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He laughed. Luckily, the room was noisy and they were far enough away that no one would have heard her. Krystal’s comment about Heather getting all the brains played through his head. She might be young, but she was razor-sharp. And perceptive. CiCi King was a mean girl—worse, a mean mother. He might not know the details of what soured her and Krystal’s relationship, but there was no denying it was hanging on by a thread. A thread neither of them seemed ready or willing to save.
“What do you do now?” Heather asked. “Something cool?”
He chuckled. “Me? No. I’m pretty tuckered out, Heather. Let me check in with Luke, and if we get the all clear, I could go for some pizza?” He paused. “And a shake?”
“It’s like midnight.” She made a show of looking at her phone.
“I didn’t realize there was a pizza and shake cutoff time.” He winked. “You’re not hungry?” To him, she seemed skinny. Too skinny. One night of pizza and a few milkshakes wouldn’t fix that, but it would have to do. For now.
“I could eat.” But she wasn’t paying attention. Krystal walked in—with Clementine. He wasn’t sure what Heather was more excited about: Krystal or the dog. He had to admit, Clementine was growing on him. He’d come to admire the little dog’s fearlessness, even when she was sliding into walls or stumbling in a full run. Must get that from her owner—the woman holding the dog. She was something else. Something soft pretending to be hard. Something vulnerable pretending to be strong.
Her green gaze bounced off his, but she smiled Heather’s way. Why did she do that? Did she honestly believe he bought her whole indifferent thing? He didn’t. There was no way she could deny the current between them—it was too big, too live, too damn electric to ignore.
“Krystal King is smiling at me,” Heather whispered, her grip painfully tight. “Smiling.”
“You did sort of tackle her.”
Heather stared up at him in horror. “I did. I really did.”
“I was teasing, Heather.” He hugged her close. “Give me a sec.” It didn’t take long for him to hunt down Luke. He was on his phone, as always.
“We’re going through Salt Lake tomorrow. From there, we’re in California. I’ve got you on that late late-night show with the guy that does the singing?” He looked up from his phone. “The funny one?”
Jace nodded, not entirely sure who Luke was talking about but assuming it was a good thing. Promo was always a good thing, wasn’t it? Especially now that he’d be the Kings’ opening act. How hard could it be? Sitting in a chair, talking about how damn lucky it was to be him right now. He was the luckiest bastard alive and he knew it.
“This is good, man, awesome.” Luke slapped him on the shoulder.
“Okay for me to take off?” he asked. “Heather’s here.”
“Check with Hank, will you?” Luke’s phone buzzed. “I don’t think he has anything else planned, but I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. Especially his.”
“Agreed.” But the sight of Krystal beside Heather, Clementine in his sister’s lap, had him heading their way. “Satisfied?”
?
??Um, no. I’m overwhelmed. Can I just quit school and be her dog nanny?” Heather was smiling, Clementine bathing her cheek in doggy kisses. “We don’t have to rush off, do we?”
“Where are you rushing off to?” Krystal asked, smiling at the ferocity of Clementine’s wiggles.
“Someplace where there’s good pizza. Maybe a few milkshakes?” He paused. “If you want to join us? After the meet-and-greet thing?”
He wasn’t sure who was more surprised. Heather was practically bouncing in place. Krystal was staring at him like he’d grown another head. Or the fact that he’d asked her to come along.
“Did I hear milkshakes?” Travis asked, joining the group. “Sawyer was telling me about this place off the highway. Not sure about the pizza, but the burgers and shakes are good.”
“I’m not averse to a good burger.” Jace nodded.
“My stalker Sawyer?” Krystal asked.
Travis pointed. “Krys, he’s your security guard. He’s decent.”
Jace took another look at Sawyer. Stalker? He grinned, thinking about Heather’s earlier assessment. Weren’t security guards supposed to be stony-faced, muscle-bound guys? The “King’s Guard” shirt did make it hard to take him too seriously, though.
“Why don’t I recognize him? I like Jerome better; he’s not intense all the time.” Krystal’s gaze narrowed. “Besides, isn’t he a little young to be a retired Special Ops guy? Dad’s a firm believer in hiring veterans.”
“Don’t know. But he’s cool.” Travis yawned. “Pretty good on the guitar, too. Food? Yes?”
“Sounds good. Can you watch her until this dog and pony show is over?” Krystal sighed, smoothing the crazy white tuft on top of Clementine’s little head.
