Page 165 of Goodbye Note

I leaned to get my wallet out, then put a dollar in her tiny hand. “Go put it in your piggy bank.”

She ran off.

“Why the fuck is he putting a record out the same day we are?”

“Is that a rhetorical question or…?” Val asked.

“It’s a fuck you, dude.” Bronx took a seat with a full plate of food. “Where is this catering from? It’s good shit.”

“I thought you were finding Fox and telling him food was here?”

“I saw the food and got distracted.” Bronx shrugged and stabbed his fork into the Asian noodles. “Don’t you two have him air-tagged?”

“The battery died, and I forgot to change it.” I tipped my head back, spinning in my chair. “When is John getting here?”

“I’m here, and I found Fox. Which one of you left him under a fucking car? He’s going to die.” John took a seat with a full plate.

“No one was going to turn it on.” Fox kissed Bronx’s temple before he sat down.

Bronx squeezed his knee before returning to his plate. I hated them a little for how happy they were.

“I’m adding it to the list of things you’re not allowed to do,” John said before turning to me. “Where’s the hard liquor?”

“I only have beer. My kid is here.”

“I’m going to go get my emergency bottle out of the car.” John shoved his chair back, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of scotch and five glasses. “Okay, I’m preemptively pouring this.”

“I can’t drink. My kid is here. I have to at least act like a responsible adult.”

“Where is Lindsay?” John looked around as if he’d just noticed she wasn’t there.

“She moved out.”

They all stared.

“When?” Val asked, hurt flashing in his eyes.

“Two months ago.”

He blinked. “And you never thought to call?”

“It’s been a bad six months.” I didn’t want to explain it to any of them. I already felt like a failure to Nova.

“No fucking wonder you’re looking at his shit again,” Vallen said, standing up. “I’m going to get food.”

“Glad you’re giving me a free pass to have a mental breakdown when my life is falling apart.” I gave him two thumbs up because my kid was here, and I let him believe what he wanted. I wasn’t going to tell anyone I never stopped looking. I’d read every post he’d ever made.

Once they all had food and were sitting again, John cleared his throat. “As you know, we are planning a tour to start a couple of months after your new album release. Because it’s been five years since your last, we are hoping to hit that big comeback energy. Strike the people hoping to relive their youth. You guys have always had a cult following, and we think the best way to get this comeback off the ground is to play into it.”

“I like the idea. I think chasing our original fans as well as new ones is smart.” Vallen chewed his food thoughtfully.

“Why did you need us all here together?” Fox asked the important question.

“I wanted to go over some details and get contracts signed.”

“What’s the catch?” I asked. “Because we don’t all need to be in the same room to electronically sign.”

“There’s no catch,” John hedged.

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