“Would you like to see the house?” Ariel asked me after dinner. “We’re not done decorating since we only closed in June, but I’m having fun with it.”
“I’d love to,” I said, starting to get up.
“Wait.” Declan reached for my hand and then glanced at Tyler. “I’d like the ladies to stay for the first part of this conversation because for one thing, they’re part of our lives and any decisions we make, and for another, I’d like Ariel’s take on some of it.”
“Sure.” Tyler nodded as Ariel and I sat back down. “What’s on your mind, Bash?”
“The one thing that’s been simmering just below the surface, and starting to force its way to the top, is Jayson.”
“Jayson?” Tyler looked startled and so was I. He hadn’t mentioned Jayson specifically in any of our talks.
“Casey had to leave the band. She can’t be in a rock band and be a queen. It wouldn’t work. But Jay? He didn’t have to quit. We could have found another guitarist, someone with pizzazz, a name that would replace Casey’s. It wouldn’t have been the same but it could have been just as good. Instead, he just fucking bailed, without even a discussion. We were always covered financially, which is why I never said anything, but not everything is about money. And yeah, I know that comes from a place of privilege, where I have the money so I can say it’s not the most important thing. But I already had the money. They didn’t have to provide for us because we’d made that money together. My complaint is about brotherhood. The relationship we had. Our professional futures. Jay just threw it all away. New wife, new baby, new life. Like we never meant shit to him. And it pisses me right the fuck off.”
Tyler went from surprised to thoughtful to a deep scowl. “He did. I noticed too, but like you said, we were covered financially and we did that Pretty Harts and Friends album, so our contractual obligations were handled, but when it comes down to it, Jay and Casey walked away. Both of them did the same thing, though. She’s not blameless in this.”
“She’s not, but she couldn’t stay, while he had the option.”
“Okay, I get it. I agree, and I think Jay owes us an apology, but what does that get us? Peace of mind? That relationship is damaged, no matter what. We’ll never have what we once had, so why dwell on it?”
“I don’t know.” Declan set his jaw. “But it feels like I can’t move on until he explains. Or something. Believe me, I recognize how stupid this sounds, but I can’t stop feeling the way I feel.”
“Feeling the way you feel isn’t stupid,” Ariel said in her soft, lilting voice. “But letting someone else’s actions impact your future doesn’t hurt anyone but you. In fact, the way you’ve been waffling with Nobody’s Fool leaves Stu, Ford, Tyler and Lexi in almost the same situation Casey and Jayson left you and Tyler in.”
I winced at the look on Declan’s face, as if he hadn’t even thought of that and now it pained him to realize it. I slid my hand under the table and rested it on his thigh, hoping to show him I supported him no matter what.
“Wow.” Declan blew out a breath. “I’m a fucking douche and a half.”
“I didn’t say that to hurt you,” Ariel continued. “I said it because you’re letting the past impact your future. Hell, your present. Nobody’s Fool is fantastic. You guys have something amazing going. It’s taking a little time to get your footing, but there have been a lot of changes for fans.”
“Think about it,” Tyler continued. “First, Pretty Harts broke up but we did that last album with Casey, Jayson, Lexi, and several others all playing on different songs. It was a mishmash of talent under the Pretty Harts name. Then we morphed into a full-blown Nobody’s Fool album, but had Ariel do a song, so that was another adjustment. In concert, we play ninety percent our songs, but ten percent Pretty Harts songs. Our old and new fans don’t know where one band ends and the other begins.”
“Hence Casey’s drive to rebrand,” Declan said slowly, as if a light bulb was going off.
We were all quiet as the wheels in his head turned.
“As the outsider looking in,” I said after a moment, “it feels like Nobody’s Fool has been trying too hard to be Pretty Harts 2.0. Why not just let go of Pretty Harts and be Nobody’s Fool? Why are you clinging to the past that hurt you instead of embracing the future that’s waiting?”
Declan leaned over and brushed his lips across my cheek. “Not too long ago, I realized exactly what you just said, that I’d been thinking this would be the next iteration of Pretty Harts and the fact that it’s not, has bummed me out. You know me better than I know myself in some ways.”
“You’re too close to it,” I said.
“And you’re not wrong,” Tyler added. “I’ve had a lot of those same feelings, especially when we first went on the road. I fucking hated opening for Onyx Knight. They’re good guys, and after a few initial bumps, they treated us right, but we’re too good to be an opening act. And me and you, well, we have a lot of star power between us, so it felt wrong on a lot of different levels.”
“And star power or not, it’s not translating to sales or name recognition,” Declan said.
“Branding,” Ariel and I said together.
We all chuckled.
“Fuck.” Declan leaned back in his chair. “I feel kind of stupid now.”
“No.” Tyler shook his head. “I’ve felt the same, but I’ve been distracted. I fell in love, got married, and started a new life, so I had a lot of things to keep me from dwelling on it. Up until recently, you had nothing to do but dwell on all that shit.”
“I still feel like I need to say something to Jayson,” he said. “I’m just not sure what the point is.”
“Then do it and get it off your chest so you can let it go.” Tyler nodded, his blue eyes twinkling. “And I’d actually like to be part of the conversation. It might be cathartic for both of us.”
“Is he still in town?”
“Yup.”
“I’ll call him tomorrow to see about lunch or something.”
“Just let me know when.”
“Can I show Bri the house now?” Ariel asked.
“Yeah, go.” Declan smiled at me and I smiled back before Ariel and I left the room.
“Tyler’s been so bummed about this thing with Bash,” she said once we were alone. “It bothered him that Bash wouldn’t talk to him, so I told him to reach out. They’re like brothers, in some ways more so than Ty’s actual brother, so I think it’s great that they’re talking.”
“Honestly, Dec, er, Bash hasn’t said much about the band since we’ve been together,” I told her. “And we agreed no talk about the band or my culinary school woes for two weeks. We’re in an adulting hiatus so we can just spend time together and get to know each other.”
“How romantic and fun.” Ariel grinned as she opened two wide double doors. “This is the master.”
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” I exclaimed. The room held a massive four-poster bed and was done in greens, beiges, and browns. It was elegant but had a relaxing vibe that made me want to curl up on the bed with a good book. “How do you ever leave the bedroom?”