Chapter 7

Austin

I didn’t have much planned for the day, and I was restless, so I decided to go for a run. Running in the park isn’t normally my thing, but I didn’t want to go to the gym on a Sunday. I’d been considering setting up a small gym in my new home since it was getting harder to make it to the gym without being recognized. My preferred time was weekday mornings when fewer people were there.

My dream, for as long as I could remember, had been to be a rock star. While other kids in preschool were pretending to be firefighters or astronauts, I’d been putting on my own concerts. Back then, I’d seen myself as lead singer material. My mom thought my concerts were cute, so she’d bought me a toy drum set, and the rest is history. I fell in love with the drums and eventually realized I’m not much of a singer.

Now that I was living my dream, it seemed unreal at times. I could still go to the grocery store without being mobbed, and I didn’t need to bring security with me everywhere, but I was often recognized. We had more security when we played shows, and there was talk of us hiring even more in the near future. The fans who came up to me at the gym didn’t bother me, but the ones who gawked at me while I exercised made me uncomfortable. If I was on the treadmill, I started to worry I’d miss a step and slide off the end.

That’s how I’d ended up running by the lake. Piper hadn’t called or texted me. I knew it was likely she wouldn’t, but I could be patient. At least, I hoped I could be patient.

I was near the end of my run when I saw her. She was jogging my way, and when she saw me, she stumbled and nearly fell. I rushed toward her.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Fine,” she replied quickly. “I just lost my footing. How can you run like that?”

I looked down at my attire. It was winter, so I was fairly well covered in sweatpants and a tank top. I always got too hot to wear a sweatshirt.

I gestured to her black and pink running tights and hoodie. “You aren’t wearing that much more than I am.”

“I’m not making women spontaneously ovulate,” she argued.

A startled bark of laughter escaped my lips. “Spontaneously ovulate? Did you spontaneously ovulate?”

“I meant women who don’t know you,” she explained.

“Ouch!” I cringed. “You are brutal, Button.”

“Poor Austin,” she teased. “Did I hurt your fragile ego?”

“A little,” I admitted. “It seems you have a way of doing that. Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” she replied hesitantly.

“Were you planning to call me?” I asked. “Or is this run-in making you uncomfortable?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Yes, to which question?” I asked.

“This run-in is making me a little uncomfortable,” she admitted. “And yes, I’ve been thinking about calling you. It might be good for us to try being friends so things aren’t as awkward with our mutual friends.”

Not the reason I was hoping for, but I’d take what I could get. “Do you want to meet for dinner later?”

“I’m working tonight,” she replied.

“Lunch?” I asked. It was nearly noon, but I figured there was still time to grab lunch before she had to be at the club.

“I’m having lunch with my mom,” was her soft reply.

This was a bad time to settle into an uncomfortable silence. If that happened, Piper would leave. The subject of Piper’s mom didn’t come up often in my family. My mom still lamented losing her contract with Piper’s dad after his wife’s affair with my father, but my mom never mentioned the affair. It was far from my dad’s first, but it was the affair my mom had been unable to ignore.

“Tomorrow?” I asked, deciding to avoid talking about Piper’s mom.

“What happened to you not pushing me?” she asked.

“I’m a spoiled rich boy,” I reminded her. “We aren’t known for our patience.”

My response had the desired effect of making her laugh.

“So, lunch tomorrow?” I pushed.

“I’m not ready to say yes,” was her response.

Her answer made me grin.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked.

“You didn’t say you aren’t sure you’ll say yes,” I explained. “You just said you aren’t ready to say yes. Why don’t you call me when you’re ready to say yes to lunch tomorrow?”

“Don’t read too much into this,” she warned.

“I’ll let you finish your run. I have practice in the morning, so I can pick you up around one.” Ignoring her insults, I walked the rest of the way to my car. She was going to say yes.