Ransom(28)
Remember that hotel in Youngstown?
I smile. We stayed in Youngstown for a night between shows on our first tour, and the hotel was so filthy we all elected to sleep in the van instead.
Of course, I write back. Don’t tell me you’ve found one to match it?
No, thank God. The place we’re in is clean. I was just thinking about that night.
I woke up in the middle of the night to find that Daisy had snuggled up against me in her sleep. I could still remember the way her soft body felt against mine, her shoulders moving gently as she breathed.
I’m quite happy to say that sleeping on the bus is a much different experience, I type. Where are you, anyhow?
Harrisburg. We should hit Boston after lunch if we get right up and go.
These past few weeks, I’ve been feeling some butterflies in my stomach just from talking to her, but her words turn them into something that feels more like writhing snakes. Daisy will be at the Boston show tomorrow.
She told me from the beginning that they’d be there—they had tickets and everything—but I somehow never really believed it until that moment. She’s really coming. She traveled hundreds of miles, and I’m going to see her tomorrow.
My heart pounding, I text back, trying to keep my tone casual. It should be a good show. Let me know when you get here.
I will. Have a good night.
Levi chooses that moment to join me in the conference room. “Rehearsal done?”
“They went to find beer,” I tell him.
“Ah, so the outlook for the rest of the evening is uncertain.”
I laugh. Once my brothers start drinking, God knows what could happen next.
“You’re in a good mood,” Levi says. “Was it going well?”
I shrug. “Cash is still flat on the refrain.”
He rolls his eyes. “Cash? He’s never been flat a day in his life.”
I snort. “Right.” A thought occurs to me. “Hey, do you have the schedule for the next few days?”
“Sure.” He pulls out his phone. “Why?”
“Daisy is going to be here tomorrow.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Daisy Harris?”
“Yeah. Crazy, huh? She emailed me a few weeks ago and told me she’s coming to some shows with her friends. A road trip or something.”
His expression is shrewd. “And how do you feel about that?”
I shrug. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, to be honest. I’m excited, you know. But I still feel a little…”
“Pissed?”
I shrug again. I don’t like the idea of being mad at Daisy, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.
“She ditched you for a year, man. It’s fine to be a little ticked off about that.”
“I know. But she said something on the phone. She said that I knew her better than anyone else, so I should know that if she did something like that, she must have had a damn good reason for it.” I frown, pulling my beanie off so I can fiddle with the edges. “That just keeps running over and over in my head. That she must have had a damn good reason.” I look up at Levi, who’s wearing a stricken expression. “Do you think something could have happened to her?”
He shakes his head. “Man, I don’t know.”
“I keep thinking if it was something bad, we would have heard about it, you know? But then again, how many people from back home do we talk to?”
“Not many.”
“That’s an understatement. I don’t think I’ve talked to anyone from home besides Daisy.”
Levi’s quiet for a moment. “She didn’t tell you what’s been going on?”
“She said she couldn’t, but that she wanted to someday.”
“Can you deal with that?”
I toss my beanie away, frustrated. “Guess I don’t have much choice, huh?”
“I guess not if you want to hang out with her.”
“Speaking of that, what’s the schedule like?”
He consults his phone. “Pretty busy man. Not many blocks of time.”
I sigh. “I had a feeling you’d say that. I’ll just have to hang out with her backstage and stuff.”
He shakes his head. “Daisy Harris is going to be around again. That’s crazy, man.”
“You’re telling me. I might need your help, too. You can keep her occupied if I get called away to do an interview or whatever stupid shit my dad comes up with.”
He has kind of a strange look on his face, but he nods. “No problem. Who knows? Maybe her friends will be hot.” He laughs, but it sounds forced.
I wonder if maybe he has some kind of issue with her that he’s never told me about. I push that thought away. He’s spent nearly as much time with her as I have, what with sitting in on rehearsals and being at all of our gigs. They’ve always been friends.