Summer Love by Piper Rayne
Chapter Seven
Ian walked Simone’s property, looking for damage. All in all, things looked good. The house was fine. The patio and yard were strewn with downed tree branches, but nothing major. He picked up the branches and tossed them onto a pile.
He’d told Mai that he would stop by her shop later. He wished later were right now, but she needed time to restock her fridge and open up for a few hours. There was blatant skepticism in her eyes when he left. She thought he was simply saying what he was supposed to say after a glorious night in bed.
I’ll call.
I’ll come over later.
I want to spend all summer with you.
He got it. Musicians did not have the best reputation when it came to women. He himself did not have the best reputation—but that was partly because he didn’t often run into the kind of women he wanted to meet.
Also you don’t exactly live anywhere.
Living on the road made relationships difficult. Sure, he could find women willing to join him on the road, but he wanted a woman whose life was larger than just him. He didn’t want a groupie for a girlfriend.
He checked on the cover to Simone’s pool and then the outdoor kitchen. He pictured hanging out here with Mai, barbecuing on the patio and skinny-dipping in the pool. Not in that order, necessarily. When Simone came home from her honeymoon, he would find a place to rent for the summer so he and Mai could date, get to know each other better, have a normal relationship.
It’s going to be an awesome summer.
He was inside, resetting clocks and thermostats after the power outage, when his phone rang. His first thought went to Mai. She had gotten over her skepticism! But no. According to caller I.D., it was his manager. His heart dropped to the floor and he answered the call with a curt, “Dave.”
“Ian! How was the lovely Simone’s wedding?”
“Lovely. As was to be expected.”
He collapsed onto the sofa in the spacious family room. His childhood home had a family room where the giant Christmas tree was erected every December, where birthdays were celebrated, where movies were watched with popcorn and pizza. An intense homesickness flooded his soul. Even the most luxurious hotels in the world weren’t home. Nor was the condo he rented in L.A. Hell, he didn’t even own the bed he slept in. He had rented the condo furnished.
“So, I have some news,” Dave went on.
Dave was the last person Ian wanted to talk to right now. “Great. What is it?”
“Alex has been released from rehab. The tour is resuming.”
“What?” There was no way they had released Alex already, not considering how often he had relapsed. “They released him? Or you got him released?”
“What’s the difference?”
“There’s a world of difference, and you know it.”
“Hey. Alex wanted to leave.”
Ian sighed and went to run a hand through his hair before remembering that his hair was currently too short for that. “Well, that’s good news for Alex.”
“It’s good news for everyone. The tour is resuming. I’ve booked you on a flight out of Dulles tonight.”
He closed his eyes. No. Just no. Going back on tour was the absolute last thing he wanted to do. In fact, he never wanted to go back on tour ever again. It wasn’t fun anymore. Hadn’t been fun for awhile. To be honest, he couldn’t remember the last time any of this was enjoyable.
It was never supposed to get this far. He and Alex had started a garage band in high school with some other guys—a literal garage band, in Alex’s dad’s garage. They’d played for friends and family backyard cookouts. Once, they had played a high school homecoming dance. On a lark, they auditioned for one of those televised talent shows. And won.
That was the last time their lives were normal.
“Did you hear me, Ian? You need to be at Dulles International Airport by nine tonight. You’re on a nonstop to L.A. First class, naturally.”
Naturally.“Yeah, I heard you. I’ll be there.” He didn’t want to go, but there were contracts that could not be breached without significant financial penalty.
He hung up on Dave and then sat on Simone’s couch, angry. He’d be lying if he said that Dave pulling strings to get Alex out of rehab early surprised him. On the contrary, it was a very Dave sort of thing to do.
Alex needed major time away to get his life together, or he wasn’t going to make it to thirty. That wasn’t going to happen as long as Pulse was still together.
Ian wished he owned a house so he could punch in a few walls. Instead, he picked up his phone and tapped on “Mai with an I” in the contact list.
* * *
Mai was pulling an espresso for a customer when her phone buzzed in the pocket of her brown-and-white striped Two Beans apron. She couldn’t answer it right that instant. With the refrigerator replenished, she had opened the shop to customers two hours ago. She finished the espresso and slid it across the counter to an older woman, a summer resident. Then she glanced around the shop. Everything was under control at the moment, so she turned to Ginnie, one of the high school students who worked for her.
“Hold down the fort for a minute or two. I’ll be right back.”
Mai disappeared into the back kitchen to check the message. It was from Ian. Huh. Maybe she had been wrong after all. He’d said he would call later, but wasn’t that what they all said? He and Mai had scratched a two-year itch last night. She had to accept that that was all it had been.
All it ever could be.
She listened to the message.
Hey there, Mai with an I. I have to leave town tonight. Alex has been released, so the band is headed back out on the road. I am so sorry to leave without seeing you again. I’ll be back as soon as I can.
She tapped “delete.”
Well. Can’t say I didn’t see that one coming.
