Page 53 of Once Upon a Boyband
Adam
Freddie unbuckleshis seatbelt like he has every intention of coming inside with me. I gave him a hat and a flannel to put on over his t-shirt before we left the house, hoping it would make him look slightly less like a rockstar, but I’m not sure it’s doing any good.
Lawson Cove might be a small town, but it still has the internet, and Freddie has been drawing attention all morning. Still, I couldn’t say no when he wanted to run errands with me. He seemed so excited about it, like there was nothing he would enjoy more than picking up a supply order and swinging by Laney’s office to meet a dog.
“Wait. Hold up,” I say, reaching over to stop him before he gets out. “Laney works with her father, and I have no idea if she’s had the chance to tell anyone who I am.”
Freddie nods. “Got it. So if they recognize me that’s fine, but don’t out you?” He pulls on the Appies Hockey hat heborrowed, positioning it low on his forehead. “Can we tell them I’m your cousin?”
I laugh because honestly, I have no idea how else to handle Freddie. “Sure. You’re my cousin.”
“Excellent.” He climbs out and slams his door closed. “Can we go to a grocery store next?”
I look at him over my shoulder as we approach the Lawson Cove Veterinary entrance. “I’m not taking your face into a grocery store.”
Freddie has also requested a trip through a drive thru. And he already made me stop at a gas station so he could pump gas. I had three-quarters of a tank, but I stopped anyway, not wanting to squelch his enthusiasm.
I get the impression Freddie hasn’t traveled without security in a very long time.
I get it. The year after Mom died, when I was trying to figure out normal life and doing my best to fade into obscurity, I had a few moments like this—when it felt exhilarating to just do completely normal stuff on my own. The kind of stuff I’d had people doing for me for the past three years.
After Midnight Rush broke up, the opposite happened for Freddie. His career only got bigger and bigger. He went from a completely insane life as a teenager, to a probably more insane life as an adult. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’sneverhad to buy his own milk.
“A drive thru, then?” he asks for a second time. “I’ll buy.”
The lobby inside the vet’s office is fortunately empty, but Patty greets us with wide eyes, so I’m pretty sure she recognizes Freddie despite the borrowed shirt and hat.
I lean on the counter and offer a friendly smile. “Hi, Patty. How are you?”
She nods. “Good,” she manages to squeak out, her eyes darting from me, to Freddie, then back again.
“This is my cousin, Fred,” I say. “He’s here visiting for a few days.”
Beside me, Freddie clears his throat, and I fight a smirk. He used to hate it when we called him Fred, even though that’s exactly what’s on his birth certificate. Not Frederick. JustFred.
To Patty’s credit, she seems to have reined in her initial shock. “Nice to meet you, Fred. Welcome to Lawson Cove.”
“Laney texted me about a dog that needs to be picked up,” I say. “Do you know anything about that?”
“Holy freaking fudgesicles.”
We turn to see Percy standing in the middle of the lobby, eyes locked on Freddie.
“Fudgesicles?” Freddie asks under his breath.
“We aren’t allowed to swear at work,” Patty whisper-yells from behind us.
“Hi, Percy,” I say. “Good to see you.”
He makes a noise that might have been a word, but I can’t really tell. He clears his throat and tries again, but only fares slightly better. “I’ll, um…let me just…I’ll be right back.”
I look back at Patty. “Will Percy be okay?”
“I think he knows that yourcousinis famous,” Patty says. She putscousinin air quotes, then leans forward, lifting her hand to shield her mouth like she wants to say something without Freddie hearing. “Did you know he was a part of Midnight Rush?”
I nod knowingly at Patty. “I did know that.”
“I didn’t listen to them,” she goes on, her Southern accent soft and rolling and, based on his expression, highly entertaining for Freddie. He’s pretending not to listen, sincePatty clearly doesn’t want him to, but she’s whispering loud enough for the entire room to hear so I doubt he’s missing a word. “But my granddaughter went crazy over those boys. Is he really your cousin?” She leans even closer. “I read on the internet that he has seventeen tattoos.”
