Jess’s soft laughter floated through the phone. “I promise to try to get over there soon. We’ve been so busy at work. I delivered the most beautiful colt last night. It was amazing.”
Reid smiled at the awe in her voice. No matter how many times she witnessed a horse giving birth, she managed to sound like it was the very first time. Sometimes he believed she loved those horses more than him. “Send me a picture when you can.”
“I will.” There was a long pause, and when Jess spoke again, her voice was softer, melancholy. “I hate your being so far away. I can’t wait until you’re home for good.”
Reid sighed as apprehension settled on his shoulders. He wasn’t sure why her words left him so unsettled, but his fear of losing the person who gave him a reason to push through each day kept him from pursuing the subject. Without her, there was nothing to keep the demons at bay.
“Why don’t we focus on getting through the first leg of the tour? It makes our time apart seem less daunting.”
“You’re right.” Several moments of silence passed before Reid cleared his throat. Just as he was about to ask if something was wrong, Jess began to speak. “I was finally able to watch a few clips of your shows on YouTube. You were amazing. I see what that reporter meant about your onstage chemistry with Chloe. She’s very talented. And pretty.”
Reid knew better than to comment on Jess’s last remark. Even though he’d given Jess no reason to doubt his commitment, he wasn’t stupid enough to believe she wasn’t affected by the lifestyle he led when they were not together. He needed to tread lightly.
“I think you’d really like her. When you come here for a show, I’ll introduce you.” He sighed heavily and let out an amused chuckle. “Although, as long as Greer’s around, you might have a little trouble getting any real time to talk with her.”
“Oh?” Jess asked. The relief in her voice was obvious. Reid, on the other hand, felt anything but relieved. Whether it was from his misleading comment regarding Chloe and Greer’s relationship or the thought that a real relationship might develop would remain a mystery. Whatever the reasoning, Reid had no interest in continuing that particular conversation.
“You’ve met Greer. He’s nothing if not persistent.”
“True,” Jess laughed. “What about Chloe? Does she seem interested?”
“Who knows?” Reid shrugged, his agitation growing. “We haven’t hung out much other than rehearsals and shows. Although, that’s going to change over the next couple of weeks. We’re adding the rest of the new songs into the set list, and I’ll need to work with her more than I have.” The moment the words left his mouth, Reid realized he was making an excuse to spend time with Chloe.
“Hopefully Greer won’t give you too much trouble,” Jess joked, but the tone of her voice gave her away. She sounded uneasy. This wasn’t how their conversations were supposed to go. Things were supposed to be easy, better, reassuring. Reid needed to fix things before they hung up or he would be stressed the remainder of the night.
“Oh, I’m sure he will, but that’s nothing new. If I don’t want to kill him at least once a day, the entire world seems out of balance. I’ll give Chloe that— she’s kept him out of my face. At least that part of the tour has been tolerable.”
“Come on, it can’t all be bad.”
“It’s not. I have my good and bad days.”
“And what’s today?”
Reid smiled. “It started off pretty rough, but it’s slowly turned around.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Jess whispered.
“Me too. Listen, I need to get ready. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Break a leg.”
With a soft good-bye, Reid ended to call. He stared at the screen of his phone for a second before shoving it in his pocket and heading toward the door. He felt dishonest for not correcting Jess, because for the first time in as long as he could remember, she wasn’t the one who turned his day around. This time, it was all because of Chloe and CCR.
“Are you sure about this?” Chloe pressed the cold plastic of her water bottle to her forehead before downing half the contents.
Reid looked over his shoulder toward the darkened stage. The roar of the crowd was nearly deafening as they chanted and cheered for the band to come back out for one more song. “Hell yes. Tom’s already checked with the venue manager. Their insurance covers that song since they’re with PRO, so we’re good.”
“But I’m not finished. There were a few more layers I wanted to add. What we played earlier was just for fun, not performing!”
Reid couldn’t help but laugh at Chloe’s panicked expression. “What’s the matter? Do you think we’re going to screw up your rewrite?”
Chloe threw her arms in the air. “Of course not! Well, maybe,” she mumbled.