It will mean a return to the smothering fold of Valentines, but it will put Evie right in Jared’s line of sight and me in a better position to demonstrate my flair for badassery, thus gaining me a role in their firm.
With graduation just three short months away, I gather the band into the living area of our apartment for a meeting.
Evie is the last to sit down, having kissed her current boyfriend—aptly nicknamed Beetle Bob for his extreme interest in insects—goodbye and sending him on his way. The pair have been seeing each other for over two months. I let it slide because I know Jared scares her. Evie’s past relationships were dire and Jared’s done nothing but prove he’s trouble. But she doesn’t see how perfect they are for each other. I do.
My brother is laying out the charm like a besotted boob, and Evie is being reeled in but the pace is glacial. At least they’re friends. I know because I’ve snooped in her phone. They’re messaging each other every day. Bob might have her physically, but it’s Jared she shares her shit with. It speaks volumes.
With her nerdy off-sider removed from the equation, I begin my first order of business. It’s also the only order of business. “Right,” I say, standing before them. “After graduation, the band is moving to Sydney.”
An uproar commences.
My gaze finds Jake. He’s seated on the floor in front of the couch, knees pulled to his chest and tree-trunk arms wrapped around them. He’s studying me as if he’s trying to figure out my agenda.
A smirk crosses my face. You’ll never find out.
My eyes follow the path of his tongue as it runs along his bottom lip. Try me.
It’s as if a blistering fireball has shot from the sky and slammed me against a wall. I’m hot in an instant.
Jake grins. He knows what he just did. He rarely grins but when he does it lights his face. Amusement flickers in his eyes and a solitary dimple pops. He’s enjoying this.
The chatter dies down and I drag my gaze away. Henry speaks first. His role has evolved. He’s not just lead guitarist anymore. He’s also a kind of mediator between the band and me. “Why?”
“Because it’s the music hub of the country,” I inform them all, which isn’t a lie. Before I made the decision to move, I researched. I want to ensure the band gets the best possible future from the change in location. There may be an ulterior motive in play, but the move is in their best interests too. “Sydney will put you in the face of the best producers in the industry and the best venues. I already have a contact with the White Demon Warehouse, and they pay a lot,” I tell them, watching their eyes widen. As they should. The Warehouse is a leading venue for up and coming indie rock bands. It’s also well known as a place where the big record company scouts visit regularly. “I’ve reviewed our bookings. There’s enough funds to move us there and arrange a bond. As long as I can start getting you bookings now for Sydney, finances won’t be an issue. If you want to make a real go of this, then it’s my job as your manager to make it happen, and the best place—the only place to do that, is in Sydney.”
My speech finished, I wait.
“We should put it to a vote,” Evie announces.
“All right,” I concede. “All those in favour of moving to Sydney, raise your hand.”
Four hands fly up at once. Henry, Evie, Cooper, and Frog, vote to move. That leaves Jake. He’s sitting there like a big, useless lump, his arms not moving. “You plan on staying behind?” I ask him.
“I think the vote should be unanimous, don’t you?”
I arch a brow. “So you want the deciding vote?”
“I don’t see your hand raised, Mackenzie.”
Smug bastard. I want to slap the smirk from his sexy lips. “It’s not raised, is it?”
His brow furrows. “You won’t be moving with us?”
I pause. There’s worry in his expression and it makes my chest ache. Don’t look at me like that, Jake. You don’t have the right.
I raise an arm. “Yes, Jake. I’ll be moving too.”
Jake exhales in a whoosh. Then he gives me a single nod and lifts his arm. “Looks like it’s unanimous.”
My heart leaps. Don’t you dare, I rage at its foolish notion. Jake abandoned us. He left right when we needed him the most. There’s no forgetting what he did and there’s no forgiving it.
My spine snaps straight and I force a smile. “Right then.” I clap my hands together. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate!”
“Mac, is everything okay?”
I pull my gaze from Jake and smile at Evie. “Everything’s fine.”
Her eyes drop to my empty drink. It’s been one of many. “Can I get you another?”
I don’t need more alcohol, but today has been a bad day. Jake had cut through my defences like a swift blade. I need those defences. They keep me strong. “I can get it.”
I leave her side and make my way to the kitchen, my head fuzzy. As I stand at the counter pouring a glass of wine, the scent of spiced soap sets me alight. Heat lines the length of my back and Jake’s lips tickle my ear. I shiver. “Tying one on tonight, Princess?”
“Back the fuck off,” I bark, setting the bottle on the counter. I pick up my glass and turn, forcing Jake to back up a step. The step isn’t big enough to give me any breathing room, but my eyes remain cool. I swirl the tawny liquid in my glass and take a sip. He watches with glittering eyes. “So what if I am?”
“You can do what you like, but all that alcohol you’re downing tells me I’m getting to you.”
“I can do what I like?” Disbelief makes my tone so snide my eyes water. “Thanks for your permission, Romero, but considering how you went behind my back, deciding you…” I take a step forward and jab my left finger in his chest “…knew what was best…” jab “…for me…” jab “…your statement rings a little false. I’m sure you understand. As for you getting to me? Well, I’d have to have a heart for that to happen.”
And I don’t because you broke it.
“No heart?” Jake cocks his head and smirks. “Doesn’t that make you the lion from The Wizard of Oz?”
My knuckles turn white as I tighten my grip on the wine glass. “No it doesn’t, asshead. It’s the Tinman who doesn’t have a heart. Perhaps you’re the lion. He’s the one searching for courage, which is fitting, isn’t it? Or maybe you’re the scarecrow in search of a brain, hmm? Either way, it seems you’re lacking both.”
Jake’s expression hardens. “You get off on being a bitch, don’t you?”
“To you? It just comes naturally.”
Henry appears beside us. “Is everything okay here?”
“Everything’s fine,” Jake says, even though the tension in his body is obvious. It fairly crackles in the air around him.
“I was just teaching Jake about the moral of The Wizard of Oz.”
Henry doesn’t bat an eye over the subject matter. He simply stands there, beer in hand and a puzzled expression. “There’s a moral to that movie?”
“There is,” I say, taking another sip of wine.
“What is it?” he asks.
“That men are stupid.”
Jake scowls.
“That’s funny,” Henry says. “I don’t remember getting any of that from the story.”