Page 23 of Too Little Too Soon
Except he had calmed down enough to realize he had a job to do. He patted her leg, thanked her for helping him, and then he wandered over to where the rest of his band was hanging out with their fans.
Ugh. She hated feeling useless and awkward. Earlier, before Travis had arrived, she’d fetched drinks for the rest of the band. It had given her a little thrill at how outrageously offended her mother would be if she knew her eldest daughter was “fetching drinks” for people.
Ava had been enjoying herself, though, so she stood, made her way over to Lacey and Parker to see if they needed anything.
They were holding court with a handful of fans who were all staring at them with googly eyes as Lacey and Parker flirted and teased each other; cheeky banter that was probably some sort of love language.
After they confirmed they were good, she checked on Oz. She loved how much he adored her sister. It was almost to the point of ridiculousness, to be honest, and that was utterly adorable.
"Do you need anything, Oz?” she asked during a lull in fans.
“Yeah.” He grinned at her. “I like your idea of blocking off a path from the door to the cordoned off areas so the bands can get into the room without being mobbed. It’s brilliant. I think we should set up the meet and greets like that moving forward.”
“I’ll tell Maria. She’ll make sure it happens.”
“That she will.” He fist bumped her, and she wandered off, still looking for a way to keep herself occupied.
Cash, the quiet and reserved one, was her next victim. He took her up on her offer to get him a drink. When she returned and handed it to him, she said, “So, concert pianist.”
The poor guy practically curled into himself, hugging that drink to his chest for a moment. She almost apologized for even bringing it up, but then he admitted, “Yes, in a former life.”
“I used to take clients to shows in New York. What are the chances I’ve seen you perform?”
He cleared his throat. “Reasonably good.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a classical pianist in dreads and with so many tattoos,” she teased.
He raked his hand through those white-blond dreads. “Like I said, it was a different life. A lot has changed since then. I’ve even changed my name.”
She considered prodding for more, but the poor guy was looking more miserable by the second. He did not like talking about his past.
Instead, she said, “I bet you’d look stunning in a tux.”
He tugged at his collar. “I don’t think it would be good for my image if our fans ever saw me like that.”
Ava shook her head. “I beg to differ. In fact, a photo shoot with all of you guys in tuxes and Lacey in a ballgown, surrounded by your instruments, the band’s logo as a backdrop—your fans would go nuts.”
He arched his brows and finally didn’t look so uncomfortable. She added, “It would make a stunning album cover.”
“Maybe,” he allowed.
A cluster of girls wandered over then, the boldest in the group asking for his autograph, Ava left him to it and sought out her sister to mention her thoughts.
Maria grabbed onto the album cover idea like a dog with a bone, and begun furiously tapping on her phone, probably making the arrangements.
Ava caught movement out of the corner of her eye; Travis was trying to grab her attention, so she hurried over.
When she reached his side, he swung an arm around her neck, a lowball glass full of nothing but ice dangling from his fingertips. She plucked the glass from his hand lest he lost his grip.
“We need your assistance, Ava,” he said.
A young man and woman stood before him, the man with stars in his eyes, while the woman was trying hard not to look impressed by the fact that she was talking to the drummer for one of the greatest up-and-coming rock bands of the moment.
“Oh God, you aren’t going to ask me to list your songs, are you?” Ava joked, although it wasn’t really a joke. She had no earthly idea what songs his band played. She’d watched clips on the big screen set up across the room, but that was it.
They were just clips.
“Easier than that,” Travis said, waving his hand and brushing her breast in the process.Shenoticed, but it didn’t appear that anyone else—including him—did.
