Page 166 of Movers and Shakers

I love you.

The words sprung forth in my mind and I immediately knew how true they were. They settled into me, a realization that I had been barreling toward since the second I met him.

I could have said so, but something else told me he wouldn’t board his plane if those words left my lips.

And I refused to be the reason he walked away from something he’d spent years building.

“Have a good flight,” I said instead.

“I will. I’ll call you when I land.”

But I wished he had saidI love you.

“One more thing,” I said, clearing out the emotion from my throat. “I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

“Tickets toyou know who’sfirst show here in LA.”

“What are these for?”

“You worked hard on this album and on this tour. If you can swing it, I’d love for you to see it. I’ve included enough for you to invite friends if you want to.”

He slowly took the envelope. “So, I’ll be seeing you again sooner.”

“If you come,” I said. “I’d love to see your reaction to all of it.”

“I’ll be there, I promise.”

And that sounded as close to anI love youas I would get.

It was almost enough.

Barry

I usually found my home charming and comforting. I liked seeing the tourists in cowboy hats or the neon signs of Broadway.

But I quickly realized I didn’t want to be here.

I gripped my phone like a lifeline, letting Rose know I was back safe and sound. I had a mountain of work to do to get reacclimated to the bar. My first stop should have been checking in with my employees to be sure everything was okay. I probably should’ve reached out to Ruth and Tom to make sure everything was fine with them too.

Instead, I went straight to my apartment.

Lying on my bed, I thought back to the last few weeks in LA, about how much I loved to play with Lila’s band, and how much I enjoyed spending every second with Rose that I could. It had been heaven, like living in a dream I didn’t even know I had.

I was reaching for my guitar before I could stop myself.

The routine for Lila’s tour was second nature. I went through the opening chords, feeling it all flow out of me as if I were really there.

I didn’t hear the knock at the door or the turn of the key. I only noticed anyone was in my apartment when I heard clapping.

I jumped, my focus broken.

Liam and Audrey were in the living room. “What the—how did you two get in?”

“The key under the doormat. It works for both the back doorandyour apartment.” Audrey shrugged as if she hadn’t broken in.

“We saw your car,” Liam explained. “You’re back now?”

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