they’d rather avoid: like setting the past to rest once and for all, and making a start on the custody discussion. Spending more time with Isla reinforced how badly he wanted to be in her life.
He still had no idea how it would work. She couldn’t be dragged out of school regularly, which meant he’d be reduced to school holidays with her. Three term breaks of two weeks each and the six-week summer holidays—it seemed not nearly enough. Depending on his schedule, he could squeeze in trips to Australia and spend time with her here, but he didn’t want to disrupt her life any more than he had to. Would she be distracted by brief visits? Would she resent him constantly leaving her? Would she hate Tash for keeping them apart?
That was another decision he’d come to over the last week. Hiding out here indefinitely, leaving his band mates hanging, wasn’t good. Picking up a guitar again hadn’t made his head implode. The grief at the senseless deaths of those concert-goers was still fresh, and may never leave him, but what kind of example would he be setting Isla if he gave up his passion altogether? Walking away from Rock Hard Place would gut him, and cause a massive stir in the music industry. Questions would be asked. Fans and paparazzi would demand answers. His past would be dug into. Tash, and in turn Isla, would be exposed to muckraking. He wouldn’t put them through that. So he’d have to go back. Back on the road, on tour, thrust into the limelight he adored but which now seemed somewhat hollow after this quiet time with his daughter.
Isla played a loud, jarring chord that gave him a jolt.
‘Dad, what about that snack you promised?’
He gave a mock bow. ‘Coming right up, princess.’
She chuckled and went back to strumming as he headed to the kitchen. Along with his psyche, his ankle felt stronger every day and he couldn’t wait to get rid of the walking boot. He laid out crackers and was slicing cheese to top them when his phone rang where it lay on the bench top. One glance at the screen had his heart beating faster: Tash.
Wiping his hands, he reached for the phone and hit the answer button. ‘Hey.’
‘Hey yourself,’ she said too loudly, her words slurred slightly, and he heard giggling in the background.
‘Are you drunk?’
‘Pleasantly tipsy.’
He bit back a grin as he heard a muted belch. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Never better. How’s Isla?’
‘She’s great. I’m making her a snack.’ He heard collective sighs. ‘Do you have me on speakerphone?’
‘Noooooo …’ More laughter and he smiled, glad she was having a good time with her friends. ‘Okay, yes, but that’s only because Alisha and Ruby are bugging me to ask you something and they won’t let up until I do.’
‘Okay, shoot.’
‘Uh … it’s okay to say no … and I don’t even want to ask you this … but …’
‘Oh, for goodness sake,’ he heard someone mutter, followed by a loud ‘Ow!’ from Tash that he assumed came from being poked in the ribs.
‘Okay, I’ll ask him,’ Tash muttered. ‘Ruby owns the roadhouse where I work and she runs these great theme nights that locals flock to. We can’t get a band for one of the blues nights and she’s already sold a shitload of tickets, so she was wondering if you could play instead.’
Fear, swift and potent, shot through Kody and he broke out in a cold sweat. Stupid, because he’d just been thinking of returning to the touring circuit, but thinking about it and taking the first step towards actually doing it were poles apart. What if he froze the first time on stage? What if he couldn’t squeeze the words past his tight throat? What if he had a panic attack in front of everyone as the memories of clogging smoke and terrified screams overtook him?
‘It’s dumb, I know, because you’re on hiatus. But Ruby is hassling me and she says she’ll prank call every old geezer in the district from my phone unless I ask.’
‘Let me think about it, okay?’
That stunned them into silence. It even shocked Kody a little. He should’ve said no. Playing in a country roadhouse would bring a ton of attention he didn’t want. It would ruin the rest of his quiet leave and infiltrate what precious time he had left with Isla. But at least it would answer the question of whether he could still perform.
‘Wow, thanks,’ Tash said, sounding