Jess snickered and covered her mouth with her hand. “I don’t know how you did it. I would go crazy being trapped with that man-child as long as you were.”
“Who said I’m not crazy? The fact that I’m getting ready to do it again should tell you about my mental state. Clearly, I’m not capable of making rational decisions.” Chloe wasn’t sure what to make of Jess’s attempt at small talk. It seemed normal enough, but there was a weight hanging above them and Chloe knew it was going to come crashing down sooner or later.
“Very true.” Jess grinned before her face fell. “Reid’s really going to miss you guys once this tour is over.”
A cold feeling crept up Chloe’s spine, causing her to shiver. She wasn’t certain why, but she felt like wherever their conversation was going, it was nowhere good. “They’ll see plenty of each other, I’m sure. Reid will be writing and recording songs again in no time.”
Jess turned to Chloe, surprised. “Didn’t he tell you? He’s finally broken through his wall. He spent nearly his entire time in Memphis writing song after song.”
Chloe swallowed around the lump forming in her throat and tried not to let her hurt show. “No, I didn’t know,” she whispered. “Other than rehearsals and shows, I haven’t talked to Reid. But that’s amazing news. Looks like he really won’t have time to miss the guys.”
Jess shook her head. “He’s not going to record them. I honestly don’t know what he plans to do with them. Sell them, maybe?”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “What? Why on earth would he do that?”
“Because after the tour, he’s done.”
“Done?” Chloe’s brows pulled together in confusion. “Done with what?”
Jess shrugged. “Singing. Recording, Touring. Living in LA,” she said with a relieved sigh. “I’ll be so glad. I can’t wait to have him back in Memphis for good.”
Chloe’s head swam as she tried to process what Jess was saying. The problem was, none of it made any sense. Reid would never give up his career. He loved music as much as anyone she’d ever met. He was born to be center stage, not living a normal life back in Memphis. “I don’t understand. Reid is giving up music?”
Jess laughed. “Oh God, no. He’d die. He’s just switching gears. Songwriting and whatever else he can do without having to live in LA and be on the road all the time. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll record another album, but it won’t be any time in the near future. We’ve already lost too much time.”
Chloe nodded but couldn’t speak. She wasn’t certain why, but she felt betrayed. Lied to. For months, all Reid talked about was his love for writing and recording music. His love for being on stage and feeling the energy of the crowd. To find out he had no intention of continuing smarted. He pushed so hard for her to move to LA. He set her up with contacts, and after their performance at the VMAs, he made certain she would be noticed. Her lips parted as everything slowly came into focus. He had set her up so she would continue to be successful after he left. While she was grateful, she couldn’t deny the sting of disappointment burning under her skin.
“Chloe, what did you think?” Drew asked, snapping Chloe out of her thoughts. She blinked, her eyes moving over to the guys. When she locked eyes with Reid, his expression was fixed with a deep frown.
“It was great,” Chloe lied. She hadn’t heard a single note.
“Cool. We’re done here, so grab your stuff, and if Reid wants, we can get started.” Drew looked to Reid, who nodded but still had yet to take his eyes off Chloe.
Looking away, Chloe stood and faced Jess. “Looks like it’s time to get back to work.”
“Of course.” Jess smiled. “Maybe we can catch up later. Grab a drink or something.”
“Absolutely.” Chloe slid past Jess and grabbed her case. While Jess hadn’t said or done anything that Chloe had any right to be upset over, she’d rather wear Greer’s dirty underwear on her head before enduring another awkward conversation with Jess.
As soon as she entered the rehearsal room, Chloe pulled out her violin and set about going through her checklist. She turned her back to the others in hopes of making it clear she wasn’t interested in chatting. Reid didn’t seem to get the message.
“Are you okay?” he asked, moving in front of her.
Chloe glanced at him before returning her attention back to her violin. Distracted, she answered. “Me? Yeah, sure. I’m fine.”
Reid leaned closer and lowered his voice. “You don’t seem fine,” he pressed.