Page 52 of Wildfire
"I'll bring all the music by the Chief's house tonight, and then we'll have to practice every day until we leave. And then… it's a lot of driving in Trevor's ugly but well-maintained van and sleeping in roach motels. You know. Glamorous stuff."
"How long is the tour? Where are we going? What…what do I wear? How…holy crap. Thank you!" I shoot out of my seat and pull him into a hug. "This means the world to me."
"Thank YOU. You're saving us from canceling the longest tour the band has ever planned, all before we're set to go into the studio to record a new album. Oh, and by the way, we all pitch in for gas and motels, and then we use the proceeds from the shows to try and repay ourselves. And save something for the studio time to record that album. I hope you're good at selling merchandise because we need to unload a bunch of T-shirts and CDs."
"I can sell it, no problem. You just point me in the right direction, and I will do it." I am babbling at that point. I can't believe what just happened. I am going on tour with the coolestband I've ever heard. They are the sound I had dreamt of making when I got to L.A. and I feel like I am floating on a cloud.
"Alright, I'll see you later. Gonna take me an hour just to get across town to get everything for you."
"Just text me, and we'll figure it out. Thanks, Jordy."
He nods and walks out.
I scan the restaurant for Cole, and when our eyes meet, all I can think is that he is the person I most want to tell what happened. He is the one I want to share my joy with.
And I don't know how to process that information.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Cole
Renée is bouncing around when I arrive at the table. I wish I could tell her I have something important I just learned, but finding out that Georgia's ex-boyfriend, Jensen, had worked at the restaurant was only for the Sheriff's ears. He must be the one that the busboy saw in the alley. The one who dropped the lighter as he ran. That, coupled with the fact that he used to be the drummer of Frayed Edge before he moved and Jordy took over, seems like pretty damning evidence.
Jensen moved out of town when he and Georgia broke up. I heard he'd gone to Port Stratton, which wasn't too far away. But was he coming back to town and setting fires? I didn't know the guy well, so I needed to talk to a few people who did and see what the Sheriff had come up with.
I scoot into the booth across from Renée, who is bursting.
"So? What did he say?"
"You're never going to believe it."
"Try me."
"Okay, I'm going on tour! Can you believe it?"
She is almost shouting at this point.
"What? That is amazing! I'm happy for you."
And maybe happy for me. This band is local, which means this is their home base.
"Tell me everything. What happened?"
"They want me to take Georgia's spot as lead singer and rhythm guitarist. We leave at the end of next week. Oh gosh, Isaid that was okay before asking you if I could stay a few more days."
I reach across the table and lay my hand on hers. "I already said I wanted you to stay. So stay. We'll have a few more days together."
My cheeks are burning, and the air seems to be lighter. It is selfish of me to feel like this is giving me more time to show her why she should stay, but that's the truth. I want her here. "Let's get some burgers and celebrate."
"I know another way we can celebrate later." She wiggles her eyebrows at me.
This woman.
"So, did you take care of whatever you needed to do here?"
"Yeah."
"Firefighter stuff, or…?"
"I can't talk about it. I wish I could. But you are right, it's firefighter stuff."
