AllFreeNovel
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RS: Thanks for sitting with us today, you guys. Congrats on the new album and good luck on your tour!
On the last page of the article, there was a large call-out about Lauren. Titled “Long Live the Queen,” the photo showed her on stage, lifting her guitar beneath the glare of a spotlight. All Danny could think when he looked at it was that was where Lauren was supposed to be: on a stage. The profile itself didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know, but it was still interesting to read the brief chronicle of her rise, fall, and re-emergence onto the rock-and-roll scene.
Danny closed the magazine and glanced at the TV. Joey had paused the game so Danny hadn’t missed any of the action.
“Hey, thanks for saving me this.”
“I wanted to read it myself,” Joey said, his words garbled around the piece of crust he was chewing. “Figured you wouldn’t be able to get a look at it in your house.”
Danny grabbed a slice for himself. “I saw it when I was at the store with Heather the other day and tried to not even look at the magazine shelf. Wasn’t worth the fight. We’ve already had too many over the past month.”
“You still want to go to the show? Tickets go on sale Friday. It’s going to be tough to get them.”
“I want to go. That’s one of the things Heather and I are fighting about. But I’ve done everything she’s asked: the therapist, talking to Father Rob, all of it. I need to do this, so I’m not giving in on it. You still want to go with me?”
“Hell, yes,” Joey said.
ChapterFifty
The weeks leading up to the tour launch were a whirlwind of preparation and rehearsal until everything came to a brief, screeching halt for Christmas. Lauren didn’t mind; she welcomed the break—not only did she get a chance to spend it with her family, which was a gift in and of itself, but she also got to be part of a mini family baby shower for Carolyn.
After the holiday, rehearsals resumed. They went well except for a few notable exceptions. The most glaring was the day the lighting guru, Mario, couldn’t hit his marks or his timing to save his own life. It was so bad that Augie called him out and told him to either pull his shit together or to get out. It seemed to do the trick because the next day, everything went off without a hitch, and the band wrapped up the rehearsal tired and happy. After, they went to a nearby Chinese restaurant and powered through the buffet for dinner.
“You guys set with the family suites?” Ox asked. During every tour, in each band member’s hometown, part of the tour contract included a complimentary VIP suite for family and friends.
“I know I am,” said Augie as he looked over at Lauren.
“I made sure that we got adjoining suites for your family and mine,” she told him. “I confirmed them yesterday.”
“I bet your sister’s going to be mad she missed the show,” DJ said.
“Miss it?” Lauren started to laugh.
“Dude, you clearly don’t know Carolyn,” Augie said.
“Isn’t she due to have that baby any day now?” DJ asked.
“She sure looks it,” Lauren said. “But she’s not due until early February… And if you think she’s going to miss this just because she might give birth at the Garden, you’d be mistaken. You should have seen it when Greg hinted that maybe she should skip the show. I thought she was going to have the baby right then and there.”
“So obviously you’re not the only one in the family who can throw a tantrum.” Ox leaned to the side to avoid the piece of ice Lauren dug out of her drink and flung at him.
“What’s up with the other seats?” Stevie asked Lauren. “I heard Tony say you bought out a second suite and like fifty seats in one of the good sections.”
“I did.” Lauren’s answer was simple and short. Too short.
“For who?” Stevie asked.
In the few beats of silence that followed Stevie’s question, every head at the table turned to focus on Lauren.
“I’m giving the suite to the Padovano family.”
Ox’s mouth dropped open.“¡No mames!”
She took another bite of food while the rest of the band continued staring at her. Once she finished chewing, Lauren said, “Tony’s delivering the tickets today. I told him to give the tickets to the family. Whether or not they come to the show is up to them.” She took another deliberate bite of food, drank some water, and didn’t say another word about it.
Under his breath, DJ whispered, “I’ll kick his ass if I see him.”
Next to him, Augie whispered back, “You and me both, brother.” They bumped fists under the table.
