“That’s good because I’m not sure I have enough bail money saved up if you were to get thrown back in jail.”
“You’d bail me out?” she asks, lifting her head from her hands.
“In a heartbeat,” I tell her.
Whiskey sighs. “Look, you don’t have to be nice to me or hang out with me. Come to town, show your face around here. I’ll do my part so neither of us gets into trouble.”
“I have to leave tonight, but I’ll be back.”
“Will you miss shows because of this?”
I nod. That’s the unfortunate part, unless our schedule shows we’re lucky enough to have three days off between shows. It’s unlikely though. “Harrison will cover for me.” Which also means I won’t get paid. However, she doesn’t need to know that. “I’m going to keep my room over at the Inn, and like I said, I’ll be back in a few days and maybe we can talk?”
“About what, Ajay? I think we said all we needed to say earlier today.”
I frown. She’s right but I want more from her. I want to know about her life while I was gone, and she’s kept that from me. Probably with good reason. I think of anything to say, anything that will give me an excuse to stay in her office with her for a bit longer.
“The door says ‘Manager’. Is that you?”
She nods slowly. “Yeah. The owner lives in Florida so it’s just me. I work most days but cover the nights on the weekends because the tips are better, and the bartender can’t handle the rush we get.”
I go over to her cork board and look at the flyer for their house band. A couple of the guys listed are people I used to play with. “Lee Johnson’s still playing?”
She laughs. “The other day I ran into Jolene Johnson and she said you stopped by her house to talk to Lee, asked him to join your band.”
“Why would I do that?” I ask her, completely confused.
“Dunno, but I knew she was full of it.”
“Sinful Distraction has one of the best young guitarists in the industry right now. He’s called Hendrix.”
“Really?” she asks. “He’s that good?”
“Yeah, and he knows it. Cocky little shit. Anyway, how would Jolene know?”
Whiskey laughs. “She’s married to Lee. You should see her, she’s a Parton wannabe with kazoos out to here.” Whiskey holds her hands out from her breasts to mimic the size of Jolene’s.
“Wait, Jolene Johnson married Lee Johnson?”
“Yep, and she hyphenates her name.”
“Wow, that’s some seriously small town shit.”
“Yeah, it is, but hey, so is getting married at eighteen and getting knocked up…”
And just like that the mood in her office changes. Our mistakes are laid out on the table to remind me of what I’ve done, as if I could ever forget. I don’t know if she did it on purpose or what, but her tactic was effective. I move toward the door and rest my hand on the knob. Without turning around to look at her I tell her, “I’ll call ya, Whiskey, and let you know when I’ll be back in town.”
I leave, shutting her door behind me. In the dining room, my pseudo family is deep in conversation and I don’t really want to talk to anyone right now so, I send Elle a text letting her know that I’m heading to the Inn to pack my bag and let Mrs. B know that I’ll need to make a block booking on my room. As soon as I open the door, I’m greeted with her million-dollar smile.
“Is it true?”
“That I’m a famous musician and woman are madly in love with me?” I wink at her. She pats my arm and chuckles.
“Always were a charmer.”
“Mrs. B I can’t even charm a snake, let alone a beautiful woman.”
Again, she pats my arm. “I heard you and Miss Jameson Foster are still married.”