“With all due respect, you heard him. LTZ is through. He killed our band, Connor.” Jace punches his fist into his hand repeatedly. He’s so incredibly agitated, it’s a bit disconcerting.
“Aye. So it seems. But before all of this happened, he looked happy. Genuinely happy. So, I’m going to reserve judgement.” I stand and go to the door. “I’ll get the crew to start loading up the gear. Let’s ask Ty’s foundation kids to clean up a bit. I just want to take some of the burden off Zane and Fiona. They’re going to have a lot to deal with.”
Jace follows me. “You’re a stand-up man, Connor. A caring man. I’ll do my part too, I’ll call Katherine. She’s still officially our manager. I’ll sort out social media. Draft a press statement. All the usual damage control.”
“Right. Let’s reconvene in a bit.” I salute him with two fingers and go out into the main room.
Under my direction, the remaining crew and foundation kids straighten up the main room. Mop. Put things back in order. It looks satisfactory. I’m chatting with our crew when Ronni’s text comes in.
Mae: Fee wants us to eat. Her team’s gone to so much effort. Can you bring Jace and the crew?
Connor: Of course. Any news? I’ve heard nothing.
Mae: Fee hasn’t heard from Zane. Is Alex back?
Connor: Not yet.
Mae: Hurry. I miss you.
Connor: On my way.
Jace emerges from the dressing room. “Shit’s still scattered all over the floor, can I get the broom?”
“Leave it for now. Fee wants to feed us. There’s a ton of food that’s going to spoil if it’s not eaten.” I gesture toward the crew. “I say, let’s bring them over to salvage their evening at the very least. When will they get a meal like this otherwise?”
He agrees. We lock up the loading dock and other doors too. Security is in the parking lot redirecting the fans that were supposed to see us perform tonight, so that’s covered. With nothing else we can do, our techs, Pokey, Rex, Angus, and Kimora, follow us to Gus through the weird little door in the dressing room. We emerge into the office.
As we walk through the dish pit and into the prep area, Fee appears from the walk-in. “The food is set up family style in the dining room. I’m glad it won’t be completely wasted.” Fee gestures to the front where Ronni and the staff are setting everything up.
Jace hugs her. “I’m so sorry, Fee.”
She bites her lip. Nods. Clearly holding back tears. Her phone rings and buzzes, nearly launching itself off the nearby counter. She grabs it just in time. “Zaney, talk to me.” She moves briskly to the office for privacy.
Ronni hands both me and Jace a fully loaded plate and takes one for herself. “We need to eat this food. She worked her ass off for this and now it’s ruined.”
“I love it when you eat.” I kiss her temple. She blushes. Her constant dieting is not a fun topic for us.
The three of us sit at a table still set for tonight’s opening. The food is exquisite. I can’t even imagine what this night could have—and should have—been had Fee been able to present it in the manner she intended.
Halfway through the meal, Alex returns from the hospital. The four of us move to a table away from the crew.
“Zoey’s fine, they’re releasing her after she has some tests done. Zoey’s dad is handling Ty’s situation, but I don’t have any updates there. Carter’s in ICU. He’s beaten up badly. He had a heart attack but seems to be okay. Zane wouldn’t tell me anything else until he talked to Fiona,” Alex word vomits all she knows.
“She’s a mess, understandably.” Ronni hands Alex a plate of food. “We’re eating what she made for us in solidarity.”
“Should we check on her?” Alex gestures to the office.
“Aye. In a while. She was on the phone with Zane. How about we sort out what’s left to do for tonight to ease her burden.” I call over the crew and the kitchen staff to organize cleaning up the restaurant and transporting the gear home.
Ronni glances over at Alex. “Jace didn’t have time to finish before dinner was served, so I think we should go straighten up the dressing room. You boys take a rest; it’s been a long day. Get a drink, there’s some phenomenal shit in the bar.”
Our girls leave us. I move behind the bar and peruse the selection of fine spirits. I’m thrilled to see Midleton, my favorite Irish Whiskey. I don’t indulge that often, given my family history, but when I do…
“Are you calmer?” I pour two fingers for both of us and hand Jace a glass.
Jace literally falls back into the sofa. He looks exhausted both mentally and physically. “Yeah. I texted Mike Pearson, he’s working on getting Ty out of jail. Apparently, Carter and Zane aren’t pressing charges.”
“Good. Good.” I hold my glass up to the light, swirl the amber liquid, and have a taste.