But easy didn’t mean happiness. Easy just meant easy. Getting fucked up had been simple. Getting clean had been nearly impossible. Yet, here I was, clean as a damn whistle.
I tossed my phone on my hotel bed and grabbed sweatpants and a T-shirt to change into.
We had a day of traveling tomorrow. I’d get myself together, figure out what I wanted to say and exactly what I wanted from Tali, then I’d get to work. I’d earn her trust. I’d prove I was worthy of it.
My phone vibrated, but the name on the screen wasn’t the one I wanted to see. I almost didn’t pick up, but curiosity got the better of me.
“Hello?”
“Hey, what’s up?” Gabriel Sotero, lead singer of Blossoms and Bones, answered.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, shoving my hair back with a rough hand. “Not a lot. I’m spending most of my time working these days. You?”
I’d toured with Blossoms and Bones for a few years, but their sound engineer had been with them for ten years, and it hadn’t looked like there’d ever be any room to move up being the second monitor engineer. I’d had a hell of a time working with them, though, and there were no hard feelings between any of us when I moved on.
Although Gabriel and I had had a casual friendship, it wasn’t like him to call out of the blue. Pretty sure I’d never spoken to him on the phone.
“I’m taking some time off. I got married a few months ago, and my bride, Jenna, fucking loves France so much, I bought her a house and we’re wiling away our days here.”
“Congrats on the marriage. Gift’s in the mail.”
Gabriel chuckled. “No worries. Pretty sure I don’t need another set of china or any more tea towels.”
A short silence descended between us before I heard a soft female voice stage whisper in the background, “Ask him!”
“I’m getting there, baby,” Gabriel replied.
“Didn’t know we were on such friendly terms,baby,” I said, amused at their dynamic.
“That was the wife, reminding me I’m terrible at phone calls, but there was a reason behind this one.”
“Oh yeah?” He had me sitting up and paying attention. “What’s up?”
“I heard you’re touring with Blue is the Color.”
“You heard right,” I said.
“Well, I invited the boys to a party at my place outside of Paris, and when I heard you were with them, I had to call you personally and make sure you knew you’re invited too.”
“Ah.” I fisted the top of my hair. “Thanks, man, but I don’t really do the party scene.”
“Nah, Jude, it’s not that kind of party. No hard stuff. I know you don’t drink, but we’ll have some beer and wine because the wife is classy like that and kick back. It’ll be like fifty people, tops. We’ll get the barbecue going, roast some marshmallows, maybe jam if folks are up for it. What say you?”
My first instinct was to turn his invitation down because I was in a pretty shitty mood. But sitting around my hotel room when we got to Paris didn’t sound a whole lot better.
“I think I’m in,” I said.
“What can I do to tip you over into a definite yes?” In the background, his wife said, “Tell him about the ATVs.”
“Did you hear that?” Gabriel asked.
Chuckling, I said, “I did. I need details.”
“We have a big property, and Jenna and I like being ridiculous, so we ride our ATVs around like lunatics. You’re welcome to also ride around like a lunatic.”
“That did it, I’m in.” Even my grumpy ass could admit that sounded hella fun.
“All right, all right. Jude Goldman’s gonna be in the house. Now it’ll be arealparty.”