Page 23 of Once Upon a Boyband
I opened the door when I answered the call, and he isn’t going to let this go.
“I’m just…busy,” I say, grappling for something,anythingI can tell him to make this all go away. My eyes land on the business card Laney gave me when she said goodbye this afternoon, and an idea pops into my head. “With my fiancée,” I blurt. “She’s going through…a thing.”
“Fiancée? You’re getting married?”
“Yep,” I say, even as alarm bells sound in my brain.Whatam I doing? Why am I lying about this?
“Wow. Congrats, man. Is she all right? What’s she going through?” It shouldn’t surprise me that Kevin asks. It’s his business to know the business of his clients, so prying for personal details is second nature to him. But I'm not his client anymore.
Also, I don’t actuallyknowany details, so I really wish he’d lay off.
“Yeah, she’s good,” I manage to say. “It’s just…a family thing. With her dad. I can’t really talk about it right now. But it’s taking up a lot of time and I need to be here to support her.”
I drop my forehead into my hands, squeezing my eyes shut.
“I’m sorry to hear that. What’s her name?”
My eyes pop open. Really? He needs me tonameher?
“It’s Laney,” I say, a little too loudly. “Her name is Laney.”
“Hmm,” Kevin says. “Is she a fan of Midnight Rush? I bet she’d love to see you perform.”
I almost roll my eyes at the irony. If what she’d name Taylor’s puppies is any indication, Laney probablywouldlove a reunion show.
“It’s not going to happen, Kevin. Look, I should really go. But thanks for calling, all right? Tell the guys I won’t be offended if they do the concert without me. Theyshoulddo it without me.”
I sit in my living room for a long time, phone in hand, even though the screen has long gone black. I feel for Freddie. I do. But I can’t go back to that life.
Since moving to Lawson Cove, I’ve finally felt like I’ve well and truly put the past behind me. When we leftTennessee, we left anyone who still knew who I was. We left all the places that reminded me of Mom. We left her gravestone, her childhood home.Ourchildhood home.
Lawson Cove was my new start.
I can’t muddy it up now by reconnecting with my past.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look down to see a waiting text from Laney.
Mynotfiancée.
It’s the perfect distraction.
This is what I want. Why I came to Lawson Cove.
New start. New life. New relationships asAdam Driscoll.And no one else.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Laney
“Here. Wear this one.”Percy holds out the navy wrap dress I tried on at the start of this pre-date try-on-athon. “It’s the best one for your eyes.”
“Seriously? You made me try on twelve dresses just so you could go back to the one I wanted to wear in the first place?”
He shakes the dress, and I grab it from him, then step over the enormous pile of clothes on the floor in front of my walk-in closet so I can change outside of Percy’s view.
“Listen. I’m surprised you evenhavetwelve dresses. Where did you get all these things? I had you pegged as more of a jeans and hoodies kind of girl,” Percy says.
I tie the sash on the dress and adjust my boobs so they aren’t climbing out of the top. At least nottoo much.
