Page 44 of Animal Beats

Enough about my family. Time to learn more about her. “You already told me your parents passed away in a car accident a few years back. Want to talk about it?” When she doesn’t reply, I add, “Seems like it’s only fair considering you got to meet mine today.”

She gulps the remainder of her sparkling cider. I rub my hands over my thighs, wishing I were rubbing her thighs. Before I can act on this impulse, she says, “My parents were good people. I loved them so much. Mom was an interior designer and my father worked at an auto body shop.”

“Salt of the earth types.”

Her head bounces. “They always were trying to help others out. If someone moved into the neighborhood, Mom brought a casserole. When someone’s car battery failed, Dad would jump them.” A soft smile crosses her face. “I try to follow in their footsteps.”

“I can’t imagine Pop doing anything remotely helpful like that. If there’s nothing in it for him, he’s not interested. The only reason he was there today was for the press.” I push her hair off her cheeks. “Your positive upbringing made you who you are. Were they happy you got into PR?”

She turns toward me on the sofa and crosses her legs. “They were excited I was using my college degree. When they,” Hayden catches a breath. “When they were killed, I was working at a local rescue, taking photos for their social media.”

My eyebrows pull together. “Seems like a big jump from that to working with a rock band.”

“Yeah, well, they left me in charge of my sister, which meant I needed to make more money. I loved what I was doing, but it didn’t pay enough. So, I landed this job.”

This statement confirms her sister is some self-absorbed brat like my stepsister. I give myself a mental shake—I’m not interested in her sister. I want to find out more about this intriguing woman. “But what about social media?”

“Oh, I post to UC’s socials all the time. For instance, the photos of you eating a Philly cheesesteak got tons of responses.” She pulls up her phone and turns it toward me. “See?”

Sure enough, there are over ten-thousand likes on the post, with a bunch of comments. “Impressive.” I pass her cell to her. “How about the PR stuff?”

“It’s cool.” She huffs a laugh. “You guys sure do keep me on my toes. Especially when you start a riot at the Trevi Fountain.”

I rear backward. “Hey! I didn’t realize things would get so out of hand.”

Her head shakes. “You never do.”

I shrug. “It’s not my fault people follow me.” My fingers trace her arm. “Besides, you were telling me your life story. Now that we got the professional shit out of the way, how about the more fun stuff? Hobbies? Did you leave a boyfriend behind in”—where is she from?—“Colorado?”

She gives me a look. “I’m from North Carolina.”

“My bad.” I tuck this nugget of information away. Seems like I may need it again.

“As for hobbies? I enjoy yoga.”

Darren used to do yoga on the daily. Since his death, though, no one has touched a mat. “I’ve only done it a few times.” My heart races. I hate talking about Darren now that he’s gone, but she makes me feel safe. “When Darren was alive, he did it all the time.”

“Oh.” She bites her lip. “I had wondered why no one did yoga on the tour. I’ve heard Adam Levine and Bon Jovi practice.”

I nod. “It was too hard for us to continue. 007 was his best friend, you know. They used to practice together a lot.” I turn my head.

“I didn’t know.” She adjusts her position. “I thought Tris and 007 were best buddies?”

“They are now. Darren’s death hit 007 hard. Well, it hit all of us really badly, but 007 and he were best friends since before I met them in fifth grade.”

“You guys have been friends for a long time.”

Looking up to the ceiling, I laugh. “We have. The stories I could tell you.” I look at her shining eyes. “But I won’t. Let me say we know a lot about each other and leave it at that.”

“So 007 and Darren were best friends, and now he’s tight with Tris. Who do you hang out with? Bennett?”

“Bennett was a hard nut to crack. Before he met Jenna… again.” He rubs his arm. “We all—except Tris, of course—worked together at Amazing Amusements. Back then, his father had just died and he was all sorts of closed off. I tried really hard to get him to open up, but he never fully let himself be part of the band. That is, until Jenna got her hands on him.” I smile. “They’re a great couple.” Almost make me believe in love. But for my own lived experiences.

Hayden nods. “Jenna’s been through a lot herself. I’m happy they’re making a go of it.”

“It was touch and go there for a while. Things eventually got sorted.” I finish my glass. “Want another?”

“Nah, I’m good.”