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“I never claimed to be. But hit me with your best shot, see if Idoanswer.”
“Okay.” He held up one finger. “First question: did you manage the hell out of Never Again when you were but a mere lass?”
Surprised laughter bubbled out of me as I shook my head. “No, sorry to disappoint. I hooked them up with someone who got them on the Busted tour, and maybe called a few venues to get them gi—”
David snorted, cutting off my denial. “You managed the hell out of them without getting paid. Got it.”
Jasper nudged my shoulder with his. “I bet you were born managing.”
Nick laughed. “Did you post diaper change schedules in your nursery?”
Ignoring all of them, I asked, “What’s your last question?”
David took a few moments to collect himself before he asked, “Did this dude hurt you? Do we need to fuck him up for you?”
Unbidden and unwanted, tears collected in my eyes and my nose burned. I had to turn my head to stop my eyes from leaking and ruining my makeupandmy reputation as a badass.
“We will. Just give us the word,” Nick added.
“I think that might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” I pressed my lips together, meeting all their eyes. They were completely sincere in their offer, and it made me realize maybe I hadn’t kept as much professional distance as I liked to believe. Their offer was one my brothers would make—hadmade—and it warmed me, as crazy as it was.
“Yes, he hurt me, but I think I hurt him too. There’s no need to kick anyone’s ass. All asses have been kicked.”
That was the moment a throat cleared, alerting us we were no longer alone in the green room. We all turned, finding Jude standing just inside the door.
He raised his hand. “Can confirm my ass was definitely kicked.”
David stood, and in what I thought was a protective, yet completely unnecessary move, stepped in front of me.
“Who says we were talking about you?”
“’Cause I’m really hoping there’s no other asshole around here who hurt Tali. Otherwise, I’ll join in on the ass kicking,” Jude answered.
Sighing heavily, I pushed up from the couch and moved out from behind David.
“Is this really happening? Aren’t we all too old to be talking about kicking asses?” I glanced around from man to man, all well into their thirties and definitely past the point of fighting other men for ancient transgressions. “I really don’t need cavemen thumping their chests over me. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
There were a lot of murmured, “Sorry, Tali,” throughout the room.
“Can we help you, Jude?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, I actually need you to lend me your ear for a minute. I have a new monitor for you to try out since you didn’t like the last one,” Jude said.
Nick hopped up, immediately falling into professional mode, and followed Jude out to the stage. The other guys dispersed soon after, leaving me alone with my computer and inbox full of unanswered emails.
Instead of answering them, I slid my computer into my messenger bag, slung the strap across my body, and followed the sound of Nick Fletcher.
It was curiosity, mostly, that led me to the side of the stage where Jude worked. In all these years working in the business, I’d never paid very much attention to the nitty gritty of what the sound engineers did. As long as the band was happy, I left that area alone.
I couldn’t lie to myself about the cause of my sudden curiosity. It didn’t make sense to even try.
Jude was on the stage with Nick, adjusting the monitor he wore in his ear. Nick strummed his guitar, then made a face, sending Jude back to his soundboard, where I was standing.
His mouth twitched when he saw me lingering. “Hey, Stripes.”
“Hey, Jude.”
How did that simple greeting make me feel nineteen again? Probably because when Jude said it, he said it the same way he used to. Like seeing me was the highlight of his day.
