to help cover your gas. I know you travel a lot to and from the city.”
“Where did this come from?” I ask.
“Dirk,” he says. “He asked me to give it to her.”
I narrow my eyes at him. We only talked about this a while ago. How could Dirk have given him money?
In the envelope is a stack of fifty-dollar bills. I take it from her and give it back to Jeremy. “Please thank him, but she’s got it covered.” No way do I want her indebted to that slime ball. “We’d better get that food back to your place before it spoils.”
“We?” she asks, smiling.
“I thought I’d go back to the city with you. My mom asked me for dinner tomorrow. You can come too.”
“Tomorrow? But what are you going to do until then?” The amused gleam in her eyes is breathtaking.
My pants get tight. “I’m sure we’ll find something.”
We get in her car. “Crew?”
“Yeah?”
“Why didn’t you want me taking the money?”
“Because Dirk always has ulterior motives. He never does anything that won’t benefit him.”
“Maybe he thinks paying for my gas will keep me in the band and that could benefit him.”
I shake my head. “Like I said, you don’t want to be in bed with him.”
“Okay, but my credit card is getting a lot of use lately.”
“So is mine.”
“We’re paying our dues, right?”
“Yup.”
Halfway back to the city, she asks, “Why do you think Ronni wants me to cut my hair so badly?”
“Honestly? I think she’s jealous of you.”
“She drives a Porsche. How would she possibly be jealous of me?”
“You’re the one with all the talent, and you’re gorgeous too.”
“I believe you’re a tad biased. Maybe Brad was right. She wants you and she sees me as competition.”
I don’t mention what happened earlier. “That’s ridiculous.”
“You haven’t picked up on her subtle advances? Are you really that blind?”
“She doesn’t want me,” I lie.
“Maybe I’m jealous. She has looks, money, and power. Why wouldn’t you want a woman like that?”
“I wouldn’t. I don’t. You have nothing to worry about. We’re good.”
She squeezes my hand. “Is there a we?”
“Yeah, there’s a we.”
She smiles as she watches the road in front of us.
Me—I feel guilty for adding to the secrets I’m keeping from her.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Bria
I hand Crew my phone before we go inside. “Snap a picture of my hair. I want a before and after photo.” I strike funny poses as he snaps away.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you should be a model?”
“Actually, yes.”
“Really?”
I nod. “Back in high school, I was approached by someone after a choir performance.”
“What happened?”
“The guy made Brett uneasy and he scared him away.”
“I like your brother.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I’ve never had any desire to be on the cover of a magazine unless it was a result of my singing.”
“Rolling Stone?” he asks with a smirk.
“That’s the holy grail, isn’t it? But I was thinking more like Spin or Billboard.”
“You’ve got to think bigger than that.”
A girl passing by stops. “Are you Chris Rewey?”
Crew smiles and offers his hand. “I am.”
“Oh my God, I love your songs. Reckless Alibi is like my favorite band of all time, and now you’re on the radio. Can I have your autograph?”
He signs a page in her notebook, and she takes their picture. “This is like the best day of my life. You really are my favorite.”
“Thanks. We have a new album coming out soon.”
She squeals.
“This is our other lead singer,” he says. “Brianna.”
I look at him sideways. He’s never called me that before.
“Nice to meet you,” she says, looking about as impressed with me as the bum on the corner bench.
“We’d better get going,” Crew says.
“Right. Thanks again,” the girl says before bouncing down the street.
I put my hand over my heart. “O-M-G,” I say dramatically. “I can’t believe I just met the Chris Rewey. Isn’t he dreamy?”
“Shut up,” he says, yanking me to him.
“And he touched me. I’ll never wash my hand again.”
“Will you quit it?” He pushes me against the side of the building and kisses me. “You’re the only one I want to touch.”
“Are you famous or something?” a man asks, taking his phone out. “I saw you autograph something for that girl and then you posed for a picture with her.”
“Nope,” Crew says sharply. “Not famous. If you’ll excuse us.”
He hurries me toward the hair salon and I’m left wondering if he’s always nicer to the female fans.
As soon as we open the door, a flamboyant man dances toward us. “Ah, my dear Brianna. I’ve been waiting