Page 167 of Movers and Shakers

“Yep. My work is done.”

They shared a look. “Is it? You were still practicing.”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I was just doing it out of habit.”

“It sounded great,” Liam said.

“Thanks. I’m certainly better than I was.”

“Gonna use it onstage?”

The idea of stepping on a stage, even the one I’d made at Movers and Shakers, sent a wave of nausea through me.

I couldn’t deny the fact that I knew exactly what stage I wanted to be on.

“No, I’ll probably take a break.”

“Are you okay?” Liam asked. “You seem . . . down.”

“I’m good,” I replied. “Ready to get back to work.”

They exchanged another look, but I stood and put my guitar down. “Okay,” Audrey said. “Let’s go downstairs. I don’t havemuchto catch you up on, but I’m sure you’re eager to know how everything went.”

“I am. Let’s go.”

I followed them down to the first floor. She went over the new schedules she made and how we’d done financially. I could see for myself how well the higher guest list count was working.

But I wasn’t all there. I’d left a part of me in LA with the woman of my dreams.

And my soul was longing to be put back together.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Lila

We worked until we couldn’t anymore. The tour finally came together. I dealt with the looks Mickey kept giving me, and eventually, I figured out how to ignore them.

Barry and I talked every night. Some nights, we texted, especially when my voice was raw from all the singing. As theopening night loomed, I counted the seconds until he flew back to LA.

“Have you decided who you’re bringing?” I asked one morning as I was preparing for another day of practice. “Tom and Ruth might love to come.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I still haven’t told them about Wilfred, and every time I look at Ruth, I feel bad for lying.”

“I agree, but maybe Max would like to go.”

“He would. I’m just . . . struggling with talking to them.”

“I could call them and offer.”

“As who?”

“Lila. I could say you gave me their number. I have Ruth’s.”

“Okay, yeah. Maybe find a way to remind her that we’refriends. Any more questioning and I’ll feel worse.”

“Of course. I won’t let who I am slip.”

I finished my makeup while we talked more about what I would say. When I was done, he had to go to the bar, and I said my goodbyes as I got Ruth’s number from Rose’s phone.

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