Page 9 of Extended Bridge (Passionate Beats #2)

“It was good. I mean,” he brings his attention back to us. “It wasn’t Madison Square Garden good, but we hit up some decent-sized venues.”

“Tell us more about it,” Luke requests. In response, Kieron details his experiences—from setting up the tour bus to meeting some groupies.

“I’d like to hear about your time onstage. And writing songs. How did that go?” Bennett asks.

“Of course, that was the best part. I mean, it was the reason we were doing it all, you know? Writing was more of a group effort, although I’ll admit our lead singer did the heavy lifting.

I added in some pretty good guitar licks, if I do say so myself.

I could’ve created even better keyboard tracks, if we had keyboards. ” He chuckles.

Kieron seems affable and good-natured. Two things that will put him in good stead if he joins UC.

Three pairs of eyes spear me, waiting for me to ask a question.

I ask the first thing that comes to my mind.

“Why UC?” My eyes slam shut. I hope I didn’t sound too much like a physical therapist, asking a newly minted one why they want to work with me.

“Good question.” This from Luke, which makes me feel as if my contribution to the interview wasn’t dumb. Or at least he’s being nice, for Bennett’s sake.

“I’ve followed you guys for a few years now. Darren,” he makes the sign of the cross, “Was a fantastic keyboardist. I modeled some of my licks with a nod toward his skills. I appreciate the way you five get along so well onstage and play off each other.”

He continues with his answer, but his mentioning of Darren is like a gut punch. Darren was phenomenal. A truly great man. My gaze strays to Bennett, who’s concentrating on the interview, as he should. How is it Darren never made me feel the way Bennett does? Am I betraying what we had?

No. I stop myself from going down this path again. But for his passing away, I wouldn’t know anything about how Bennett kisses or feels or tastes. The two men are polar opposites of each other, even though they were founding members of the same band.

I tune back in to Kieron. “I think I’d add a new dimension to your crew, bringing my own experiences into the mix.”

Luke and Bennett nod and shake his hand. I follow suit. Luke concludes the interview by letting him know he should hear back before the concert tonight. “If you’re selected, will you be able to join us on tour immediately?”

Kieron smiles broadly. “Definitely.”

After he leaves, we interview four other candidates with me repeating my new hallmark question. The process really does only take thirty minutes per candidate.

Luke claps. “Good job, team! We need to clear out of here so our fans can start finding their seats. Want to go to dinner and pick a new guitar tech?”

“I could eat a horse,” Bennett replies. They both get to their feet.

I’m starving, but unsure whether the invitation includes me. I stare at my hands folded on my lap. “Jenna.” Bennett extends his hand. “Coming?”

My palm meets his and the connection is so strong, I just might. That’s not what he meant. Head in the game! “I’m definitely hungry.”

“Great!” Unaware of the tension building between Bennett and me, Luke hops up. “I made reservations at a restaurant down the block. Feel up to a walk?” He places his hand on Bennett’s shoulder. “Elias and his team will provide security.”

“Let me get my hat and glasses. Meet you at the exit.” Bennett takes off with a purposeful, yet steady, stride.

“Are you really ready to join UC?” Luke asks as we walk toward our rendezvous.

His question strikes a chord. “I hope so. Pierce truly isn’t overjoyed to have me on the tour.”

Luke gives me a solemn glance. “He, out of everyone, is going to be the hardest nut to crack. He was Darren’s best friend, which I don’t have to tell you. Took him a long time to warm up to Tris, but now they’re all getting on well. Give him time.”

What other option do I have? “Do you think the media knows I’m here?” Reporters are another reason I’m not jumping for joy to join the tour.

“Nah, they don’t know for sure yet. Only The Gossip printed their version of the story, and that’s certainly not a reliable publication. If other reporters knew, they’d be descending like locusts.”

I huff out a breath. “Great. Something else to look forward to.”

“Hey,” he wraps his arm around me. “You’re with Bennett and we take care of our own. The UC PR team is on it.”

I bristle. “I’m not ‘with’ Bennett.” I make air quotes around the word, emphasizing how wrong his assumption is. “I’m his physical therapist. You, out of everyone, should know this. You were with us at the doctor.”

“Honey, I know the truth. You know it. So does Bennett, the rest of the band and the crew. Beyond these people, reporters are going to do what they do best. Make up whatever they want. You know the game.”

We stop by an exit. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can handle all this attention again. It was one thing when I was dating Darren. Being here in a professional capacity is a whole other level.”

