Page 38 of Living on the Edge

And I’m still trying to reconcile that.

The band is working through myriad emotions, and there’s still a lot of tension despite our reasonably peaceful meeting this morning.

But I can see that the bond, our closeness, is broken.

Maybe not irreparably, but it’s going to take more than an apology or five to make this up to them.

I was also a jerk to Ryleigh, which was uncalled for.

None of this is her fault.

Well, I guess I don’t know that for sure, but a bunch of people saw me walking around backstage with Alden. Any of them could have recognized him, including the arena employee he bribed to get to me. There’s a picture circulating online of the two of us standing next to each other last night in one of the articles that came out, so someone saw us, and I would have noticed if it had been Ryleigh.

My phone rings again, and this time the name on the screen makes me pause.

My grandfather.

We’ve always been close. Not the last couple of years, but before that it always felt like he had my back. Lately, he’s been leaning more toward me joining the family dynasty, but he hasn’t really pushed it either.

“Hey, Grandpa.” I figure I might as well talk to him.

“What’s going on, August?” He gets right to the point. “What have you done?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say calmly. “I was just living my life, playing music. Alden showed up, bribed a security guard to get backstage, and now my life is a shit show.”

“Jesus.” He huffs out a breath. “Well, what are you doing to fix it?”

“It’s been less than a day, Gramps—I’m working on it. The first thing I have to do is get my band to forgive me.”

“Yourbanddidn’t know your identity?”

Great. Even my grandfather sounds mystified about my actions.

“No. I didn’t want anyone to know. I legally changed my name almost a decade ago.”

“Why would you do that, son?”

“Youknowwhy.”

“Your father made a business decision.”

“How rich do we need to be?” I demand, throwing up my free hand even though he can’t see it. “I mean, being worth a few billion isn’t enough? We need to make another billion off the backs of people with cancer?”

“The insurance companies?—”

“Stop. I know the talking points. At the end of the day, at least five thousand people who weren’t able to afford that drug died. Five thousand people who might still be alive if not for Dad’s greed. I don’t want to be associated with any of it.”

“You’re never coming home, are you?”

“As a Hollingsworth working for Holland-Burke? No. I’ll wait tables or work construction before I join the fold.”

“Your grandmother made sure you would never have to do that.”

“I know, but I would if I had to. You need to listen to me, Grandpa—I amnevergoing to take over for Dad. You should start grooming Abe or Alden. Or even Annette. Because it’s never going to be me.” Abe is my next youngest brother, followed by my sister Annette, and then Alden.

“I still sit on the board. I could find you a position that doesn’t require you to be responsible for those kinds of decisions.”

“Holland-Burke has a shit reputation, and our family does now too. And even if it didn’t, you really think I belong in a boardroom? With my long hair and tattoos and potty mouth?”

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