“I didn’t go snooping, now, so don’t get sassy with me. Your phone was pinging again, and I looked that way and I saw Vanessa’s name pop up.” She frowned, shaking her head again. “I wish the girl well, but I also wish her far from you.”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Aunt Mo.” He nodded.
“I didn’t think so. Especially after hearing all the carrying on you did with Connie.” Aunt Mo was shaking her head. “You should listen to her. She’s all kinds of smart.”
“About my career? Or Emmy Lou?” He grinned.
“Both.” Aunt Mo nodded, clicking enough to get John Wayne headed down the hill. “I still think starting fresh is best. I’ve mentioned that before? It’s past time for you and Emmy Lou to clear the air between you. Once you know what you want, there’s no point waiting on going after it.”
It might not be as easy as she made it sound, but she had a point. Connie, too. He knew, deep down, it was fear that held him back. Of CiCi being right. Of having Emmy Lou reject him. Or loving her even now… He’d always faced fear head-on—no point stopping now.
A gentle knee to the side had Granite following Mo and John Wayne down the hill. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a genius, Aunt Mo?”
“All the time, but you might as well go on and say it, too. I never get tired of hearing it.”
Brock was still laughing when they reached the tank.
Chapter 14
“Good morning, Charlotte, North Carolina. Thanks for tuning in to station WTQR, Today’s Country.” The DJ, Banjo Bryan, adjusted his headset. “If you’re just joining us, we’re talking to country royalty. The Three Kings and Jace Black are here, promoting their record-breaking tour—‘Three Kings and a Jace’. Looks like we’ve got time for one, maybe two more questions.”
“Wow, time flew by.” Emmy Lou nudged Travis. He’d been bleary-eyed and slouched in his chair most of the interview, his to-go coffee cup cradled against his chest.
Banjo took a card from a tech. “How does it feel to be breaking more records?”
“Good.” Travis took a long sip of his coffee.
“Good?” Krystal laughed. “Amazing. Fantastic. Ignore Travis, Banjo, he’s not much of a morning person. Drink your coffee, Travis.”
Travis held up his hand, but Emmy Lou grabbed it before he could flip off their sister. She kept holding his hand as she said, “It’s incredibly humbling. Our fans’ devotion never fails to surprise me.” It was true. Tomorrow would be their eighth performance, but their opening night energy hadn’t waned—mostly because of the outpouring of love and enthusiasm from their fans.
“What about you, Jace?” Banjo asked. “Is your second tour with the Three Kings as enjoyable as the first?”
“I think so.” Jace paused, his gaze fixed on Krystal. “For me, it gets better every day.”
Krystal smiled and leaned into him.
“We’re almost out of time, so let’s see who we’ve got on the line.” Banjo pressed a blue button and held his headset closer to one ear. “Good morning, you’re on WTQR with the Three Kings and Jace Black. What’s your name and your question?”
“Hi, Banjo. This is Taylor.” The voice was high-pitched and fast-talking. “I am such a huge fan. Huge. I can’t wait for the concert tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank you,” Emmy gushed. “We’re excited to be singing for you all.”
“Hi, Taylor,” Jace and Krystal said it in unison, earning a groan from Travis.
Banjo laughed. “What’s your question, Taylor?”
“Emmy, since you’ve got a concert tomorrow and the Roughnecks are playing the day after, will you and Brock get to see each other while you’re in North Carolina? Love Bremmy.”
Emmy ignored her brother’s eye roll and tried a noncommittal response. “That’s sweet, Taylor.”
“I guess your schedules make it hard to get together. But him flying to see your last show so you could be together… It almost made me cry,” Taylor gushed. “All the pictures of you two together make me and my friends super happy. I hope you get to see him.”
“But we will definitely see you tomorrow night,” Emmy said. “I can’t wait.”
“With that, we’ll wrap things up.” Banjo smiled. “It’s been a fun morning. I know it meant a lot to everyone listening. And to us here at WTQR. Until next time…” He held up his finger until the red LIVE light went dark. “And we’re out.” He stood, offering his hand. “Thank you all. Looking forward to the show.”
Five minutes later, they were out front, signing autographs and taking selfies on their way to the waiting vehicle. Sawyer and one other member of their security detail, Jerome, waited, holding open the car door and scanning the crowd for trouble.