Page 16 of A Billionaire Rebel

“And I can handle all of it. Talking to Mom and taking care of Kevin.” She put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Go to work. Talk to Starla.”

I wiped at my cheeks, surprised to find them damp. “Are you sure?”

“Go.”

I gave her a hug and went back for my lunch even though I doubted I’d feel like eating any time soon. I didn’t know Damon, and a single conversation didn’t change that. Still, I hurt for him. I just kept seeing that smile he’d given me right before he left, and knowing that he wasn’t smiling right now struck me in a way that nothing else ever had.

My emotions must’ve been written all over my face because the moment I walked into the store, Starla was right there.

“You look like someone ran over your dog. If you owned a dog.” She turned the television off, but not before I saw a reporter in front of the Houston Methodist ER. Not surprising that she’d be watching coverage. I had a feeling most people in Houston were doing the same thing.

“I met him,” I said as I put my purse behind the counter. “Damon Holden. He came in here Saturday evening to buy a guitar.”

Starla’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to say that again?”

“Damon Holden bought a guitar from us.” I leaned against the counter. “I didn’t even realize who he was until he handed me his credit card to buy it.”

“That’s who bought the Breedlove? I saw the receipt but didn’t really look at the name.”

I nodded. “I talked to him for a couple minutes about the guitar, then some small talk, nothing important, but he smiled and…” I had to stop talking as a lump formed in my throat.

“That sucks,” Starla said. A thoughtful expression crossed her face. “We should send something to the band. Flowers, maybe.”

“Flowers?”

Starla reached for her cell phone. “Yes, but I don’t think we should have them delivered. I think you should take them personally.”

“I don’t know him,” I said. “We barely talked.”

“That’s not the point.” Something in her face softened. “From what I’ve heard, Damon Holden doesn’t have a lot in the way of friends outside the band, and he’s going to feel like he has to be there for them right now rather than anyone being there for him.”

Her statement surprised me. “He seemed friendly enough.”

“Oh, that’s probably the truth,” she agreed, “but there’s a difference between being friendly and having friends. He comes from one of the richest families in the city. That doesn’t exactly make for the sort of guy who makes friends easily.”

I frowned at her. “You sound like you know that from personal experience.”

She winked at me. “I have a whole lot of past that I haven’t gotten around to sharing.”

“Do you know the Holden family?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Only by reputation,” she said, “but my mom’s family comes from old money in Vermont. I spent enough holidays with them to know that having money comes with its own set of problems.”

If anyone other than Starla had told me that, I might’ve scoffed at them. She wasn’t poor, but I knew how hard she worked. Nothing had been handed to her on a silver platter. I might not be able to understand what she meant, but I trusted that she knew what she was talking about.

“So, you think I should take flowers to the hospital and offer to be Damon’s friend?”

She glanced at me. “I think you should take flowers to Holden Enterprises so they’ll get to him and he can see that someone cares but isn’t asking anything from him. And if he wants to reach out, then you can be his friend.”

I didn’t know why Starla thought Damon would want to talk to a virtual stranger just because I sold him a guitar and then gave him some flowers, but if I could make him feel like someone cared about him personally, I’d do whatever Starla thought I should do.

* * *

Starla had ordered a simple arrangement,something that acknowledged grief without being overly familiar. The card, she’d left to me. I kept it simple.

We are so sorry for your loss. I signed with the store’s name, then added a PS on a whim.If you ever need a quiet place or the comfort of music, you’re always welcome. Jae.

Before I could second-guess my addition, I thanked the cashier and picked up my purchase. When I arrived at Holden Enterprises, there were a few news vans out front, but they didn’t look like they were getting too close. None of them bothered to look at me twice as I carried the flowers inside, probably thinking I was just a delivery person.

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