Chapter 60

Xander

Two weeks later, the problems with Mitch continued to plague us. Of course, after Cami’s altercation with Mitch at her building, we’d assumed he had nothing to back up his claims that Cami was cheating on me. She wasn’t, but I could see how the public would buy Mitch’s story when he was providing emails that supposedly came from her. If the asshole would cooperate, we could figure out who was sending him emails using a Cami Shaw email account, but he refused to meet with any member of the band. He’d indicated that he’d meet with Cami, but only if she met him alone. That left us wondering if Mitch was behind the fake emails. I wouldn’t put it past him, even if it did seem crazy.

I’d wanted to hire an attorney to sue the bastard, but Cami had talked me out of it, insisting he’d get bored and go away if we ignored him. She also insisted that more exciting gossip would come along to distract the masses. So, I was waiting for a celebrity DUI or maybe someone to get caught jerking off in a sex shop. I didn’t care what it was as long as it became the next big story. Sadly, there was a void in celebrity gossip—a rare occurrence.

To be honest, the Mitch situation wouldn’t bother me so much if I wasn’t leaving soon. I worried Mitch would cause even more problems for Cami while I was on the road. It was always possible he’d stay away from her, but I didn’t trust the slimy little fucker.

I was mulling over those thoughts while jogging on the treadmill at the gym. Since I was still required to bring security with me, Jared was jogging beside me. “This is fucked up,” I muttered as I continued to dwell on the situation with Mitch.

“The run?” he asked.

“I was thinking that it’s fucked up that Mitch is still breathing, but I’m also not happy about having to take security everywhere. Why do I need security at the gym?”

“You’re just pissed because I’m in better shape than you,” Jared taunted as he jogged on the treadmill beside mine.

“I’d like to tell you that’s bullshit, but I’ll bet you work out forty hours a week,” I replied.

He laughed and shook his head. “Not quite that much. I do work out a lot. It’s the only way I can keep from being scrawny. Working out is how I moved past my nerdy days.”

I was having trouble imagining Jared as skinny. The guy was a few inches over six feet tall and a mountain of muscle. With short blond hair and a neatly trimmed beard, he didn’t look nerdy to me. Then again, I’d been an honors student and a member of the chess club back in high school. At the time, I’d looked like I was part of the stoner crowd, so I knew looks could be deceiving.

“You had a nerdy look in high school?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “Back then, I was skinny and terrified of girls. I’m not surprised Harley didn’t recognize me.”

“Hold up.” I stopped the treadmill so I could focus on our conversation. That and, unlike Jared, I was starting to get out of breath. “You went to high school with Harley?”

“Sure did. I even tutored her boyfriend. We didn’t talk much back then.”

“What was she like in high school?” Harley never talked about her past.

“She was the girl everyone wanted to date,” Jared told me. “Harley was head cheerleader and homecoming queen. She was also really uptight. The only time she seemed relaxed was when she played with her band.”

Jared was a wealth of Harley trivia. “You saw her band play in high school? Did you have a thing for her?”

“Everyone had a thing for her.” He continued running as he spoke, not at all out of breath. “She wasn’t just popular because she was pretty. Harley was also nice, talented, and smart. What wasn’t to like?”

I grinned. “You still like her.”

He shook his head. “I barely know her. We’ve hardly spoken since I started working security for Reckless Release.”

“But she’s still hot, right?” I frowned. When Harley had first joined Reckless Release, I’d been more than a little attracted to her. Now, it felt strange talking about how hot she was. “Forget I said that. It feels like talking about how hot my sister is.”

Jared grinned. “Well, she is hot. But I can see how talking about that would make you uncomfortable. It’s also very unprofessional for me to admit, so let’s keep that between us.”

“I can do that for you.” I started jogging on the treadmill again. “Since I’m keeping your crush on Harley between us, you should pretend I can keep up with you on the treadmill.”

Jared snorted. “I’m not that good of a liar.”

“We’ll practice,” I told him. “I’m glad I didn’t have to bring Samantha this week.”

Jared chuckled. “I don’t blame you. Even I feel out of shape when I jog with her.”

“It would be okay if you asked Harley out.”

Jared’s eyebrows were practically at his hairline when he responded to my suggestion. “Are you trying to fix me up with Harley?”

I shrugged. “It wouldn’t be fixing you up. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be a bad thing. She always attracts the wrong guys, and I’m tired of seeing her alone.”

Jared nodded and started jogging again. “As nice as it is to have your blessing, I’d still rather avoid getting fired for coming on to a member of the band.”

“You wouldn’t get fired for that,” I insisted. “Harley might kick your ass, but she won’t get you fired.”