Page 15 of Until the End

“No thanks to Cecelia. I was on those emails. You’re the one who negotiated that timeframe. She was going to let you sign it to have a record ready to go in only six months.”

She’s right. I had to fight for the extra time because Cecelia wasn’t doing it. That was one thing I wasn’t scared to do battle over. I haven’t felt like writing a song in almost six months. The tour drained me, and then the wedding just topped off the exhaustion. I’m glad I had the wherewithal to give myself some wiggle room.

“At least you’ve got plenty of material to write a kickass breakup album.” Chelsea winks at me. Her teasing makes melaugh. She’s always great at cheering me up when things get too heavy.

“I do love writing breakup songs. I’ve been itching to play in my studio since I got here.” It’s felt too daunting to go down there with everything else going on.

“So do it. Go play around for a bit while Chelsea and I get settled in our rooms. Then we’ll get ready to go to war.”

I nod in agreement. My brain is already getting excited about playing with my recording equipment. If I take the pressure of a full album off myself, I just might be able to get back into a writing rhythm.

Chapter 9

Carson

Shaking my head, I slide my phone into my back pocket. Ginny has never let me get away with my shit. I hadn’t planned to send her a picture of me. My only goal was to check in with her without making it seem like that’s what I was doing. Her response was everything I wanted it to be. She makes me laugh more than anyone else I know.

I’m glad her assistants surprised her with a visit. She needs her team to help her navigate the shitstorm the Weasel started, and I’m sure they’ll help her focus on the important things.

“Pay attention.” A wad of tape hits me in the face.

“Asshole,” I curse, throwing it back at Teddy.

He smirks at me. “Daydreaming about a certain blonde?”

I scoff. “No.”

A dark eyebrow lifts, calling me on me shit.

“I was just checking on her. This is the first time she’s been on her own at the house since she came back.” Between me, Gia, and their parents, Ginny has been surrounded by people since we got home a week ago.

“Mm-hmm.”

I breathe out a laugh. “I fucking hate you.”

He starts laughing too, his dark blue eyes lighting up his entire face. When he first started dating Lottie, I wasn’t sure he’d fit in with our friend group. He’s ten years older, intimidatingly stoic, and a hundred times more serious than my best friend. Lottie is like sunshine in the fall. She’s warm, gentle, and someone you want to have around when you know the brutal winter is coming soon.

But I guess that’s why they work. Teddy keeps Lottie grounded while Lottie gets Teddy to loosen his tightly held control.

I’m seeing a lot of him lately, since my construction crew just started renovations on his house. We’ve had to tear down most of the inside to update it—there were too many issues where starting over was easier than trying to fix them—and Teddy’s been around for the majority of the demolition stage. He takes entirely too much pleasure from knocking out walls.

“How is Ginny really?” he asks.

“Doing as good as she can, given the circumstances.” Since Ginny stopped the wedding, she’s been the sole focus of concern among our friends and family. The aunts and uncles have been dying to shower her with love and support now that she’s home. I’ve been fielding texts and calls all week from them, asking how they can help. I wish I knew what to tell them. One day, Ginny seems just fine, the next is a completely different story. In the end, we all just want the best for her.

“Lottie’s parents have been biting at the bit to love on her.” Teddy shakes his head.

“I think the whole family is too. I wish I could convince them not to overwhelm her with their love.”

Teddy snorts. “Good luck with that. She won’t spend a single minute alone once she lets them in.”

“She might need that. It’d be a good distraction.”

“Get back to work, you lazy bums!” Uncle Levi shouts. He’s grinning at us from across the house, his white hard hataskew, making him look like a dork. He owns the construction company and has been a mentor to me since I graduated from high school.

I had no idea what I was going to do with my life back then. School was a struggle for me, and I knew college wasn’t going to be any easier. When Levi came to me with an offer to work for his company until I figured out what I wanted to do, I jumped at it. Eight years later, and I haven’t looked back. I love the physical side of the work, but I also love the tiny design details we add to make each house special. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Ginny’s dad, Max, who owns the company with Levi, is an architect. His designs are incredible. Whether it’s a regular kitchen or an entire house, he puts his whole self into each one.

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