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Chapter 27
Jet
Jet fidgeted with the coffee cup in front of him and looked toward the door as the chime sounded again. It wasn’t Rome, just like it hadn’t been Rome the last ten times someone had walked through the door of the old diner.
He struggled to control his nerves. Damn, it had been so much easier to brush this meeting off when he’d been in Valentine Bay, surrounded by his friends and family, people who believed in him wholeheartedly, it was easy to believe in himself. He could build his self-image up to a point where he truly saw a life in front of him that was limitless in its possibilities, and that he was in control of.
Now, on his own and getting ready to face someone that most likely viewed him as nothing more than a drunk and out of control piece of shit, it was tough not to see himself in that light, as well.
Shit. He’d been tempted to ask Abby if she’d come along. If nothing else, it would’ve been awesome to have her company on the ride up and back. But he didn’t do that. He’d created this mess for his bandmates, it was up to him to clean it up.
The chime over the diner’s front door sounded again and this time when Jet looked up, it was Rome walking through the door. He put up a hand and gave a small wave, which his former bandmate returned. Neither of them smiled. Jet wondered if Rome was just tense, like he was, or if he was still carrying animosity about the breakup of the band.
Whichever it was, Jet was about to find out.
Rome slid into the booth opposite Jet and inclined his chin in greeting. Jet returned the gesture.
Fuck, we are winning the wordless greeting Olympics, Jet thought with a grimace. Now we just need to high-five or exchange mutual thumbs-up and we’ll have hit all the buttons.
The waitress approached their table. “Hey, there. What can I get you?” she asked Rome.
With a wan smile, he said, “Just coffee’s fine.”
“Coming right up,” she chirped and bustled away. Jet had to shake his head. It was clear that Rome’s mojo, the one that made people give him the nickname “Romeo,” was still in place.
Rome ran his hands through his hair and looked back to Jet. His face was tight. Jet got the distinct impression that all the hopes he’d had of this meeting going well, of there being some kind of reconciliation, were nothing but stupid pipe dreams.
Even though Jet felt the totally predictable urge to speak, simply to fill the awkward silence, he kept his mouth shut. This was Rome’s meeting, Let Rome talk, if he had something to say.
Besides, a small voice in his head pointed out to him, most of the trouble you’ve gotten yourself into over the years started with you opening up your mouth. Maybe it’s a good time to change the pattern.
Finally, after shredding a napkin into tiny strips of thin, white paper, Rome looked up and met his eyes. His words flooded out in a rush. “Look, I won’t lie. I’m here to ask you a favor. I realize you’re probably not in the most favor-giving mood. But fuck it. I’m still asking.”
Well, that was a surprise. “What’s the favor?”
Rome sighed. “This whole tour cancellation has been a damn nightmare. There’s only one show still on the books, and it’s because I asked the guys to hold off. It’s the only one I really cared about. The Christmas Eve benefit. It’s for The Angel Network. You know, Kyle Austen Reed’s foundation that connects special needs kids being raised by single parents with support families.”
“I’m familiar. In case you don’t remember, I drunkenly punched the guy on the red carpet at one of their events”
Rome barked out a laugh. “How could I forget? Making up for that is how we started playing benefits for them. But you know how much the foundation means to me. And, anyway, this one is right here in Portland, so you’re close.”
“Yeah, no problem. Of course I’ll do it.” Jet knew that Rome’s little sister had Cerebral Palsy, and that the two of them had been raised by a single mom, so The Angel Network had always held a special place for him.
Even though Jet had already agreed to perform at the show, Rome sped on as if he hadn’t heard him. “And even though I’m sure you’re pissed as hell at me and the other guys right now, if you could just think of the kids…wait, did you say yes?”
“Yeah.” Jet gave him a moment to process.
Rome looked up, flashed a quick smile. “Thanks. I mean…I thought this was gonna be a real scene. I figured you’d need to get some good, solid venting off your chest before you agreed. If you agreed.” His grin grew wider. “I was prepared to grovel.”
“Nah. I mean, sure. It hurt, the way the whole thing went down. I felt blindsided. But it’s made me take a look at myself. My life, my behavior. Let’s just say I didn’t love what I saw there.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. That’s awesome.”
“You sound surprised.”
