Page 90 of Hard Rock Heat

"Like you're one to talk," Damon said bluntly. He eyed each of them. "None of you can say shit to me when it comes tosecrets."

Every single person in the room turned various degrees of shame-faced, from Lily and August's visible winces, to the slight twitch of Noah's eyebrow. They all nodded and murmured theiragreement.

My heart sank, guilt and remorse swirling in mygut.

I wasn't really lying to Hope, I reasoned to myself. I just wasn't telling her the wholestory.

A lie of omission is still a lie,my inner voice snarked. I told it to quietdown.

"Now that we're all here, we need to discuss something else," Iansaid.

Cameron groaned. "What else did your idiot brotherdo?"

"Not him. August." Ian gave the drummer a pointed stare. "We're supposed to be playing at Damon's charity event." He left the restunspoken.

"I'm fine," August said immediately. Cassie poked him in the side. "Iwillbe fine," heamended.

"What do the doctors say?" Cameron asked Cassie directly, bypassingAugust.

"They say he's not quite ready to go back to playing right now," Cassie said matter-of-factly. August scowled. "But they also said he'll probably be fine by the event, as long as he takes it easy and rests and does his physicaltherapy."

"Which I've been doing," August jumped in. "I'm not straining myself. I'll be fine toperform."

Cameron and Noah looked at each otherskeptically.

"We don't want you working yourself too hard," Iansaid.

"We don't need you to relapse," Damoncontinued.

"We just want you to be okay," they both said at the sametime.

August's lips twitched into a smile. "You guys. I am okay. I promise." He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "I have Cassie to keep me in line, afterall."

The group relaxed somewhat, although Noah and Cameron still lookedconcerned.

With nothing else to discuss about, the meeting was declared over. Damon threw his arm around me. We had planned another dinner date. He'd told me to put the vibe in mypurse.

I shivered thinking aboutit.

My phone pinged with an alarm reminder. I checked it. My heartsank.

"Shit," I murmured. "I forgot it'sWednesday."

"What's so wrong about Wednesdays?" Damonasked.

"It's nothing," I said quickly. "I just have to skip dinnertonight."

"What? Why?" Damon looked concerned. "We don't have to do the vibe thing if you don't want. It can just be normaldinner."

I shook my head. "No, that's notit."

Damon looked at me curiously. "What is it,then?"

"I've just got to go now," I said vaguely, distinctly aware that Hope was only a few feetaway.

"Gowhere?"

"It's just have something I need todo."