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12
TEDDY
PRESENT DAY
Amsterdam is crowded. Busy. Beautiful.
The driver navigates the streets with ease, unperturbed by the nonstop activity around us.
A few minutes later, we pull up outside a hotel. There are at least a hundred people gathered on the sidewalk. Metal barricades have been set up on either side of the glass doors that mark the entrance. It takes me a minute and Sutton emerging from the car in front of mine to realize they’re here for her. That the woman, who was fast asleep a few feet away from me when I woke up yesterday morning, is famous in a way that’s difficult to comprehend without seeing in person.
I climb out of the car after Adam, the drummer. Jaxon, the bassist, is right behind me, followed by Blake, who plays keyboard and piano. Sutton’s two backup singers, Amelia and Camille, rode in the car with her, along with Suzan and Hannah. We’re a large group, especially once hotel staff emerge to unload the luggage.
The crowd isn’t paying attention to anyone but Sutton. She’s working her way down the line of people who arrived early enough to be pressed directly against the barricade, autographing everything she’s handed and smiling for photographs. The fans farther back shout and yell, struggling to press closer to the fencing and have their brush with fame.
“Come on, lads,” Blake says. His Irish brogue thickens the words. In his late-thirties and married, he’s the unofficial leader of the crew, especially when Jackson isn’t around.
The official bandleader and my fellow guitarist headed straight to Ziggo Dome to make certain our equipment had arrived safely.
Adam and Jaxon follow Blake toward the entrance of the hotel. Suzan is hovering behind Sutton along with her bodyguard, Greg. Hannah, Amelia, and Camille have already disappeared inside. When I pass Sutton, she glances at me. For a few seconds, we hold eye contact.
Then, I’m inside the marble lobby. The opulence is less of a shock than it was when I arrived at the fancy hotel in Cologne, but it’s still startling. I wasn’t expecting to stay at the European equivalent of a Motel 6, but I wasn’t prepared for this degree of luxury either.
Hannah is at the front desk, checking everyone in. The rest of us loiter in the lobby. I glance back outside. Sutton is only halfway through the crowd. There’s a wide smile on her face, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She’s playing a part.
“Have you been to Amsterdam before, Teddy?”
I glance to my right at Amelia. My interaction with both of Sutton’s backup singers has been minimal so far. Amelia’s smile is subtle, just a slight upturn of her lips as she waits for me to answer. And I’m staring at her lips, which I realize when they rise further as she notices the same. Both Amelia and Camille are gorgeous. Beauty that’s impossible to miss, even when it’s in the background.
“First trip,” I reply with a friendly smile. “You?”
“Third. But they’ve all been for work.”
There’s an immediate increase in noise that causes me to glance back outside. Another car has pulled up. A tall, lanky guy with blond hair is climbing out. His appearance is noticeably contributing to the pandemonium taking place outside. There are cameras flashing. People shouting. It gives me a bad feeling, even before he walks over to Sutton and kisses her square on the mouth, setting off a fresh wave of excitement outside. It sets off thebamI associate with her, straight to the heart. Blood pounds in my ears.
I bite down on the inside of my cheek. Hard. “Who’s that?” I ask Amelia.
“Not much of a country fan, huh?” She laughs. “Me neither. He is pretty to look at, though. That’s Kyle Spencer.”
“They’re together? Him and Sutton?”
Amelia laughs again. “You live under a rock, huh?”
“Something like that. How long have they been dating for?”
“Six months, I think? They’ve been friends for a while. Kyle hit the big time around the same time as Sutton. He must be the special guest they’ve been promoting for tomorrow night.”
I make a disinterested sound, but I’m the furthest thing from it. I should have asked Sutton about him when we went out in Cologne. Part of me hoped Tanya was wrong about Sutton having a boyfriend. When Sutton didn’t mention him, I assumed she was.
The laughing couple outside tells a different story.
It affects me far more viscerally than I would have expected. I’m jealous.Painfullyjealous, and I have no right to be.
Sutton and Kyle walk into the lobby a couple of minutes later, flanked by Greg and Suzan. Kyle is greeted enthusiastically by the other members of the band, which annoys me for no reason. In the short time I’ve known them, Adam, Jaxon, and Blake have started to feel like friends. Seeing them shaking hands and joking around with Sutton’s boyfriend feels like a betrayal.
“Hey, man. I don’t think we’ve met before.”
Kyle has finished catching up with everyone else and is holding out a palm to me. Reluctantly, I shake it, gripping his hand a little harder than is necessary.
