“She’s with her band in the trailer.”
“Good, that’s good.” I flex my fingers twice before making them come to a rest on my thighs.
“You sure you’re okay, Raleigh?” I can detect the genuine care in his voice, and it just extends into his eyes when I look over at him. Maybe, just this once, I could be a little bit vulnerable. I’ve spent enough time dealing with problems on my own.
“I—” My moment of bravery is interrupted by the opening of the double doors to our left. Crew members and band matesflood inside, and I’m immediately inclined to find Mae to make sure she knows the schedule.
Dalton and I might as well be invisible as the rehearsal starts. Mae and her band, flawless as ever, have a breakneck pace of a set. They’ve left a four minute section for Mae and her fiddle player, Theresa, to fill in with different songs each concert. During that time now, they play around with an arrangement for a new song Mae plans on recording soon after the holiday break. The rest of the crew treats it as a quick breather before swiftly switching over the stage for Trenton.
As the performance continues on stage, someone steps up next to me. “You could join them on piano maybe?” My true disappointment steps forward when I realize the man standing next to me isn’t Dalton.
I don’t spare a glance Trenton’s way. All my focus is on the string performance in front of me. “Or you could join her for a song or two during her set, instead of saving them all for yours,” I retort. Trenton knows my past, there's no need to tip toe around him. I only worry that Dalton is nearby and might learn something I’m not ready for him to know yet.
“Mae has been very clear about what she wants. I’m sure you orchestrated all of that.”
He’s finally coaxed me to look at him. With crossed arms, I correct him. “Mae does what she wants,” I say firmly. “It’d be best for both of us not to get in her way.”
“Let’s not fight, Raleigh. We’re going to be spending so much time together after our vacation.”
“Vacation?” I ask, uninterested.
“Oh, did Mae not mention it? Two weeks in the Bahamas? I’m sure you’ll want to be on duty to make sure no bad press comes from any photos of us.” A charming smile plays at his lips before he steps away from me and up the ramp toward backstage. Fromthe look alone, I can feel that he’s got something unfortunate up his sleeve. The vacation is a surprise but not a shock.
Two weeks without Mae, knowing she would be with him would be hard. Immediately, I look up in search of Dalton. He can go with and make sure everything’s on the up and up. As the stage change begins, I rove back into the lobby.
“Looking for anyone I know?” Dalton has sprung up behind me. Any normal person would jump, but I grab his tie and drag him fully through the door so it can close. His eyes go wide as the door clicks closed, but he quickly recovers. “Listen, if you want to finish what we started in the car at the Halloween party I’m all for it, but I don’t know if this is the best place.”
I release his clothes immediately and return to my stiff stature. Crossing my arms and pursing my lips I try to turn this whole encounter around. This was not intended to become some sneaky make out session, though I know it looks very much that way. Not wanting to linger on that possibility I plunge forward into the issue at hand. “Trenton just happily told me the news of his traveling plans for break …”
Dalton’s sly smile disappears, and it instantly gives him away. He already knew. Rubbing his neck he seems guilty as he breaks. “I tried to call you about it. I’ll have family in town and Mitch is free so—”
“You’re not going?” I ask, only slightly panicking.
“Mitch will be there. He cares for Mae’s well-being just as much as we do, and he knows when Trenton’s had enough. I promise he’ll make sure she’s okay.”
Letting go of control in this moment is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but Dalton is a partner in this and deserves to be trusted. “If you trust him.” I sigh and find myself feeling a little lighter than I thought I might.
Despite all the discomfort and unprofessionalism I’ve put him through the past few weeks, Dalton still chooses to show upevery day. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I realize I owe him an apology. I’ve been such an idiot. “This is really hard for me,” I begin. The seriousness catches him off guard. His hand finds mine and it makes me feel stronger. I linger on the feeling of his touch for just a moment before bravely sharing more with him. “I want to apologize to you about everything that’s been going on. There are a few things I haven’t told you about me, and while I don’t think I’m ready to talk, I would really love it if you would be patient with me.” He’s looking at me with an understanding so deep that I have to clear my throat. Has he always been so intense? “But, I would understand if what you heard over my phone call was enough for you.”
“For the record,” he starts, “I didn’t want to listen, just wanted to make sure you were okay. Mae filled me in on why you’re okay with it, and while I may not understand it all the way, I do understand that I like you and want you to trust me. You can trust me, Raleigh.”
Squeezing his hand, I feel that he has the right of reassurance. “You’ve proven that.”
“Good.” His lips turn up in a half smile before he’s reaching into his coat pocket. I’m halfway out the door when his hand catches mine again.
“What’s this?” I ask as an envelope is handed to me.
Chapter 18
Dalton
“IT’S A CHRISTMAS party invite.” I’ve been holding onto this thing in my pocket for days, not knowing if I’d get a moment to hand it to her. Thankfully, Raleigh doesn’t laugh in my face, merely pulls out into an empty lobby. Taking it from my hand, she opens it and scans the content. “I’m having a small get together on Christmas Eve. Just my brother and a few neighbors.”
“Are you sure? You don’t think it would be too much for us?” Clearly she still feels the connection between us as much as I do. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have ulterior motives. I plan on making a joke about it, but then I remember how stressed she’d been about us being seen so close together and think better of it.
“It’s just a friend thing, I promise.” I said one thing, but deep down I mean another.
She forces the invite back into my hand, but her fingers linger in mine, “It’s not that. Trust me, I’m just not the person you wantaround on the happiest day of the year.” My heart breaks a little at that.
