Chapter 9

Gage

After changing the time of my return flight from Friday at noon to Thursday at six in the morning, I’d messaged everyone in the band, telling them we needed to meet. No one had been happy about my suggestion that we have this meeting right after my return, but they’d all reluctantly agreed when I told them it was urgent.

“You’d better have a good reason for making me get out bed this early,” Xander grumbled as he sat across from me in our favorite coffee shop. He’d stopped at the counter to grab a cup and a pot of coffee on the way to the table. Xander didn’t drink or do drugs, but he took his coffee very seriously. He’d clearly just climbed out of bed. His black hair was sticking up in places.

Austin mumbled his agreement while remaining slumped over the table with his long blond hair falling forward to hide his face. My friends definitely weren’t happy about being up early. All except Harley, who was smiling and humming. Her bright pink hair was secured in a high ponytail, and her pale green eyes were alert.

“Are you okay, Harley?” I asked cautiously.

Seeing Harley this happy made me wonder if she was either on drugs or cheerfully contemplating my demise. The latter was the most likely scenario.

“You are acting strange,” Austin added as he pushed his hair out of his eyes.

“I’m a morning person,” she admitted, still grinning.

“Since when?” I asked.

“When I don’t have to stay up late with you idiots, I get a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed,” she explained. “We’ve known each other how many years?”

I shrugged. “About ten.”

“And it’s taken you this long to realize I’m a morning person,” she said with a laugh.

“You were never a morning person before,” Austin argued.

“I was!” she insisted. “You’ve only spent mornings with me on tour. It’s hard to be in a good mood when I’m sleeping in a van most nights. Just wait until we’re on the bus together. When we don’t have shows the night before, we can all get up early. It will be fun.”

“Hell no! That sounds beyond boring, Harley,” Xander told her. “Why would you want to wake up early? Don’t give me any crap about the early bird getting the worm. We’re not birds.”

“He’s right,” Austin agreed. “You’re a badass rocker.”

“You should be up partying all night,” Xander added.

I laughed along with Harley at Xander’s claim.

“What would you know about partying?” she asked. “Your idea of an exciting nightlife is finding an all night diner that serves coffee and waffles.”

Waffles were another addiction of Xander’s.

Austin chuckled, the banter clearly helping him wake up. “She’s got you there.”

“Speaking of waffles,” Xander began, his attention having shifted to our waitress. “There’s my girl now.”

“Did you call ahead to order waffles?” I asked.

“If I’ve gotta be up at this hour, there had better be some waffles sitting in front of me,” he stated.

“Damn, I’ve missed you guys,” I admitted.

“You’ve been gone less than a day,” Harley pointed out as she looked at her menu. “Don’t be such a pussy.”

“That says a lot about how fucked up your trip must have been.” Austin remarked as he regarded me. “So, what’s going on with your mom? Is she having problems with her medication again?”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I said on a sigh. “My brother owns Mooncast Records.”

“Did he buy it before or after we signed?” Xander asked.

“Before,” I replied. “It seems he bought it to help us get signed.”

“And now you’re having rich boy problems,” Harley concluded with a nod.

“What do you mean by rich boy problems?” I asked. Before we’d signed with this label, I’d had to work full-time to pay my rent. I’d spent seven years saving up for my treasured custom Gibson Les Paul. That guitar was my pride and joy.

“Totally rich boy problems,” Austin agreed.

“You would know,” Xander told Austin. “Didn’t you recently complain because your dad only pays half your mortgage?”

“This is why I’m qualified to identify rich boy problems,” Austin said with a grin.

I decided now wasn’t the time to remind them I wasn’t rich.

“You’re all missing the point,” I began. “Long story short, my brother is engaged. If the stories are true, she’s a gold-digger who’s only marrying him to get her hands on his money.”

“Who cares?” Harley asked. “I mean, unless she’s some sort of black widow who’s planning to kill your brother after she marries him. If that’s the case, you should be worried.”

“She’s definitely not a killer,” I replied automatically. My own defense of Bentley irritated me. She was likely using my brother for his money—taking advantage of him. While none of that had mattered to me at first, the longer I’d had to brood over the whole thing, the more it bothered me. There was also the fact that I was still pissed that Bentley was with my brother. She’d let me kiss her, for Christ’s sake!

“You may be right about her using your brother for his money,” Xander agreed. “I still don’t think you should worry about it. Let Colin enjoy some hot pussy. She might even love him. That shit happens sometimes.”

“She doesn’t love him,” I argued.

“How the hell do you know that?” Harley demanded, sounding more like her usual self.

“I just do,” I insisted, continuing when Harley glared at me. “I met the woman my brother is marrying on my flight. Not once did she mention having a fiancé or even a boyfriend. When I asked her out, she agreed and took my number, promising to text me. She even let me kiss her goodbye. Do those sound like the actions of a woman in love?”

“That is some crazy shit,” Austin muttered.

“I know!” Xander agreed. “What were the chances of you running into Colin’s hot pussy on that flight? She is hot, right? It’s fucking insane that you and Colin have both had your tongue in her mouth.”

“Why do you have to make everything weird?” I asked him.

He shrugged and replied, “It’s a gift,” before filling his mouth with waffles.

