Page 55 of Worst Nanny Ever (Babes of Brewing #2)
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
TRAVIS
I call Rob to tell him about Lilah’s visit and ask if he’ll bring in a sub for me. There’s no way I’m up for teaching kids after the last twenty-four hours. I also give him a heads-up that I’ll have to leave The Missing Beat early on Friday so I can be there for Eugene’s big moment.
By the end of the day, Lilah still hasn’t shown up. She doesn’t call either, and after Hannah and I put Ollie to bed, I find the koala in the bathroom trash can.
I take it out and brush it off. He might want it later, and the last thing I need is Lilah showing up and accusing me of throwing out her unwanted gift.
Friday morning passes in a blur of working out and talking to my lawyer.
Hannah spends it with Dottie and the Wise Elders Group, who called an emergency meeting to help Eugene prepare for his date.
They’re also going to babysit for Ollie during the big moment, and I have every expectation that he’ll be returned to me afterward with a sugar high that lasts half the night.
Hannah’s acting the way I did before my first big public performance, and it’s cute as hell.
Part of me thinks she and the Wise Elders should just let Eugene do his thing, but then I remember the Eugene I first met—crotchety and alone—and I realize this is probably exactly what he needs.
Friendship and encouragement. The knowledge that if he stumbles, he’ll still have friends to break his fall.
Hannah told me weeks ago that Eugene reminded her of an old version of me, and she was right in a way, because that’s what I needed too.
For someone to pull me out of my solitary bubble and get my head out of my ass.
And that someone was Hannah. She’s worked her magic on both of us.
With any luck, Eugene’s date will go well tonight.
For now, however, I have other things to focus on. It’s time to go back to The Missing Beat.
I head there early, needing to make peace with the space before the kids show up, but I’m not surprised when I open the door and see Rob already here, standing at the window.
“Enjoying the view?” I ask, walking up and slapping him on the back.
He laughs and shakes his head. “Only a real dumbass would buy a place like this.” He looks me in the eye, his smile fading. “You really set all this up with your own money?”
I hold his gaze. “We’re talking about this now?”
“We’re talking about it.”
“It was my father’s money. It never felt like mine. Only a way to make a different life.”
He lifts his brow. “And those grants you told me you’d gotten?”
“The first one I made up, but I got better at applying for them. There was a learning curve.”
He shakes his head, but he doesn’t look pissed, at least. After a moment, the corners of his lips curve up in an amused smile. “Dammit. I wish you’d told me.”
“You wouldn’t have agreed.” I pause, but he doesn’t dispute it. “And I didn’t do it just for you. I needed this too. But…yeah, I should have told you sooner.”
He gives me a sidelong look and then turns to face me more fully. “The band’s not dead. It’s not dead until we say it is. Do you want it to be dead, Travis? Because we’ll piss on its grave if you say so. I can find another band to join.”
Until this moment, I wasn’t totally sure.
But now I know. This is what I want. I want my son, and I want Hannah, and I want my band. And I want Garbage Fire to do well, whatever that ends up meaning.
“Let’s put it on life support. I think there’s some life in this garbage fire yet.”
He grins at me, I grin back, and I feel a weight lift off my chest. “Besides,” I add, “I may have a lead on a rhythm guitarist.
I tell him about the Moroney Movers and Shakers and Liam, who came over to practice “Blue River” with Hannah and me. He’s not interested in joining the band long term, but he has a couple of buddies who play, and he’s willing to fill in until we find someone permanent.
“No shit?” Rob says, shaking his head. “We were short a rhythm guitarist, and now we’re short a bass player.”
“Maybe the universe has more surprises in store for us.”
“I know you’re joking,” he says, “but I’ve learned that stuff’s no joking matter.”
I nod, because it’s the truth, and I feel in my bones that the universe isn’t done with me yet.
“I feel awful about what went down with Bixby,” I admit.
“So do I, but he made his own problems. If he’d told us he was struggling, we could have worked something out. All of this could have been avoided. Frank wanted us for us, dammit.”
I shrug. “Maybe Frank will still be interested. You know, once fate magically drops a bass player onto our laps.”
“I’ll put up the ad,” he says. “We’ll get on it. But we’ll have to cancel our next few shows. I’ve already called the brewery we were supposed to play at on Saturday.”
I nod, still feeling sick at the thought of Bixby.
Yesterday morning, when I threw on my shirt before answering the door, I noticed the red marks had darkened into deep purple bruises, but it felt right for the hurt to show on the outside.
“We’re never going to be friends like that again.
I can’t trust him, and that sucks. He’s been with us since the beginning. ”
He nods, and I can tell from the circles under his eyes, he’s been losing sleep over it. “But he didn’t act the way a friend does. He was selfish, and it cost all of us.”
“Should we exchange friendship bracelets now?”
“We can,” he says, laughing. “I’ve got about two dozen of them back at the apartment. Sophie’s planning a new class.”
I bump his shoulder, feeling an intense swell of emotion. “I love you, man.”
“Back at you,” he says, then forces a grin. “And, hey, we’re best friends dating best friends. They make TV shows about that kind of thing.”
I feign a dramatic shudder. “No, thank you.” I pause before telling him what’s in my heart. “But something tells me we’re going to be best friends married to best friends someday.”
This time his grin is so big his face creases with it. “From your mouth to God’s ears, my friend.”
“I love Hannah,” I say. “I don’t feel like I deserve her, but I’m not about to complain.”
“I know how that feels.”
We hug spontaneously, and then we start setting up for the kids. Just like that, this space feels like mine again. It feels safe.