Page 9 of Betsy
He shrugged his western-shirt-clad shoulders. “My brother heard you, I guess. He says you’re really good.”
“No offense to your brother, but he doesn’t always have the best judgement.”
Malachi didn’t say anything; just kept his gaze steady. It was…unnerving.
“My singing is reserved for the shower and in the car along with the radio. You will never see me on a stage.”
“Never say never,” Jocelyn singsonged.
“What’s the guy’s name?” Nicole asked.
“Who?”
“The one you’re going on tour with.” She held her phone in her hand. “I’m going to look him up.”
Prickles of dread ran down my spine. Nicole googling him felt like they were forcing me to show my hand. Would they take one look at him and come to the same conclusion that I had? That Asher North, with his boyish lopsided grin, warm, intelligent eyes, and slightly longish curly hair was nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing waiting to catch me off guard so he could devour me in one bite? Or would they be taken in by his boy-next-door wholesomeness and the genuineness he seemed to project with a single glance?
Nicole watched me, her thumbs hovering over the phone screen as she waited for me to answer. I swallowed down my unease and notched my chin. The sharks would not circle without the scent of blood. If I projected an air of indifference, they’d believe it.
And maybe so would I.
“His name is Asher North, and he’s the leader of the worship band called True North.”
Nicole’s head lowered as she focused on her search. “Oh.” She glanced at me then back at her phone.
“What? Let me see.” Amanda snatched the phone and studied the screen. “Wow.” She tilted the screen to show Peter, who raised a single eyebrow. Soon the phone had been passed around the entire room.
Jocelyn cleared her throat. “I can see why you didn’t immediately accept the job with him.”
“You can?” Curiosity to know what they were all thinking ate at me, but years of practice kept my face bland.
“He makes you feel threatened.” Nicole set her phone on the coffee table.
I pretended I didn’t know what she meant. “If that were the case, I would’ve used my pepper spray on him.”
“I’m kind of surprised she didn’t,” Ben whispered to Molly.
She swatted his shoulder and scrunched her nose at him.
“You guys are delusional.” Mock derision could totally be used as a red herring. “Asher North is nothing more than your average egotistical narcissistic upstart musician. He didn’t make, nor will he ever make, me feel any differently than any other person wanting to see their name on the top of the music charts.”
“Slightly nauseous and disappointed with humanity?” Nicole asked.
I grinned. “Exactly.”
4
Asher
My muscles strained as I worked my way around the large buttress at the top of the pitch. My fingers had started to cramp two holds ago, protesting the amount of time it had been since I’d frequented my favorite climbing gym. This route, with its simulation of a range of climbing terrains from arêtes to overhangs, was one of the more difficult. As my thighs quivered with the exertion of pushing my body to the next grip in the progression, I reminded myself how much I enjoyed a good challenge.
“On belay?” someone from the ground below me asked their climbing partner.
“Belay on,” came the reply.
I lifted my leg and inserted my toe into the tiny dimple carved out of the faux rockface, applying a small amount of pressure to make sure the grip was tight enough to hold my weight as I ascended.
“Climbing.”
