Page 26 of How to Love a Rockstar

I make as if to grab the gift but she clutches it to her chest and angles away from me. “Mine. My precious.”

“Open it.” I bounce on my toes. She’s going to love this.

She digs into the gift bag and removes three books. She gasps. “The entire Knockemout Series?”

“Open the first page.”

She does and her eyes widen. “They’re signed by Lucy Score!” She throws herself at me. “Thank you! This is awesome!”

“You’re welcome.”

She dances around the kitchen. I dance along with her since she won’t release me. “Best birthday present ever.”

“You can’t expect me to do your taxes when you won’t give me the receipts!” a woman shouts and we stop dancing.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

Indigo grins. “Let’s go find out.”

We tiptoe out of the kitchen and into the living room where a woman and man are arguing with each other while everyone else stands in a circle around them as if arguing is a spectator sport.

“I gave you the receipts!” the man yells back.

“The man is Brody, one of Cash’s step-brothers,” Indigo whispers to me.

Cash and his brothers are another crazy story. When we knew him in high school, Cash was an only childandan orphan. But then he found his biological dad who had sadly already passed away but it turns out his bio dad had six other sons. All of whom live in Winter Falls.

“Who’s the woman?”

“No idea.”

Cash and the rest of the band join us. He slings an arm around Indigo. “It’s Leia. She’s Brody’s new assistant.”

Gibson cozies up to me. “How ya doing, Virginia?”

Dylan shoves him away. “No.”

I glare at him. “What? I’m not good enough to be friends with the world famous band?”

“You’re too good for the band and Gibson is a manwhore.”

Gibson winks. “I prefer the term Cassanova.”

“Do you know the original Cassanova was a librarian at the end of his life?”

Gibson’s nose wrinkles. “Librarian?”

I try not to take offense at his obvious distaste for my profession and continue my lecture, “And his books are considered the most authentic sources of information about the customs and norms of European society during the 18thcentury.”

Gibson pales. “Maybe Cassanova isn’t my preferred term. Maybe I should use Lothario.”

Before I can ruin his view of the word Lothario, Leia shouts again. “I don’t know why I put up with you!”

“She appears a bit uptight.” Gibson rubs his hands together in anticipation. “I think I know a way to relax her.”

He starts toward Leia but Fender growls at him. “No.”

“What no?”

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