Page 7 of Jet

When she slams the car door, I get up from the comfy swing and stand in front of her door, the porch light illuminating my frame. I don’t want to scare her again, it’s not my intention. She’s humming a tune until she looks up and sees me standing there. I can see the fire in her eyes from this distance. She’s not happy I’m here. Too bad. If she had answered me, we’d be relaxing in our own space.

“You’ve overstepped your boundaries, Jet. You’re not welcome here, so I suggest you slither into the night before I call the police. It’s late and I’m done with the drama.”

“Just hear me out. Then I’ll leave and you’ll never have to talk to me again. This is important, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to your house. Please, Quinn.”

Her hands are shaking as she pushes me out of the way to unlock the door. Instinct has me reaching for her arm to stop her. Big mistake. “Let go of me! I swear if you don’t turn around and leave, I’ll be forced to have you arrested.”

After what happened in the alley, you’d think I learned my lesson. But this is too damn important to just walk away. “I promise if you hear me out I’ll give you that damn interview, that’s how important this is to me. I just had this crazy idea today that if I ran it by you and the band, you’d all be onboard. It would be perfect for our exposure and help so many needy kids. I’m begging you, just to hear me out.” She must notice how much pain I’m in because she opens the door and invites me in. Thank fuck!

“You have ten minutes to pitch whatever idea you have and then you’re out the door. Oh, and I will take you up on that interview. That’s part of letting you in.” She drops her keys in a fancy little dish on the sideboard and when I focus on her home instead of her, I’m blown away. “Now you have eight minutes.” She tucks her long legs underneath her before sitting on the sofa. Me, I’m too nervous to sit still, so I do what I do best. I pace.

“There’s too much backstory to explain it all in eight minutes, so I’m going to get right to the point. It’s common knowledge that I ran away at thirteen. I lived on the streets for years and it isn’t the kind of life I’d wish on my worst enemy. Today was a wakeup call, an epiphany that I haven’t had in a while. Too long and I’m ashamed of it. Anyway, I took a shortcut to the diner. It’s an alleyway that’s on the side of the one I pulled you into.” I stop dead in my tracks when her nostrils flare with the memory. Shit, I shouldn’t have gone there.

“Five minutes and counting, Jet.”

“I’d forgotten about those faces. Young and old staring at me as I made my way through the filth of that alley. Cardboard boxes where they live—fuck, where I used to live. I have no idea why I never thought of it before, but I want to do a benefit concert for the homeless. Get tons of bands together that are willing to give their profits for one weekend. Kinda like Woodstock was all those years ago. I bet we could raise so much money. Maybe even buy some land, build a village of tiny homes and give the homeless in this city a home.” In this moment, I’m so passionate about getting my thoughts across, I don’t even realize I’m kneeling in front of her with my hands on her thighs.

“That’s very noble of you, but something like this would take months to put together. And did you forget there’s still three months left to the tour? When would I have time to organize something of this magnitude? I think it would be tough to gather enough bands who are willing to donate their time.”

“What if we run it by Caleb? It would be great exposure for Morris Music, and I don’t recall anyone ever doing anything like this before. It could help NY and so many other cities. All I ask is that you think about it, Quinn. If anyone could pull it off, it would be you.” I’m going with the flattery-will-get-you-everywhere routine. Truth be told, I sincerely believe she is the only one who could do this. I might not personally like her, but she’s smart and business savvy.

“We can’t do anything about it tonight, but I promise I’ll make some calls tomorrow. Go home and get some rest. As soon as I find out anything, I’ll give you a call. Now, you’ll need to excuse me, it’s way past my bedtime and my liquor limit.”

“You’re being more than generous after everything I put you through. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“Goodnight… or should I say ‘Good morning’.” She’s smiling and I take that as a good sign.

“It will surely be a good morning if the powers that be agree to your proposition. Bye, Quinn.” She waves before closing the door, and for a moment I feel a little bit lighter.

Like maybe this could really happen.

* * *

QUINN

Never in a millionyears did I expect to find Jet waiting for me when I came home tonight. Never. Now I’m lying here staring up at the ceiling not able to sleep. My mind is bouncing back and forth with tons of ideas since he left. Some good, some bad, but the majority of them are doable. Lucky for him, I have connections. I’ve been in the biz for a long time and he’s absolutely right. If anyone can achieve this goal, it would be me. I’d need to hire an assistant to help out, though. With the last leg of the tour coming up, I’ll need to focus on that to perfection. I suppose a good PA could help me with the charity concert.

Damn, that man has been a thorn in my side since day one. Most would have thrown him out in less time than the ten-minute window I gave him, but the sadness and the determination in his gaze was enough for me to take him seriously. He lived through this. Every tormented minute of his teenage years was spent alone on the streets. Just the thought of him and all those other kids going to bed at night, hungry and alone, just tears me apart. So, yeah, I’m hella onboard with this if we can get the backing to do it.

Grabbing my phone on the nightstand, I swipe to see the time. Five thirty-five is much too early to call Caleb. He’d wring my neck. I need to wait until at least seven which gives me plenty of time to shower and guzzle a pot of coffee. I think I’m going to need it. And I’ve no doubt Jet will be calling me, desperate for an update. I guess it’s time to rise and shine. So much for vacation.

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning, so I decide to make a pot before stepping inside the shower. That way, it will be waiting for me instead of the other way around. I’m surprised I’m thinking this clearly with no sleep. Must be because I’m on a mission for a good cause.

With my second cup of coffee in hand, I press speed dial and wait for Caleb to answer.

“You’re on vacation, Quinn. Must be an emergency if you’re calling me this early. What’s up?”

“Morning, Caleb. No emergency, I just wanted to run something by you. What are your thoughts onThe Sinful Sevenhosting a benefit concert with a bunch of other bands for the homeless? We could make it a huge weekend event and all the money we raise could be donated to the homeless per Morris Music. Would be great exposure for the label and for all the bands who take part in this monumental event.” I fidget for a beat waiting for him to answer.

“First off, I’d say that’s very ambitious of you, but then I’d ask if you’re having a breakdown. It’s a great concept but a huge undertaking. You’d need a bunch of volunteers, and I’m not sure if the board would even sponsor something like this. They want to make money, not dish it out unless it’s for a band that’s been around for years.” I didn’t think he’d blow off a great idea like this but I do see his point. “Personally, I like the idea. I’ll tell you what, I’ll run it by a few of my business colleagues. And even if it’s not through Morris Music, we might be able to figure something out. You have a great business sense, and this was a great idea, Quinn. Kudos.”

“Well, I can’t take the credit for something that wasn’t mine. Jet’s the one who came up with the idea, I only promised him I’d run it by you first. He really is passionate about this venture and my only hope is that we can make it come true. It would mean the world to him and benefit the homeless as well.”

“No promises, but give me a few days to run it by them. I’m sure they will want to chew on it for a bit so don’t panic if we haven’t heard back by the end of the week. Now, go enjoy the rest of your vacation. If this is a go, you’ll have your hands full with the tour and this event.”

“Thanks, Caleb. Fingers crossed it works out. I promise I can handle them both. Now I’m just as eager as Jet to see this come to fruition. Take care and have a great week!” We say our goodbyes and I want to wait just a bit longer before calling Jet. Even though I know he’s going to be persistent and want everything to move at the speed of light, I can’t make him wait any longer.

This is one conversation that I can’t have via text. After last night, I’m certain he needs to hear the reassurance in my voice if I want him to understand the importance of patience. He picks up on the first ring.

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