“We’ll protect you.” He taps against the wall. “Might as well warn you, though. Our next stop is Philadelphia.”

“I know.”

“There’s no easy way to say this. Darren’s mother and sister live near the stadium. We’ve offered them VIP tickets. I wanted to let you know this so you can prepare yourself, after the article the other day.”

Great. As if working with Bennett and dealing with Pierce weren’t enough. Now I get to rub elbows with Mrs. Hilliard and Darren’s sister, Marni, in the flesh? I haven’t seen the two women since the funeral for a reason. My stomach lurches. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Why? What did you say to her?” Bennett hits Luke in the back.

Without facing him, I reply, “The truth.”

“C’mon, B, she had to know about Philly.”

“Fuck. We’ll keep you apart.” Bennett walks toward the exit. “Let’s go eat. Hire a guitar tech over nachos.”

My feet follow the two men but my mind repeats Bennett’s question: What did you say to her? I’m still close enough to home that I could call it quits and no one would be the wiser. Besides, Pierce probably would do a happy dance right onstage.

In the restaurant, I sit. Fidget. Stuff one chip into my mouth, repeat.

I rub my palms against my thighs. Bennett and his manager review the five candidates we met this afternoon, discussing the pros and cons of each.

I follow their conversation but don’t contribute.

My world is too full of recriminations and worry.

“What do you think, Jenna?”

I force my face to focus on Luke. “For the guitar tech?”

“No. For the exotic dancer—of course for the guitar tech.” Luke shovels a couple of chips into his mouth, slathered with salsa .

I ignore the rumbling of my stomach. “I liked all of them. I think I would go for the last one.”

“Really?” Bennett challenges. “I favored the second guy we met.” He was good too. I shrug.

“You know who I liked?” When we don’t take the bait, Luke answers, “Kieron. He seemed to have his head on his shoulders and gave off a down-home vibe to me. The second candidate seemed a bit too fussy. You know, with his list of dates he needed off.”

“Only two of the tour dates,” Bennett reminds Luke. “He was positive, something we’re sorely lacking.”

Crunching on more chips, Luke says, “Maybe a touch too much? Kieron seemed to have struck a good balance between being helpful and posting cat videos on your timeline.”

“Fine,” Bennett relents. “My pick probably needs to marinate another five years before he’d mesh with us anyway. How about Jenna’s selection?”

“I didn’t know I had a say.” I pick a chip out of the basket and crunch, managing to swallow it over the tumult in my brain.

“I liked how the last guy maintained his composure, even when Tristan walked over to talk about the music lineup for tonight. He didn’t seem starstruck over Bennett, either.

You need your employees to assimilate into your group and not fall over themselves to give you what you want. ”

“Good points,” Luke says. “I only have one issue with him. The last band he worked with imploded. I’m not sure we need bad juju brought over to UC.”

“Didn’t know you were superstitious.” Bennett shoves a fully loaded chip into his mouth.

“I’m not, but I also don’t want to tempt fate when I have a choice. Which we definitely do—Kieron doesn’t come with such baggage. Plus, he seemed like a cool dude.”

Bennett weighs his manager’s opinion. “I liked Kieron. He has a great resume. I could see him with the band, especially Coop. Let’s introduce those two tonight, plus 007, and see how things go. ”

Makes sense, considering Coop plays lead guitar and Pierce is on bass. Luke voices my thought. “I like it. Assuming they hit it off, we’ve got our new guitar tech. Chico can work with him to transition throughout the week.”

Chico was funny, always cracking Darren and me up with his off-color jokes. I bet he still makes the crew laugh. Personalities aside, the speed of this interview process astounds me. Perhaps I can pick up some tips for my own business model with UC? Wow.

Luke holds his hand in the middle of the table. “Are we in?”

Bennett looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed. No way is he seeking my approval . “Are we?”

Kieron seemed like a nice enough guy. He’s been vetted in two other rounds. I’ll give him my blessing, as if he really needs it. “Sure.” I place my hand on top of Luke’s and I feel...nothing.

When Bennett places his hand on top of mine, though, my nerves explode. “Count me in,” his distinctive tenor announces.

Just like that, a new member of the crew is hired.

Luke texts him to meet up with Coop and 007 tonight.

Assuming all goes well, he’ll let HR know of the decision as well as have the dubious honor of telling the finalists they didn’t get the job.

It impresses me that Luke extends this courtesy instead of letting someone else handle it. Or worse, ghosting them.