“I don’t know that, either,” I admitted. “We were on different paths back then, but I’m starting to wonder why we didn’t try to make it work long distance. I suppose it was because we’d grown apart so much by then that it didn’t make sense to keep trying when we’d be separated by distance as well as our schedules.”
“Well, call me a romantic, but maybe it happened because it was meant to be this way. You two were meant to get your second chance when you both needed each other more than ever.” She paused. “There could be a song in that, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I do think,” I mused. “In fact, as you were saying it, I thought about all the songs about second chances and I wondered if maybe one of mine would join that list.”
“One ofours,” she corrected teasingly. “I’m your favorite guitarist, aren’t I? If you’re going to be laying down that track, I’m going to be right there with you.”
“Good point. I’m not looking for a second chance with him, though, so that might be a problem.” I gripped my bag tighter when a navy blue town car rolled up, but when it passed right on by, I sighed. Fidgeting with the strap of my backpack, I pulled it to my front and leaned back against the bench outside my building. “I realize that it all sounds like a dream come true, and it is. In theory, at least, but what if I’m wrong and we don’t get along anymore? What if we get to the airport and he realizes this was all a big mistake?”
“If that happens, then it’s only a few days,” she said calmly. “You can do anything you set your mind to, but especially if you know it’s only going to be for a few days. Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll still get paid a decent amount of money for your time. Maybe even enough for a professional recording.”
“It wouldn’t feel right to take his money for just a few days. As it is, he’s paying for my flights, accommodations, and everything. If I’m not going to be holding up my end of the bargain by traveling with him while he does everything on his bucket list, I don’t know if I could take his money.”
“This doesn’t have to be an ethical conundrum, honey,” she said firmly. “You’ve got everything it takes to make it except for the money, so even if it is just for a few days, you will take whatever he owes you after regardless of what happens with the rest of the trip.”
My heart fluttered. A professional recording wasn’t the same as an entire independently produced album, but it sure would be a good start. At the same time, Bart wasn’t just a cash cow to me. If anything, he was about the furthest thing possible from it as far as I was concerned.
“This is all just the nerves speaking,” I said hesitantly as my gaze tracked up and down the street, trying to determine if any of the cars approaching belonged to him. “It’s just that if things have changed between us and we don’t really get along that well anymore, then I don’t even know how I would accept the money. I honestly don’t know if I can do this and, if I can, how to do it.”
“You can do this,” she reiterated. “It’s for your career, and if you consider everything else you’ve done for it, then you can definitely dothis. Besides, you said you guys got along great at the party, so even if things have changed, they can’t have changed that much.”
“That’s true,” I said. “I suppose, even if it was a fluke, there has to be some part of us that still gets along just as well as we used to.”
“Exactly.” I heard the smile in her voice. “Just relax and go with it. You’ve already agreed to go and he’s probably on his way there right now. Forget about the money if it makes you feel better, and just enjoy your time away on a break with an old friend. He clearly still cares about you, which means that you won’t have to accept the payment once you get back. Hopefully, he’ll simply put it into your bank account and you’ll never have to talk to him about it.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” I murmured just as a long, black, stretch limo came around the corner. I frowned. It wasn’t prom season and there were no wedding venues around my neighborhood.
No way!
The limo slowed as it came closer to my building, then stopped almost right in front of me. Even as I thought it couldn’t possibly be, Bart opened the door and climbed out, grinning when his gaze landed on mine.
My mouth dried up. I was so touched that he’d remembered what I’d said about the limo. I was also excited to finally be leaving, but what really made all the moisture leave my mouth was just him. Sure, he looked really good in casual gray slacks and a white T-shirt, but it also wasn’t just because he was so darn hot with that longish dark hair and his eyes such a vivid green that I could see the color from here.
It was because seeing him made me realize that worrying about it had been silly. For all he’d achieved, he was still just Bart. Bart, who’d not only been my shoulder to cry on for so long, but who’d also shared in all my joys. He’d been my first lover and my best friend. Things might be awkward between us at first, but we’d get back into the swing of things eventually.
“Leah? I have to go. He just got here.”
She chuckled. “By the breathy sound of your voice, I’m going to go ahead and assume you’ve realized you’ve been worrying for nothing and are now hoping for a quickie in the car.”
“Not a car. A limo,” I corrected, clearing my throat when I realized she was right about how breathless I sounded. “I’m not hoping for a quickie. I’m just surprised. He showed up in a freaking limo, and probably just because I said I’d never been in one.”
“Soon, you’ll be able to afford your own. Go have fun, girl. I’ll keep my fingers warmed up and my guitar ready to go for when you get back. Call me when you can. I’m dying to know what Iceland is like and to hear about your travels.”
“You got it,” I promised, then hung up as Bart started walking up from the curb to meet me. He was still grinning, looking so welcoming and excited that the last bit of my nerves left me and kicked up a cloud of anticipatory dust in its wake.
“Hey,” I said shyly, getting up from the bench. My hand shot up to give him a funny little wave that I cut off midway through when I realized I was making things weird. I dropped my arm back to my side.
“Hi,” he replied, opening his arms and coming in for a hug.
“Oh.” I chuckled as I tried to shimmy around my giant suitcase between us and ended up catching him around the waist and from the side. “Sorry. God. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I thought I wasn’t nervous anymore, but clearly, I am.”
“Nervous?” he asked as he gracefully stepped around my suitcase and pulled me into a proper hug. “What are you nervous about?”
“I’ve never traveled anywhere before,” I fibbed. “Obviously, I mean, I’ve played gigs here and there, but it’s never been like this.”
“Right,” he said, drawing out the word as he released me. “Well, as long as you’ve got your clothes and your passport, we should be okay.”
“I’ve got those,” I replied but then grabbed my backpack to unzip it and just about stuck my entire head into it to check that I really did have my passport. Letting out a nervous giggle when my fingertips brushed against the plasticky cover tucked safely into the pocket, I flushed and looked back up at him. “Just double-checking.”