Chapter Seven
Sawyer
We pulled up to the parking lot outside of the building Kurt temporarily rented where a monstrous bus was parked. Well, it was larger than a bus. It was custom built for him and this tour. The band members’ faces were plastered across the sides. It was like my bedroom, but on wheels. Behind it were two smaller buses. Kurt had had them custom made to give the band more privacy.
“Wow, these are a lot bigger in real life.”
“Yeah, it’s like a home on wheels. Kurt’s is the first one. The rest of the band will travel in the second one. Additional staff in the third.”
When we’d come to LA, the buses were being worked on. I had only seen pictures, which hadn’t done them justice. I bit my lip and looked at the building. “Is Kurt still in the band meeting?”
Waldo checked his phone before wiping his forehead with his designer handkerchief—a nervous habit. “Let me check.” He typed a few things and waited for a response. “You’ve got ten to fifteen minutes.”
That wasn’t much time at all. We’d bought a lot of stuff at the pet store. My pulse picked up. “Okay, go keep him distracted until I can unload all of George’s shit in my room. I’m going to try to stow him away until we’re on the road. Then once we’re on the way, he’ll have no choice but to let me keep him.”
Waldo shook his head. “Good luck. I don’t think this is going to go too well.”
I beamed. “Me either. But George and I are a package deal.” Cuddling George closer, I said, “Look at this face. It’s too cute. And Kurt owes me.”
“From what I’ve heard, seems like you give it back to him.”
Wait. Kurt talks about me to Waldo?
That gave me pause. But I’d have to process this information later.
Giving George a pat, Waldo shook his head before getting out of the car.
“Okay, George, you have to go potty really quick. Then we should get on the bus before meanie head comes on. He’s kind of grouchy, but he’ll grow on you.”
He licked me in response. It felt like my heart was beating double time. I mean, what in the world had come over me that I’d bought a dog? A dog? I’d always wanted one as a kid, but there had never been any time. This lap poodle was going to depend on me to keep him alive. My eyes widened at the realization.
Later. I will process this later.
I opened the car door and rushed George over to the grassy area off to the side of the private parking lot where the buses were parked. Since Kurt had filed a lawsuit against his current label, he’d decided to open his own record company. They had a temporary office in LA until it was decided what to do.
George squirmed. “Okay, George, go pee. Don’t leave the area.”
I set the puppy down and raced to the back of the car to grab all his stuff. Who would have thought a dog required so many things? George sniffed the nearby grass. “Go pee-pee, George. I need you to be a good boy and go on the grass.”
“Kurt said I should be expecting you.”
With a scream, I jumped, and George began to bark.
A man stepped around me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wade. I’m Frank, your driver for this first leg. Thomas and I will alternate for the duration of the tour.”
Holding my hand to my heart, I tried to calm myself. Thank goodness, I remembered him being on the itinerary. The older gentleman stuck out his hand. I shook it and said, “Oh, geez. Hey, Frank. You scared me to death.”
It was then Frank must have noticed there was a dog with me. His eyebrow quirked. Glancing back nervously toward the building where Kurt was still in his meeting, I knew I had to get Frank on my team fast.
“Listen. I’m going to come clean with you. I got a dog today. A lap poodle. And Kurt has no idea. I need help hauling all George’s sh—I mean, stuff into my room before Kurt gets done. It’s a code red.”
“Lap poodle? Code red?”
“Yes. A dog. We need to be fast. Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. If you help me, we’ll be the bestest of friends.”
George gave another yap and then lunged forward to pee. “Oh my gosh! You’re such a good dog! Good boy, George! Good boy!”
Frank looked to the left and to the right. “Umm…has Mr. Hendrix approved?”
Oh man, I had another loyal Kurt lover on my hands. I needed to sweet-talk this man and fast. “Look at that cute face. Can you seriously say no to him? Where would he go? He can’t be abandoned after being adopted only two hours ago. Think how you would feel.”
Silence.
Frank appeared to be at a total loss, judging from the blank look on his face. Finally, he recovered. “If Mr. Hendrix gets mad—”
I grinned, knowing I’d convinced him. “You had nothing to do with it. In fact, when I got on the bus, you were using the restroom.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
It was a race against the clock, and we made several trips. George thought it was a game, so he tried to nip at my heels. “Don’t be naughty, George. We have to hurry.”
I heaved out a breath. Maybe I should start working out some. At least all the stuff was on the bus in the living area. “Which room is mine?”
Frank leaned against the wall, worn out. “I think the first on the right.”
