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What I wouldn’t give to go back to being a child. Nothing to worry about in the world. I knew that I was going to play music and I didn’t have to worry about what that would look like when I was thirty.
“I want to make it my business.”
I stop pacing and squeeze my eyes shut. “What are you talking about, Tony? I don’t have time to play games right now. I have another student showing up in a few minutes.”
Paige’s eyes nearly bulge out of her head as she shoots to her feet. She jumps around, waving her hands and trying to get my attention. I shake my head and wave her off.
“I’m talking about you performing with the band at the hometown show. It’s the first stop on their latest tour. White Hot Records and I have been talking, and we think it would be good to have the full band back together again. After all, Seattle is the city that built you.”
My mouth drops open as my head starts to spin. I take a seat on one of the stools at a table in the middle of the room. “You want me to be part of a show? Bring the band back together? Go to hell.”
After all this time, I can’t even believe that they would think of something like that. Inviting me back to the band for a single show. It’s a cheap publicity stunt and I know exactly why they’re doing it.
It’s not like Tyler keeps his escapades off social media.
Every time I log onto anything and start scrolling through my feed, there is a picture of Tyler. It’s never the same picture either. He gets into too much trouble for anyone to use the same picture twice.
They want me to come back for a show to help him.
Tony laughs, only pissing me off more. “You always were a little spitfire. I told the label you would tell me to go fuck myself. They told me to offer you a hundred thousand dollars for the show.”
“Excuse me?” A lump in my throat threatens to choke me as I try to force the words out. “A hundred thousand dollars for a single show?”
With that much money, I would be able to put down money for the house of my dreams. A good amount of money. All it would require is selling my soul to the devil.
“Yes. Although, I’m sure that you could negotiate for another fifty thousand on top of that if you play your cards right.” He hums to himself, shuffling something in the background.
I want to tell him no, but that kind of money could change my life. If I go through with doing the show, my pride will take a serious hit. I would have to put myself in the same room as the people who were comfortable hurting me.
I would have to spend time with Tyler again.
“Thank you for the offer, but I need time to think about it.” I cross one leg over the other and lean forward, propping myself up with my elbows. “This is a lot. I can’t just tell you yes or no right now.”
“I understand. However, you need to understand that this is an offer with an expiry date. You have three days to think about it, Cassie.”
Tony ends the call without so much as a goodbye. Not that I would expect it from him. Tony isn’t the kind of man to waste time mincing words if it doesn’t serve his purpose.
Paige walks over and takes a seat on one of the stools across from me. “What the hell was that about?”
I stare down at the woodgrain on the table. My mind is moving a mile a minute as I try to wrap my head around everything. Tony wants me back. He wants me to perform with the band.
Picking up the electric guitar and playing for Gilded Cage again would be a dream and a nightmare.
I would love to get on the stage again and feel the rush of performing in front of a crowd. There isn’t anything in the world that compares to being up there with the band and looking out at the fans.
But in order to do that, I would have to be around Tyler again. There would be late nights spent rehearsing with the band. I would have to talk to Ben and Matt, even if I could take a vow of silence where Tyler was concerned.
“You’re starting to freak me out, Cass. Why was Tony calling you? What’s going on? Why are you getting a hundred thousand dollars?”
“A hundred and fifty.” My heart pounds as I look down at my shaking hands. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to teach in a few minutes if my hands are still shaking like this. “A hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
Paige squeals and grabs my hand. “Are you getting back in the band?”
“Hell no.” I pull away from her and run my hands down my face. “There’s no way that I would go back permanently. Not after what they did to me. I have more dignity than that.”
“Then what’s the money for?”
“Tony wants me to open the tour with the band at their hometown show. He’s offering me a ton of money to put up with them for weeks during rehearsal.”
