Page 20 of Extended Bridge (Passionate Beats #2)
When I was tossing and turning in my bed. Maybe she’s right. If I had gone, at least I wouldn’t have wallowed all night. I finish my croissant. “Who was out that late?”
She giggles. “All of us. We’re night owls—we’ll make you one too. Touring does that to your circadian rhythm. Give us a few more days and you won’t be seeing single digits on your clock ever again.”
Even when I was with Darren, I always kept my work schedule. To be fair, I was usually only out with him one or two nights in a row. After a show, we were horizontal more than vertical. Although he never made me feel the way Bennett has. Once again, heat rises up my neck.
Nese nudges my torso. “I can see you’re on board with this idea. ”
Not about to share my thoughts about Bennett, especially with Pierce at my side, I dig into my fruit salad.
Conversation swirls around me, but I don’t partake.
When Tristan, Coop, and Río enter, some of the crew members give them their seats so they’re now surrounding Pierce.
Grabbing my quiet cell, I point as if someone’s calling and flee the room.
Into the restaurant proper.
Too many eyes track my movements as I force myself to walk at a normal pace toward the exit. I take a deep breath when I leave, only to have my pulse ramp right back up as Bennett and Luke turn the corner.
“Jenna,” Luke greets me. “Just the woman I wanted to see.” The two men approach. Bennett remains unusually quiet. “B and I were talking, and we’d like for you to join us on our field trip to visit Darren’s family.”
“No.”
The manager’s hand lifts. “Now hear me out. It would be good publicity for you. And B. And UC, to be honest. Show some solidarity in light of the, let’s say, challenging headlines from this morning.”
“About them,” I lick my lips. “Can you make them go away?”
“We’ve tried, but there are too many of them. The best way to combat their effectiveness is with a counter punch. Right, B?”
“Seems like it.”
Why is Bennett being so quiet? He’s never quiet. Maybe he hates this idea as much as I do? Holding onto this thought, I reply, “No. I’m not going. Believe me, it would make for a bad scene.”
Bennett adjusts his stance. “I’ll stay behind too.”
Luke looks between us as if we were playing tennis. “No. B, you must be there. Jenna, while I can’t control what you do, please reconsider.”
I shake my head. “I won’t. I would only make it uncomfortable for all of you and ruin the visit. Bennett, though, you should go.”
The lead singer crosses his arms across his large chest .
Luke sighs. “Fine. But you will be coming, B. Like we discussed, Tris won’t be going, but the original members of the band need to be there.” The manager glances between us. “I’m going in for breakfast.” Then he disappears.
“I hate leaving you behind.”
Cognizant of possible eyes and ears lapping up our conversation, I place my index finger over my lips. “Not here.”
Bennett’s face swivels around. Grabbing my hand, he drags me through a door marked “Employees Only.” We walk down a hallway and enter what I presume to be an empty break room since it has a coffee machine, a microwave, vending machines, plus some tables.
He begins, “I don’t want to see the Hilliards. What do I have to say to them? Darren’s no longer with us and I’ve moved on to mackin’ out with his girlfriend?”
“Don’t say it like that.” I realize what he said and stomp my foot.
“We’re not ‘mackin’ out’ You were friends”—I stop and correct my descriptor—“bandmates until the day Darren died. You wrote songs together, rode fame all the way to the top, won Grammys for UC. You shared a lot of happy memories. I’m sure they want to reminisce about the good times. ”
“I don’t have to be there for that. 007 does.”
“It seems to me it would be cathartic for all of you. Tristan too. He’s never met them before, right?”
“No.”
“How about this? You go eat breakfast, we do PT as the bus takes us down to Philadelphia, and UC can decide as a whole who should go visit the Hilliards.” I run my fingers over a small cocktail paper napkin. “Band members only. I just can’t.”
“This right here is the reason I want you to come. Or we both should stay back.”
“Bennett.” I gaze into his green eyes, willing myself not to get lost. “This visit may help you all heal. The movie took you a long way, I saw it even from the audience. Being back on top also gave you a boost. It’s okay for you to miss a, uh, colleague.
I had a very different relationship with him and his family.
I don’t want to be the reason your good visit goes sour. ”
“I could talk you up.”
A small laugh escapes. “I think the less you say about me, the better. My only worry is how you—as a band and singularly—are going to deal with the ‘Black Widow’ headlines.” This right here is the only reason I should accompany him. So we can get to the bottom of it. No .
“If you come with us, you can sort it all out.” He runs a finger down my cheek, causing me to suppress a shudder. “I hear you about the rocky relationship you had with his family. This might be a chance to correct it.”
“To say what? I had a great time with your son, but now that he’s gone, I need to stay close with UC, so I picked the lead singer. But don’t worry, the replacement keyboardist is totally off limits.”
“Wow.” His finger tucks some of my hair behind my ear. I need to put it in a ponytail before our physical therapy session. “Guilt recognizes itself.”
His thoughts about not picking up on Darren’s drug use resurface. I offer a half-smile. “Yeah. Guess it does.”
His eyes close and our foreheads touch. “I understand why you want to stay away. I’ll keep you company.”
His woodsy scent assails my nose. I shake my head, rocking my forehead against his. “No. You have a different relationship with them. Besides,” I pull back, “one of us needs to defend our honor. Defuse the situation the media’s portraying.”
His eyelids raise with a slow pulse. “That we’re together?” He glances downward. “I’m not touching you.”
My eyes widen as I realize only our foreheads are in contact. “And you won’t again.” It takes all my concentration to take a step away from his intoxicating scent. “You straighten them out. I’ll stay behind and work on your next round of therapy.”
“Remember, Jenna, this wasn’t my choice. But I’ll do it for you.” He steps toward me, a wicked glint in his eye. “I think I should get two hugs out of this deal, though.”
I bring my two index fingers together, making the sign of the cross. “Oh no, no, no. One hug. That was our agreement.”
“Your demand,” Bennett corrects. “I can wait to collect.” He disappears down the hallway while I gather my scattered thoughts. How can this man make me forget everything, including my name, without even touching me?
I’m in so much trouble.