Jude
Gabriel Sotero was a baller.He sent cars for everyone that drove us out to his palace in the French countryside. I’d been envisioning something quaint, with rolling hills or some shit, but when we pulled up the winding, tree-lined driveway, I felt like Elizabeth Bennet when she first saw Pemberley—the movies we watched while stuck on tour buses would’ve surprised most people. Jeremy had lived and died for BBC period dramas.
My jaw was on the floor. Apparently, Blossoms and Bones did really fucking well for themselves.
I got out and craned my neck to take in the sprawling stone mansion that had to be a couple hundred years old. A massive wooden door opened, and a brunette in a sunny yellow dress that looked straight out of the fifties stepped out and waved.
I walked up the grand steps leading to the porch, returning the brunette’s sunny smile. “Hey, I’m Jude.”
She held her hand out and we shook. “Jenna Carter-Sotero. Come in, come in. You’re the last to arrive. The ATVs have already been claimed, but you can get in on round two.”
I followed her through room after room. The place was homier than I expected from the outside, but I couldn’t picture Gabriel living in a museum-style house—not very rock ‘n’ roll.
Everyone was outside on the stone patio. Gabriel and Jenna had invited Blue is the Color, and the members of the other band on the tour, Unrequited. There were other people here, people I didn’t know, but my eyes skimmed over them, searching for the only person I wanted to see.
“Jude!” Gabriel came toward me with open arms and a big smile, pulling me into a brief, but tight embrace. “Real good to see you, man.”
“You too. You’re living in real life Pemberley, huh?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re into Jane Austen?”
Jenna curled her arms around Gabriel’s waist. “Don’t let Gabriel fool you. He’s enough of aPride and Prejudicefan to have a favorite version.”
“You’re ruining my street cred, baby,” Gabriel said before kissing his wife’s neck. “And it’s Kiera Knightly.”
“Strongly disagree. BBC. Colin Firth as Darcy for life,” I said.
Jenna laughed. “My god. If only teenager me could have known I’d one day be standing between Jude Goldman and Gabriel Sotero while they debatedPride and Prejudice.”
Gabriel groaned. “Damn, way to make me feel old, babe.”
“Hey,” I glanced around again, spotting Michaela and a couple of the guys from Blue. “Is Tali here?”
Jenna motioned toward the green hills that seemed to go on forever. “Yeah, everyone’s here except Jasper. His wife came to visit, so they’re doing the couple thing. Tali was one of the first to hop on an ATV. She took off like a light, but I bet she’ll be back soon.”
After they showed me where the food and drinks were, I ended up talking to Ian and Mo, the lead singer of Unrequited. Mo reminded me of my younger days, minus the cocaine addiction and tragedy. Oh yeah, and he was having the time of his life touring and livin’ the dream.
“We’re headlining through Asia. It’s gonna be lit,” Mo said.
“First time headlining?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. I mean, it’s been nuts touring with Blue is the Color, but I think we’re ready to have the spotlight on us, you know?”
“Just don’t get caught up in it. Keep your feet on the ground,” I advised, like I had any idea what I was talking about. My feet had rarely been on the ground since I’d been flying high with the kites most of the time.
Mo let out a short laugh. “My sister’s my personal assistant. Anytime my head starts to inflate, she likes to tell the story of me shitting my pants in first grade because I was scared there’d be a fire drill and I’d get left behind in the bathroom.”
Ian’s blond brow pinched. “That’s kinda sad, man.”
Mo laughed again, bouncing on his toes. “Nah, it’s all good. She’s got a lot of far more embarrassing stories stored as arsenal. I’m lucky that’s the one she pulls out.”
Just as Ian started to protest, the roaring of ATV engines cut him off. Nick and his wife, Dalia, came speeding over a hill, skidding to a stop at the edge of the patio. Nick hopped off and grabbed Dalia, spinning her in a circle, then hauling her over his shoulder and stalking toward the patio.
“Good time?” I asked.
His wide smile took over his face, and he smacked Dalia’s ass. “Fuckin’ amazing. Their property goes on forever.”
Dalia lifted her head and pointed in the direction they came from. “Tali’s still out there. You should take one of the ATVs and catch up with her. It’s more fun to do it with a buddy.”