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“Yep. Riley wanted to give radio stations and some other businesses in each city we were touring. Carl is related to Jason, so that’s how he got them.”
“Riley’s done so much that I can’t keep up.”
“Me either.”
“Did you see the promos she’s been doing on the Maine Event social media accounts? Hundreds of thousands of people like each post she puts up.”
“You made a great call by hiring her as the marketing director.”
“Riley’s a great woman,” Skylar agreed. “I’m glad she has this chance to really show the world what she’s capable of.”
Silence settled between them again as some recent hit song played on the radio. Elena couldn’t help but notice how her right hand and Skylar’s left hand were both hanging over the center console. Without overthinking it, Elena wrapped her pinky finger around Skylar’s. It took her a moment to realize, but when she did, Skylar pulled away without a word.
Moving both hands to the wheel, Elena made a few turns into LAX. She parked in front of Skylar’s airline and unlocked the doors.
“Have a safe flight.”
“Thanks.” Skylar opened the door, started to step out, then stopped. Closing the door, she looked back over at Elena. “I want to hold your hand, but I can’t. Because I want more than hand-holding when no one else is around, and I know you’re not capable of giving me that. So, this time around, I have to protect myself.”
Elena was speechless. She knew there was nothing she could say at that moment that would change Skylar’s mind. Because as much as Elena wished it wasn’t the case, she knew Skylar was right.
Opening the door once more, Skylar stepped out and retrieved her suitcase from the trunk. Skylar looked in the door once more and waved.
“I’ll see you on tour.”
“Yeah, see you then.”
Elena watched as Skylar shut the door and walked toward the sliding glass doors of the airport. Just before she stepped inside, Skylar turned around and waved once more. Waving back, Elena couldn’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, a second chance with Skylar would be worth stepping out of the closet for.
Chapter 14
Skylar
The serenity of the Cove was exactly what Skylar needed after the last few weeks. Sure, rehearsing six days a week for the tour had taken a lot out of her, but she was more mentally tired from keeping her distance from Elena. On more than one occasion, Skylar wanted to screw the five-foot rule and kiss Elena. And she knew Elena felt the same. She could still read her like a book.
With only a few days before the tour started, Skylar knew she needed to clear her mind before they embarked on the journey. Thankfully, the Cove seemed to understand that and gave her the perfect weather for a morning run. It wasn’t too hot yet, and the gentle breeze still held the coolness from spring. Skylar’s headphones blared her running playlist as she rounded the corner onto Main Street and headed to the lighthouse.
Despite falling into disrepair years ago, Skylar still found her way to the lighthouse when she needed to think. It had become a hangout for a lot of kids in the Cove when Skylar was growing up. Even she and Elena had made their way up the spiraling staircase countless times together. Of course, that was before Elena first kissed her, and Skylar’s world shifted off of its axis.
And even years later, Elena’s kisses could still drive Skylar wild. That much had been proven each time they’d kissed the last few weeks and from the fact Skylar missed them now. If they hadn’t been so practical in keeping their distance, Skylar knew they would have already slept together. Part of her wanted it to happen, while the other part knew she had to keep her heart from being broken again.
Skylar ran along the paved path toward the lighthouse as she tried to keep her mind off Elena. It was nearly impossible since every time Skylar blinked, she could see Elena smile at her from across the stage. Back in the day, the two often shared a microphone because it always added to the intensity—and, well, intimacy—of their performance. But Skylar had been keenly aware that she and Elena were several feet apart, and neither left their place behind their microphone for the entire set. It felt stiff to Skylar, but she didn’t dare say that out loud.
Arriving at the lighthouse, Skylar took the creeping spiral stairs two at a time until she finally reached the top. Some of the windows were broken, while even more were haphazardly patched up with plywood. The city council had been talking about repairing it for years, but apparently, their funding has never come through. Skylar took a seat on the same old wooden bench she used to sit on and sighed. She wished she’d brought Atlas along to keep her company. If nothing else, his lanky frame could have helped keep her mind off Elena.
Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her yoga pants, she pulled up Elena’s text thread. There were no new messages, not that Skylar was expecting there to be one. The last she’d heard from Elena was a text asking how her flight was and if she made it home safe. Skylar had responded that the flight was good and she was home, and Elena sent a thumbs up in response. It was a little impersonal, Skylar felt, but she tried not to let it get to her.
She just wished she could think of something—anything—to say to Elena to start a conversation.
Sitting her phone down on the bench, Skylar stood and looked out the fogged-up window. The methodical sound of the ocean gently crashing into the rocky shoreline was calming to Skylar. She wished she could bottle the sound up and take it on tour with her. It was inevitable that the tour would get overwhelming, even if she did have plans to come home during their off days.
Her phone buzzed on the bench, and Skylar nearly fell as she bolted over to it. For whatever reason, she thought it was Elena. Much to her disappointment, it was Blake Calloway.
Skylar couldn’t believe she was disappointed at Blake texting her. For years, Skylar had watched Blake on her hit sci-fi TV show and dreamed of meeting her. And now the two were friends. They’d gotten close after Skylar volunteered to sing at an event for Blake’s sister’s organization. Which was why the text asking if she wanted to meet up for lunch didn’t catch Skylar off guard.
She typed out a message with a time and place, and Blake confirmed with a thumbs up. Glancing at the time, Skylar knew she needed to head home to shower before going to lunch. Skylar tucked her phone into her pocket and headed down the lighthouse stairs.
The jog back to her townhouse was easy and mostly downhill, thanks to the slight slope in the Cove’s geography. She kept her head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone as she ran. Not that she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Skylar just wasn’t in the mood to talk about the tour anymore. It had been the only thing on her mind for weeks.
