in after the third song. I figured you were in good hands with Ronni. I don’t get to see Mom much anymore, since she refuses to travel.”
“How is she?” Bria asks.
“Old,” Jeremy says. He turns to me. “She retired to Florida ten years ago, after my dad passed.”
“It must be nice for her to live here. I mean, beach weather in March!”
“You won’t find her at the beach, but she does love it here.”
I get the idea Jeremy is more beloved by the band than Ronni. He’s older than them, for sure, but he seems nice.
“Jeremy, are you joining us for drinks?” Crew asks.
“Nah, you kids go ahead. Bruce can drop me at the hotel.”
“How come you never ask me?” Ronni says.
The five band members look at each other as tension mounts.
“I’m kidding,” Ronni says. “As if I’d be caught dead.” She turns on her heels, dismissing us with a wave of her hand.
“When is she going back home?” Garrett asks.
“Thursday,” Jeremy says.
“Not soon enough,” Bria mumbles.
I help carry their equipment to the van. “Ronni would have a fit if she saw us,” Liam tells me. “She says high-quality bands can’t be seen moving their own stuff. ‘It sends the wrong message,’” he falsettos.
“I’d say quite the opposite. That you like to help ease the burden on your staff.”
Garrett laughs. “Staff? Did you hear that, Bruce, you’re our staff.” The two men share a chuckle.
Garrett comes up behind me and whispers loudly, “The technical term is ‘roadie.’”
I flush. “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about this.”
“He’s teasing you, El,” Liam says. “Staff, employee, roadie—it’s all the same shit.”
We pile into the van, and Liam introduces me to Tom Horton, their security guy. “Ah, Thor,” I say, shaking his large hand.
He shakes in silent laughter. I wonder if I wasn’t supposed to call him that to his face.
“Tom goes almost everywhere with us,” Liam tells me.
“Just pretend I’m not even there,” Tom says.
“You?” I say, taking in arms that are the size of, well … Thor’s.
“You’ll get used to me. I’m like a fly on the wall.”
“More like in the ointment,” Brad jokes.
The people in this van really enjoy each other. They’re always joking around. I’ve only been here for one day and already I’m having more fun than I anticipated. I scan our surroundings for the one person who doesn’t seem to fit. “Why isn’t Ronni here?”
Crew snorts. “Veronica? Ride in the van? She wouldn’t lower herself. She only rides with us if we’re in limousines.”
“You get to ride in limos?”
“Sometimes,” Liam says. “Like the night we met, remember? It’s usually when Ronni’s trying to impress someone.”
“That whole night is a bit fuzzy,” I admit.
“We’ll ride in them a lot more after this tour,” Garrett says. “When we’re more famous than God.”
Bria smacks him in the arm. “Nobody’s more famous than God.”
“Eddie Van Halen is,” Liam says.
I give him a sideways glance.
“Oh, come on,” he says. “Everyone knows Eddie. Please tell me you know who he is, El. He’s like my fucking hero. One of the greatest guitar players of all time.”
“I know the band Van Halen. I didn’t know it was named after a guy.”
He grabs his chest like he’s dying. “You’re killing me.”
“Don’t mind him,” Crew says. “Besides, we all know the greatest guitar player of all time is Jimi Hendrix.”
Liam swipes a drumstick from Garrett and pops Crew on the head. Crew leans over the seat and gives Liam a wedgie.
“Stop acting like toddlers,” Bria says. “You’re going to give Ella the wrong impression.”
I laugh at their antics. “It’s actually quite refreshing.”
“It is?” Bria asks, looking confused.
I lean close and whisper. “I used to hang out with a tax attorney. This is fun.”
She giggles, and I can see us becoming friends.
Chapter Thirteen
Liam
“Stop!” My lungs are burning so badly, I feel I can’t take another breath. I stand bent over with my hands on my hips, huffing loudly.
Ella runs a few steps ahead and then jogs in place, looking at her watch. “We’ve only gone a quarter mile.”
“No way. It was over a mile, for sure.”
She points behind me. “You can still see the red lifeguard stand where we started.”
I feel like less of a man because I can’t keep up with this one tiny woman. “Shit.”
She laughs. “It’s okay. This is your first time. Catch your breath and then we’ll go again. But you should know, ordering that second bottle of whiskey for the table last night was probably what did you in.”