“I was in a hurry to catch my flight, so it was a quick kiss,” I explained. “My lips barely touched hers.”

“Has she texted you?” Harley asked thoughtfully.

“No,” I admitted.

“It’s possible she took your number with no intention of calling you,” Harley pointed out.

“Why would she do that?” I asked.

“Maybe she’s not good at turning guys down,” Harley suggested. “Before you start with the kiss, it sounds like you kissed her, not the other way around.”

“You weren’t there,” I argued. “She was into me.”

“Did it ever occur to you that she was just being nice on the flight and had no interest in taking a ride on your wonder pole?” Austin asked.

“Wonder pole?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Where the fuck do you come up with this stuff?”

Xander pulled out his phone and spoke into it. “Never let Austin write songs.”

“What are you doing?” Harley asked him.

“Making a note for myself,” Xander explained. “I’m trying to get more organized.” He then continued to dictate to his phone. “Not all girls want to ride Gage’s wonder pole. Wonder pole means cock.” He paused and looked at Austin. “That is what you meant, right?”

“Of course, that’s what I meant,” Austin replied with an exaggerated sigh.

“Why do you need to make a note of that?” I asked with a laugh.

“If Austin uses phrases like wonder pole, his songs will suck,” Xander explained.

“I meant the note about my dick, dumbass,” I clarified.

“In case you forget,” Xander explained. “I’m going to set a reminder for the entire band to hear this once a month.”

“No,” Harley told him.

“You don’t think once a month is often enough?” he asked with an innocent smile.

Harley shook her head before focusing on me again. “They’re idiots, but they’re right. She might not be interested in you.”

“Fine.” I relented. “She might not be interested in me. I may have misread things. I’m still having a private investigator look into her.”

“What’s really going on here?” Xander asked. “You are way too worked up over this girl.”

“I don’t get why you’re so worried about her marrying your brother for his money,” Harley added. “You’ve never seemed all that concerned with Colin’s money. Besides, he’s in good health. I know the accident shook you up, but he’s doing fine now.”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “Colin has brain cancer.”

“Shit,” was all Harley said.

“My mom told me when I went to visit her,” I explained. “I don’t have all the details yet.”

“You didn’t call him?” Austin asked, leaning forward to regard me.

“I’m going to see him after we finish recording in a couple of weeks,” I told them. “I should have the report from the private investigator by then.”

“Are you afraid to hear how bad things are?” Harley asked gently.

“That’s part of it,” I admitted. “Mostly, he won’t talk to me over the phone. I don’t know what’s up with him. When I called him, he said we should talk in person, and he insists he can’t make time until two weeks from now. What the fuck is that about? I can’t believe my brother could actually die. After he came out of the coma, I figured he was fine.”

“Why not just go out there?” Harley asked. “He’s not going to turn you away.”

“You only say that because you’ve never met Colin,” I told her. “He won’t see me until he’s ready.”

“I’m sorry, man,” Austin began. “I think this is affecting your judgment.”

“How do you mean?” I asked.

“He means you shouldn’t have your brother’s fiancée investigated,” Harley explained. “You’re being an ass.”

“How am I being an ass?” I demanded. “I’m trying to protect my brother.”

“Your brother’s a grown man,” Harley argued. “He doesn’t need you to protect him.”

“Back off, Harley,” Xander told her. “He’s got a right to feel overprotective of his brother with everything going on.”

“Thank you,” I told Xander.

“It’s still fucked up,” Xander added. “If you find out you’re wrong about this girl, you’ll have totally screwed up any chance you have with her. What if she isn’t even with your brother?”

“Even if she is, this Bixby chick may not be using your brother,” Austin added. He’d never been good with names.

“Bentley,” I corrected him.

“That’s one of those hot blonde names,” Xander mused. “I’ll bet she’s got huge fake knockers and ass implants.”

“Very classy, Xan,” Harley muttered.

He shrugged off her censure. “I’m just saying it’s one of those names. She’s a hot as fuck blonde, right?”

“Not even close,” I told him. “She’s got this sweet, girl-next-door thing going on.”

“Then why are you so interested in her?” Harley asked. “You like bimbos as much as Xan does. I’ve never seen you go for the nice girls.”

“I asked myself the same question when I met her,” I admitted. “Maybe she’s not as nice as I thought.”

“But what if she is?” Harley asked. “You obviously liked her on your flight. If not, you wouldn’t have given her your number. Are you prepared to screw up your chance with her?”

“She didn’t text me,” I pointed out.

“Are you sure your wounded pride isn’t part of what’s pushing you to have her investigated?” Austin asked.

I shrugged. “That might be part of it, but I am worried about my brother being taken advantage of. He seemed off when I talked to him. What if his brain cancer is making him more gullible?”

“I’d want to look out for my brother, too,” Xander admitted. “Still, you might be taking this too far.”

Letting out a frustrated breath, I asked, “I should back off, right?” even knowing I wasn’t going to take my friends’ advice.

They all nodded, voiced their agreement, and left it at that. Thankfully, the rest of our breakfast conversation revolved around music. Since everyone was free, we made plans to head over to Austin’s to use the studio at his house. In a couple of weeks, I’d have all my answers about Bentley.