Page 68 of My Song for You
“I mentioned Callie to a friend of mine and he’s interested in meeting her,” he said. “I can vouch for him. He’s a great guy. He’s widowed with a two-year-old daughter. His wife died more than a year ago from cancer.”
That explained why Tony had asked the other week about my relationship with Callie. He had planned to hook her up with his friend even back then.
Jealousy and anger gnawed at my stomach. Not just because he was trying to hook them up, but because I couldn’t tell the world that she was mine. We were keeping things secret for Logan’s sake, but damned if I would let Tony continue to think that she was available. “She just started dating someone. Sorry.”
“That’s too bad.”
Yeah, isn’t it?
Once we were finished at the playground, I drove Logan to a nearby mall. “Maybe it’s time to get you some new pajamas,” I said to him as we wandered through the outdoor space. The sun shone intensely, but a cool breeze kept the air from getting too hot. “Yours are too small now that you’re getting to be a big boy.” Callie had already tried to buy him new ones, but he hadn’t jumped at the idea. “Maybe we can find you new Spider-Man ones.”
He pouted. “I like my pajamas.”
“I know you do, but I bet we can find even better ones.”
He shrugged, clearly not convinced that a better pair could possibly exist. But after contemplating for a few seconds, he nodded. “Okay.”
A short time later, we left the kids’ clothing store with two pairs of pajamas. One had Spider-Man on them. The other pair had solid green pants and a brown cartoon dog on the top.
As we continued wandering through the mall, six teenage girls approached, giggling.
“Hi,” the tallest girl said. “You’re with Pushing Limits, right?”
“That’s right,” I replied.
“We love your music. When’s your next album coming out?”
I smiled because it never grew old hearing fans tell me they loved the band’s music. I hoped the day never came when they said the opposite. “In just over three weeks.”
“Are you playing any concerts in L.A.?”
“Concert dates will be announced soon,” I said, following the script our publicist had given us. The name of the band we were opening for was still locked in a wooden box buried twelve feet under LS Records. They were keeping it a secret on purpose. Something to do with generating buzz. Even we had no idea who we were opening for.
“Can we get your autograph?” she asked.
“Sure.”
The girls all magically produced the band’s debut CD from their purses.
“You carry the CD everywhere you go?” I asked. Never seen that before.
“No,” said a redheaded girl with freckles splattered on her nose, and my thoughts instantly went to Callie. I had always loved her freckles, even when she hated them as a kid. “We saw you walking through the mall. Joanne followed you so that we didn’t lose you while the rest of us rushed to the store to buy your album. We were hoping you’d sign them for us.” She removed an assortment of Sharpies from her purse.
I started signing them, chatting with the girls at the same time. At one point I glanced down to make sure Logan was still okay. He wasn’t there. I scanned the area, calling out his name, only to remember that he couldn’t hear me if he had wandered out of hearing range.Fuck.
Realizing I had lost Logan and he could be anywhere, fear snaked into my body and squeezed my vital organs hard. The mall was an outdoor shopping center, which meant Logan could easily leave. And if he tried to cross the street—
“What’s wrong?” the redhead asked.
“My…the boy who was with me, he’s missing.” I started to walk away but then stopped. There was no way I could cover the mall on my own.
“Can you help me find him?” I showed them his picture on my phone.
“Wow, he’s cute,” the tall girl said. “Is he your little brother?”
“Yes.” I gave them my phone number so they could text me if they found him. They ran off in different directions, including toward the mall exits.
Where the hell was mall security when you needed them?I thought.
