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Is this about Vanessa?
I stare at her text and tighten my grip around the phone. I don’t want to throw it across the bed because I’m not a child but Londyn knows how to push my buttons.
I’m not going to respond to that.
I don’t want to talk about my ex-wife to my manager. Sadly, my manager is probably my closest friend. Fuck. Before all this, I definitely had friends.
After grabbing a white shirt with the wordLiarprinted on the front and finding my shoes strewn across the hotel room floor, I check my reflection in the mirror.
My hair is too long. I’m going to need to get a haircut before this tour actually starts. I don’t look as bad as I feel, though, so that’s something. I wash my face again then look at my own reflection, at the bags under my eyes, at my pale skin.
I need a tan. My skin isn’t usually this shade. I need to be out in the sun.
I hear someone knocking on the hotel door. Fuck. I open the door without looking through the peephole.
Londyn is standing on the other side of the door. She’s wearing a black tube top, high-waisted skinny jeans and large diamond studs. The dark brown wig she’s wearing falls in waves to her waist. She looks like a million dollars. She always does. “Johnny Baskets is about to get here.”
“Johnny Baskets?” I ask, narrowing my eyes as I try to remember who that is.
“The band. The band you’re touring with. They’re called Johnny Baskets. You already forgot?”
“I didn’t forget,” I say, shaking my head. “Why is their name Johnny Baskets? Why do we have to meet them tonight?”
I’m mostly looking for a reason not to go back to the party, but if I know Londyn, she’s going to steamroll me. She shrugs. “Why do bands have stupid names? I don’t know. They were flying from Orlando today and we agreed to meet them at the party. You’re probably going to spend a lot of time with these women, so maybe try to make a good impression.”
I roll my eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
She walks into the room, casting a judgmental glance around, but keeps her opinion to herself. She struts over to me in her tall platform shoes and puts her hands on my shoulders. “Javi,” she says. “You don’thaveto do this.”
“What?”
“You’re going through a brutal divorce. No one expects you to just go on a special tour for a surprise release. Your career is fine. You’re doingfine.”
I smile at her. “I thought you’d want the money.”
“I want the money,” she replies quickly. “But you’re a limited resource and I don’t want you to dry out. Your wellbeing is my job. You could stay home and grieve if you wanted to.”
“I don’t feel like grieving. This divorce is a good thing.”
“If you say so,” she replies, lifting her eyebrows. “But you have to admit that it is a huge change, right?”
“It is,” I tell her. “But if I stay home and grieve, I’m just going to be a shell of myself. And I’d rather stay busy. Writing has been hard lately. I don’t know. I thought heartbreak was supposed to be inspirational.”
“It is,” she replies, patting my cheek as I take a step away from her and grimace. “If you give yourself time toprocess. Anyway, Javi, I always knew you weren’t a quitter. That means you’re going to do your job, go down there, and play the perfect host to these women, because you’re huge and they’re just starting, and you remember what that felt like.”
She’s right. I do remember what that felt like. It was huge.
“Okay. Lead the way. I’ll follow you.”
She nods and I watch as she walks toward the door. When she puts her hand on the handle, she cranes her neck to look at me over her shoulder. “She’s not worth it, Javi,” she says. “You were always better than her.”
And before I can think of what I’m supposed to say to that, she’s strutting into the hallway, toward the elevator, and I’m falling closely behind.
Alana
Thehoteliswayfancier than I expected.
We’ve been on tour before, obviously, but it’s always been smaller venues in smaller cities. From dive bars to theaters, the best gig Johnny Baskets has ever played is still one in a city plaza.
