Page 131 of Movers and Shakers

Neither Malia nor Justice had been too happy about it, but I had to do right by the song. It wasn’t one I could do alone and it wasn’t like Barry would be on the tour with me.

After we finalized the setlist, we focused on the dance moves. Since we had so little time to prepare, I was going to use a lot of the ones I already knew from previous tours, and the new ones would all be very similar. While I was getting into shape and memorizing the choreography, my team focused on getting the tour visuals ready.

Everyone, including me, was working around-the-clock to get this done. And I knew I couldn’t let anyone down.

I shouldn’t have even had time to miss Barry, but I did. I missed him while I was running on the treadmill, while I was dancing and practicing, and when I finally crawled into bed at night, exhausted. We texted, but it wasn’t the same as having him here, especially now that he knew everything.

The closest thing I could do was focus on my team and my band. I knew most of these people from my previous tours and the familiar faces made this more possible. We already had a set rhythm.

Which meant I also knew if someone was off.

Jason was my rhythm guitarist, and I’d worked with him for my entire career. He was in his mid-thirties and was always the light of the tour. He made jokes and cut up with other band members during breaks.

So, when he went two weeks without talking to anyone, I was worried.

I’d asked everyone else about him, but they told me not to give it too much thought. I tried to do what they asked, only for my concern to come back tenfold.

I hated the idea of someone on my team being miserable, especially someone I’d worked with for so long.

Maybe it was my people pleasing rearing up, but when I mentioned it to Barry, he’d told me that he would be worried too. His crew was like a family, so he took care of them.

Eventually, after another day where Jason was quiet, I decided to ask him directly.

“Hey,” I said. “How are things?”

“They’re good.” He made a move to go around me, but I didn’t give up so easily.

“You can tell me if it’s not, you know. I care about everyone on this team, including you. If something is wrong, even if it’s something I did, I want to hear it.”

He slowly turned back to me. “It’s not you. It’s family stuff.”

“What’s going on?”

“My mom is sick and she lost her job.”

“Because she’s sick? Is that legal?”

“They blamed her performance, which Ithinkis legal, but we don’t have the energy or time to fight it. She needs to be focusedon getting better, and this tour pays enough for me to pay for her treatment outright.”

“But you’re not going to be with her.”

He shrugged. “We all make trade-offs.”

Not like this one, though. I shook my head. “No, you should be with her.”

“I can’t just stop everything. I can’t afford it if I’m not working.” He gave me a sad smile that told me he’d thought this through.

“I’ll pay for it. All of it.”

His eyes widened. “What? You would do that?”

“Absolutely.”

“But the tour starts so soon. Will you be able to find someone else in time?”

Justice was going to be mad. Malia too. This would make everything more complicated, but I couldn’t let Jason go through with this, not when I could do something for him. He, and all of my band, had given me their time and talent for many years. They all deserved more than a paycheck. I usually gave bonuses and food through the tour, but there was something more I could do for Jason.

I’d deal with people being mad. The right thing was more important.

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