Page 72 of Finding Emotion

“Nah, water for me.” He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes like a little kid.

Skylar glanced at Jami over his shoulder. “I think she’s mad at me,” she stage-whispered, rewarded by the tightening of her sister’s lips.

“Need some backup?” he whispered back. It sounded playful, but his eyes were serious as they studied hers.

“No,” she said honestly, but then had to grab his hand when he started to go somewhere.

“It’s okay. I have to get ready for my thing later. I’ll give you some space.” He tugged lightly.

Skylar held on. “I mean, no, I’ve got this, but yes, I want you to stay.” She let go when his hand went limp, and she shrugged. “I mean, you’re the one I was telling last night.”

“Okay,” Damon said. He pulled her to her feet. They moved together into the kitchen.

“So, what’s going on, Skylar?” Jami really did look worried. “What’s this about Mandy? I always thought she was a brilliant manager.”

“She is. Fuck, better than that. She stuck up for me in front of that prick Jack and his father, so they fired her.” Skylar still wanted to rip their heads off over it.

“Jack?” Jami frowned as she noticed Skylar take a shuddering breath at the name. “I haven’t heard his name for a while.” Her hand crossed the counter, resting over where Skylar’s had clenched onto the edge. “You said the breakup was mutual back then.”

“Oh, it fucking was. We hate each other.” Skylar didn’t doubt that the hate was mutual. Only someone that hated her could have held her down like that.

When Damon placed a hand on her back, the tension made her shake. His soothing massage let her take another breath.

“I stayed with the label because his father agreed to cover the shit up, but now they expect me to be around that fucker and that’s not—” Skylar couldn’t catch her breath. “I can’t—” It came out in a weak-ass gasp that ate at her.

“I’ll fucking put his balls in his throat,” Jami said, pulling back as her hand fisted. She nodded as Skylar stared. “Hey, I do that now.”

Skylar shook her head. Damon continued the gentle massage, sapping even more of her anger. “I didn’t even say what he did,” she said, the words squeezed from her tight throat.

“You don’t have to.” Damon’s jaw clenched. She reached over, liking the morning stubble scattered over his face.

“Okay,” she said, not sure if she was relieved or not.

“But if you need to say it.” Jami took a breath, her own body relaxing. “I’m here for you. No matter what. I know we’re still not as close, but I love you, Skylar.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me,” Skylar said, her throat tight again.

“You should meet with Trenton,” Damon said. “I agree with Mandy. You need to get away from this label. Trent will help with that.”

“Yeah,” Skylar murmured. The idea of it still scared the hell out of her. “Yeah, maybe.” She reached for Damon’s glass of water, the liquid cooling her parched throat.

Skylar wore a skintight, aquamarine dress that matched Damon’s eyes, and he was pretty sure his heart was going to explode if she smiled at him while wearing it one more time. They’d mingled among the charity guests for a while, but he’d left Skylar with the others since his performance time was approaching and he wasn’t certain if Jimmy had checked all the equipment yet. He still hadn’t managed to talk to his manager again since Jimmy had been an idiot the day before, but it was hard to complain since it was because Damon had woken up late with his head still in Skylar’s lap. He hadn’t even had a headache from all the tequila he’d drunk.

The weather had remained beautiful, and the event had been set up outdoors. The garden of the villa smelled of flowers, reminding him of Skylar each time he caught a whiff. Lights had been strung up everywhere, and as evening approached, they would add a dreaminess to the setting. Heaters were also spread throughout to stave off the cold, which was necessary since the sun stayed behind the white, fluffy clouds.

A temporary stage had been set up toward the end of the garden. Once Damon was out of sight from the crowd, he jogged toward the equipment behind the stage. He recognized Jimmy’s bowed form and took a breath.

“Everything in order?” Damon asked.

Jimmy straightened. “Shit, Dame, I’m sorry.”

Every other time, that had been enough for Damon to drop it. “It’s not as easy as that,” he said instead.

Jimmy ran his hands over his hair. “Don’t you think I know? Honestly, I can’t fix this.” He waved his hand behind him. “Damn it, whoever trashed your equipment really did a number on it. Nothing is salvageable.”

“What?” Damon’s eyes focused on the pieces of plastic and metal scattered on the ground. Even the cords on the switchboard had been yanked out and stripped. “What the hell happened?”

“Somebody took some type of axe to it or something from the marks. I sent the guys out to see if we could scrounge up something else, but it’s not looking good.”

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