Lead (Stage Dive 3)

I grabbed the first shirt I saw, needing to be gone. “This’ll be great. Thanks.”

“Are you sure?” His brows rose.

“Yep. Jimmy’ll love it. Thank you!”

I got out of their before I burst into tears and embarrassed us both. The man had enough to deal with without me turning on the waterworks. I barreled back down the stairs, breathing hard.

“Here.” I held out the shirt to Jimmy.

He stopped, cocked his head. “You’re fired.”

“What?”

“Lena, look at it.”

I did so. “Huh. Well, it’s very bright and cheerful. No one will be looking at your face, that’s for certain.”

“Yeah. That’s why you’re fired.”

“I think the clashing pink and red Christmas trees make quite a statement. And the frolicking deer are kind of cool … wait, is that one just jumping or has it actually mounted the little one beneath it?”

Angry fingers flew over the buttons of his ruined white shirt. He tore the last few, sending them pinging off into the four corners of the bathroom.

“Oh, goodness. There’s even a threesome happening on the back. That shirt really has it all. But I think if anyone could carry it off, it’s you.” I should stop. I really should stop. But I just couldn’t. “The Jimmy Ferris. I mean, whoa. You’re basically the style king.”

“I don’t know why the f**k I put up with you.”

I shrugged. “No, me neither. But you keep paying me so I keep hanging around.”

“Awesome. Go away.”

“You got it, boss.”

I hovered in the doorway, trying not to laugh. “You’re really going to put it on?”

He threw his stained shirt on the ground, jaw working. “I have to, don’t I? Can’t insult Neil.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. You’d be a shitload more believable if you weren’t laughing.”

True. Giggles poured out of me. It had to be all the stress from today. Though the look on Jimmy’s poor face was hilarious. And the way he handled the shirt like it was something similar to dog shit, his mouth drawn wide with distaste just made it all the better.

“Am I really fired?” I asked, wiping my watery eyes. It would certainly solve a lot of my problems. Or just the main one—him. If I didn’t have to see him every day, my unfortunate new feelings would dwindle and disappear, right? Right.

Well, probably.

“What’s going on?” David ambled on down the hallway in his cool rocker way. I moved over to give him some room. “How’s your face and what the f**k are you wearing?”

“Ask, Lena,” Jimmy bit out.

“I can’t. Your shirt’s so ugly it made her cry.”

I laughed even harder. Something tugged at the hem of my pants, next came growling. “Aw, Killer. What do you think of Uncle Jimmy’s shirt, hmm?” I scooped up the gorgeous puppy before he could gnaw a hole in my hem. “It’s magnificent, isn’t it?”

“Hey.” Mal crowded in behind David and I, peering over our shoulders. “What’s this, a bathroom meeting? Do I need to find, Ben?”

Jimmy swore some more and put on his suit coat with great haste.

“Oh, you’re wearing the f**king deer shirt,” said Mal, scratching Killer’s head and generally stirring him up. “That’s great, man. I got it for dad as a joke a few years back. But I think it’s fantastic that you’re secure enough with yourself and your masculinity to go there.”

“I think it suits him.” I grinned. “It reflects his inner beauty as few other shirts could.”

“It does, it does.” Mal smiled and this time, it was a little closer to his usual. Certainly the best attempt there’d been today. “I gotta take this guy back to his mama. He’s due for crate time.”

I handed the pup over. “Bye, Killer.”

With the pup suspended high in one hand, Mal headed back down the hallway.

“You made him smile,” said David.

Jimmy stopped fiddling with the buttons on his coat and his face cleared. “Least it was useful for something.”

“You did good at the funeral.” David crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorframe. “Real good. It was a beautiful speech.”

Jimmy rubbed at the back of his neck. “Think we can head back to the hotel yet? I wanna hit the gym.”

Complete avoidance of his brother’s words, which seemed to stem more from embarrassment, like praise had no place in Jimmy’s world. Odd for a rock star. One would think he’d bask in any attention given how fussy he was with his appearance. The man was a walking contradiction.

No surprise at Jimmy’s response registered on David’s face. Instead, he smiled. “Sure. I’ll find Ev and Ben.”

“Good.”

David paused. “Listen, earlier about mom. I didn’t mean—”

“Its fine,” cut in Jimmy. “Let it go.”

“I just … I didn’t give up on you. Seems harsh not to give her the same chance.”

Jimmy inhaled sharply. “You were ready to give up on me. Hell, you threatened to, remember? You all did. But that’s beside the point. I’ve given her every opportunity over the last few years. All she did was hit me up for more money every f**king chance she got. She doesn’t want help. She’s perfectly happy living in the gutter.”

David winced.

I studied my feet and stayed silent. You couldn’t have cut the air with a knife, it would have taken a chain saw at the very least.

Awkward as hell.

If David hadn’t been blocking the doorway I’d have made a swift exit, given them some privacy to sort this out. But I was stuck, forced to bear witness. I highly doubted Jimmy would appreciate me seeing quite so much of him in one day. Not him as in the physical, but him and his secrets, his past. Such information had a way of binding people and my boss was one of the least likely people to want such a thing. He made my efforts at staying separate and solo over the last few years seem like child’s play. The strained relationship he had with his brother, whom he also worked with, was a prime example.

“Yeah,” sighed David, turning to go. “Guess she doesn’t.”

I waited till Jimmy and I were alone to speak. For a long moment the only sound was the dripping of the tap. Time to break the silence.

“He’s right,” I said. “The speech was perfect.”