Page 44 of Drum Me Away
I was immediately enveloped by my friends. Matt and Angel, Dean, Craig, Ice, Gabe, and Dahlia— they’d all come, just as they said they would.
“Where are the kids?” I asked after extracting myself from Angel’s hug.
“Back at our rental, with the nanny. We didn’t think you would appreciate the distraction they usually are.”
“They are the best kind of distraction,” I assured her. “But thank you.”
“How ya holding up, kid?” Gabe asked, which sounded funny, like he was trying to be a father figure although we were all in our thirties.
I gave him a one-shoulder shrug, and the whole crew nodded like they understood my lack of response.
“So far, no one knows the real reason behind the canceled dates,” Dahlia said, all business. “That last song you all performed in Denver has preempted literally everything. The current most popular theory is that you rescheduled this week’s tour dates so you could get into the studio to record a new single.”
Lucas snorted. I gave him a questioning look.
“I wrote that on the fly,” he said. “No way it’s that good. Not to mention, who the hell would cancel tour dates to record a new song? Great song or not, that’s throwing money away. We’d never make a choice like that deliberately.”
Dahlia continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “That, by the way, is closely followed by annoyance that you didn’t put that song on the latest album.”
“Because Lucas hadn’t even written it yet,” Matt said with a disbelieving shake of his head.
Dahlia waved her phone. “Although this obituary may be a game-changer. It refers to ‘Faith Hearsy,’ but it also refers to the deceased as ‘nee Devempor,’ and considering recent obits tend to pop up in Google searches due to the high number of hits, I’m not confident this will stay under wraps for much longer. We should probably consider making a statement.”
I sucked in a harsh breath. I wasn’t ready to tie the life I’d created for myself back to the life I’d been pretending never existed.
“After this is all over,” Lucas said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Slowly, I let that breath out.
“You look fabulous, by the way,” Dahlia said, grasping my hands and spreading my arms wide. “You both do. Almost like I dressed you myself.”
I laughed for the first time since we left Roxanne’s shop. “We met someone who is almost as fashion savvy as you.”
“Sounds like I need to meet this person,” Dahlia said.
I glanced around at the group. Lucas had obviously heeded my request to ask them all to dress normally. Dahlia and Gabe were both in muted suits, although Dahlia’s skirt barely skimmed mid-thigh and her heels were taller than mine. Dahlia had pulled her hair into a bun, like I had, and also wore a hat, which hid the bright red streaks.
Ice’s suit was cobalt blue and fitted, tight enough in the groin area to show off his package; the fact that I noticed spoke volumes about the cut. Dean and Craig had pulled their long hair back into ponytails, and there were only glimpses of tattoos here and there. So long as I kept them away from my mother, they should pass muster.
“Faith!”
I glanced up and watched Maria carve a zigzag path through the parking lot as she made her way toward us. She wore a red-and-white polka dot dress that, as cute as it was, was most definitely not funeral attire.
She also wore a hat, a straw monstrosity with a red-and-white ribbon to match the dress.
What the hell?
When she reached our group, she flung off the hat and spread her arms wide, like she was waiting for a hug. There was a grin on her face, and her eyes were glassy.
I stared at her.
“Hug me,” she demanded, stamping her foot, which was encased in a bright red heel with an ankle strap. “And then introduce me to yourrealfamily.”
Lucas nudged me and I finally stepped into my sister’s embrace. Maria held me like she never wanted to let go.
“Oh my God, rockers are sohot,” she stage-whispered, which earned her several snickers.
I pushed her to arm’s length and peered into her face. “Are you drunk?”
