Page 67 of Living on the Edge

“No. I mean, yes. But no.”

Fuck, this is complicated.

“It was just one time,” I continue. “But I was kind of a dick afterward, so she’s not happy with me. However, I also don’t want to fuck this up for her. If word gets out she’s fucking someone in the band, on her first assignment forRock Harder… it could impact her future.”

“Oh.” He’s momentarily thoughtful. “Yeah, right. Of course. I wouldn’t say anything anyway. She’s cool. I don’t want to do anything that would hurt her.”

“Yeah, I did a good enough job of that.” I’m not shy, and the guys in the band have dressed and undressed in front of each other a hundred times, so I don’t hesitate to toss off the towel before yanking on a pair of boxers.

“Why?” he asks.

“Why what?” I pull on a pair of shorts.

“Why would you do something to hurt her?”

“Well, nothurt her-hurt her. I hurt her feelings.”

“And now you’re trying to buy her forgiveness?”

“I’m not trying to buy it!” I say in frustration. “She doesn’t have health insurance, so yes, I paid the bill at the hospital, but this is about taking care of her. Letting her rest. Making sure she eats and takes her meds, without having to sit on a bumpy bus all day. Then I’ll drive us to Nashville on Friday morning.”

“Everyone is talking,” he says after a moment.

My eyes widen. “About me and Ryleigh?”

“Not that you’re sleeping together—everyone saw the blood on her ear and that she was in rough shape. But the fact that you’re the one who stepped up to take care of her.”

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I think it’s an important thing. Showing that you have a soft side.”

“That doesn’t sound very rock and roll.”

“It’s not. But neither is this situation you’ve put us in. So we have to fumble our way through it.”

“Look, I’m doing the best I can. For the band, for Ryleigh, and for myself.”

“Don’t break her heart,” he says after a moment. “It would be easy to fall into a sex thing, especially while she’s on tour with us. Take what you can get and then move on. But she deserves better. She seems like a nice girl. She’s smart, talented, and fair. That story she wrote about Lexi was something to be proud of. Don’t fuck it up for her. Because you of all peopleknowthere will be talk.”

For some reason, having him lecture me on breaking Ryleigh’s heart pisses me off. It’s none of his damn business.

Even though he’s probably right.

“Look, Ryleigh and I are cool.” I have no idea if that’s true. “And right now we both need a little downtime.”

“Running away won’t fix things for you,” he says.

I hate how well he knows me.

“No, but it might help me figure outhowto fix things. Contrary to popular belief, rich people are still human.”

There’s a moment of silence as he stares at me.

Like he’s trying to decide if I’m being honest or not.

Then he nods.

“Okay. That’s fair. Take a couple of days to clear your head. I guess I’ll see you in Nashville.”

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