Page 73 of Fresh Tracks
“Yeah. She’s really helped me and Jake.” I look at her and the smile she sends my way is almost enough to make me cave, wrap my arm around her waist, and kiss her in front of everyone here.
“There you boys are,” calls a voice that instantly makes my skin crawl. I look back to see Vince reach out and let the source of the voice loop her elbow into his. Vince looks at me and I can see the unease in his eyes. He looks terrified and he should be.
Bile starts to rise in my throat and it feels like I’ve been punched in the stomach. There’s no way. There’s no fucking way that Candace, the last woman I dated almost twenty years ago, is here. The one that broke and then stomped all over my heart.
I’m at a loss for words, stunned by this level of shitbaggery. I would expect someone like Miles or Stan to let her dig her claws into them, but Vince was always my closest friend in the band.
“And who’s our new little friend here?” she says, her voice grating my nerves.
To my horror, her eyes are turned on Grace, who has no clue who she is. “Grace. I work for Tommy,” she says, reaching out a hand.
Candace quirks an eyebrow and looks at her with a catty grin, catching what Grace just called me.
“Oh,” she says, “Tommy must really like you then.”
She extends her hand to Grace and I stand there completely frozen.
To her credit, Grace just smiles and nods while shaking her hand. “Yeah, he’s been great to work for. I couldn’t ask for a better boss.”
Some small part of me warms to that compliment because I know she means it, but it’s not enough to block out the rage boiling inside me. This is the kind of shit I would expect from them back in the old days, only caring about themselves. It’s exactly why I didn’t want to give them a second chance, but Miles was adamant Stan and Vince had grown up.
“That’s great. Speaking of business, the adults here need to talk.” There’s no way she’s going to talk to my Rainbow like that.
“Can you run and get us some drinks?” Candace makes a shooing gesture at Grace, snapping me out of my silence. There’s also no way I’m going to put up with any more of their shit tonight or ever again.
“No.” My voice is cold and short when I stand between Grace and Candace, looking right at Vince. “Absolutely fucking not. Let me guess, she came knocking when she heard you might be going back on a tour and money would be coming in? Don’t even answer because I already know I’m right.”
I would love to punch him, but instead I turn to Miles, jabbing a finger into his sternum. “I’m not going to make a scene here and kick you out, but we’re fucking done. You guys are never welcome in any of my properties or my friends’ restaurants again.We’re done and I mean forever. Don’t ever fucking call me again.”
I turn, grabbing Grace by the elbow. “We’re leaving. Let’s go.”
I start to walk for the exit with her following at my side, but I see the alarm in her eyes. “What’s going on? What about Jake?”
“He’s a big boy. He can handle himself. That’s what I pay him for.”
I guide us through the crowd to the exit carefully, trying not to raise attention. When we get outside, I start down the sidewalk in the rainy Seattle night. After a block, I get to where my car’s parked, trying to stop my heart from pounding, grabbing my chest, just trying to breathe. I lean over, bracing myself against the hood of my car with my other hand.
“Are you going to tell me what the hell that was?” I look up to see Grace looking at me, standing on the sidewalk, her jaw tense but her eyes soft with concern.
“That part of my life is over. It’s done. I never want to talk about it again and you don’t ever have to worry about seeing them again,” I say, still focusing on breathing.
Her head draws back quickly and she blinks. “What are you talking about? Who was that, Tommy?” She throws her arms out to her sides with her palms up.
“I said I don’t want to talk about it. Can we please drop it?” I watch her eyes narrow in frustration and she watches me. I slowly catch my breath, hearing the cars driving on the wet street behind me, seeing their headlights flash across the brick building behind her.
She crosses her arms over her chest and looks away, the rain beading through her hair and down the side of her face like tears. I step toward her, brushing her wet hair out of her face, tilting her chin up to me.
I see the frustrated, hurt look in her eyes when she looks into mine. “Just take me back to your place, please.”
CHAPTER 27
TJ
PENTHOUSE
The ride homewas quiet and stepping off the elevator into my penthouse, it doesn’t seem like the rest of the night will be any different. I’m such an idiot for ever even entertaining working with them again. It would have been one thing if they were just their normal immature, selfish selves.
Bringing Candace back into my life in any way is an entirely different story. If those guys ever cared about me, they would have known that was a hard line that could never be crossed.
