Page 79 of A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty

I open and shut the fridge door for something to do with my hands. “People always want a scandal.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. How is Keith doing?” she asks.

I glance over my shoulder toward his deserted hallway. “Not good.”

“I figured as much. I sent you boys a care package this morning,” she says with some pep in her voice. While my mom knows she can’t solve every one of my problems, she’ll always make sure there’s snacks to figure it out with.

“Thanks, Ma.”

“So, other than the world falling apart around you,” she continues, “anything new going on in your life?”

I shrug. “No, not really.”

“Nothing at all?”

Hair the color of flames, that devastating kiss, and the smell of strawberries pull at my thoughts. “Actually, I met someone.”

“A new manager? You know I always thought that Simpson fellow wasn’t doing everything he could for you. The band still doesn’t even have a music video,” she criticizes. “How am I supposed to brag to my friends that my baby boy is a rockstar without showing them a tape of you on the television?”

I smile. “Mom, Al is great. And the reason we’re not on MTV isn’t because of him. It’s because of MTV. What I meant was—” I clear my throat. “Imetsomeone.”

There’s a long stretch of silence. I check the phone jack, thinking maybe we’ve been disconnected. There’s a funny click over the line, but then my mom’s voice trills again.

“What do you mean, you met someone?” she finally asks.

“You know, like . . . a girl.”

“You met a girl?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, that’s . . . wow, Joel. I’m happy for you. What’s she like?”

“She beautiful and funny. A redhead.”

“A redhead, huh?” The smirk apparent in her tone.

I roll my eyes. I can all but see her wiggling her brows. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead and say it.”

“Say what, dear?”

I sigh and wait.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” she chastises. “But I definitely told you so.”There it is.“I always knew a redhead would steal your heart.”

“Well, it’s hardly serious, Mom. She took a hell of a lot of convincing to go out with me, but I think I’ve turned a corner there.”

“Well, how could she not like you? You’re a famous rockstar! Albeit, one who’s in a bit of a sticky situation right now, but?—”

“I haven’t told her yet about the . . . uh, problem.”

“Oh, well . . . I would tell her straight away. You don’t want to start a relationship with any big secrets like that. Besides, women are great problem solvers—maybe she’ll have ideas of how to help.”

“You’re right, but I have to tread carefully. Like I said, she’s hard to get.”

She laughs. “She’s really making you work for it, huh? Good for her. She’s a stronger woman than me. When your father appeared in my life one day, it took everything in me not to?—”

“Okay okay, I get the point, no further explanation is needed, thanks.” I press my fist into my eyes and try to block out the mental image of my parents in any unwholesome situation. “So, that’s all you’ve got for advice, then?”

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