Page 108 of To Bring You Back
“Paying for the repairs sounds sufficient to me. But, Olivia …” Adeline sighed. Was she, so in love with Gannon, one to talk? Yes. Because she’d said no to him, and that had ended up helping Olivia immensely. “Fame doesn’t make a person more valuable, and it doesn’t make people happy. If anything, the money and power result in a lot of temptation. You need to be grounded in God before you go chasing anything else. Look at everything you did to try to get close to Matt. It was dangerous and unhealthy and could’ve altered your whole life—and not for the better.”
Olivia nodded vigorously, but only time would tell if she truly understood.
Adeline opened the office door, and Olivia and Joe filed out past her.
Once they’d gone, she closed it again.
What she’d said to Olivia had been for the girl’s sake, but it rang true to her own situation. She’d been living a quiet life, but not a life where she let God fulfill her. She wasn’t grounded. Gannon was, but that wouldn’t be enough for both of them. They’d never be happy together if she expected Gannon to do for her the things only God could.
The door clicked, and she stepped out of its way.
Tegan stuck her head in. “Everything okay?”
Gannon had been right last night that Tegan was sleeping, so Adeline had waited to catch her up on everything until this morning. Adeline wouldn’t have to say much to convey her latest realization—she needed space from Gannon if she was going to get right with God. But if she put that developing conviction into words, it’d be that much closer to being something she had to act on, and soon.
So, she nodded, though she felt as if the whole lake were damming up behind her eyes. Once she reconnected with God, maybe she and Gannon could try again, but he’d already made it clear that his visit to Lakeshore was a unique opportunity that wouldn’t be repeated. Next time wouldn’t be like this.
If he’d even allow a next time.
Tegan maneuvered around the door. “You sure?”
She nodded again. “Olivia and her friends were smoking in the yard. They caused the fire, and they’re going to pay for the damage.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Yeah.” Adeline shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Maybe there was no putting this off. “Knowing that, I suppose we can move back home.”
Tegan studied her. “Let’s not rush into it. The restoration company hasn’t even started on extracting the smoke smell, and as long as the band’s in town, you’re a celebrity too.”
Grateful, she sighed. She could stay a little longer, then.
Gannon and Johnsat in chairs opposite Tim’s desk.
Tim looked at his computer screen, shook his head, and frowned. “It’s not feasible in Wisconsin. Sanders is an easy fix for Saturday, but he’s still going to need rehearsal time. He can come up here, but Philip Miller leaves for Europe on Thursday. He won’t be back for weeks. If he’s your top pick for replacing Matt long-term, the sooner you hear what he’s got to offer, the better. Unless you want to push back the recording schedule.”
Which would also push back the tour. A nightmare.
Gannon’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and skimmed a text from Drew.
After the service that morning, he’d asked the pastor to meet with Harper, but apparently, she’d already skipped town.
“Are we interrupting something?” Tim asked.
Shaking his head, Gannon placed the phone screen-down on his leg. “Can Miller make it up here before he leaves?”
“Already asked. He’s a single dad, so he’s got to figure out childcare anytime he travels. An audition is going to have to be in the next couple of days in LA or not until October.”
Gannon didn’t have to look to know John was watching him. Firing Matt had been the right decision, but finding a replacement meant returning to LA.
It meant leaving Adeline still broken.
Tim rolled his chair closer to the desk and folded his hands on the surface, elbows spread wide. “Unless you two have a solution in mind you haven’t told me.”
John seemed to understand the solution Tim envisioned because he laughed and picked up a beat with his thumbs.
Tim didn’t look amused. “Fans might mutiny.”
Gannon didn’t follow. “Over what?”
