“Why shouldn’t I be pissed off? The fucking dolt has destroyed my career just like that.” Gabe snapped his fingers. “If Sole Regret is really over, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life? I don’t have a fucking plan B, okay? I don’t know how to proceed.”
Kellen caught movement out of the corner of his eye and for an instant, he thought Sara had risen from the grave to stand crying in the doorway, but it was Lindsey. He would likely never get used to how much she resembled Sara, but now when he looked at her, he didn’t see Sara. He saw a pretty young blonde trying to sort out her life. To that he could relate.
“Are you okay?” Owen was instantly on his feet, squeezing Lindsey’s slight shoulder and looking her over with concern. “Are you in pain? Is it the baby?”
Kellen didn’t miss the way Caitlyn stiffened when Owen touched Lindsey, but Owen didn’t see her reaction.
“Is Sole Regret really breaking up?” Lindsey asked.
She was crying over that? Now that Kellen thought about it, there would be a lot of upset fans when news of the band’s demise spread.
“We hope not.”
Lindsey hugged Owen, who cringed and tried patting her without actually touching her. He glanced at Caitlyn, but she just shrugged. She probably recognized that Lindsey wasn’t a threat for Owen’s affection. If that was his baby, though, Kellen hoped Caitlyn realized there would be no way that Owen could give up his child.
“It’s all my fault.” Lindsey sniffled. “I show up pregnant, and you all start arguing and then Adam leaves and now Shade is gone and . . . and . . .”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Gabe said. “Adam has been unreliable and self-absorbed since the day I met him.”
“But he left to be reliable for Madison,” Kellen reminded him. “Selfless for Madison.” Stepping up to help another person was a big step in Adam’s personal growth, even if his action negatively impacted the band.
“How very nice for Madison,” Gabe grumbled. “How utterly devastating for the rest of us. Did Adam even admit he was in the wrong when you talked to him?” he asked Owen. “Because when I talked to him, all he wanted to know was what Jacob had done.”
Owen shrugged. “He admitted he should have told us where he was going. He seemed sorry.”
“But he didn’t say it.”
Owen shook his head. No surprise there, but Kellen knew Adam felt deeply, no matter how much he tried to hide his emotions.
“Adam’s always been unapologetic,” Kellen said. “It doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel remorse. He just doesn’t express it.”
Owen looked down at Lindsey. “We’re going to do whatever we can to keep Sole Regret together. No more crying over this.”
Well, at least three of the band members wanted to fix this shitstorm. If it came to a majority vote, they’d win, but they couldn’t force Shade to sing. Couldn’t force Adam to play.
Lindsey wiped at her face with the back of her hand and nodded. “I came to tell you dinner is ready and overheard you talking about the band.”
“I can’t stay.” Gabe stood and inched toward the door. “I’m going to see if I can find out some real information. Maybe I can corner Jacob outside the news studio if I hurry.”
Owen bumped fists with Gabe. “Keep us posted.”
“Once things settle down, I want a backgammon rematch,” Caitlyn said.
Gabe stopped retreating and grinned over his shoulder. “Eager to lose again?”
“Oh, I’ll be winning this time,” she promised.
Kellen smiled to himself. He really did like Caitlyn. She was a good match for Owen. Kellen wondered if his own good match was having a nice time in Prague.
“We’ll see about that.”
After a quick wave, Gabe left. Should Kellen have tried to stop him? If Gabe confronted Jacob while he was angry, he would probably make Jacob defensive, and he’d be acting like that unbendable oak again. But at least Jacob would know that his bandmates weren’t going to accept his decision without a fight. Kellen preferred to have a plan and a united front before confronting Jacob. He wanted to put more thought into what he’d do before he acted. He was sure he and Owen could come up with a strategy if left to their own devices.
“Are you staying?” Owen’s question drew Kellen from his thoughts.
“Free home-cooked meal?” Kellen sniffed at the delicious aromas wafting through the house. “Fried chicken, if I’m not mistaken. Do you need to ask?”
Owen chuckled, and Kellen followed Lindsey back to the kitchen.
At the table, Kellen sat across from Owen. He was surprised that Caitlyn was capable of releasing Owen’s hand long enough to pick up her fork. He had a hard time watching their tender affection. Kellen supposed it was because seeing the couple together made him miss Dawn. She should be landing across the globe within a few hours and could take her phone off airplane mode. Those long trans-Atlantic flights were going to put a damper on his communication with her. He knew she wanted to be with him—supporting him through this crisis—and he could feel her in spirit, but she still wasn’t there in person the way Caitlyn was.
Kellen waited for Owen and Lindsey to say grace. He wasn’t Christian and apparently neither was Caitlyn. Her eyes met his and then darted downward in respect as Owen thanked God for their meal and Lindsey gave off an aura of reverence. The rest of the meal was far less uncomfortable.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to touch raw chicken ever again,” Lindsey said. “I never used to have a weak stomach. Or mood swings. Or stretch marks.”
“Or such a swollen face, I’m sure,” Caitlyn said, with a sweet-as-honey smile.
Kellen struggled not to laugh as Owen loaded up his plate with mashed potatoes. Did he really not see that Caitlyn was beside herself with jealousy?
Lindsey’s eyes widened. “You can tell?”
“Of course not,” Caitlyn said. “Well, maybe a little, but I’m sure you’ll lose all that extra weight when the baby is born.”
“I like curvy women,” Owen said, offering Caitlyn an approving wink.
Based on her scowl, Caitlyn didn’t seem to appreciate his compliment, but the woman did have amazing curves in all the right places. Personally, he preferred Dawn’s tall, lean form, but he could clearly see why Owen was so turned on by his dark and sexy engineer.
“This is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had,” Owen said, digging into his second piece. “Don’t tell my mom I said that.”
“That’s quite a compliment,” Kellen said to Lindsey. “As far as Owen is concerned, his mom is the only woman who knows how to cook properly.”
Lindsey beamed, and Kellen was surprised her wide smile didn’t make him long for Sara. In fact, he noticed he wasn’t thinking about Sara much at all. Not the way he had been fixating on her every time Lindsey caught his eye in New Orleans. But that was before his wonderful weekend with Dawn. Before she’d helped him begin to move forward.
By the time everyone had finished, Kellen’s sleepless night was catching up with him. He couldn’t have stifled his yawn if he’d tried. “Good food leads to really good naps.”
“You’ll have to take the couch,” Owen said. “Lindsey’s got the guest room, and Caitlyn and I will be napping or not-so-napping in my bed.”