Page 18 of Avoidance

“Thank you,” replied Chad. “The suit seemed pleased.”

I leaned in eagerly. “He was smiling and tapping along to every song. So what happens now?”

“Now, I make our boys famous.” Donnie appeared from behind me. “How did you enjoy the show, Merritt?”

“They were awesome.”

“Good. Okay, boys. Let’s go make a deal.”

Chase leaned in for a kiss. “If this takes a while, you can head upstairs. I’ll meet you up there.”

“I’m actually going to head up now. My feet are killing me. Good luck.”

As I turned, a thin blonde stopped in front of me. “Excuse me. Are you Chase’s girlfriend?”

I arched an eyebrow, instantly in defense mode. “I am.”

“I’m Brooke. I’m Philip’s girlfriend.”

My expression immediately softened. “Oh, Philip the bassist?”

She smiled, revealing her dazzlingly white teeth. “Yes. I just wanted to introduce myself.”

“I’m glad you did. It’s nice to know someone who’s going through the same thing.”

“We should exchange numbers. I can show you around.”

“Sure.” I took out my phone, and we inputted each other’s information.

“Your hair is gorgeous.” A slightly shorter blonde outstretched her hand.

“This is my friend Michelle,” Brooke said.

“Thank you.” I smiled as I shook Michelle’s hand.

“How do you get it to curl like that?” she asked.

“It just grows out of my head this way.”

They both laughed identical high-pitched laughs. I did everything in my power to stop myself from holding my ear and closing one eye, as I often did when Shelly squealed.

“Well, it was nice meeting you guys. I’m going to call it a night.”

“The time change can take a while to get used to,” Brooke offered, making it apparent that one o’clock in the morning was too early to be heading to bed.

“Night.”

I waved to Dave as I walked towards the door, but he jogged over. Still, his hair did not move out of place. “You didn’t have to leave me a tip. I told you, your money is no good here.”

“I really appreciate your hospitality tonight.”

“You are very welcome. I’m glad we found a drink for you.”

“Me, too.”

Chapter Four

Chasing Merritt

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