in a rush. “And this is Mari’s sister, Ava, and Ava’s friend, Lexi.”
Adam, Britt, even Sam—they all stared
.
“Ava?” Adam’s eyes flicked between Eric and me.
“Ava Elliot.” My last name lingered in the air like a note lasting on and on with the help of a pedal.
Adam’s eyebrows rose a fraction.
Eric had told them about me. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Probably bad, so the question was: just how bad? Lexi gave me a nudge.
“We wanted to stop in and say hi before we checked into the hotel,” Eric said.
“Hotel?” Adam looked affronted. “Nah, you guys can stay here.” Britt nodded.
Mari took in the room, distaste clear in her expression. The furniture was straight up Ikea, the floors linoleum. I was sure Eric paid his band members better than this. Then again, they might have fallen on hard times lately. Medical bills could be expensive and neither of them were in the band anymore.
Eric shook his head. “No, we couldn’t. There’s too many of us.”
Adam shrugged. “It wouldn’t be any different than our first tour. Remember that?” Eric started to laugh and Sam’s lips twitched a little. “Fourteen of us squashed into one hotel room. Didn’t Marcus sleep in the bathtub?”
Britt smiled indulgently as the three boys howled with laughter.
“At least stay for dinner,” she said. “We’ve already barbecued some hot dogs.”
Mari sniffed.
“That’s really nice of you. Thanks,” I said to cover her sniff.
Eric and Adam spent the evening reminiscing. Sam joined in, but only when coaxed. As soon as his laughter would die, his smile would fade, and he would sink back into himself. When dinner was over and all the old stories exhausted, Sam sat alone in the corner of the room, nursing a beer. The rest of the group was enthusiastic, cheerful, happy to be in each other’s company. Sam didn’t seem to want any part of it. Or maybe it was too much effort for him.
My heart went out to him. I knew what it was like to lose someone, if not in the same way. I knew how it felt to be so sad that just a smile seemed harder than climbing Everest. I knew the feeling of wishing everyone would go away so you could be left in peace. I also knew that being alone wasn’t any way to get over it.
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