Page 23 of Just Trouble

“Not so many parties then.”

“But always one after the last show of the tour to wrap it up. Kind of a celebration. At the end of our last tour, though, Taylor and I had a fight. We never fought, but that day, we really got into it. Maybe we were just tired. It was a long tour. Maybe we were fed up with living so close to each other. Doesn’t really matter.” Luke frowns and shakes his head. “I know I said things I shouldn’t have, but I was furious when he said I was like my dad.”

“Maybe he thought he shouldn’t have said that.”

“Maybe. But we parted badly, and the rehearsal and sound check was awkward, and I don’t think we played our best that night. The balance between Taylor and I was compromised. Ilike to end the tour on a high note, and I was angry enough to blame him. I just left with the chick from the last song.” He shakes his head. “Don’t give me that look, Daph. I got her a cab and said goodnight outside the stadium. I was that mad. I went back to the bus, but Taylor had gone to the party.”

“Maybe he expected to find you there.”

“Maybe. Maybe he needed to let off some steam. At any rate, I stayed on the bus alone. And meanwhile, someone offered him a joint and he took it, trusting in the goodness of the world.” Luke levels a look at me.

“I don’t understand.” How bad could one joint be?

“The pot was cut with meth and some other garbage too. He went into cardiac arrest and died before anyone realized what was happening.” Luke snapped his fingers. “Just like that, he was gone. They came and knocked on the door of the bus, and I couldn’t believe it.”

I put down my fork, horrified.

“When I heard the story, I knew it was my fault.”

“You can’t blame…”

“Icanblame myself, Daph, because I was the one who distrusted everybody. Whenever Taylor wanted a joint, I got it for him. I made sure the dealer was reputable and that everything was on the up-and-up. I would never have even taken a gift from someone I didn’t know and trust, because the dealers who give the stuff away are the ones who slide a little bonus in to get you hooked. It’s a plan to build their client list. But I wasn’t there, because I was angry that he told me the truth, and because I wasn’t there and because he trusted everyone, he died.” Luke looks away, his throat working. “I wasn’t even there to see that it was going sideways and intervene. I let him down. He was my best friend, and because I was too much of a loser to tolerate the truth, he died.” He shakes his head and stands, restless with his agitation. “I willneverforgive myself for that.”

I don’t know what to say.

He pushes a hand through his hair and takes a quick breath. I gesture to the wine bottle, but he shakes his head.

“That won’t help. I’ve tried.”

He walks the length of my house and back, bristling with pent-up energy, anger that he doesn’t know how to dissipate, and stops in front of my bookshelf. “I like this,” he says, nodding at it with approval. “It looks really good here.”

“Thanks. I knew when I saw it that I had to have it.”

“Instinct,” Luke agrees. “You just recognize truths, even when it’s just the right bookcase, and you need to follow on them.” He spins to face me. “I knew Taylor was right, even when I was furious with him.”

“Maybe that’s why you were furious with him.”

“Probably,” he cedes. “And I’m here because I had to act on that. I had to find the prime mover that made everything go sideways, but for the longest time, I didn’t know what it was. Not until I saw Sylvia. I knew that the universe was giving me a chance to fix what I’d screwed up—which sounds like the kind of stuff Taylor used to say, but I believe it now.”

“Maybe Taylor was giving you a mission.”

“Maybe.” I can see that he likes that idea. “But I know I have to do it. I’ve no idea whether it’s going to work. Maybe Meredith can’t make the diner profitable. Maybe Sylvia doesn’t want to come back here, no matter what’s in the offing.” He raises his hands. “But I have to try. I feel like he’s counting on me.”

His urgency is impossible to miss. “I can probably drive to Toronto Thursday, if you want me to present the idea to this Meredith MacRae.”

“Yes,” he says immediately and emphatically.

“You can think about it,” I say, my tone teasing.

“I don’t have to.”

Right. He’s in a hurry to solve this and leave town.

“You’ll need to tell me where to find her, and I’ll need you to sign off on the offer for her. I can draw it up tonight and print it at the office in the morning.” I think for a minute. “Maybe Dad will let me borrow his car.”

“What’s wrong with yours?”

I pretend to balance things in my hands. “Renovate the house I just bought or buy a new car. Since I don’t drive far and I eat daily, the kitchen won.”

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