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He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of the yurt. “I don’t know. I just kind of roll with it. We just got back from a long tour. It started in the U.S. then we did Europe. We were a solid 18 months on the road with only a few breaks. Then I had to go to Scotland for a couple of weeks. I should be relieved to be back home and settling down a bit.”
He was finally home, but he’d immediately jumped at the chance to leave again. “What bands have you toured with?”
He paused for a long moment and then answered, “Cold Fusion. Have you heard of them?”
My eyes widened with surprise. “Oh, sure. That brings me back to my high school days.”
He nodded. “I got to be friends with those guys. They’re great.”
I was impressed that he worked with such a well-known band. I had expected him to name some small obscure bands. “Isn’t Tyler Matthews a celebrity judge on one of those TV talent shows?”
“Yep,” he confirmed.
“That’s pretty neat. Who else did you work with?”
He listed off a bunch of other bands that I’d only vaguely heard of: Burnt Crimson, The Raging Tide, and Marauders of the Temple.
“Is the rock and roll lifestyle as crazy as it seems?”
He shifted onto his side, turning to face me again. “It can be pretty crazy. Luckily, I’m surrounded by some pretty smart guys. We keep an eye out for each other. It keeps the excesses—with booze and drugs and partying—from taking over.”
I crooked an eyebrow. “And women?”
He smiled coyly. “There are lots of women, but no time for attachments. All of it gets kind of stale after a while. Except for the music.”
It was a hectic lifestyle that I didn’t understand. “Do you ever dream of doing more than what you’re doing?”
“No, I’m happy with where I’m at.” He brushed a piece of hair from my face. “How about you?”
My heart leaped at his touch. A slight brush of his fingertips against my forehead had my blood pumping. It was pathetic but undeniable. But, as he’d all but just confirmed, I’d be only one among a long list of conquests. The question was, could I resist?
I huffed out a breath. “My dad owns several franchises back home. Donut shops, fast food, delis ... stuff like that. I know he wants me to go back to Kentucky and manage the empire for him and eventually take it over when he retires, but I’m not sure that’s what I want to do. He’s happy for now that I’m getting experience out in the real world, but now that my mom has cancer...”
“Your dad seems like a great guy, Sunshine.” He searched my eyes. “I don’t think he’d want you to do something that wasn’t your dream. Have you talked to him about it?”
“No.” I sighed softly. “I didn’t want to disappoint him. And now? Forget it.”
“Because of your mum?” he gently prodded.
My mother had cancer. It hit me all over again — panic and fear and a bit of denial, too. I’d spent all week researching breast cancer on the internet, but everything felt so out of my control.
My throat tightened with emotion, and my eyes instantly teared up.
Scotty sighed and tugged me close to his body so he could wrap me in his arms. I didn’t resist; it felt too good. Comforting. And right.
“I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. If I get the sniffles, I run to the internet and suddenly I think I have some terrible autoimmune disease. Mom knows that, and I think that’s part of the reason she kept it from me.” I swiped angrily at my teary eyes. “I googled the shit out of breast cancer, but she wouldn’t tell me what stage or type of cancer she had. She knows me too well. She says she has it all in hand, but it scares the crap out of me. I want to help her.”
He was rubbing my arm soothingly. “Being there for her is helping her. That’s what she wants. You’re a good daughter, Summer.”
Scoffing at his comment, I shook my head. “I’m a terrible daughter. I’m still lying to her.”
“You’re doing it with a good heart. Not maliciously,” he reasoned.
“I lied because it was more convenient for me,” I countered. “I didn’t want to deal with her. With her worry for me and her not-so-subtle matchmaking. I was being selfish. And now I’m stuck. I don’t want to upset her right before her surgery while she’s dealing with all of this. And, she’s so happy for me. It’s really screwed up.”
He was quiet for a minute. “What’s your plan, then?”
I wasn’t sure if he was worried that I was going to cling to him. Honestly, being in his arms felt so good that I was worried myself.
