Page 18 of Extended Bridge

His question strikes a chord. “I hope so. Pierce truly isn’t overjoyed to have me on the tour.”

Luke gives me a solemn glance. “He, out of everyone, is going to be the hardest nut to crack. He was Darren’s best friend, which I don’t have to tell you. Took him a long time to warm up to Tris, but now they’re all getting on well. Give him time.”

What other option do I have? “Do you think the media knows I’m here?” Reporters are another reason I’m not jumping for joy to join the tour.

“Nah, they don’t know for sure yet. OnlyThe Gossipprinted their version of the story, and that’s certainly not a reliable publication. If other reporters knew, they’d be descending like locusts.”

I huff out a breath. “Great. Something else to look forward to.”

“Hey,” he wraps his arm around me. “You’re with Bennett and we take care of our own. The UC PR team is on it.”

I bristle. “I’m not ‘with’ Bennett.” I make air quotes around the word, emphasizing how wrong his assumption is. “I’m his physical therapist. You, out of everyone, should know this. You were with us at the doctor.”

“Honey, I know the truth. You know it. So does Bennett, the rest of the band and the crew. Beyond these people, reporters are going todo what they do best. Make up whatever they want. You know the game.”

We stop by an exit. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can handle all this attention again. It was one thing when I was dating Darren. Being here in a professional capacity is a whole other level.”

“We’ll protect you.” He taps against the wall. “Might as well warn you, though. Our next stop is Philadelphia.”

“I know.”

“There’s no easy way to say this. Darren’s mother and sister live near the stadium. We’ve offered them VIP tickets. I wanted to let you know this so you can prepare yourself, after the article the other day.”

Great. As if working with Bennett and dealing with Pierce weren’t enough. Now I get to rub elbows with Mrs. Hilliard and Darren’s sister, Marni, in the flesh? I haven’t seen the two women since the funeral for a reason. My stomach lurches. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Why? What did you say to her?” Bennett hits Luke in the back.

Without facing him, I reply, “The truth.”

“C’mon, B, she had to know about Philly.”

“Fuck. We’ll keep you apart.” Bennett walks toward the exit. “Let’s go eat. Hire a guitar tech over nachos.”

My feet follow the two men but my mind repeats Bennett’s question:What did you say to her?I’m still close enough to home that I could call it quits and no one would be the wiser. Besides, Pierce probably would do a happy dance right onstage.

In the restaurant, I sit. Fidget. Stuff one chip into my mouth, repeat. I rub my palms against my thighs. Bennett and his manager review the five candidates we met this afternoon, discussing the pros and cons of each. I follow their conversation but don’t contribute. My world is too full of recriminations and worry.

“What do you think, Jenna?”

I force my face to focus on Luke. “For the guitar tech?”

“No. For the exotic dancer—of course for the guitar tech.” Luke shovels a couple of chips into his mouth, slathered with salsa.

I ignore the rumbling of my stomach. “I liked all of them. I think I would go for the last one.”

“Really?” Bennett challenges. “I favored the second guy we met.” He was good too. I shrug.

“You know who I liked?” When we don’t take the bait, Luke answers, “Kieron. He seemed to have his head on his shoulders and gave off a down-home vibe to me. The second candidate seemed a bit too fussy. You know, with his list of dates he needed off.”

“Only two of the tour dates,” Bennett reminds Luke. “He was positive, something we’re sorely lacking.”

Crunching on more chips, Luke says, “Maybe a touch too much? Kieron seemed to have struck a good balance between being helpful and posting cat videos on your timeline.”

“Fine,” Bennett relents. “My pick probably needs to marinate another five years before he’d mesh with us anyway. How about Jenna’s selection?”

“I didn’t know I had a say.” I pick a chip out of the basket and crunch, managing to swallow it over the tumult in my brain. “I liked how the last guy maintained his composure, even when Tristan walked over to talk about the music lineup for tonight. He didn’t seem starstruck over Bennett, either. You need your employees to assimilate into your group and not fall over themselves to give you what you want.”

“Good points,” Luke says. “I only have one issue with him. The last band he worked with imploded. I’m not sure we need bad juju brought over to UC.”

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