AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then what’s up with the other fifty tickets?” Ox asked.
“I’m donating those. I sent a note along with the package asking Joey to figure out a way to share them with some veterans.”
Danny rapped his knuckles on his parents’ kitchen door before letting himself in. His father had left him a voice mail earlier, asking him to stop by on the way home, but he hadn’t elaborated. At first Danny had been worried something had happened at one of his father’s jewelry stores, but no reports had come in. And if there had been a robbery or anything like that, Joey or his dad would have called him. At least, heassumedthey would.
“Dad?”
“In the living room,” Richie answered.
Richie marked a page in the book he was reading and slid it onto the coffee table. Danny sat in the chair across from him. His father pushed his reading glasses on top of his head.
“Everything okay?” Danny asked. “Your voice mail was a little cryptic.”
“Things are fine,” Richie said. “I wanted to tell you about what happened at work today.”
“You didn’t get robbed, did you?” Danny nearly jumped out of his chair.
“No! Nothing like that,” Richie said. “But I did get a visit from a man named Tony Vaughn. He owns the entertainment firm that represents The Kingmakers.”
“I know the name.” Danny’s palms started to sweat. What would Lauren’s publicist want with his father? The last publicist that got in touch with his family pretty much threw a grenade into his life.
“Lauren sent tickets and backstage passes for the opening night of her tour. One set was for Joey, and she asked him to share them with other veterans. The rest are for us—to do whatever we want with them.”
Danny’s face fell. She’d sent tickets—but to his father? To Joey? He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, holding the sides of his head in confusion.
“She also sent me a note, and a picture, with the tickets.”
Richie held out a sheet of paper and a four-by-six color print. Danny took it, immediately recognizing Lauren’s neat script. The photo was a candid shot of him and Lauren from the past summer. They were sitting together, talking, and smiling, unaware they were having their picture taken. They looked happy. He vaguely remembered seeing it at Lauren’s place—Stevie had taken it. Or maybe Augie.
Danny scanned the letter:
Dear Mr. P.,
I hope you’ve been well. I’d like to invite you and your family to the first night of our new world tour at Madison Square Garden. Enclosed, you’ll find 20 tickets and 20 passes to the after party.
After everything that went on this past year, I might be the last person you want to hear from. And going to the show may be the last thing any of you want to do. I’d understand that. But it was important to me, though, to invite you all. If you don’t want them, please donate them somewhere or use them to raise money for a charity.
I hope you know that I never meant to hurt your family or disrupt your lives. When I came back to New York, I really didn’t have plans to see Danny. But you know what they say about good intentions. I want you to know that anything that happened with Danny started because I’ve always loved him. From the very first day I met him when we were kids.
I’d like to tell you this in person, but I think I’m too scared. It seems funny to say that. My sister says I’m brave, and maybe in most cases, she’s right. I’ve never cared much about what most people think of me. You are one of the few whose opinion DOES matter. You were always so encouraging and supportive when I was a kid. I’ve never forgotten that, and I think I am too scared to face you now because I’m afraid I’ll see disappointment on your face.
Despite everything, I hope you’ll all come and enjoy the show.
All the best,
Lauren
Danny put the letter down. His emotions churned. He’d been trying—really trying—with Heather and had kept his focus there. But ever since that unexpected interlude with Lauren, he’d been wondering if he made the right choice. He’d convinced himself he had. But now? Now he felt like the ground under him was soft, unstable, and he was off balance.
“What do you want to do?” Richie asked.
“Do?”
“About the tickets. Do you want to go to the show? Give them away? Throw them away?”
Danny’s head jerked back.Throw them away? No way in hell.“I do want to go to the show. Joey and I have been trying to get tickets. During one of our therapy sessions, I told Heather I was going. She got pissed.”
“I can imagine.”
