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“Tell them the best news of all, sugar,” Bordeaux quips, slinking his arm around Isla in her chair and pulling her in. “I’ve been dying to tell you guys since last night when she confirmed this.” Bordeaux smiles and looks over at Dec, Flynn, and Miller.
Isla sucks in a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling. “You know your first tour with our label? The one I’ve been working on finalizing the last-minute details of?” She smiles and I lean in, placing my elbows on the table, waiting on her reveal. “Every single stadium is officially sold-out, including some of the biggest fucking stadiums in the country. You’re going to be embarking on a sold-out tour.” Isla’s smile extends on her face, and we all start cheering, clapping, and screaming. I look around the room and watch as the band goes from excited to almost like this cannot be happening since they don’t believe it.
But they should.
Because they have crazily devoted fans.
This doesn’t come as a surprise to me—I always knew they were going to be something huge—but it’s still fucking awesome.
When the laughter, roaring, and excitement fades, I remember the fact that I have to bring up Kade’s favor, and my gut twists. I send Declan a text and look at her as her phone vibrates against the table. Isla starts going over dates for the full-band magazine shoots, and I nod when she asks me if I can be there for behind the scenes bonus content for YouTube. She sends out a meeting recap after anyway, so I convince myself that not paying attention right now is okay.
Me: Don’t kill me.
Declan: God, what?
Me: Kade wants me to ask you guys if you have any job openings.
Declan looks up from her phone and narrows her eyes at me before looking back down at the screen in front of her. She holds her phone in her lap like we’re in high school again and looks up at Isla as she talks, only looking down every so often as she types. The three dots appear, disappear, and reappear again before a message comes through.
Declan: Security.
Security. Kade is protective. Or at least he used to be, especially about Noelle. He’d probably be good at a security job. At least, until he gets on his feet again. If he even stays in the city. Who knows what he’ll decide to do? He may go back to Minnesota. Maybe this is just a fight blown out of proportion with his wife. I don’t know his life—not anymore.
Me: You know you can be honest with me if you don’t want him around. Hell, I don’t think I want him around. Kade fucked you over and it doesn’t make me want to do him any favors.
She looks at me and back to Isla before her stare meets mine once more. She sighs, making a dramatic show of it, and then thumbs away on her phone.
Declan: Spence, he won’t be tailing me anyway. It’s Miller who lost a security guy. I won’t be around him much and honestly… I. Am. Fine. I’m not some sad, broken-hearted little girl. Please trust me on this. PLEASE.
Our eyes meet once more, and I try to decipher the look in her big brown doe eyes. She smiles at me—cute and convincing—and I hope she’s really telling me the truth. For some reason, it feels as if she’s pushing for this, and I didn’t expect that.
After Isla goes through everything on her agenda, and Mia finally makes it into the meeting, Mia and Miller argue about whether or not to do inside glimpses of our lives on Instagram. I take the brief silence that follows as my opportunity.
“Declan was telling me we still have that security position open from one of Miller’s guys leaving,” I announce. “I know I’ve already told a couple of you, and maybe Declan has mentioned it too, but my brother is back in the city and could use some help getting back on his feet.”
The room grows quiet enough to hear a fucking pin drop.
“I’ve already talked to Dec about it, and she’s cool with it,” I say, clenching my hands so hard that my knuckles go white. “I don’t like asking for favors, especially not when they involve my brother, who I still hold a grudge with, but can he can have an interview for the vacant security position?”
Miller snorts. “If Dec is actually cool with it, he’s fucking hired. Yesterday, I had a woman run up to me and hook her bra over my eyes before Bane could get her away. Two guys really work wonders. They can tag team the crazies.”
Declan nods, rather overdramatically if you ask me, and says, “Do it. It might be fun to see Kade squirm for a chance. Maybe I’ll even get that apology he still owes me.” She smirks and shrugs as I pinch my eyebrows together.
I wouldn’t hold your breath.
If Kade is anything like he used to be, he’s probably still as unapologetic as they come.
***
8
***
SPENCE
My stomach knots when I walk into Jaded with Kade by my side. The two of us have barely had any actual conversations since we’ve been back in each other’s lives. When the monthly meeting ended earlier, the group decided we would have him come tonight to see how the dynamic is between all of us. I argued that it wasn’t the right time; Isla’s birthday celebration shouldn’t be used as a test to see if Kade and Declan—if Kade and I—can stand to be around each other.
Isla and Declan argued that Declan is a strong, badass, independent woman, and it doesn’t matter if it’s tonight or next week, she’s going to be just fine. Being around Kade will be simple, easy as pie, no big thing. I’ll believe that when I see it, but I relented, because what’s a man to do when he’s up against two strong-minded women?
