Which suits me just fine.
“Phoenix convinced Chandler?” she questions as she fills a teakettle with some water.
Whenever she asks about him, I skate over the issue by telling her we’ve fallen into a professional relationship. Then I switch topics.
Do I hate not being honest with her? Yes.
But she’s the only person who knows the truth, and she was the one who convinced me that I was strong enough to handle this.
I don’t want to disappoint her.
“It’s not a big deal. Plus, it wasn’t just Phoenix. It was Storm, too.”
She simply nods.
“Is Dad awake?”
She takes two coffee cups out of the cabinet. “No, he’s still sleeping. Last night was a…” her voice trails off, but she doesn’t have to finish.
It was a bad night.
Which means today will most likely be bad, too.
Probably best I let him rest a bit longer.
“Lennon,” she begins as she places a tea bag in each of our cups. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
Guilt infiltrates my chest. “I know.”
I’ll fill her in after I’m back home for a bit and Phoenix has been purged from my system.
She urges me to have a seat at the table. “You never have to be embarrassed. I won’t judge you.”
Both her compassion and words have me fighting back tears.
Evidently not well enough, though, because she hands me a tissue. “Honey—”
“No. I’m fine.” I steel myself. “I almost made a bad decision, but I came to my senses. Nothing’s going on between me and Phoenix.”
It’s done. Over. Kaput.
“How’s George doing? I haven’t heard much about him lately. Are you two still…getting to know each other?”
Her and Skylar would get along famously.
“It didn’t work out.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.” She takes the lid off the cake holder and cuts two slices of crumb cake for us. “He seemed sweet.”
“He is. He’s just…not my type.”
Because apparently, I have a thing for assholes.
“I see.” She dishes out a slice of cake for each of us. “Well, tell me all about the tour. I want to hear everything.”
I tell her something safe.
“I met a friend. Her name is Skylar.”
“That’s a pretty name. What’s she like?”
“Gorgeous. And strong and really smart. Her um…” I push the cake around the plate with my fork. “Her fiancé was Josh. The one who died in the accident.”
She clutches her chest. “Oh, how awful. I’m surprised she’s still touring with the band.”
“They hired her as their publicist, so she has to. She’s also really good at her job. When Phoenix…never mind. Not important.” I shove a forkful of cake in my mouth and take my time chewing. “How’s Dad been?”
“You know how it is. Some days are better than others. But health-wise he’s doing great. His doctor said his cholesterol is much better now.”
That makes me smile. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for taking care of him.”
“You never have to thank me. I’m happy to do it.” She takes a bite of her cake. “It’s a little dry, huh?”
Nope. It’s delicious. Her and Grams should open a bakery. “It’s perfect.”
“So, aside from meeting Skylar, are there any other interesting things that have happened over the last six and a half weeks?”
Most of my interesting experiences involve Phoenix.
“Nope.”
She blinks. “Oh.”
I can tell she’s waiting for me to follow that up with something, so I add, “It’s just your standard tour. You know, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” I shovel another forkful of cake into my mouth and chew. “Although there won’t be much of that anymore, given Memphis is having a baby and Quinn’s still a teenager.”
“Who are Memphis and Quinn?”
Oh. Right.
“Memphis is the lead guitarist. He’s having a baby with Gwyneth Barclay.”
Her face lights up. “Oh, I love that show. Richard always makes fun of me, but it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. Don’t much care for that Gwen girl, though.”
I’m sure Skylar would appreciate that. Especially since Quinn—who doesn’t know any better—is all but ready to throw Gwyneth a parade whenever someone mentions her.
That’s when I realize my blunder. “Don’t tell anyone. We only found out yesterday that Memphis is the father, and I don’t know if it’s gone from rumor to official public confirmation yet.”