Page 45 of Love on Tour
“Damn, Phoebe. It’s a house party. You may be a tad overdressed,” Julianna said.
“I plan to score big tonight and am bringing my A game,” Phoebe said. “Anyone have an issue with that?”
“Not me,” Julianna said.
“May the force be with you,” Christine said. She caught Phoebe’s eye roll in the rearview mirror.
They arrived at a fashionable eight fifteen, parked the car, and walked up to the door. Christine rang the doorbell and a few minutes later, Austin opened it.
“Chrissy. What’s up, girl?” Austin wrapped his arms around her, lifted her off the ground, and gave her a twirl. She caught Phoebe staring, eyes wide, mouth open.
“These are the hot friends you requested. Julianna, whom you’ve met, and Phoebe.” Christine pointed to each one and Austin shook their hands.
“Good to see you ladies. Come on in. Chrissy, you know where everything is, so grab some drinks and make yourself at home.” He stood back to let them pass before someone yelled his name and he excused himself.
“Mark my words, girls. I will get in those tight-ass jeans of his,” Phoebe said.
“Please, Phoebe. Attractive as you both are, I don’t need the visual,” Julianna said as Christine led them to the kitchen.
The girls each grabbed a beer while Christine took a water. They stayed close to one another, anchored by comfort, until they started recognizing people. Phoebe and Julianna chatted up a woman Christine had never seen before. Christine recognized Austin’s band members and some of his crew and went up to greet them.
Fifteen minutes later, they made their way back to the entertainment room. Some people were shooting pool, others were playing darts, and a few yelled at a baseball game on TV.
Christine saw a familiar face and walked up to Austin’s merchandise manager. Alicia’s brown hair was in a ponytail, mostly covered by a baseball cap turned backward. She was more cute than pretty. She was shorter than Christine by a couple of inches,but while Christine had a fuller figure, Alicia had a taut, muscular body that was slender and athletic. Christine had watched her haul boxes of merchandise and was shocked by her strength. The few times Christine had helped her, she struggled to lift the same boxes Alicia raised with ease. Her mode of dress was jeans, black combat boots, and a T-shirt, usually touting some rock band. Tonight, it was Green Day.
“Alicia, how are you?”
“Hey, Christine. Good. You?”
“No complaints. Just another Saturday night in Nash Vegas.”
“Yeah, you’d think after being on the road with these guys I wouldn’t want to party with them when we’re home. But they’re kinda like my family.”
“How’s merch moving?”
“Great. This tour has been good for Austin. He’s outselling the middle act nearly every night. We’re discussing a whole new line for the upcoming single. He’s so amazing. His career just keeps getting hotter.”
“He’s definitely on his way, isn’t he?” Christine looked over at Austin; he was doubled over, chuckling about something. He didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
“Yeah, he is,” Alicia said, also looking at him. “I’m off to the bathroom. You only borrow beer, y’know?”
“See you around.”
Christine spotted Matt. Her body tingled and the word “rain check” reverberated through her head. She was raising her hand to wave when she saw an attractive brunette grab his arm. The way he leaned into her and the casual way she touched him caused Christine to pause. They were together. She was still staring when he looked up and saw her. Their eyes met and Christine gave a little half-wave before turning around. Her chest constricted. She couldn’t inhale but kept exhaling. She forced herself to breathe deeply and count to ten as she searched for her friends.
Two guys were talking to Julianna. They talked a bit too loud, possibly from the alcohol, possibly because they were chatting with a beautiful woman. She caught Julianna covering her mouth as she yawned, clearly uninterested in the conversation. Phoebe, on the other hand, was quite animated, smiling with her perfect white teeth and talking to everyone in the room who was standing remotely close to Austin. Christine watched in amazement as Phoebe made her way past each person, their eyes trained on her until she left their side to get one person closer to Austin. It took some time, but she managed to finagle a spot right next to him and start working her magic. She said something he couldn’t hear, and when he bent down to have her repeat it, she wrapped her long fingers around his neck and whispered into his ear. He laid his arm around her tiny waist and she moved in closer.
Focusing on her friends had brought her breathing under control and taken her mind off Matt—until he appeared right beside her. “Hey,” he said.
Christine’s head whipped around. “Matt. I didn’t see you walk up,” she said.
“Not drinking?”
“I’m the designated driver.”
“Make them take an Uber. You should be able to have fun, too,” Matt said.
“If I remember, the last time I imbibed, I practically assaulted Austin’s tour manager.”
