Page 46 of Rockstar Baby

She followed me to the table, chattering brightly about the weather and the menu and oh, yes, had I been by the tulip fest at the Fairgrounds yet? It was such a happy little bloom of spring.

“You all have a damn lot of festivals,” I muttered as I joined Kellan.

She took my drink order and hustled off. Only then did Kellan slip off his glasses and look up.

“Finally.”

“So says the bloke who made me wait a damn month.”

We bumped fists across the table and Kellan quickly lifted his menu again when a gaggle of giggling teenage girls walked past our table. I laughed into my fist. “Nice disguise.”

“You think it’s funny. Not all of us can stroll around freely.” He tightened the strings of his hood and I laughed, louder this time.

“Did it ever occur to you that no one will care? You live close by. Surely you venture out now and then.”

“We order in a lot. Maggie’s been watching the Food Network when we can’t stand another taco.”

“Or your waistline can’t.” Kellan was rock-solid, the behemoth. “How’s the kid?”

He’d been diagnosed with an ear infection and an upper respiratory ailment, so he’d been on the mend soon after our visit a month ago. But it was nice to ask. Wolf had been a relatively cute child.

This town had cursed me.

“He’s finally better. The doc thinks with his history, we should look into putting tubes in his ears.”

“A relatively minor procedure, yeah?”

Kellan shrugged. “For the most part. Maggie is worrying herself sick. The guys are talking about maybe doing a couple of one-off shows in the fall and I’m already dreading telling her I gotta go. Then if I do some dates solo in the meantime…” He released a long breath. “Balancing act, man.”

“It’s hard with children and a spouse.”

As if I had any clue. I didn’t even have a cat. Or a houseplant. I’d bought one off Amazon and forgot to water it and it died.

“You can say that again. You seeing anybody?”

The question hit me low. “Why would you ask that?”

“Uh, I dunno, being polite?” He waved it off. “Never mind. Forgot you were Rory the Inscrutable.”

“Pardon me?”

“You gotta know that’s your rep. Untouchable, remote dude. Hit maker but doesn’t make friends.”

“That’s entirely untrue. I have friends.”

Kellan nodded. “The Kagan dude, right?”

“Yes, Ian, but not only him. I have others.” Even I could hear the defensiveness in my tone.

Kellan held up his hands, palms out. “Hey, I get it, man. Work comes first. I respect that. I respect even more that you don’t use people right and left just for thrills. Unusual in our business.”

“I’m focused.”

“Understandable. I respect that,” he repeated. “You’ve done well for yourself.”

“As have you.”

“Yeah, but I started off on the A & R side of the table myself. It’s different when you’re representing talent versus being the commodity. Gives you a new perspective.”