World domination sounded cool, but I sure as fuck didn’t want to do it selling houses. I wanted to be a rock star. No…a rock god.
Easy, right?
Not so much. Every step in the right direction pushed me sideways and two steps back. This business was a soul-sucking motherfucker, and I couldn’t figure out why I persisted some days. I played three instruments, I could sing, and I wasn’t afraid to leave a piece of myself onstage. In fact, I lived for it. However, none of that equated to instant success. And I knew my mother wondered when I’d give up and grow up.
Part of me understood her concern. Hell, I felt it too. I was twenty-nine. My window of opportunity was closing rapidly. If I couldn’t make something happen with Jealousy, I didn’t know what I’d do next. But real estate was off the table. I might share my mom’s ability to charm her way out of tricky situations, but I wasn’t a suit-and-tie kind of guy. She had to know that. Just like she had to know Xena was literally the last person I’d ever “date.”
“When is this thing anyway?” I asked.
“Not till after the holidays.”
“I’m going on tour in January.”
“What kind of tour?”
“A concert tour, Mom. With my band.” I sighed in exasperation. “It’s our first one. Kind of exciting.”
“That’s wonderful. Is Xena traveling with you?”
“No! Geez, I told you…” I swiped my hand across my mouth and tried again. “We’re opening for Tegan’s band, Zero.”
“Tegan? Oh, that’s wonderful! How is he?”
He’s a dick. Of course, I didn’t say it aloud. “He’s good.”
“Glad to hear that,” she said. “Listen, darling, I have to run. You call Xena and figure out if she really is your girlfriend or not. I don’t care who you bring to the event, but since I’m selling her parents’ home, I’d prefer not to be in the middle of any drama.”
“Yeah, me too,” I huffed sarcastically.
“All right. I’m off. Love you. I’ll talk to you later.”
I stared at my cell for a long moment after my mom hung up and told myself not to do anything stupid. And then I did it anyway. I scrolled for a number I should have deleted months ago and pushed Call.
“There you are! Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to call me.”
“I bet. How long have you been working on this?” I asked. “Silly question. My mom told me you contacted her two weeks ago. What exactly are you up to? ’Cause I really doubt this is about selling a house.”
“Well, that part is true. I learned from the master, Dec. Didn’t you always say that it was smart to use your connections?”
“Sure, but I never said it was smart to lie.”
“I didn’t lie.”
“So, why does my mother think you’re my girlfriend?”
“Hmm. Possibly because I told my mom that to get her off my back. Oh yeah, and so that you’d call me back.”
I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“No, I’m creative. And you’ve been perfectly evil, Dec. You must be up to no good too. Tell me all about it.”
I almost smiled at the mischievous note in her voice. Xena was a freaky chick. I didn’t know what to make of her most of the time, and I gave up trying once I realized she couldn’t be trusted. I should have caught on sooner than I did, but I had a tendency to overlook glaring issues when they upset the narrative I wanted to believe.
But Xena was like a bad penny. Every time she turned up, life turned to shit. No joke. In a way, she was directly responsible for killing a few opportunities for me, not to mention my relationship with Tegan. Okay, maybe that was my fault, but she was the mischief-maker behind some really bad ideas. And the worrisome part was that she kept coming back for more…even after she alienated everyone around her.
I chose the wrong team more than once and gave her far too many chances. I wished I’d cut ties when she asked me to start a band with her last year, but more than anything, I wished I hadn’t introduced her to my mom. Fuck, I was an idiot.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Scratch Records. Is it a sex fuck thing or a band fuck thing? I know you have an angle, Dec.”
“Yeah, it’s called music.”
Xena snorted. “Naturally. So, how did you manage to get in? They hate you. They used to, anyway.”
“They still do. That’s not important. What do you want?”
“I need your help.”
“No.”
“Don’t be like that, Dec. We’re still friends. Besides, this could be good for your band too. I just signed a contract with a new agent. I’m playing Carmichael’s next month, and I need an opening act.”
“Sorry. We book through our manager only.”
“I get it. And I respect that. However…you need to break your contract and sign on with Julio. Charlie is adorable, but he’s in over his head. He hasn’t been able to get either Zero or Jealousy a gig at Carmichael’s or any local spots lately. Did you know that?”