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Chapter One
D
ean
“It’s not that bad, Dean. A week, ten days tops…” My supposed best friend and manager, Frank, said as he drove his black SUV through the early morning traffic.
I was waiting for him to saythiswasfor my own good.
I cranked the Christmas music up one more level , then on a sigh, upped it another level for good measure before slinking back, eyes closed, in my seat. He’d had the audacity to wake me up at three a.m. and tell me to pack a bag, he’d pick me up soon…without telling me the destination.
And worse yet, he hadn’t even bothered to bring me a coffee.
I rubbed my temples tiredly while leaning against the passenger door. At this rate, between the music and his voice, I’d have a migraine before we’d reached whatever destination he had in mind.
Ifwe made it even.
Frank was the world’s worst driver. Add snow into the mix…and I was squeezing my eyes shut every time one of the traffic lights up ahead turned red.
Almost an hour now since he’d picked me up, and he still hadn’t answered my main and most important question.
Where are we going?
Despite half a dozen texts since he’d woken me up, and those being my first words when I got into the car, he’d just smiled and backed out of my driveway.
“You know I hate surprises.” My jaw clenched as he breezed through an icy intersection by some miracle as the traffic lights changed color. I glared at him from behind my tinted sunglasses.
“Since you were a kid, I know.”
“And yet—”
“Yet, I’m doing this anyway?” He gave an easy, lop-sided smile as we took the turnoff for the Denver airport. My eyes narrowed slightly. So he really was sending me far away. I’d barely been back home from tour for a week, and now he wanted to put me on another plane?
All I got was silence until he pulled up in front of the departures drop off and put the SUV into park. He opened his jacket pocket and produced a ticket, holding it out to me with a flourish. I almost wondered if he expected me to break out into a round of applause.
MIAMI was printed in bright bold letters—I frowned.
“Yay…” That reluctant word held as much enthusiasm as I would have for a dental procedure, and I made no move to take the ticket from his outstretched hand.
Frank seemed oblivious. “Think of it. No snow. No cold. No—”
I put my hand up. “No Becca. And that’s the real reason you’re sending me away days before Christmas.”
“You can thank me later.”
The overcast sky above us looked as bleak and depressing as I was starting to feel, being shipped off on my own for the holidays without any notice. “You’re leaving me at an airport during the worst time of the year. And without a bodyguard. I’ll thank you never.”
He slapped my shoulder, and I shook my head, pulling my beanie down even lower, not wanting another pep talk before stepping out into the chill morning air and grabbing my bag from the back seat.
“I’ll call you.”
“I know,” I muttered. Frank was nothing but true to his damn word.
“Enjoy yourself. You’re free.”
“Right.Free.” I nodded, slinging the strap over my shoulder. Free would mean I had choices regarding what I wanted to do.
“It’s Miami, not prison. You’ll be fine.” He leaned forward. “And Merry Christmas…”
