I’d have to deal with it later.
Chapter Three
Daisy
We’d been on tour with Courting Chaos for a week, of which we’d spent only one night in a hotel. I’d grown used to bus living. We had an old one Dad had bought us for cheap but had seriously enjoyed the break from my brothers. They’d shared a hotel room, two in each. But being the only woman meant getting my own room and I wasn’t about to complain.
Being the only two women on the tour at the moment, Barrett and I typically found each other pretty easily. We’d chatted a few times. I knew the guys of Courting Chaos were all ridiculously in love with their girlfriends, who, according to Barrett, would be joining us at some point in the near future.
“So tell me about the other girlfriends,” I told her as we were eating at the venue. The guys were going to join us any moment but we tried to make use of these few moments of girl time.
“You’re going to love them,” she said. But that wasn’t what I’d wanted to know. I’d wanted to know what they were like. Sometimes girlfriends were clingy and sent daggers your way just for talking to her boyfriend. “Cross’ and Ransom’s girlfriends just graduated from college. That’s why we had the day off on Sunday. Most of us flew in for the graduation.”
Right. My brothers and I had stayed in a hotel in Georgia for a rare day off. I’d wondered where the Courting Chaos gang had gone but hadn’t felt comfortable enough to pry. My brothers had gone off on their own after nicely asking if I wanted to do something with them, but I’d mostly just ordered room service, played my violin, and read a book.
Courting Chaos had joined us the next morning.
“Why didn’t they come back with you all?” I asked. They had such a normal friendship—it seemed like, anyway. Being such a tomboy, I’d had a hard time with female friends. Except my best friend, Bri, who had been just as much of a tomboy as me growing up.
It was how we’d bonded but being on the road made it really difficult to touch base. We talked when we could.
“Indie and Bellamy had things to take care of before they uproot their lives to come on the road.”
“And you’re friends with them?”
She nodded. “Here’s the rundown. Indie came on tour last summer because she does that to spend time with her dad who is Vince Cinderstone from Kissing Cinder. But Kissing Cinder isn’t touring this year, so she’ll be here probably the whole time.” She took a quick drink. “So she came, fell in love with Cross—this is the condensed version. So much happened before I came.”
“Got it.”
“Then she invited her best friend to come on tour for a couple of weeks and she somehow snagged Ransom. Or rather he snagged her.”
“That’s Bellamy, right?”
“Yes.”
“So everyone hooks up with whatever girl comes on tour?”
Barrett laughed loudly then took a bite of food. After chewing, she finally answered. “I’d like to say no, but that’s how it seems anyway. Except Booker and Paige. Booker actually went home because his mom was sick. My best friend, Paige, was her home health nurse. So them hooking up happened at home. And she’ll be here at some point, but she has a normal job. She’s a nurse in Ann Arbor.”
“And what about you and Dixon?”
Now she groaned. “That’s a whole other thing, but I got hired as Lawson’s PA and was adamant that I couldn’t be with Dixon.”
“I see how that turned out.”
“Right?”
A laugh shook my body, but there was one more thing I wanted to ask before the guys got there. “Who’s Lawson’s hookup then?”
Barrett gave me a knowing smile, making me instantly regret asking.
“He doesn’t have one,” she told me, which shouldn’t have surprised me, yet my stomach sunk for no good reason. “He used to have a few friends he saw now and then depending on where we were, but not in a while. He hasn’t found his one yet, I guess. What makes you curious?” Barrett bit back a smile.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “You made it seem like—”
All of the guys, I do mean all of them, came in right then, cutting off my words. I could only hope that Barrett wouldn’t say anything else. Her gaze stayed on me and she gave me this huge grin where I thought I could see all of her teeth then she took another bite of food.
She didn’t mention our conversation. All I heard after that was, “Uh-huh.” But I didn’t look at her. Instead, I focused back on my baked chicken and salad.
The guys’ chatter drowned everything else out for a few glorious minutes.
Why had I asked Barrett about Lawson? Because I was curious seemed like the logical answer. Not because I was interested. That wouldn’t have made any sense whatsoever.
I was mulling the answer over when I bit down and a sharp pain hit my jaw. I winced and dropped my fork.
“Shit,” I said as I moved my tongue around my mouth to figure out what I’d just bitten. I thought it was a crouton from the salad.
“What happened?” Barrett asked.
The noise in the room stopped, making me the center of attention, which I didn’t love in this scenario. Then I found something hard and pulled it out of my mouth.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said to no one in particular.
“What is that?” Van asked.
I sighed and said, “It’s the one filling I’ve ever gotten.”
Mack moved in closer. “You lost your filling?”
“Apparently.”
“OK.” He stood back to his full height and pulled his phone out of his front pocket. “I’ll find a dentist who can get you in right away. If you go soon, you can still go on tonight.”
“My dentist is in Detroit,” I told him as my tongue poked at the whole that was left.
“Wait,” Dixon said, interrupting. “Fangirl, you’re from Detroit?”
I turned to him, trying not to show any humor. He’d been calling me that since the first day and there were no signs of it. “Van’s going to regret that.”
“Come on, man,” Van said from behind me, though I hadn’t actually kicked him in the nuts yet.
“Yes, we’re from Detroit,” Mack told him. “Well, outside of it, and yes, Daisy. We’re in New York. I’d have to think we can find an emergency dentist.”
“I know a guy,” Lawson told my brother. Not me. My brother. “I went to school with him. He became a dentist and now lives here. I can call him.”
“That’d be awesome.”
Lawson glanced at me as he too pulled his phone out. I watched as he walked out of the room. When I looked back at Barrett, her eyebrows were raised and the corners of her mouth were turned up. I shook my head at her mostly because I wanted to pretend like I didn’t know what that look was for.
But I totally did.
Lawson returned quickly and said, “He can take you now.”
“Now?” I asked.
“Or as soon as you can get there.” He pulled his phone out again. “I’ll text you his address.”
“Is someone going with her?” Barrett asked.