The interior of the bus had been customized. The size of Kurt’s room had been reduced so that I could have my own room. In addition, the living and kitchen areas were smaller. It was boringly plain with the gray walls and black couches. Color was a must if we were going to be on this thing for three months. A narrow hallway on the left of the bus had three doors on it. I tried the first one. It was a bathroom. The second one made me pause, horrified.
“Oh, he did not!”
“What’s wrong, Ms. Wade?”
Frank came up beside me and looked in. “Oh dear. Is this your room?”
“Yes. And do you see why Kurt has driven me to get a dog?”
“Maybe.”
All the Reverence stuff had come here. George looked up at me. “When you get a chance, pee on Kurt’s favorite pants. I promise you won’t be in trouble, George.”
George’s mouth opened and his little pink tongue stuck out. I swore he was smiling at me in agreement.
“Sawyer, please hurry. Kurt’s stepped out of the building and is talking to Waldo.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Text Waldo and tell him to stall Kurt! He’s in on it, too. He’ll know why.”
I heard a faint chuckle.
I rushed to throw everything into my room. The mess would have to wait. I threw a blanket and a toy in the crate before grabbing the dog. “Okay, George. You need to go in here and be super quiet until we get down the road, okay? If not, Mr. Meanie may make you leave since this is his bus. So be super quiet. You don’t want to be an orphan dog.”
I gave George a hug and put him in the crate. He circled twice and then lay down. Being a dog parent was easy. I had this in the bag. I grabbed a magazine from my purse and dashed to the living room to plop on the couch at the moment Kurt came up the steps. Poor Frank looked like he might have a heart attack as he tried to get back to the driver’s seat. His jacket caught on the knob of the door that led to the front. He barely got it freed.
Whew.
As Kurt ascended, his eyes connected with mine. My stupid heart did that pitter-patter thing. And I swore Kurt’s blue eyes lit up. He was freshly showered and wore a vintage T-shirt and jeans. He did sexy casual very, very well.
I tried to remain calm. “Hey, stranger. How’s it going?”
“What did you do?” Kurt scanned the room before his eyes landed on me.
Innocently, I smiled. “What? Why would you think I did something? I just got here. Nice digs, by the way.”
“Frank?”
“Yes, sir?” Frank came from the front, his eyes wide as saucers.
Subtle, Frank. We would have to work on his accomplice skills.
“Were you here when Sawyer got on the bus?”
I could tell Frank was seconds away from folding like a cheap suit. Distract. I cocked my eyebrow as poor Frank broke into a sweat. “Listen, what in the world could I do?” Deflect. “I see my excellent bedroom décor made it here.”
Kurt smirked. “I knew you would miss your sheets and bedspread.”
I dramatically wiped my brow. “I don’t have to worry about losing sleep now. Thank you.”
Behind Kurt, Frank’s shoulders sagged as he visibly relaxed. He gave me a thumbs-up and said, “We’re going to pull out, Mr. Hendrix, if that’s all.”
“Sounds good, Frank. Thanks for coming on this trip with us.”
A few seconds later, the bus began to move. I shifted on the couch and opened my magazine. “It’s like a house on wheels. Home sweet home for the next three months.”
“Are we good?”
I glanced up and watched him for a second. He was clearly concerned. All his attention was on me.
Though I wanted Kurt in a way I couldn’t have him, I treasured his friendship. If this was all he had to offer, at least we were in each other’s lives. “We are. Roomies to the end. Maybe we should come up with a cheer.”
Kurt’s lips turned up while his gaze remained locked on mine. “What were you and Waldo up to this afternoon?”
I flicked my wrist and sniffed the flowery perfume sample on one of the pages of my magazine. “He needed some new ties, so we shopped. I think he may need an intervention. Four bags. How in the world can you buy that many ties?”
“Well, he needs the matching handkerchief, too.”
We laughed. It felt good to be on even ground with Kurt again. “How’d wardrobe fitting go?”
“Perfect. I love the additions to my jacket.”
Oh, so this was how we were going to play it. Fine by me. At some point, I’d try to get some rhinestones added to his leather pants to match his jacket.
“Good. I knew you would.”
A whimper came from the back.
“What was that?” Kurt asked, turning toward the hallway.
I plugged my nose. “I’ve had some sinus issues going on.”
Another whimper. Dammit.
George, be quiet.
I gave a screechy yawn. “Man, these sinuses make me sound so nasally. I’ll be right back. I need to use the bathroom.”
Another long, whiny whimper.
