Page 30 of Vodka and Violets (The Hamiltons)

Tori smiled at him. “Thanks. I guess it just took me a while.”

Xander squeezed her hand.

Brock laughed. “I wasn’t making any comment about you – it was more a matter of how long it was going to take this guy to finally get what we all knew he wanted.”

Tori looked up at him, but Xander just shrugged. “I may have talked about you – just a little.”

She had to laugh when Brock rolled his eyes. “If that was a little, I’d hate to see your definition of a lot. Anyway, are we going inside? I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”

Xander winked at her as they followed Brock into the café. “Me too. I don’t know what it is, but I have a huge appetite these days.”

Tori tried to hide a smile. He’d told her, when she finally let him out of bed this morning, that he was going to have steak and eggs for breakfast – because he needed to keep his energy up if he wanted to keep up with her.

When they were seated, and the server had taken their order, Brock grinned at them. “So, are you guys here to stay? I have to be honest and tell you that will play a part in whether or not I take this job. I’m fine staying where I am – working for Cash is great, but it’s not the same now that Kolby’s not there. The other guys are great, but Vaughn and I have been assigned to different teams and…” He shrugged. “When we were all working together, I enjoyed it. I want to find a situation like that again. You know, being around friends?”

Xander nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. I enjoyed working with you guys. That was something I was concerned about when I rejoined civilian life. I spent my whole career as part of a team.” He smiled at Tori. “I don’t know how long we’re going to be here, though.”

Tori gave Brock an apologetic smile. “I wish I could tell you that we’ll be here long-term, but I have no idea.” She glanced at Xander – they hadn’t even discussed it in any detail yet. “Ever since I came to Nashville, I’ve worked with Callie. In theory, I could sing backup for anyone, but I’m not sure that I want to.”

Xander cocked an eyebrow, but it was Brock who asked, “If you don’t do that, what else will you do?”

She shrugged. “That’s the million-dollar question, I guess.”

Xander squeezed her hand. “It’s not one that you need to answer quickly, though. I guess we’re both fortunate in that we can take our time to figure it out.”

Brock nodded. “Yeah. I forget that the two of you don’t have the same money worries as the rest of us mere mortals.”

Tori gave him an apologetic smile. She knew that even though she’d always been determined to make it on her own – to pay her own way in life – she was still privileged. She came from money. Her family was wealthy. She was wealthy in her own right. She didn’t have to worry and stress in the same way that so many of her friends did. She knew that she always had a backup plan – if things were to go wrong for her, she could go home – home to the family estate. She knew that so many people didn’t have that luxury. If things went wrong for them – if they were to lose their jobs, they’d run out of money very quickly, and have nowhere to turn.

“Sorry,” said Brock. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I guess I’m just worried about making the right decision for myself.”

“That’s okay, we get it,” said Xander. “I’d love to tell you that we’ll be around, but we can’t say for definite yet. I think what you really need to do is figure out if Carson and his band are the kind of guys you’d enjoy spending time with. If you take the job, they’re the people who’ll become part of your everyday life.”

Brock made a face. “I know. I’m not sure that I should take it. Carson seemed like a good enough guy; I just couldn’t see myself hanging out with him and the band. Nothing against them, just that we’re … different kinds of people, I guess.”

“How well did you get to know Carson?” Tori asked.

“Not that well. All I could see was that he was constantly surrounded by screaming women. The few times I talked with him, I liked him well enough.”

“I think you should spend some time with him before you decide whether you want to take the job or not.”

Xander and Brock both raised their eyebrows.

She smiled. “I’ve known him since before he got his big break. Do you guys even know that he’s Lawrence Fuller’s nephew?”

“He is?” Brock looked shocked.

Xander looked blank, and that didn’t surprise Tori – he hadn’t known the first thing about country music before he came to Nashville. Lawrence Fuller was one of the biggest names out there – and he’d been around for decades.

“He is. Apparently, Lawrence didn’t want Carson trading on the family name. He made him earn his break. Honestly, I think Carson worked harder than he ever would have had to if he’d just come to this town as an unknown. He’s so talented that someone would have signed him straightaway. Instead, he worked as an odd job man and a chauffeur and a roadie – every entry-level job you can think of for Lawrence and Shawnee and even Clay MacAdam – before he ever got to set foot in a studio.”

Brock smiled. “And you like him because you can relate?”

She nodded. “Yeah. When I found out who he was – and he found out who I am – we had a few chats.” She gave Brock a sassy smile. “You know, about the kind of stuff mere mortals wouldn’t understand.”

Brock laughed out loud at that. “Sorry! I knew I should’ve put that differently.”

“It’s okay. I’m only joking with you. I suppose all I’m saying is that since you seem to think that Xander and I are okay, you might like Carson after all. Just give it some time – give him a chance.”

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