Page 68 of Love on Tour
“So, call him, or Matt, or one of the band guys.”
“Oh, duh. Why didn’t I think of that? Give me some credit for having a brain. I called them all. Except the bus driver. I forgot to get his number. Nobody is answering.”
“How long have you been there?”
“About an hour. Those guys will arrive in Nashville and sleep on the bus until ten. They tied one on last night. It’ll be hours before they realize they left me. You have to come get me.”
“Call Phoebe. She’s your girlfriend.”
“Eh. I’d rather you come and get me,” he said.
“Why?”
“That’s a long time in the car with her.”
“You’re sleeping with her, for God’s sake.”
“True dat. And if we could have sex the whole way back from Cookeville, she’d be my first phone call. But we can’t. I mean, we could, but it wouldn’t be safe. Please, Chrissy. Come get me.”
“Austin . . .”
“Chrissy . . .”
“Fine. Text me the address.”
“Thank you.”
Christine pushed theENDbutton on her phone, turned the radio on, and started singing. Despite being in the music industry, Christine couldn’t sing.
At all.
But alone in her apartment, she didn’t care, so she sang at the top of her lungs.
“Chrissy!” Austin yelled. “Chrissy!”
Christine looked at her phone and saw it was still connected. “Austin?”
“Your phone didn’t hang up. Nice Miranda song, by the way. See you soon.”
Christine was horrified. He’d heard her sing? She made sure the phone hung up this time.
She padded into the kitchen, grabbed a mug, poured in some water and a tea bag, and popped it into the microwave. She chided herself. “What the heck, Christine? You could’ve said, ‘No, I’m not driving out there on a Saturday morning.’ ‘No’ is a word, and you’re allowed to use it. Even dogs understand the word ‘no.’”
She put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a ball cap. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, grabbed her purse and tea, and got in her car.
“Half a tank of gas. He’s filling it up.”
It was a pretty drive, despite the fact she was heading east and the sun was in her eyes. Here she was on yet another crazy excursion, compliments of Austin. She wondered what the last five months would have been like if she hadn’t met him. She wouldn’t have a stalker, for sure. But she also wouldn’t have had the adventures of a lifetime. She’d still be holed up at work and in her apartment, afraid to open herself to a guy. It was good to start with Austin. It wasn’t romantic, but it was intimate. In a different way. She recognized it as a step toward healing and not seeing every man as a potential threat.
Her GPS took her directly to Walmart, and at seven o’clock, she found Austin sitting outside the store. He was playing guitar and singing for about fifty people. She smiled.
When he saw her, a lopsided grin spread across his face. He finished his song and posed for about thirty selfies before sauntering to her car. “Thanks for coming.” He opened the back door, threw in his guitar, and jumped in the passenger seat, then leaned over to hug her.
“You got off the bus with your guitar?”
“Huh? No. I got bored and bought a cheap one in there. I had a song idea I wanted to get down. But then people started showing up and recognized me, so I did a little impromptu concert. Ya never know when you’re going to make a fan. Don’t ever blow an opportunity.”
“Do you have a degree in marketing or something?”