Scrambling off the couch, I hurried to the door. I turned and Kurt was right there. “Is that a dog I hear?”
“No.” I sounded guilty as sin. Shit.
“Sawyer.”
“Woof. Woof.”
Oh no, George be quiet.
“Last time I checked, dogs barked,” Kurt said.
“My sinuses are so crazy. It sounds like a bark.” I held my nostrils together.
Kurt raised his eyebrows at me. Okay, even I knew that was a terrible lie.
I held up my hands. “Listen. It was an impulse buy, but George won’t be any trouble. And I know snap decisions normally bite people in the ass, but this one won’t. He’s perfect. The perfect addition to our adventure.”
“George?”
“My lap poodle.”
“Lap poodle?”
“Yeah, a small, cute dog who won’t get any bigger than he is now. I bought him at the park. The lady was really nice. She’s from France and didn’t speak English fluently. Then, against Waldo’s will, I made him stop at the pet store for supplies. I stole his phone and threatened his life if he told you. Frank was clueless, too. He was in the restroom and found me innocently reading my magazine.”
“Shit, you have them on your side already?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Sawyer, we can’t have a dog.”
It was obvious Kurt was trying not to smile. I hurried into my room, and Kurt’s eyes bulged. “What is all this shit? It looks like you bought the entire pet department.”
This room was a mess. I was going to get hives thinking about it. “It’s George’s stuff. I’ll get it organized. I was in a bit of a rush to get it on the bus in Operation Don’t Let Kurt Know.”
“Woof. Woof.”
I rushed over to the crate and opened it. “Hey, sweet George. Meet your roommate. He’s a bit messy and swears like a sailor, but he’s nice enough.”
George, his tail wagging, walked right up to Kurt and sat down. “See how sweet he is.”
“Sawyer, we can’t—” Kurt’s eyes softened when they landed on the fluffy white ball.
Bingo. There was my open door. “Please. Please. Please. I’ve always wanted a dog. Pleeeaaaaaase.” I pouted my lips a little and put my hands together. “He’s official and everything. I have papers.”
George reached up on Kurt’s leg and whimpered to be picked up. Without thinking, Kurt lifted him up and held him. “Where are the papers?”
I was so close to having him convinced. Kurt absentmindedly petted George’s head as I retrieved the papers. After finding the envelope in my purse, I handed them to him. “I just have to fill them in and mail them. Isn’t he so soft and cuddly?”
Scanning the documents, Kurt snorted. His eyes met mine—they were full of laughter. What was funny? “Have you read these yet?” he asked.
“No, there hasn’t been much time. It was a race against the clock so you wouldn’t give him the boot and orphan my first dog ever.”
Kurt mashed his lips together before he proceeded. “What kind of dog did you think you got?”
I put my hands on my hips. “Why are you being so cryptic? I’ve told you. George is a lap poodle. I’m going to get him a little bag and everything. He’ll be so handsome as we traipse around America together. I’m thinking he needs a rhinestone jacket to match yours.”
In that moment, Kurt burst out laughing. “You got a labradoodle.”
Labradoodle?
Why is he laughing?
Kurt couldn’t stop.
“A what? The woman said lap poodle.”
“Hell, Sawyer. This is the best thing that’s happened. Good ol’ George is going to be over seventy pounds and huge.”
I gasped. “What? That’s more than half my weight. He won’t be a lap poodle? What about my cute little bag? I won’t be able to carry a seventy-pound dog.”
At this point, Kurt was nearly bent over laughing. George wiggled and whined, and Kurt set him down. “No, he won’t.” Kurt staggered to my bed. “Oh shit. This is the funniest thing ever. You wanted a cute little ‘lap poodle’ and you have a giant-ass labradoodle.”
I tossed a squeaky toy at him. “This is not funny. Not funny at all.”
Bending over, I picked up George. “Oh man. I can’t believe I did that.” I giggled. “I am so fucked.”
“Yes, you are.”
George cocked his head to the side. “I don’t care if you’re going to be huge.” I jutted out my lip. “Can I still keep him?”
Kurt stood, and his voice lowered in that sweet, sexy way. “Does it mean a lot to you to have this dog?”
“Yes. I always wanted one as a kid, but my parents were too busy. I’m like a doggie mom. And I swear George is already potty trained. I told him to pee and he did.”
Kurt’s face softened as he watched us. I waited with bated breath for the final verdict.
“George, welcome to the Reverence tour across America.”
Pitter-patter.
There went my stupid heart again.