Page 89 of Highball Rush
I took one gratefully and gulped down half of it. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.”
“You all right?”
“Just worn out. I was on a call for most of the day, working with Saraya Lin. She’s a singer and songwriter with Attalon.”
His brow furrowed. “I’ve heard of her. Was she having trouble with something?”
“Yeah, but I think we broke through her wall.”
“So they don’t need you to go to…”
“She’s in Nashville, and no. Besides, Oliver knows I need time. I told him I’m dealing with some big personal things.”
He nodded and took a drink of water. “Is your boss still asking you about me?”
“About your record deal?” I asked. “No, he knows you’re not interested. You’re not interested, right?”
“No.”
“I’m not asking this to push you, I’m just curious. Why not?”
He glanced away for a moment. “That’s just not me. I like playing in little bars like we do now. But if it was something bigger, I don’t think it would be the same anymore. And I don’t want that kind of life.”
I smiled at him. “I know you don’t.”
“So, you worked with her without going anywhere.”
“Saraya? Yeah, why?”
“I’m just wondering if that means you could still do your job but stay in one place, at least some of the time.”
“I think I’ll have options going forward. I didn’t travel so much because I had to, necessarily. I wanted to. I was always bugging Oliver to send me somewhere new as soon as I finished every project.”
He rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing again. “I wouldn’t hate traveling sometimes.”
God, he was adorable. “No?”
“As long as I was here enough to take care of my clients. And we’d have to think about Cash.”
“So, you’re saying if I traveled less, you could come with me.”
“I ain’t saying I’d go on some world tour with a bunch of fucking head-up-their-asses rock stars. But if you need to travel to keep doing what you love, I think we can make it work.”
My tummy tingled at this newfound and unexpected sense of contentment. “Are we sitting here planning out our future?”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “I reckon we are. I told you, you’re mine now. I meant it.”
There was nothing I wanted more in this world than to be his. But the shadow of my past still lurked, threatening to enshroud us in darkness.
“You know we have bigger things than my job to deal with. There are other ways I can make a living. But I can’t stay with you if…” I trailed off. I didn’t need to say it. We both knew.
“I’ve been thinking about that. The sheriff can only do so much until he can get the attention of someone with the right pull. Jayme’s looked into things, but she’s a lawyer, not a detective. We both know this thing is at a standstill until someone comes up with real evidence against the judge.”
I nodded. That certainly summed it up.
“So we get some fucking evidence,” he said.
Swallowing back the prickle of fear that tried to invade my thoughts, I nodded again. “Okay. But what?”
