I offered my hand before Reed did the same. “Can’t complain, man. Hey, I saw your beautiful wife in Houston last month. I swear, she’s getting better with age.” His wife, Nikki Spencer McCall, was the daughter of the founder of our record label and country music royalty. Everyone loved and respected her in our industry.
J.T. laughed. “Don’t I know it.” He patted his flat stomach. “Gotta hit the gym every morning ‘cause I worry about some other young bastard stealin’ her away.”
“You know that’ll never happen.” As long as I’d known Nikki she’d only had eyes for one man. She’d called J.T. the love of her life more times than I could count.
“There’s Charli,” Reed said, sliding out of the booth. “Excuse me, guys. I need a word with her.”
I watched him walk away, glaring at the back of his head. I knew he wouldn’t make a play for her, but the threat of him taking her on the road for months was real.
“What’s that look about?” J.T. asked, claiming the seat Reed vacated. “You look like you’d like to take a shot at him.”
J.T. was probably my old man’s age, but he was cooler than my father had ever been. As a retired bull rider, he’d partied like a rock star with all the buckle bunnies chasing him, so I knew he had some insight into how crazy the chase could get. Especially because his marriage to Nikki gave him an insider’s view into our business.
“You heard Charli sing earlier,” I said to him. “Reed thinks she’d be a good fit for his next tour.”
“And that’s a problem because…?”
It shouldn’t be a problem. I should want the best for Charli instead of selfishly trying to keep her close so we could figure out this thing between us. “You know Reed and Brook broke up, right?” That shouldn’t even be a factor. I knew Reed better than to think he’d disrespect me or our friendship by making a play for Charli, but after watching Knox fall in love with his best friend on the road, I knew anything could happen.
“Yeah, I heard somethin’ about that,” J.T. said. “But he seems okay with it.”
“He hides it well.” Reed was a master at pretending everything was fine while he was dying inside and there was no doubt in my mind his heart and soul had taken a beating when Brooklyn dumped him for disrespecting her with other women. “He’s not okay. Not even close.”
“Sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with him wantin’ to take Charli on the road? She a friend of yours?”
I wanted to tell him it was complicated, because it was, but that felt like a cop-out and J.T. deserved better. Unlike most people, he genuinely cared about us, and tried to be there whenever we needed to bend his ear.
“You know she’s Cece’s sister, right?” Cece and Knox had played Jimmy’s countless times over the years, and like most people, they’d developed a friendship with J.T.
“Yeah, I heard that. Can’t say I’m surprised she’s so talented. Good genes in that family.” He smiled. “Met her folks a couple of times. They come in for a drink now and then. Her mama’s a real pistol, huh? She was flirtin’ with me right in front of her old man.” His grin widened. “And many people intimidate me, but that’s one dude you don’t wanna mess with.”
I chuckled. “Pretty sure he hates my guts.” Though we’d gained some ground, I thought. “Thinks I wanna make his baby girl the next Mrs. Jarvis.”
J.T.’s eyes widened. “You and Charli are a thing?”
I ran a hand over my head as I watched Reed lead Charli to a booth in the back while Sky geared up to sing another song. People had been watching our table all night and I spotted a few girls at the bar who were probably thinking about moving in on me, but security at Jimmy’s provided the musicians who routinely performed or stopped in for a drink an extra set of eyes and hands to keep eager fans at a distance.
“I just hired her as my assistant.” I sighed, acknowledging that didn’t scratch the surface. “I know you’re not big on social media so I’m guessing you don’t know what happened at Knox and Cece’s wedding?”
He shook his head. “No, I hated like hell having to miss it, but Nikki had to be out of town and wanted me to go with her. We just got back today. So, what happened at the wedding?”
“Let’s just say we both had a few too many and finally acted on a long-standing attraction. It’s got tongues wagging. And the last thing I wanna do is drag her into my drama.”
“Huh.” J.T. rubbed the salt and pepper scruff on his chin. “If that were true, would she be workin’ for you, Dade?”
He was right, of course. If I really wanted to protect her, I’d send her on an all-expenses paid vacation for a month until this shit blew over. Not offer her a job, where we’d be together every day. “She needed a job and I needed an assistant.” I rolled my eyes when J.T.’s look said he was calling bullshit. “And she needed a place to stay—”
“Hold up,” J.T. said, raising his hand. “She’s staying with you?”
He made it seem outrageous, which maybe it was, since I’d never invited another assistant, or anyone on my payroll to share my home. “She’s staying with me,” I said, casting a glance around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Because the press was camped out at her folks’ house, trying to get a statement about her relationship with me. I didn’t want to subject her or them to that, so I invited her to stay with me for a while.” I shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”
“You have feelings for her.” He wasn’t asking. In typical J.T. fashion he was telling me what he’d observed and daring me to argue.
“I can’t have feelings for anyone,” I said through clenched teeth. “You know my history with women. It’s like pouring gas on dry tinder and striking a match. Only a matter of time before it goes up in flames.”
J.T. set his elbows on the table and folded his hands. “So, that’s it then? You’re giving up on relationships? Decided you’re gonna be alone for the rest of your life? Never gonna have kids?”
We’d had numerous conversations about how much I wanted a family, so I couldn’t pretend I’d changed my mind about that without sounding like a fraud. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future. I just know that right now, I can’t go there. The wounds are too fresh—”
