Page 66 of Street of Dreams
The tour ended with the final show on a Friday night in Tulsa. Alex had visited Mac in Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, thanks to his friend’s obsession with Cut Throat. They got along well together. Both had strong-willed female best friends. They both enjoyed a good scotch. They were compatible, and Alex was easygoing. No push back. No smart mouth. Just carefree conversation. And it was exactly the change Mac needed.
Mac’s parents wanted him to come home before making the move to Los Angeles, but he couldn’t do it. South Side harbored too many memories, and he wasn’t ready to face any of them. He had his assistant find an apartment for him and take care of everything, including furnishing the place and stocking it with groceries, and he was about to see it for the first time right now.
The masculine black and white décor was more modern than he would have selected, but it was stylish as hell. He stepped through the sliders and onto the balcony. Sunshine hit his cheeks as he took in the rows of palm trees and the bright blue sky. California was everything he dreamed of.
After inspecting all of the rooms, he felt lost. The basement studio apartment that had been his home for the last few years was a quarter of the size of this two-bedroom, two-bath beauty. It was more than he needed, but it was pretty sweet.
The buzzer sounded, and he raced to answer the door. Skylar rushed into his arms and squealed. “I missed you so much!”
A pang of homesickness overtook him, and he squeezed her a little tighter. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I’m so sorry I never made it to one of your shows. School and work and—”
“Mateo?”
She swatted his arm, playfully. “Yes, Mateo. But I really wanted to come. So did he. I can’t believe I haven’t seen you in six months.”
“I know. Look at your hair.” Her long curly hair hung in a million thin braids with a strip of burgundy peeking through them.
She turned her head and fingered her braids to show them off. “Do you like it? My momma did them for me and added the color in your honor.”
“Tell her I love them. They look gorgeous.Youlook gorgeous.”
“Thanks, but enough about me and my fabulous hair. Look at you!” Her eyes grazed over him from head to toe, then she took his upper arm and turned him sideways. “Your hair got so long. It’s almost down to the middle of your back. And look at your arms and shoulders. You have time to work out on tour?”
“Sometimes there’s not a lot to do on a stopover, so I just hit the gym in the hotel.” He ran his hand down the length of his hair and realized he needed a trim. He was blessed with hair as thick as a wool blanket that grew incredibly fast.
“I expected you to look run down, but you look fantastic. Touring certainly agrees with you, superstar.”
He was humbled. “Thanks, but I’m hardly a superstar.”
“Of course you are. Your single is on the radio all the time, and every time I turn on the TV, you’re on another talk show. I’m so happy for you.”
He grabbed both her hands, happy to finally share his success with someone close to him, and his words bubbled with excitement. “It’s been so incredible, Sky. I have managers and assistants and there’s limos and five-star hotels. I’m recording an album next week. I’m playing Rocktoberfest in October. My manager is putting together a headlining tour next year. I can’t believe this is my life!”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “You deserve it. Now show me this gorgeous apartment.”
After showing her the place, they settled on the balcony with two bottles of water while the sun’s rays bathed them in heat. “It’s friggin’ sunny in California,” he said, shielding his eyes.
“It beats the hell out of Chicago. I was wearing a coat last week.”
“How’s my father getting along at the pub without me? Is the new bar boy working out as well as he claims? It’s unlike him not to complain and grumble.” Mac felt like shit for leaving his parents behind in Chicago, but their ideals were different than his. They never wanted to leave South Side. He never wanted to go back.
“Yes. Everything is fine at the pub and your parents are well. I had dinner with them last weekend. I offered to take them out, but your mom insisted on cooking.”
“Oh no.” Mac knew Skylar never appreciated the Scottish delicacies his ma made, but Sky was too polite to decline. “What’d she make?”
Skylar pinched her nose closed. “Some kind of cod fish she called cabbie claw. And before you ask, yes, I ate it, and I told her it was delicious.”
“Of course you did.”
“But I take back everything I ever said about your mom’s cooking, because she made battered Mars bars for dessert.” Skylar lowered her gaze and raised one hand up to the sky as if she were getting ready to preach. “It was an actual Mars bar, battered and deep fried. And the best thing I ever ate. Why didn’t you tell me that was a thing in Scotland?”
Mac shrugged. “I’ve been eating them since I was a kid. I didn’t know you never had one.”
Skylar settled back in the cushioned Adirondack chair, closed her eyes, and turned her face up to the sun. “Are we going to talk about him?”
“Alex? He’s nice. But it’s just casual.”
