Page 37 of The Wiener Across the Way

I reached for my phone, hesitating for a moment. Was I really about to wake up my team at this ungodly hour? But this was crunch time, and they’d understand. They always did.

Penelope’s familiar groggy voice came across the line. “Kelsey? Everything okay?”

She sounded more alert than I’d expected. I should have messaged her when I got back to the hotel. It was a rare event that she didn’t know exactly where I was and what I was doing. She’d probably been worried. Or wanted the tea on how my faux date night went.

I don’t know why I wanted to keep the events of the evening a little bit private. Something just for myself.

“Hey, Pen. Sorry to wake you, but I had an idea. Can we get some work done now? I’ll give everyone Thursday evening off.”

There was a pause and then a soft chuckle. “Only you would call at four in the morning with a work proposition, Kels. Let me round up the troops, and no one expects to have another night off, especially right before a show. Don’t worry about that.”

“Thanks, Pen. And everyone is going to get Thursday off anyway. I’m headed back down to Denver for Declan’s game.”

Pen switched over to Facetime and waited until she could see my face before she spoke again. “I just wanted to make sure I was talking to the real Kelsey Best and that you hadn’t been taken by aliens or some other such body snatchers.”

Okay, yes. It had been... never since I’d taken two evenings off in a week, during a tour. Or maybe ever. I’d even continued towork through two bouts of COVID. I had big plans, big dreams, and a lot to get done to accomplish them.

“I just think it’s good for the whole cover story, being seen at Declan’s game. And, you know, Jake hasn’t drunk dialed once since those first photos leaked. This fake dating thing is doing its job and I want it to continue to.”

Penelope’s voice took on a knowing tone. “Of course… that’s good. It’s what you wanted.”

I shuffled uncomfortably. “Yep. It’s everything I wanted. Nothing more.”

She frowned at me, and I almost gave in and told her about the kiss. But it wasn’t a big deal. Just a little mistake. Wouldn’t happen again, so there wasn’t anything to tell.

“Alrighty then. If you say so. Give me twenty minutes to gather the team leads and we’ll be up to your suite, coffees in hand. Then later, you can tell me about where Declan kidnapped you to tonight and every single detail of what you did.”

Penelope was onto me, thinking there was more to my sudden schedule change. But I couldn’t let on, not even to myself, that Declan was more than just a strategic move.

True to her word, Pen and the rest of the team shuffled into the living room of my suite, coffees in hand, in various states of dress, within half an hour. We dove into the logistics for the Aspen festival, discussing stage design, setlists, wardrobe, and choreography.

Skeeter joined us a couple of hours into the morning work session. “Glad to see you’re back on track. I just got off the phone with the PR team at the label. They’ve gotten you into Saddle Rock on Thursday night for an intimate acoustic show where you can test out some of your new songs for the upcoming album. It’s a perfect promo to hype up your new stuff.”

Well, damn.

Skeeter was right. This was the perfect opportunity, and I rarely got to play intimate venues like Saddle Rock. But I hadn’t revealed to anyone that I didn’t have any new songs ready. Pen probably had a clue, but as far as the rest of the team knew, I had time worked into my schedule to song write.

Not to mention that prioritizing my personal life over the business was not something I did.

Skeeter and Big Marine Records would shit bricks.

I glanced over at Pen, and she nodded, reading my mind. “Let me see what I can do.”

KELSEY WAS HERE

DECLAN

I’d fucked up.

Took things too far, too fast, and now Kels was avoiding my calls. She responded to my texts. Mostly with selfies that showed her with her crew, working. God, she was a machine. Even during late-night texts, she was still at work, usually working on a new song.

I shouldn’t have fucking kissed her.

But she’d kissed me back, disintegrating every one of my brain cells. I could still taste her on my lips.

And then she hadn’t talked to me for three days.

But she was here. I knew because Jules had sent a pic of her, Trixie, and Kelsey in the Kingman box.

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