Page 39 of This Side of Beautiful

“We’re friends who are happy to see each other, Landon. We’re going to be in different cities, traveling together and staying in the same places. We will be photographed together. Let people think what they want as long as we know the truth.” She struggled to keep up with my fast pace and much longer legs. Everyone else behind her did as well.

I saw a couple of flashes from phones while she trailed behind me. I’d never believed a woman should walk behind a man, so I slowed down until we were able to walk together. Janae looked hurt, though she beckoned Charles to walk on the other side of me, and the other three members flanked us, so she was the center of the group. Admittedly, it was the perfect picture as Janae and The Hollow Bones hit the first city of our limited-run tour.

I kept my distance as our luggage was loaded into two SUVs in a flurry of activity. Between the film crew, Janae’s glam squad, and the guys trying to make sure the airline hadn’t lost anything, it was a little chaotic. At least our equipment and tour gear were already taken care of, driven down ahead of us by part of our hired crew who handled that side of the show. In the midst of my grabbing my guitar case from one of the handlers, my cell buzzed.

Canwe talk?

I looked around for Janae, sitting on the second row in one of the SUVs. She stared at me, and I could feel her deserved disappointment. The guys were still sorting out luggage, so I casually eased into the space next to her.

“Landon, we’ve spoken to each other every single day since we left Houston. If we’re going to be friends in real life as well as on the phone, you can’t treat me like you just did,” she said calmly, though her hands were balled into fists and her chest heaved.

“You caught me off guard. I didn’t expect to see you, and when I did…” I shook my head. “I honestly don’t know how this is going to work. I like simple, and you and I are definitely not that.” I glanced back at our group and caught Cedrick’s disapproving glare.

Janae frowned. “No, Landon. You can’t get scared now that we’re here together and your friends are around. I admit that Ilikelike you, but I need your friendship more. Don’t you feel the same?”

“I do.” I flopped my head back against the seat and admitted quietly, “This attention isn’t easy for me.”

“I know, but how lucky are we to do what we love and get to visit these amazing cities like the one we’re in right now? If I have to stay sober, then you have to be more social. Live a little. Have some fun and get out of your head. Whenever it gets hard for either of us, we talk it out.” She held out her hand. “Life jacket?”

I picked up the other still-clenched hand, straightened each finger, and held it to my heart. “Life jacket.”

Janae’s eyes softened again before she reached up to my hat. “What’s going on with your hair sticking out? Did you forget to tie it down? Good thing your hair is curly, or it would look a hot mess on all these pics people took of us while going through the airport. I swear I’m going to do something with that wild bird’s nest of yours,” she threatened as she jumped back out of the SUV when one of her glam squad beckoned her.

Cedrick approached me as I stepped out too. “You’re playing checkers with a woman who understands chess. She’ll break your heart.”

I quietly assessed the man who’d been my best friend since we were teenagers. Cedrick had his faults, and there were aspects of him I didn’t like, but acceptance was a two-way street. He’d taken his role as my big brother seriously, and I understood his concerns regarding Janae because they were also mine.

Her joyful laughter while she spoke with her crew made me smile without looking her way. I genuinely liked her infectious energy and rapid way of speaking.

I. Liked. Janae.

I rubbed my guitar pick in my pocket and wondered how long before her interest in me flitted away like an elusive butterfly.

I shrugged helplessly. “You’re probably right. But I hope we’re both wrong.”

Cedrick’s jaw tightened, and he nodded before returning to the other SUV.

I jammed my hands in my cargo pants pockets and observed the determined, anticipatory, and happy expressions of The Hollow Bones, Janae, and her crew. We were about to embark on a new journey together, and we wouldn’t be the same people once our time on the road ended. I was willing to bet my heart on that truth.

Chapter Thirteen

janae

“Are we really staying herefor the week?” Charles’s eyes popped like an excited kid’s.

“Wow.” I looked out the window over his shoulder. He and my glam squad were riding with me while Landon rode with the rest of the guys in the other SUV to our lodgings for the next six days. “Del did us right with this house.”

Charles narrowed his eyes at me. “It’s not just any house.”

I glanced back at the large, white, old structure, which appeared to have been designed by Spanish and French architects. “Okay, it’s a historic mansion. Did someone famous live in it?”

He grabbed my shoulders. “This is where MTV’sThe Real Worldfilmed the second time the show went to New Orleans. The first time was the Belfort, but this one is larger.”

Jeri, my stylist, snickered from the back seat. “How old are you?”

“We’re all millennials in this car.” He huffed.

“Um… I’m Gen Z,” Jeri corrected him.

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