Page 47

“ Master of Puppets is non-negotiable,” Barrett said, signaling for Paulie to add it to the list.

Paulie nodded and began scribbling. Their pie slices were half finished on the diner table. Picking out their demo track list had taken precedence over blueberry pie.

“It’s gonna take up, like, a fourth of the tape,” Dennis argued.

Paulie paused, looking between the two of them.

“We can cut it down,” Toni said.

Paulie continued writing.

“Cut it down? That’s like asking Michelangelo to carve the Statue of David out of butter.” Barrett rolled his eyes.

Toni scoffed. “I know you’re not pretending Michelangelo would not carve the absolute shit out of butter.”

“Ladies, focus please.” Dennis shook his head and took the chance to grab another bite of his pie.

“While you all may have the time to sit here and argue about butter sculptures, I’ve got a demo to submit.

Now, since I’m the one who has the 4-track and I’m doing all the mixing, I think I get the final say. Barrett, I’m vetoing.”

Barrett threw his hands up, exasperated. “Bullshit. We all put money into that thing.”

Dennis shrugged, unbothered. “Why don’t we ask Duncan what songs she wants?”

Oh, he was good. He knew exactly how to get Barrett to shut up.

They all turned and looked at Nell, who sat quietly, staring out the window.

Barrett hadn’t exactly forgotten she was there, but she was being so quiet. Actually, she’d been unusually quiet the past few days. Her presence was a constant, by his side endlessly since they’d gotten back from the Halloween show, yet there seemed to always be something distracting her.

She was always gazing away, lost in her head.

He laid a hand on hers, and he saw the surprise in her reflection before she turned back to them.

She blinked several times, looking between them all. “What?”

“We wanted to hear your thoughts on what songs we should include on the demo,” Dennis said.

“Me? I barely know the names of most of them,” she said.

Barrett raised a brow. Even when she was talking directly to them, her eyes were only half-focused.

“I guess I like that one that Scott plays. What’s it called? Something with puppets.”

Toni let out a sudden laugh while Dennis ran a hand over his face. Barrett, though, couldn’t enjoy the moment as much as he would like. She was looking out the window again.

He tightened his hand around hers and leaned in, ignoring the others’ accusations that he’d put her up to it.

“Wanna go out for a bit?” he whispered, pulling her away from her reflection again.

She blinked, then smiled weakly, her attention fully on him, finally, like she’d been there the whole time. “Yeah.”

He scooted out of the booth, waving off the others’ shouts that he wasn’t focusing. He didn’t deny it, though; he couldn’t focus. Not when she was this close yet somehow so far away.

“This is important,” Dennis called, attempting to stop him.

“We’re just gonna grab a smoke. It won’t be long,” Barrett called back.

“Yeah, man. Don’t worry. I doubt he lasts longer than two minutes anyway,” Toni snickered, making the other two cough out choking laughs.

Barrett ignored them, as he always needed to, and pulled Nell with him out of the diner and stopped just shy of a street lamp.

He hadn’t even noticed the sun was fully set until they were shrouded in the darkness left behind.

Barrett reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

He held one out to her, which she accepted without question.

Without any word, she lit both their cigarettes and rushed hers to her lips, sucking in with a deep breath and closing her eyes to exhale it into the dark air.

Barrett’s was still in his hand. “You okay?”

Nell nodded but looked in the opposite direction. “Yeah, just needed some fresh air.”

That didn’t make him feel better. He forgot about his cigarette and let his hand drop to his side, choosing instead to circle around her until he forced her to look up at him. “I can tell when you’re lying.”

She met his eyes for a second, then flicked them to her cigarette, not answering.

“Tell me.”

She took another long drag, then after a minute of what looked like an internal debate in her head, she straightened up. “What about my lessons?”

Barrett blinked, surprised. His face scrunched in confusion. “What about them?”

“Who’s going to teach me when you’re gone?”

This was it? This was what was worrying her?

Amusement pulled at the edges of his lips, even when he tried to hold them down. But he couldn’t help it—she was too damn cute. He stepped forward, their bodies nearly flush. The stream of her cigarette smoke wafted up into his nose as he laughed.

“Who said I’m going anywhere?”

Nell’s cheeks turned rosy, and she tried to turn, but he was too close. All it did was make her shoulder brush him. “We both know you will.”

“We both know that nothing is certain. It’s just a chance. For all we know, we’ll never hear from anyone ever again.” He paused. “This is why you’ve been so quiet?”

She went quiet.

Guess that was his answer.

“You think I’ll leave you?” he teased, leaning closer to her face as a giggle nearly snuck out of him.

Did it make him a bad person that the thought she was worried he would leave her made him giddy?

Of course, he wasn’t giddy that she was upset, but goddamn, Janelle Duncan liked him that much, huh?

He could giggle like a schoolgirl right now, flick his hair, bat his lashes, place a faint hand to his brow, and swoon.

He bit the smile that hit his lips and gave in, pulling her body into him.

He loved this.

Loved having her around close enough to grab at any moment and hold in his arms. Loved being able to lay his chin on the top of her head as her thin arms wrapped around his waist and held to him.

He loved that she loved him. He loved that he loved her.

“I’m not going anywhere. Not anytime soon,” he promised. “And if something happens and I do end up going somewhere, there are two options: either I fly back every single day and come back to kiss your cute pouting face, or you just come with me.”

“Come with you . . .” Her voice was muffled in the denim of his jacket, and he couldn’t tell if he was hearing it correctly.

Was she answering, or was she questioning?

“Come with me. We’ve got time, and we’ll keep working on it. Plus, you’re getting better, right?” He pulled back so he could see her.

She looked up at him, her expression hard to read. They stared at each other for a few moments before her lips rose up. “Yeah. I’ll get better.”

He grinned and kissed her forehead.

He could see it now. The five of them living out of a tour van, traveling around. Him on stage, knowing she was always there watching him, thinking he was hot—that’s what she had said when she was absolutely plastered last weekend.

She thought he was hot on stage.

He chuckled and kissed her nose.

It was a dream come true. He really couldn’t imagine life getting much better than that.

“And don’t worry.” He hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward his. “I’ll still give you lessons.”

She finished it for him and kissed his lips.