“Instantly regretted it.” Even though it is the truth, I feel a cold smile twisting my lips. “He left me here with no way to make money so I did what I had to do.”
“Did he ever ask for it back?”
“No, he didn’t. I think he knew our whole relationship was a mistake.” My stomach drops, thinking about Grant and another one of his rings on another girl’s finger. “I guess I’ll have to fess up when I see him,” I mumble, knowing it’s time to come clean on why I’m here.
“Well, I’ll have to think about it.” Mae curls back up, and out of risk of her going back under again, I reach out and grab her hand.
“I told you I was here with good news.” This instantly perks her right back up. Her eyes find mine and there’s finally a bit of life to them. “We’ve been approved for another show.”
“I have a hard time believing anyone at the label signed off, knowing the ‘fragile state’ I’m currently in.” I cringe at the titles she’s adopted from the news but know this is the time to push her.
“They signed off on it because it didn’t cost them any money or any of their own time or planning. It’s low risk, nothing flashy.”
Mae narrows her eyes at me. “What’d you do?”
“Listen, the way I see this whole nasty business is that we either let Trenton and the stalker and shitty Nashville practices beat us,orwe put on a show built off of our hard work. You and your band don’t need all the fancy fanfare. Anyone would kill to have you as a headliner.”
“But who would, right now, in the midst of all of this drama?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “You’ve got to stop doom scrolling. I promise it’s not as bad as your feed is making it sound. If I’m not worried then there’s no reason foryouto be because I worry about everything when it comes to you.”
“Okay, so where are we going? And when?” Mae slowly untucks herself and I grin.
“It only took one phone call to that massive outdoor amphitheater in Eureka Springs, Arkansas—”
“Oh, Raleigh, you can’t go home. You hate it there!”
Hate is a stronger word than I would use, but not visiting there in three years might be enough evidence to suggest that I should start using it. “I really should see my parents,” I manage to say. Mae won’t let her scrutinizing gaze dissipate. Sighing, I continue with my truths. “It was only a matter of time. If they had to come here to visit again, I think my mom would just decide to move here and we cannot have that.”
“You’re truly okay with it all? It’s a small town, and they all know you.”
“After watching you take this big step in ending things with Trenton, I think it’s time that I also have a few mature conversations with some people. I’ve been putting a lot of things off for a long time.” Visualizing a dinner with Grant and his fiancé makes me want to throw up, but I take a stabilizing breathinstead. “I’ll go a few days early to get all my shit sorted out before you get there. Nobody needs any more stress.”
“You should take Dalton with you,” she teases.
“Welcome him into the messy side of my life? Yeah, no thanks.”
“He wouldn’t mind,” she sings, playfully pushing at my shoulder.
I know he wouldn’t. In fact, he’d be my biggest supporter. Still, I’m not ready for that step, even if Mae thinks I am. “I’m seeing him tonight, but I doubt–”
Mae practically leaps to her feet on the couch and starts jumping up and down. “Like a date?”
“Not like a date,” I say, leaping to my feet to grab her by the arms. She slowly stops bouncing. “I want to go over details with him about the show. He’s been bored out of his mind just waiting for you to do something away from here.”
“I give you all this time and space to finally get together and now you’re telling me you haven’t hung out once?”
I shrug. “You bring us together.”
Through a snort, she addresses me, “I pray to God that is not fully true.”
“Maybe not fully. Still, without you, we never would have met. Without you, I wouldn’t be seeing him at the bar tonight.”
“Girl!” Mae feigns a fainting spell and lands flat on her back on the couch. “Don’t spend your whole time talking about me!”
“I hadn’t planned on it, but it is the top of the meeting notes I’ve written out. I mean there’s at least five different things that—”
“Raleigh,” she groans, interrupting me.
