He reached for her hand and hauled her closer to him. “I dunno. Maybe we need to get Neddy back so you can torture him some more. The hanging roadie was good for business.”
She said, “Fuck off,” but she rested her head on his shoulder.
“What about Jonathan? Can’t you hook up with him? He’s a nice enough dude.”
“He swaggers.”
Rand laughed. “So that would be a no. Pick someone else for a distraction then.”
“What, like you’re doing with Harry?” She stuck an elbow in his rib and he squirmed.
“Hmm, yeah okay, the thing with Harry is more than a distraction. Haven’t gotten to fourth base yet and I’m loving every minute of it.”
Rie sat up straight and grinned at him. “Man, you are so gone.”
“I know.” He beamed at the swaths of silky stuff in the cabana’s canopy. “Can’t you be happy for me?”
“Yeah, I am, she’s pretty cool and I’ve told her I’ll make her regret the day she was born if she hurts you.”
Rand smacked his head. “Great. Now she thinks I’m a wimp who needs his ugly little sister to defend him.”
“No, she thinks you walk on water.”
“Hopefully not like Stu,” he said, and they laughed together for the first time.
She said, “Did you see—”
“Jake push him—”
Rie said, “Classic!” and then they were both quiet, listening to the sounds of Sia’s You’ve Changed.
“This thing with Jake?” he asked after the song closed out.
“It’s not a thing.”
“It’s a thing.”
She sighed, dramatically. “I don’t know what it is.”
“Can you make it up with him?”
“I don’t know. I promise it won’t affect the gigs.”
“I’m not worried about the gigs.” He lied, he lie
d. It was possible the hems of his jeans were on fire.
“Well, what then?” she said, exasperated.
Rand sat forward, elbows on knees, chin on hands, no lying this time, just a prescription. “I think you need to take Jake to bed and fuck his brains out.”
The breath came out of Rie like she had a slow leak. “I tried, it wasn’t any good.” She slumped sideways on the lounge and he felt her distress everywhere below his belt buckle.
“Shit—really?”
She buried her face in her hands. “It was a disaster.”
Rand slapped his thighs; he went cold. “God, if that happens with Harry I’ll be a fucking basket case. Tell me what happened.”