Page 161 of Wingwoman
I didn’t dare blink away from his little staring contest first. Eyes still on Josh, I heard Nina disappear through the door into the kitchen.
“Take the damn money,Josh.”
“Not a chance,Hope.”
“Arg!” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You are infuriating, you know that?”
“That is your money. You did the job. You earned the paycheck. Just like those clothes were—are—yours too. They’re waiting for you whenever you’re ready to collect them. Or I can just ship them up to your apartment in New York.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have an apartment in New York.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Brent’s apartment. He got one for you, didn’t he? Does that mean you’re moving in together?”
I narrowed my eyes at Josh. “How do you know all that?”
“So it’s true, then?”
“I—I’m not having this discussion with you. Where I go or who I live with is none of your concern anymore! You made your choice, Josh. Live with it. And take back your damn money.”
“No.”
I let out a frustrated growl, throwing my hands in the air. “I’m not going to win this fight, am I?”
He shook his head slowly from side to side.
Gathering my thoughts, I took a long, slow breath and looked around the mostly empty bar. There were still a few tables of people finishing up their last call round of drinks. But other than that, it was just Josh and me.
My eyes landed on the napkin beside him, the pen discarded absently next to my dad’s empty cup of coffee.
Rainbow girl
Shines so bright
Ray of sunshine, ray of light
Though we bicker, though we fight
You’re my flicker of hope
At the end of the night.
My heart fluttered. Those lyrics didn’t sound like his other songs.
“How’s the song writing going?” I asked him, point blank. According to Josh’s timeline, a couple weeks post break up should mean he was almost done with the whole album.
“Not great,” he admitted.
Inwardly, I fought the battle between clashing mindsets—the urge to pump my fist in the air at the fact I might have evaded any more songs about me, and the instinctive spike of compassion for Josh. This meant he only had five days left to finish an entire album or else his label would drop him… and he might lose the horse rescue.
“You know, sometimes you just need a change of scenery,” I said. “Get out of your stuffy studio. Take the horse out for a ride. Hell, write a song about Cash. Just… anything to break out of your comfort zone. Maybe you’ve been going about it wrong.”
“Maybe… maybe I chose wrong.”
Maybe he chose wrong.
“Maybe I should have chosenyou,” he continued.
I wasn’t sure what brought on this change of heart.
