Page 97 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Chapter twenty-nine
Maddie
Puttingdownmycarryallbag next to an empty table, I breathe in deeply the café smells of freshly baked croissants and hazelnut coffee being ground.I’m no closer to figuring out if Pommer or Galliano are also involved, although I don’t think Galliano is involved, based on his library visit.As I wait for my coffee order, I check my phone.
Nick Devlin and Lucy Colgan an Item?screams a headline.
My heart stops.I click off my phone.It must be fabricated.It isThe Squirrel.Nick wouldn’t cheat.
But will this last?He’s magnetic on stage; women must be throwing themselves at him.Won’t he change?His mom asked me if I was worried about success going to his head.He seems grounded.Still, I feel I need to prepare mentally and emotionally to be left alone, picking up the pieces of my shattered heart.But how?It’s like when my dad was ill, and I thought I was prepared for his death.But nothing can prepare you for that hole when your family suddenly shifts from a family of four to a family of three.I’m envisioning a future with Nick, but I need to stay in the present and enjoy this for now.
My phone rings.It’s Nick.I pick up, eager to hear voice after so many days away.
“This is so early for you,” I say teasingly.No rumors can infringe on what we have.
“The Squirrelreleased some photos of me with Lucy Colgan.I met her last night after our concert, and we hugged hello, all perfectly friendly, nothing more,” he says in a rush.“She went in for the hug.I couldn’t help but reciprocate, but some paparazzi managed to make it look incriminating.Luckily, I moved just in time, so when she tried to kiss me on the lips, she kissed my cheek.I wanted to warn you.”
It makes my heart melt that he is so concerned about my feelings.My eyes tear up.“It’s okay,” I say.“I know this comes with dating you.”
“I wish it didn’t,” he says.“I talked to this other guy on tour.He said it dies down when you show you’re committed to your girlfriend.And Iamcommitted to you.I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”So.Much.I miss talking to him every night and snuggling with him.
“How’s the writing?”he asks.
“It’s going well so far,” I say.“How are the concerts going?I saw your latest single is climbing the charts on Spotify.”
“It’s amazing.The crowds are getting bigger and bigger.Word of mouth is spreading,” he says.“Still, I’m looking forward to seeing you Sunday.But I have another reason I called.”
“Another reason?”
“I met Ophelia for breakfast this morning.She applied to this musician-in-residence program that I’d recommended to her at our concert at the playground, and so she was here.She was grateful to me, and I said something like, it’s so hard to get these opportunities.And she said, yes, that she’d been offered a slot to play at the Chubby Cat, without her even asking, and that had seemed too good to be true.She turned it down because it sounded like some quid pro quo and her dad’s a government official, so she has to be careful.Her dad and his best friend—Pommer, apparently—were investigating.”
“That’s interesting.Do you think she was trying to feed you that information?”
“I don’t know,” he says.“From what you said about his remarks at the interview, Pommer obviously knows we’re dating.But I honestly got the feeling that she was grateful and telling the truth.”
“It makes sense that they would work together, especially with the possibility of one commissioner being fired,” I say.“But it’s not conclusive.I’ll ask someone at the Chubby Cat if she ever played there.”
Nick has to go, and the barista calls out my name for my coffee order.The photos onThe Squirrel’swebsite do look incriminating, but I also can see how it could have been a friendly hug.I’m not looking forward to running into Nemesis later.She’s not going to be able to resist making a remark about this.Still, my lips curl up in a delighted smile, remembering what Nick had said.“I am committed to you.”
I send him a gif that says,I like you.
I grab a table in the back.Paranoia may be my new friend, so I’m wearing a wig.I switched into it by ducking into our offices on the way here.I warned Bella.We’re meeting to discuss writing and bounce ideas back and forth.I’m still not sure how to frame my article, and I love brainstorming Bella’s plots.
As I sip my coffee, I check Ward’s Instagram page.No more libraries?His last post is a miniature New York City alleyway scene.Are they planning to meet in an alleyway?My miniature rat that I had made recently would be perfect for that scene.Where is my rat, actually?I haven’t seen it since…the break-in.I pull out my box of needle crafting tools that I carry with me in case I’m on stakeout and I have extra time.My rat isn’t in the box.Was Ward the Hammer Man?And he couldn’t resist the rat?
They signaled the new book the last time via a note back.But what about the library?I never searched to see if Beatrice has any type of account.“Beatrice the Grandma” has a bookstagram account on Instagram where she talks about what she’s reading.She’s reviewing a book—with a library as the background.Is that how they are now signaling to each other the library location and the book?
I bet it is.
Bella comes into the café and looks around.Her glance passes over me twice.This wig is better than I even thought.But the third time, she tilts her head and then comes over.
“I didn’t recognize you,” she whispers.
“Good,” I say.
I show her the latest posts by Beatrice and Ward and explain how I think they’re now signaling the drop-off location.
