Page 8 of Rock On

Glancing at the sticker on the side, I saw she’d gotten me a non-dairy caramel ecstasy from my favorite bakery. That was the thing with Marley. She might come off bitchy—such as her observation about my appearance and her assessment of my life—but she remembered the tiny details, like how I wanted my coffee and that I didn’t do dairy. And really, she just wanted the best for me, and she didn’t feel as if I were living up to the potential she envisioned for me. I could sum her up as hard-assexterior and mushy insides. She’d growl at me then she’d jump in front of a train to save me.

“Thank you.” I gave her a hug then stepped back and took a sip of the heaven she’d brought me.

Moving past me, she headed over to the small dinette on one side of my kitchen. “I brought pastries, too.” She shook the bag that had been in the hand with her own coffee. “I hope to God they’re extra gooey and calorie laden. This whole festival has been a bitch.”

“Yeah?” I asked, sitting across from her while she placed a sugary apple Danish in front of me. I didn’t ask if it was dairy-free. I knew she would have ensured that, just as she had with my coffee.

“Yeah. I don’t know how the hell the music festival committee pulls this off every year. It’s a train wreck. A real shit show; I’m telling you. Plus nobody can find our merch. It got shipped ahead from the supplier and festival head tells me ‘it’s here someplace’. I swear, it’s probably with my damn lead singer who went missing.”

“Oh…” I half-gasped. That wasn’t good. “Is he…okay?”

“Yeah. Kyson assures me Jay was on his bus last night, and he wasn’t drunk or high or anything. Kyson is one of the guys in the band.”

“I figured. I hope you can get things squared away today.” I took another sip of my coffee then pulled off a corner or the Danish and groaned. It was pure sugary heaven…

Marley waved away my words. “It’s all part of the headache that comes with the job. How about you? How was it yesterday?”

“What?” I panicked. Did she find out about Jerrin? That I hadn’t been alone? For some reason, I didn’t want to share what was happening with him. I liked having the secret for now. With four older siblings, I’d rarely had confidences. “What about it?”

“Inventory…? That’s what you said you were doing.”

“Oh. It was fine. Same old same old. No surprises. I mean it’s bins of rocks, right? Didn’t take long.”

“Uh-huh,” Marley said. “What really went on?”

“What?” I took a sip of my coffee, hiding behind the cup.

“Did you know you babble when you’re avoiding an answer—or as some might say: lying.”

I shook my head. “I just know you hate my job—”

“I don’t hate it. I just hate it for you. You could do so much more. You’re so smart, Sky.”

“Marley…”

“I’m just saying…” Here came her agenda. Again. “…you could come work with me. We could use a medical technician traveling with us.”

I shook my head. “That’s not the kind of thing I learned in college. I’m a researcher. A scientist.”

At least, I would be with a more advanced degree.

Marley’s shoulders slumped. “It’s just as well, I guess. The tour guys are horndogs. They truly act like what happens on tour stays on tour. Which is total shit. You should see my condom budget, though. It’s insane.”

“I’d rather not, thanks.” But I couldn’t help remembering what had happened last night. Jerrin wasn’t like that. I mean…he’d been horny, but he’d stopped before we went too far. And I’d definitely wanted more.

“Fair enough. I wouldn’t want you to get a verbal STD.”

“A verbal STD, Mar? Really? I might not be a doctor, but even I know that’s not a thing.”

She raised her brows at me. “Really? Because trust me… There are things you can see or hear that will definitely scar you for life.”

She took a hard bite of her Danish, and I winced. “Okay, but other than that, how have things been since Christmas.”

Marley launched into some stories of things that had gone on since then, making me laugh several times with the hijinks she recounted while we ate then while she followed me into my room as I got ready for the day. I noticed that Stix, Stone, Blu and Kyson starred in most of the stories, but not Jay, who she’d only complained about when she first walked through the door that morning.

“So there’s a betting pool about Stix and Stone? Do they know?”

My sister blew out a scoffing breath. “God, no. If they did, they’d stay apart just to spite us all.”

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