Page 22 of Palm South University: Season 3
He swallows, forcing a smile as he continues talking about where the money from tonight will go and what it will fund.
“He’s here,” Cassie says, sniffling a little as she tosses her phone on the table. “He and Cal, his agent, just pulled up. They’re parking back behind the stage now, I told him not to worry about a parking ticket, that we’d handle it.”
“Oh, thank fucking Christ.” I turn back toward the stage and push the button for my headset. “He’s here. Stall a little longer, Jeremy, then you can announce him. Carter, you copy?”
“Here,” Carter’s staticky voice answers.
“Grayson is parking backstage. Get him set up as fast as you can and have the other brothers take care of his car.”
“On it.”
I let out a long breath of relief, scrubbing a hand over my face and turning back to Cassie. “God, thank you so much.” But when I see her,reallysee her, my heart stops. “Wait, are you crying?”
“I’m fine,” she whispers, holding her head high as she gently wipes a tear from her cheek. Her smile is as weak as her lie. “He’s here, all is good. The show goes on and all that, right?”
Her face crumples, and I reach for her on instinct, pulling her into me and wrapping my arms around her. Her shoulders shake just slightly, her cries nearly silent as I hold her.
“Shhh,” I whisper, kissing her forehead before pulling her in tighter and resting my chin on her head. “It’s okay. Want me to kick his ass? Put auto-tune on his mic?”
She laughs into my chest. “He was just kind of snappy with me and said some things he didn’t mean. He’s got a lot going on. I get it, I do. He’s just a little… different. That’s all. But when we’re alone, he’s the same Grayson I know and lo—”
She doesn’t finish the sentence, stiffening in my arms at the realization of the word that almost slipped out. I just hold her tighter and pretend like I didn’t notice, like it wasn’t a shotgun shell to the gut.
“Who the hell was that who bid on me?!”
Ashlei rushes the table in a flurry, eyes searching the crowd as Cassie sniffs and pulls away from me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, the guy who bid ten-thousand out the gate? Yeah, we’re all dying to know who he was, too.”
“That’s just insane,” Ashlei says, hands flying. She pauses when she looks at Cassie again, no doubt noticing the red blotchy skin under her eyes, but she doesn’t push for answers — not in front of me. Instead, she shakes her head and crosses her arms to mimic Cassie. “I mean, honestly, what college kid has that kind of money to throw around? And for an auto racing date that’s worthmaybefifteen-hundred, if even.”
“Maybe it was you who made it worth more to them?” I offer, trying to stick up for the poor sap.
She scoffs. “That’s even more ridiculous.”
A young girl with the biggest tits I’ve ever seen stuffed into a small tank top skips over to the table, handing us a check with a wide grin. “This is for the auto racing date with Ashlei Daniels,” she says with a high-pitched voice.
“Mykayla?!”
She blinks, turning to Ashlei. “Oh! Hey, you. Good job up there. This event is really cool! I never really did any of this when I was in school. I lived at home and really only came to campus for class. Are you sticking around for Grayson Anderson? He issoswoon-worthy.”
Cassie chews the inside of her cheek and I reach for her, grabbing her hand behind the table where no one can see. I smooth my thumb over her wrist and she closes her eyes with a sigh before squeezing my hand in return.
“Yeah, he’s a hunk,” Ashlei deadpans. “Mykayla, why did you bid on me?! And ten-thousand dollars?! Are you insane?!”
“Oh!” Mykayla shakes her head, dark blonde hair framing her rack as she giggles. “No, silly, it wasn’t me. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Church.”
Ashlei’s face goes sheet white as Cassie and I exchange a look and a shrug.
“Mr. Church bid on me?”
“Uh-huh,” Mykayla says, dragging out the words and bouncing on her heels. “He heard me talking about the concert and the auction. I just thought it wasso niceof you to donate your time like that. And to risk going on a date with some random guy you don’t know? That takes guts. He agreed, and he wanted to help the cause, so he sent me with a check. Isn’t he the best boss ever?”
This time, Ashlei’s face flushes red, and she slowly closes her mouth that has been hanging open since Mykayla started talking. “He’s something.”
Cassie gives Ashlei a look that says they’ll be talking later just as Jeremy calls me backstage through my headpiece.
“I have to run,” I say, nodding to Ashlei and Mykayla before turning to Cassie. The lights on the stage go black and the crowd roars, more than seven-thousand people on their feet for the asshole who made my favorite girl cry. I keep my eyes on her, ignoring the first note from Grayson’s guitar. “You going to be okay?”
Cassie nods. “I’ll be fine.” She watches me, questions dancing in her eyes as the stage lights up again and the crowd goes even crazier. “Thank you, Adam.”
“I’m always here,” I remind her. Then, I lean forward, kissing her cheek with the same promise before jogging toward the stage.