Page 55 of Love on Tour
“Dude, I love your attitude,” Julianna said.
Christine grinned. Maybe she wasn’t as heavy as she thought. Austin had lifted her like she was a feather. He hadn’t even grunted.
He set her down at the office’s front door. She could feel how big her smile was.
“Uncle. I admit it,” Christine said. “I’ve missed you. Where are we going?”
“Somewhere nobody in the industry will be—McDonald’s.”
Christine waved at Julianna and headed out the door. A moment later, she was climbing into Austin’s truck.
He drove the mile down Broadway Street to McDonald’s and pulled into the drive-through, where they placed their order and ate in his truck.
“Nobody will see us here,” he said.
Christine sat sideways in her seat. “Okay, tell me what’s been happening on the road. What have I missed?”
Austin filled her in, sharing the band’s antics. “Nothing on the road changes, Chrissy. It’s a party every night and a hangover every morning.”
“And yet it never gets old.”
“Nope, never.”
“How’s Matt?” Christine heard her voice go up a notch. Her face reddened and she looked down. She’d tried to sound nonchalant, like she was asking about any ol’ person, but it didn’t come out that way.
“And why do you want to know?” He gave her the side eye.
“Well, he’s become, you know, a friend. I mean, I helped him on the road, and I miss him. I mean, I miss helping him.”
“Uh-huh. He’s doing fine. I know he misses your help. He’s mentioned it a couple of times. Or maybe a couple hundred times.”
“Really? Please tell him I say hi.”
“I will. Or you could tell him yourself with this handy little thing called a cell phone.”
Christine frowned. “Ha ha. And how’s it going with Phoebe?” She’d gotten some updates from Julianna but wanted to hear it from Austin. She hated the idea of them together but refused to let anyone know it. Granted, she didn’t want a sexual relationship with Austin herself, but he was still her special friend. The idea that he now shared something special with Phoebe made Christine feel less unique. But she’d never let on—if for no other reason than to make Phoebe think she didn’t care. Christine refused to give her the upper hand.
“Fine. Sorry you didn’t hear about that from me, but you asked me not to contact you unless it was business-related.”
“You’re right. I did.”
“She hinted that she’d like to go to the CMA Awards with me. So, I guess I’m taking her.”
“I’m sure she’ll love that,” Christine said.
“I need you to be there in case our song wins. I have six tickets, so why don’t you take two? They’re not in the first few rows where the artists sit, but they’re on the floor, so they’re good seats. Grab yourself a date and make a night of it.”
Christine tried to envision who she would take and nobody came to mind. Literally, nobody. Well, Matt, but he’d already be there with Austin and maybe Cait.
“Thanks. That would be great. I’ll see if Julianna can make it,” she said.
Austin’s brow bent down before his eyes opened wide and he smiled. “I didn’t realize.”
Christine raised her eyebrows.
“Didn’t realize what?”
“You and Julianna. I mean, it’s cool. Equal rights for everyone, y’know? And shit, girl, kudos. Julianna is about as hot as it gets.”
