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It’s clear that nobody wants to be the first to break the silence.
How the hell did we get to this point?
“You’re feeling threatened by Cassie being here,” Ben says finally. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I can understand that, but it needs to stop. Cassie is going to do the hometown show with us. End of story.”
I sit down on one of the couches across from them and lean forward. “Just because Tony thinks this is what we should do, the pair of you are going to fall in line?”
Matt shrugs. “He’s had some bad ideas when it comes to our career, but this is a good one. Cassie is talented and she makes us sound better. She’s bringing us back to our roots and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
“With her alongside us, we’re going to sell out an arena show for the first time in a year.” Ben’s jaw clenches as he looks at me. The muscle flexes before he sighs. “You might not like it, Tyler, but it’s time to grow up.”
“This has nothing to do with growing up and everything to do with her being back in the band,” I growl.
“Enough. We need the money from a sold-out show to prove to the label that we’re ready to push a new album and go on another world tour afterward.” Matt gets up and heads for the door. “I’m done arguing about this.”
The door slams shut, and a car starts a few moments later. I lean back and cross one leg over the other, watching as Ben shakes his head.
“Cassie is good for us, Tyler. You might have your problems with her, but I know you can see that. She’s going to help us with this show and then we are going to move forward from there. Either get on board or don’t, but you’re not going to take it out on her anymore.”
Ben stands and heads back into the studio, shutting the door and picking up the bass. He flips to some new sheet music and starts to strum.
After watching him for a couple minutes, I get up and leave the studio.
Right now, all I need is a drink or two. Just enough to wash away Cassie’s memory for another night.
No. No drinking. Ben and Matt are right. It’s time to grow up and stop acting like a child when it comes to her.
I can get through the next couple weeks.
By the sound of it, it’s not like I have much choice.
CHAPTER 9
CASSIE
“Maybe we should start lying to him about when rehearsal is going to start,” I say as I lounge on my back on one of the studio couches.
Ben sits on another one, strumming his bass and practicing one of the new songs we’ve decided to add to the setlist for the show. “We’ve tried that before. He just doesn’t bother to show up if we tell him that the rehearsal is earlier.”
Matt groans from where he sits on the floor. “I just got a message from Tony. He’s on his way here.”
My heart races at the mention of Tony. We haven’t spoken since the phone call where I told him I would do the show. Even though I knew I would have to seem him sooner or later, it doesn’t make it any less awkward.
“Hopefully Tyler gets here before Tony shows up,” Ben says. “The last time Tony found him missing from a rehearsal, he chewed Tyler out. And then Tyler decided not to show up to a rehearsal for two weeks after that. We had a massive show that we nearly had to cancel.”
My eyebrows shoot up as I look over at Ben. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s still pulling dramatic stunts like that?”
“It’s what happens when he drinks.” Matt shrugs helplessly. “We try to get him to back off the booze for a little bit and he basically tells us to go to hell. We’re lucky if he even shows up if he’s been heavily drinking.”
“Do you think he was out drinking last night?” I bite my bottom lip slightly as butterflies erupt in my stomach. “What if he doesn’t turn up at all today?”
“He was definitely drinking. There are pictures all over my feed of him with some woman at a club.” Ben puts the guitar to the side as a car pulls into the driveway. “It looks like Tony. Which means that we are in for a world of hurt. He’s going to be pissed that Tyler’s not here.”
Sure enough, it takes Tony less than a minute to get out of his car and storm inside. I stay back as he looks around the room, my heart pounding in my chest. Tony runs his hand over his balding head as his face turns red. His mouth opens and shuts a couple times before he sits down on the couch. He crosses his arms over his gut as his dark eyebrows pull together.
“Do I even want to know where the hell Tyler is right now?” he asks, his words clipped. “Because according to the schedule you sent me, rehearsal was supposed to begin an hour ago. Now, unless you finished early and he took off, he should still be here.”
“Hasn’t gotten here yet,” Matt says as he gets off the ground and sits on the couch beside Ben.
