“Don’t you have anymore? We’ll be here six weeks.”
“Bikinis don’t take up much space.”
His jaw goes slack, but he recovers quickly. “What about all your art stuff?”
“In the backpack, along with my laptop and supplies. I’ve got almost everything I need.” I don’t mention the art table. I resist the urge to ask him if he’s still planning to get me one. He’s doing so much already—giving me his hotel room, paying my expenses. If I have to work on a desk in a hotel room, it’ll have to do.
A large van is waiting outside. The driver helps put my suitcase inside.
“This is Bruce,” Liam says. “He gets us where we need to be and sets up our equipment.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ella.”
“It’s my pleasure, Ms. Campbell,” he says. “I’m at your disposal. If you need a ride anywhere—shopping mall, grocery store, beach—just say the word.”
We climb in back.
“This is how we’ll travel between cities,” Liam says. “Bruce drove down from New York with our head of security.”
They have their own security? Maybe they’re bigger than I thought.
I bounce up and down in my seat. “It’s pretty comfy. You guys must be doing well to afford a roomy van like this.”
“It’s not really ours. It’s what we always use, but it’s my uncle’s. Anyway, forget about that. What do you want to do first?”
I shrug, not knowing what my choices are.
“We’re playing at a bar in Jacksonville Beach from nine until midnight, but like I said, you don’t have to come to every gig.”
He flew me down. I should go, but I’m exhausted. “Liam, would you mind terribly if I passed on this one? I was up at six this morning to prep for my meeting. My day was pretty stressful, and I just want to eat, shower the plane grime off, and go to bed.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s fine. Bruce can drop you off on his way to set up.”
He tells me about the two times they played in a town north of here. I ask him to tell me what our days will be like.
“With the exception of weekends, we play about every other day, so there’s time off to do other stuff. We’ll change hotels every two or three days, depending on how far away the gigs are. Mostly we play at night, but there will be some daytime concerts—most of those are beachside.”
“Sounds like you’ll be busy.”
“We will, but not so busy that we can’t have some fun. I bought running shoes at the mall yesterday—not that I call running fun—it’s more like torture—but I did promise.”
I remember when I was a novice runner. “It’ll only seem like torture for a week or two. After that, it gets easier.”
“How often do we have to do it?”
“Daily would be ideal, but for a beginner, three times a week.”
He regards me thoughtfully. “I guess I can agree to that.”
“We’re here,” Bruce says.
I look at the hotel. Something-or-other Suites. It looks decent enough. Not the Waldorf Astoria, but it’s no Motel Six either.
We get out, and Bruce hands Liam my suitcase, then checks his watch. “We’d better get going.”
“You go,” Liam says. “I’ll get Ella settled and catch an Uber.”
I think I see a sliver of water between the buildings down the street. “Wow, is the beach right there?”
“It is. I went earlier. Garrett and I tried surfing.” He rolls his shoulders. “Got the shit beat out of me.”
“Is it safe? You know, if I wanted to go for a walk later?”
“Should be,” he says, leading me to the elevator. “Crew insisted all our hotels be in nice areas. He’s kind of hung up on protecting Bria. I’m sure you’ll figure that out by the time this is over.”
“Speaking of your bandmates, when will I get to meet them? Are they here?”
“They went to a fancy seafood restaurant at the beach.”
“I’m sorry you couldn’t go. I could have caught an Uber from the airport.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re here because I asked you, El. I’m not going to make you fend for yourself.”
Up on the fourth floor, he pulls a keycard out of his wallet. “It’s the only key, and it’s yours.”
I take it and open the door. He follows me in, dragging my suitcase behind him.
The room’s not huge, but it has a king-sized bed, a couch, a desk, and a small fridge/microwave unit.