“I know what you mean. And frankly, it’s none of your business.”
“Isn’t it?” Mandy places a finger over her mouth, mulling over whatever crazy game she’s playing with me. Contemplating her next move, I suppose. “You know, if I saw a potential situation that could be hazardous to the well-being of my clients, part of my job is to bring it to their attention so that we can prevent it from affecting their performance or the future of their career.”
Every word she says, every carefully veiled threat and insinuation, begins to deflate the fight right out of me.
“So what? You’re saying that you noticed my gaze tends to linger on Gavin from time to time so you think it’s vital you bring this up to my brother? Wouldn’t that just be an added distraction at a crucial point in his career? And aren’t Gavin and I technically your clients, too?”
“That can be amended easily enough. I’m starting to think that if band members are sneaking around behind his back, perhaps your brother would fare a bit better as a solo act.”
My heart falters in my chest. “So you want me to quit my own band?”
“I would never suggest that. I would, however, suggest that you sit the encore out tonight. You seem a bit . . . distracted this evening. This venue is a bit more significant than the honky-tonks and back-alley bars you’re likely used to.”
My hands tremble at my sides. But not for the reason a bystander might expect if they’d witnessed our little dispute. The idea of not playing the encore number with my band causes me physical pain. The knowledge that Mandy has caught on to whatever it is that’s happening between Gavin and me is unsettling. The possibility of her telling my brother and causing him and Gavin to get in a fight at the worst possible time is downright terrifying.
“You and Dallas are all I have. Do you get that?”
The band is all Gavin has. He needs Leaving Amarillo to be successful for his own reasons, just as Dallas and I do. But Gavin needs it to keep the darkness at bay, to keep him from sinking and submitting to it again. I can’t help but wonder if I’ll ever truly know what happened when I was gone. What I do know is that I won’t be the one to hold the band back, and I won’t be what causes my brother and Gavin to have an altercation before what might be the biggest night of our lives.
“Okay,” I say more to myself than to her.
“Okay?” This time her surprise is genuine.
It’s just one song, I tell myself. We’ll deal with everything else after the showcase.
When I don’t respond, Mandy nods and turns on her heel to leave. “Dixie?” she calls over her shoulder before leaving me alone to wallow in my decision.
“Yeah?”
The look she gives me is almost apologetic, or would be if it weren’t marred by her self-satisfied arrogance. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
It feels like someone has my skull in a vise. The dull throbbing between my eyes is now unrelenting pressure at my temples.
“For who?” I ask softly after she’s already walked away.
Chapter 26
I’M SEARCHING FOR DALLAS AND GAVIN, HOPING TO DISCUSS WITH them my sitting out the encore before Mandy drops the bomb about it, when I hear my brother’s voice near a secluded corner behind the bar. The anger sharpening it surprises me.
“I have to find her. I’ll talk to her and get this handled. This isn’t a fucking game of musical chairs where one of us just can sit out every now and then.”
“She isn’t feeling well. She looked a little panicked up onstage, Dallas. As your manager, I have to advise you not to get into a disagreement with a band member in front of a room full of people who could make your career. If she wants to sit out the encore, you should respect that,” Mandy purrs.