Jackson sat down at the bar.
“Whoa, it’s good to see you sitting there, Jackson. I feel like something’s missing every time I look in that direction.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got a lot of shit on my plate.”
Jackson now worked as a session muso. He didn’t really want to go back on the road and, with a baby on the way, he felt like he should have a steady job.
“You do look like someone stomped all over you. Aren’t you heading off to the festival next week? Hell, you are going to be brooding emo guy for that,” Jackson said. Then he indicated for Carlie to get him a ginger ale.
Love had changed that man.
“Yeah, you’ve been a complete misery guts,” Carlie said. “If you think getting down on your knees is going to be enough, think again, buddy. Dee is so angry with you, it’d take some massive gesture to get her to even look at you. I’m talking Meg Ryan rom-com type gesture. Not flowers, not chocolates. Maybe like slicing your arms off or, I dunno, not stealing her dead brother’s song. That was a real dick move.”
“Huh?” Jackson stared at me. “You didn’t.”
That was not going to be explained. All my justifications wouldn’t help. I’d just look like a dick, but a dick with pathetic excuses. Jackson would stick to his guns. He’d tell the label guys to stick their contract and walk out. That was the type of guy he was. Straight down the line. Holden was like that too. But they didn’t have the same longing I had.
“So, you tell me, Carlie. What kind of grand gesture should it be?”
She’d been wiping down the bar but stopped and stared me.
“You’re not going to do it, are you? You aren’t going to stop with that song.”
“There’s such a thing as contractual obligations.”
“Yeah, a contract you signed. You knew what you were getting into. And you knew it’d hurt Dee.”
She moved away and Drew and Jackson argued. That left me with my thoughts. Did I want to win Dee? I’d never lifted one finger to get a woman before, but this was different. When she looked at me with that mistrust and hate, I could barely stand it. Even if I couldn’t win her back, even if I failed, it’d be worth it to remove that from her. I wanted to be the man I saw reflected in her eyes when she let her guard down with me. Even if I got away with using the song, would the end result be worth it?
Even if she had planned all this as revenge, she couldn’t have planned for me to need that song. Not unless she was a criminal mastermind. It did fall on me. I had to accept the blame. I’d gotten everything I’d wanted but had never realised it would cost so much.
Before the thoughts could line up, Sally came into the bar.
Carlie smiled at her and the others said “hello” but she stomped over and stood beside me.
She handed me an envelope.
“What’s this?”
“My resignation. I quit.”
“Fine, what do you want?”
She glared at me. “Nothing. I want to quit. A week’s notice, that’s all I have to give. This time next week, I’ll be out of here.”
“You want a raise? Look, maybe an extra dollar an hour is all I can do.” I gave her my special smile. That would melt her panties and have her gasping for me again. Even though I’d told her we’d never come to anything, she still had the hots for me.
“Keep your lousy d
ollar. Keep your job too. It’s bullshit, Alex. You know what I’d have liked? For you to have treated me with some respect. You knew I liked you and you dicked me around. And that is totally not cool.”
“Okay,” I said, turning to Jackson with a grin. “I’ll make it a buck fifty. But that’s final.”
“Can I get a drink?” she said to Carlie. “I have something to celebrate.”
“Yeah?”
She pulled something out of her handbag. “Plane tickets. Well, not exactly tickets, but a print out of my booking. I’m heading to Europe. And, get this, I talked to Violet and she’s got a job lined up for me. International liaison for some promo company she’s been working with over there. I’m out of this place and headed for the big time.”