Page 72 of Living on the Edge

He gives a half-shrug. “I have my moments.”

“Don’t worry. I’m on the mend, so you won’t have to worry about me once we get to Nashville.”

His eyes are serious as they meet mine. “I’ll worry until you’re not on the tour anymore.”

“I don’t know how much longer that’s going to be.”

“Are you done with the story about the band?”

“No, not yet, but Rich is impatient.”

“I thought the whole point was to spend time with us as you dig into our life on the road while you kind of do the same, with your first assignment?”

“Yeah, but Rich is… difficult. Nothing makes him happy.”

That’s one way to describe him. I just can’t tell him the truth about how Rich wants me to include all the dirty details about the band’s reaction to finding out his identity, or how I’m struggling to do that. Not only have I not been privy to their closed-door conversations, I also don’t want to write the kind of story Rich is expecting.

“What are you thinking about that has you frowning like that?” Angus asks me.

“My boss is a pain in the ass,” I admit. “That’s all. I’m under pressure, and I don’t think he believes how sick I am.”

“I can send him the bill from the emergency room,” Angus says dryly. “I have absolutely no interest in getting the money back from you, but if he’d like to pay it, I’ll happily accept.”

I snort. “Yeah, good luck with that. Although I think if you can forward me the bill, I’d like to send it along so he can see that I wasn’t lying about how sick I’ve been this week.”

“I’ll take care of it as soon as we get back to the hotel. And please, don’t worry about the cost. I just want to help, not make you feel bad.”

He pauses as the waiter arrives and puts down a glass of wine for him and something fizzy and pink—in a champagne flute—for me.

“Non-alcoholic, for the lady,” the waiter says.

“Thank you.” I take a sip and smile. Whatever it is, it’s light and fruity but not sweet, with enough bubbles to be reminiscent of champagne. “Oh, this is wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it. The antibiotic thing is a pain in the ass, but it’s important you get better.”

“I can’t remember the last time I was sick.”

“Is that why you felt okay letting your health insurance lapse?”

I meet his eyes. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“I understand complicated. It’s one of a million reasons I changed my name and refuse to have anything to do with the family business.”

Chapter21

Angus

I knowthis isn’t the time to scold her about taking chances with her health because I can see how difficult it is for her to admit that she struggles with money.

“The truth is,” she continues after a moment, “I have a rainy-day-anything-that-can-go-wrong fund. But that’s all there is, so I didn’t want to blow through it for an ER visit for something like a sinus infection.”

“I understand.”

“I could get a real job, and eventually I might have to, but I don’t see myself in some boring nine-to-five situation. When I was in college, I had a student health plan, and in the two years since I graduated, I haven’t been sick. It’s just…” She hesitates.

“What?” I ask.

“Do you know what BRCA is?”

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