The Happy Ever After Playlist - Abby Jimenez Page 0,35
you’ve known longer than ten minutes.”
I laughed.
“I’m not kidding. Listen to me, you’re thinking like Jason right now. Jason likes this girl and Jason wants to take her on tour and Jason’s all fucking twitterpated. You cannot be Jason at this point in your career. You need to be Jaxon. Jaxon is a stone-cold motherfucker who wants to sell records. Jaxon doesn’t have time for the emotional baggage that comes with that shit. Fame is a jealous mistress. She doesn’t like to share.” He shook his head. “Do not ask that woman to come with you. In fact, you should probably stop seeing her.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to do that.” I tipped my beer into my mouth.
He sighed. “Well, I can’t say that surprises me. You’re gonna do what you’re gonna do. And what do I know, right?” He picked up his beer and stopped with it halfway to his mouth. “Just please, use a fucking NDA and condoms. Don’t end up like that last idiot. What a fucking shit show.”
I chuckled. “Still pissed about what’s-his-face, huh?”
“Hey, I fired him.”
I laughed. I loved Ernie. He was one of the best agents in the industry. He’d been a big-name musician himself in the eighties, so he’d seen it all. He was a little cynical when it came to women, though.
I checked my phone. Sloan still hadn’t texted. I stared out over the pool. “This girl feels different.”
“They all fucking feel different. See if you feel the same way next year when you’ve been on the overseas leg of your tour for six months and she’s either back here riding your ass or with you on the road and riding your ass there. You do not need that shit, I’m telling you.”
I drew my brows down. “Wait, what? What overseas tour?”
He gave me a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t you get the email with the dates? Eh, Christ, my assistant is shit.” He shook his head. “They’re extending your tour to the UK. Adding two more months here, eight months there. Pia’s working on the media blasts now. You’ll be home for the holidays for five weeks.” He looked over at me. “You’re welcome for that, by the way. They wanted you singing in Paris for their Christmas thing and I told them to go fuck themselves so you could see your family. They might even keep that promise, though I wouldn’t count on it,” he mumbled. “They wouldn’t put it in writing. Then you’re off to Dublin and London and wherever the fuck else.” He tipped his beer at me. “Congratulations and long live the queen.”
I sat back in my chair with my beer between my knees. “Jesus. Fourteen months on the road?” I’d never done more than three without a long break between.
“I told you. Not a good time to have a girlfriend. They’re gonna work you to within an inch of your life. You said you wanna be Don Henley famous and this is definitely the label to get you there, but they do not fuck around.”
I dragged a hand down my mouth. Well, it was what I wanted. I’d dreamed of making it since I was five and I’d worked my ass off to get here. Ernie was right, though, the timing sucked. The timing really sucked.
He glanced at his watch. “I gotta get going.” He stood and turned to me. “Hey, I don’t mean to be a downer about the girlfriend thing. I’m sure it’ll all work out and you’ll ride happily into the sunset. I’ve just been around the block a few times and I’ve seen how hard this business is on relationships.” He slapped my back. “But you guys are different. You two are gonna be fine. Just don’t take her on tour.”
I laughed, and Ernie made his way back to the house, his shoes dangling from his fingers. “Don’t take her on tour, Jaxon!” he yelled over his shoulder.
Fuck, I didn’t see how I could even if I wanted to. Fourteen months, minus the little break for the holidays—that was over a year on the road. That was a commitment. A huge commitment. A leave-your-life-behind commitment.
But I was getting ahead of myself. At the moment I couldn’t even get a damn text back.
For the next few hours I just fiddled with my guitar, keeping my phone close in case Sloan called—which she didn’t. Finally at 8:00 I bit the bullet and I just called her, even though she hadn’t responded to my last text.