Ten Days of Perfect (November Blue #1)

“Yeah.”

“That’s the sugared-up Cliff’s Notes version. The truth is I was part of their little traveling show with Six - that’s what I called them. They were recording the album in your hands while my mom was pregnant with me - which is why she’s pregnant on the cover. It’s actually kind of funny that you have the vinyl, they didn’t make many. You may want to hang on to that.” I laughed dismissively.

“Anyway, I grew up being home-schooled as they travelled up and down the West Coast. By the time I was 14 I wanted to go to a real high school so I begged, begged to be in one place for it. They smiled, said ‘sure’ and let me pick the place which is how we ended up on the East Coast. I wanted to be as far away from San Diego as possible.” Tears betrayed my eyes.

Bo looked a little confused; I stopped him when he opened his mouth.

“You know, when we moved to Connecticut, it was the first time I had my own room for more than a few days. It was the first time we lived somewhere rather than stayed somewhere. I felt so proud of myself for convincing them to move, let alone three thousand miles away. It was empowering. I learned if I asked, I could get, hence my stellar grant writing,” I laughed, “But as I went through high school I just got fucking pissed. I was a kid and they dragged me along in their life without giving me one of my own. They were so selfish while they touted free love, peace, and harmony; I thought they were such hypocrites.”

“Well, it sure explains a lot about you.” Bo wiped the tear from my cheek “Sorry, I don’t mean to be bitching about my parents. But that night on the beach, when we first met, you said ‘You take what you get and you use it for what you want.’ That’s what I did with my parents. I got exactly what I didn’t want, so I modeled my life the opposite way.” I shrugged.

“Real mature,” he huffed.

“Excuse me?” my face heated, drying my tears.

“You’re sp damn talented with your voice, and a clear natural on the guitar, and yet you won’t do anything with it because of some life your parents chose for themselves? Sounds to me like they’re still doing the choosing,” his voice wavered between sarcasm and anger.

I opened my mouth to answer, stunned with shock, but I jumped up when I heard a door slam upstairs.

“Bowan? Bo?! Are you here?” A female voice screeched.

“Who the hell is that?” My scant jealousy irritated me.

“That,” he smiled, “is Rachel. Prepare to meet my sister.”





Chapter Nineteen

“Down here Rae!” Bo hollered up the stairs.

I quickly composed myself from his ‘mature’ comment in order not to seem like a total

snob in front of his sister, but I was still pissed.

Light footsteps bounded down the stairs. When Rachel entered, the whole vibe of the room changed. She was smaller than I thought she’d be, probably 5’4”, and she was quite thin, but wore that huge smile I’d become accustomed to from Bo. He opened his arms when she entered and his size swallowed her.

“You’re early,” Bo said.

“Yeah, need to get back to campus to get some work done before they close for the night.” She beamed, turning to me.

“You must be November. It’s great to meet you!” She squealed. I stuck out my hand but she wrapped her arms around me instead. She’s cute as a friggin button.

“That’s me. I gather Bo’s mentioned me?” I smiled as I backed away.

“Are you kidding? You’re all I’ve heard about for the last week.” She shot a teasing glance at her brother.

“OK, Rae, that’s enough.” For the first time, I saw Bo blush, eliciting a giggle.

“Whatever, Bo, you have it bad for her - let’s just get it out there. OK, so, do you guys want to get lunch?” Rae smiled at me.

“I’m starving, that sounds great.”

As we headed up the stairs I realized I could be good friends with Rachel Cavanaugh; she had spunk.

*

When we returned from lunch, Rachel headed up stairs to pack her things for the weekend. I had pushed the blackmail to the back of my mind, which was good since Rachel didn’t know, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to tell her. During lunch I got a glimpse of a young Bo Cavanaugh and it was quite a trip. It turned out that Bo played the piano until he started getting picked on by some of his friends, and then he begged his parents to let him play the ‘much cooler’ guitar. Luckily it worked out for him, though Rachel let it spill that Bo still plays the piano - which would explain its presence in the recording studio.

“You’re sister’s great,” I said as I followed Bo in to the kitchen.

“I love her so much. When our parents died we grew even closer; we’re all each other have left. My parents have family on the West Coast, but we’re not close with them.” While his voice was sweet when discussing Rachel, there was a tense undercurrent of worry.