This was definitely too easy.Not that I minded.“You know where to find me if it’s that bad.”
His laugh was light, but the pause that came after weighed down the air.“That’s why I’m calling.”
“Don’t do that to a girl.Don’t lead with a vague statement like that.”I couldn’t joke, though I wanted to.
“No, it’s not that bad.”Danny’s reassurance came quickly.“I just need to cancel tonight’s plans, not all plans indefinitely.”
That was a little better.“Is everything all right?”
“I assume it will be.I need to figure out what’s going on with Brandon.”
I can help.As much as I wanted to believe my future with Danny was secure and completely figured out and set in stone, I was still a third wheel in some ways.Besides, I had a good idea what he was talking about and what if I was the problem?“I get it.See you tomorrow for RinCon setup, and let me know if I can do anything.”
“Definitely.To both.Miss you.”Danny disconnected.
It wasn’t as good aslove you, but he also didn’t make me feel like that was off the table, so there was still hope.It was weird feeling any security about my future, but I liked it.
I spent most of the morning and into the afternoon on calls with Bambi and my other clients, and by the time I wrapped up the last appointment, I was ready to chill.Maybe watch cheesy Christmas movies until I was weepy and happy and full of warm fuzzies.
As I was wrapping up my billing and finishing all the admin work for the evening, Todd called.One of the last people I wanted to speak to.Ever.And I was happy to tell him so.“What?”I answered.
“Don’t be like that, Reese.”His tone was smoother and kinder than I’d heard in a long time.“I called to talk.”
Bullshit.Especially in that tone.“To talk about why you won’t let me out of this contract?Or maybe about how you recognize that video had nothing to do with you and you should drop this stupid lawsuit?”
“All of those things and more.”He sounded polite, but I wasn’t hearing any answers.“Let me buy you dinner.”
The asshole undoubtedly owed me a lot of years of shorting me out of what the band was and could be earning, but I didn’t trust him to buy me anything.I could do a face-to-face meeting, though.Less room for him to squirm away if we had an audience, and I had a few gift cards that clients had sent me for Christmas.“Dinner sounds great, but I’m fine with splitting the bill.How about Grumpy’s?”
“Sounds fantastic.Meet you there at seven?”
Seven at night, with Christmas coming up fast, at one of the most popular sports bars in town?The place would be packed.
Sounded like the perfect setting to get into it with him.“I’ll see you then.”
I didn’t like his change in tone, and I wished I could bring Danny and Brandon with me for backup, but they had their own thing to work out.Time to pull up my big girl panties, andtalkto Todd.
At least I didn’t have to go in completely alone—I would wear my favorite ass-kicking Docs and the battered leather bomber jacket I’d borrowed from Danny almost two decades ago, that never made its way back to him.
I also called ahead and had them save us a table, so Todd wouldn’t be able to use the excuseIt’s too crowded, let’s do this another time.Was it too much to hope that he’d seen my response to his lawsuit, realized how ridiculous this whole thing was, and decided to drop the suit and maybe my contract?
My own delusion almost made me laugh.
When I got to Grumpy’s, the line of people waiting spilled out onto the sidewalk, and so did the too-loud Christmas music.The lights and fake evergreen decorations clashed completely with the normal decor.
I love all of it.Maybe tonight I’d get my own Christmas miracle.
“Reese, hey.”Todd joined me, a phony ass grin pasted on his smug face.“I was worried you might not show.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything.”I could do fake, but I wouldn’t do it for long.We made our way to the host podium, and Todd looked surprised when I gave them my name and we were shown to a table right away.
He littered the conversation with small talk about the weather and Christmas plans while we ordered drinks.As our waitress brought us the chips and salsa, I was trying to figure out the best way to saywhat the hell is thiswithout him walking out.
“You ever been to Slingers?”Todd asked before I could form the words.“Old bar.Shut down a few years ago?”
Random, but I wanted to see where this went.“I used to love that place.”Danny and I played their open mic nights, and sometimes even real shows.
“I was in there one night, years ago,” Todd said.“There was this woman at the bar who waswow, stunning.”