Page 132 of Talk Nerdy To Me
Chapter 35
BASE
The silent car ride ends as Tag pulls up to the curb, and I stare at the house instead of looking at him.
“Thanks,” I tell him, feeling pathetic at this point.
“I wasn’t doing anything productive, so don’t worry about it,” he tells me.
I look over, catching a glimpse of Ash’s name on the screen, as he smiles and texts something.
Feeling like I should probably say more, but having no fucking idea what to say, I just push open the door and get out.
He drives off as I head inside, only to be cornered by Randy as he grabs the front of my shirt and looks around. He then jerks the door open and looks around, still holding onto the front of my shirt.
“What the fuck?” I ask him, just wanting to get to my fucking room so I can collapse in peace.
He glares at me. “No Britt means a really pissy Base Masters. Put. That. Shit. On. Pause,” he says, annunciating each word as my brow furrows.
Sticks stumbles into the room, his eyes widening, and Taylor comes in right behind him.
I hear my mother’s faint laughter from somewhere down the hall, coupled with a masculine one right behind it.
“Put it on pause,” Randy says in his critical tone again, pointing a finger in my face.
Then he shoves me forward, and Sticks practically drags me down the hall. I stumble back when I spot Vince motherfucking Jaggons having tea with my damn mother like there’s a Sunday brunch going on in our living room.
Vince looks up, eyes catching my wide ones, and smirks like he’s been waiting for the look on my face. I haven’t disappointed, it seems.
“Ah, so the fourth is here. I’ll let you boys catch him up while I finish up my tea with Honey Bee,” he says before waving us off, eyes laughing at me before he turns back to my mother.
Mom’s grin stays fixed on her face as she carries on talking to him like they’re old friends.
Sticks starts dragging me away, while my mind tries to catch up to what the hell is going on right now.
I’m pulled into the practice room, and Taylor locks the door behind him, sealing the four of us in.
“What the hell?” I finally ask, dropping to a chair because I’m too fucking exhausted to keep standing at this point.
“We don’t know why he’s here,” Taylor tells me, wringing his hands. “Maybe because one of you idiots had to shatter that door, and his freaking daughter owns that building.”
I scrub my face with both hands, trying to focus on this instead of Britt, because I need to be alone for that.
Randy gestures toward the door. “We tried asking him, but Taylor can’t seem to speak in the presence of rock royalty, Sticks can’t stop gushing for five seconds, and I’m an unrepentant fan boy. No one’s even mad anymore that he stole the spot for some unknown, shitty band his label represents. It’s a hot, pathetic mess.”
Sticks holds up his hands when I shoot a look at him.
“I’m trying to think why we ever thought we deserved an audience with him last night, but I’m struggling now. It all seems petty now that he’s actually here, and you’re going to have to do the talking,” Sticks says like he’s dumbfounded.
Taylor opens the door, peering around the corner like he’s trying to hear Vince’s voice.
“Let’s just hear what he has to say before we say anything at all,” I mutter, not an ounce of fight left in me, because I don’t even know why I’m fighting.
We file into the room just as Vince lowers his empty cup to the table. Mom’s eyes are sparkling like he’s been charming the hell out of her.
Vince crosses his legs as we take a seat in front of him, and he lounges on the couch like he couldn’t be more comfortable.
“Honey Bee is far more charming than the lot of you spoiled, entitled little brats,” he says, making this day as imperfect as it can possibly be, because in this moment, I find myself agreeing with him.
