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In that same amount of time, my own life has been stagnant.
Matt takes Annika from me, laughing as he spins around in a circle with her. He takes her over to the highchair at the table while I go help Kennedy put the spaghetti and meatballs onto plates. She stacks a platter high with cheesy garlic bread while I put the plates of food out around the table.
Tyler grunts as I put the plate in front of him. With a roll of my eyes, I finish putting out the food and take the seat farthest away from him. Kennedy drops into the chair beside me with a smile while Ben smashes up meatballs for Annika.
“All right, Cassie, you’re going to have to tell me everything about yourself,” Kennedy says as she grabs a slice of garlic bread.
I spear one of the meatballs with my fork and shrug. “There’s not much to tell. I live in a townhouse with my best friend, and I teach guitar lessons.”
“Are you still recording music?” Matt asks.
“No. You have to have time and money to do that, and I have neither of those things right now.” I take a bite of the meatball, my eyes rolling back at the taste of the sauce. “You were right about the cocoa in the sauce, Kennedy. That’s amazing.”
“You know,” Ben says, drawing out the words, “if you had some music that you wanted to record, you’re more than welcome to come over and use the studio whenever you want. Same as the rest of the band. I’ll get you a key cut.”
My mouth goes dry as I look at him. “That’s a generous offer, but once the hometown show is done, are you really going to want to have anything to do with me?”
“We used to be friends. I would like to get back to being that if we could.” Ben gives me a small smile as Tyler pushes away from the table and takes off. “Ignore him. He’s just acting like a brat because his partying is getting out of control and he doesn’t like being called out on it. We’ve been fighting about it for weeks.”
“Good to see that some things never change.” I swipe a piece of garlic bread and take a bite. “I would love to use your studio, but I don’t have anything I want to record yet. Maybe one day.”
Ben nods. “The world is changing, Cassie. If you want to step out as a solo artist, there are ways to independently publish your music now. You wouldn’t need a label behind you if you didn’t want one.”
“The solo life was never really for me.” I swallow hard as a lump rises in my throat. “I enjoy being part of something bigger than myself.”
Although, if being part of Gilded Cage again — even for a show — means putting up with Tyler and his mood swings, I don’t know if I can do it.
CHAPTER 8
TYLER
Cassie sings the last song in the rehearsal setlist, her vocals blending with mine. I close my eyes and try to tune her out. For the last week, all I’ve tried to do is tune her out.
I’m getting tired of seeing her every other day. I can’t stand walking into the studio and seeing her there, laughing and talking with Ben and Matt like they’re old friends. Seeing how happy she is to just be with the band again is infuriating.
We agreed to get rid of her for a reason, but Matt and Ben seem to have forgotten that.
My chest aches as the song fades out. When I open my eyes, Cassie is smiling and gathering her things. I watch her from the corner of my eye. She’s still as beautiful as she ever was. Talented too.
It only makes being around her that much harder.
“I think I might come by tomorrow to work on a couple songs I’ve been toying with,” Cassie says as she slings her purse over her shoulder.
Ben nods. “You’ve got a key now. Come by whenever you want. I might drop by to see what you’re working on, if you don’t mind. Kennedy has her first shift back at the hospital tomorrow and I’m going to go crazy if I have nothing to do.”
“Only if you bring Annika.” Cassie smiles before leaving the studio and heading toward the main house.
The moment she’s gone, I turn to the other two and cross my arms. “What the fuck was that?”
“Cassie is welcome to use the studio. Just like everyone else in the band is,” Ben says as he puts his bass away. “I fail to see how that is a problem since this is my house and if I want her to use the studio, she can.”
“The problem is that having her perform with the band is a terrible idea. I told you all that at the meeting with Tony and White Hot weeks ago. I said it was never going to work, but nobody wanted to listen to me.”
Matt scowls as he tucks his drumsticks in the back pocket of his plaid pants. “You have got to be kidding me. That’s what crawled up your ass and died?”
“Yes! You should have listened to me.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Cassie is bad for the band. She was bad for us before and she’s bad for us now. You know that we’re more popular without her.”
“This is getting old,” Ben says, his tone sharp as he steps closer to me. Anger radiates from him in waves. “We might not have even had to ask her back if you weren’t so hell-bent on ruining our image. You did this to yourself. I don’t know what your problem is with Cassie, but it’s time to get over it.”
