You got to Me (Love on Tour #3) (7 page)

“Yeah, well, he’s gay. So I think that solves that mystery right there.”

“You must be the first person to have ever figured that out so quickly,” Hank said, looking shocked.

“It takes one to know one,” Lance replied lightly. “Look, the point is that you have refused to address any of the crazy rumors, and as a result people come to their own conclusions. Look at this.”

He pulled a smutty tabloid out of the bag that Ken had been carrying. It was at least a year old, and showed a picture of Dani and Hank walking out of a venue together. Hank had his arm around Dani and she was cuddled into his side. Sean was walking behind them.

“So?” Hank said.

“So, if you do the math, Baby would have been barely pregnant when this picture was taken.”

“I had a bad day. Baby was comforting me.”

Lance looked at his phone again. “Because you had a fight with Bell?”

Hank leaned forward. “How did you know about that?”

“Christine asked Bell and Baby about it this morning.”

“Damn,” Hank said, running a hand through his hair. “What did Bell say?”

Lance looked down and read from his phone. “She said that you two had a fight and you were upset about it. Baby was comforting you.”

“Yep. That’s what happened.”

“But the thing is, Christine was wondering why Baby was comforting you instead of her girl friend. That Baby would leave Bell all alone when you two were fighting. It seemed weird to her.”

Hank didn’t respond to this. So Lance continued. “So Bell said that she wasn’t alone that night. She said that she had ‘an indiscretion’ and that’s what the fight was about.”

Hank turned to Sean. “I might kick his ass.”

Sean looked at Hank, then he turned to Lance. “Look, leave this alone, man. Why do you want drag this shit up? It was a bad night. They’re fine now.”

Mike spoke up. “You know I think that the word ‘indiscretion’ is a little strong. Did Bell use that word?”

“No. That was Christine’s word.”

“Yeah well, she’s mischaracterizing it. Bell and Hank were broken up at the moment, and Bell made out with a guy in a broom closet. That’s it.”

“And?”

Mike sighed. “And Hank walked in on them and got upset. That’s the whole story.”

“So if Hank hadn’t walked in…”

“I’m seriously going to hit this guy,” Hank said, leaning over menacingly.

“I’m not going to stop you,” Sean said.

“That’s. The. Whole. Story,” Mike said firmly.

Lance turned back to Sean. “Look I’m just trying to understand the relationship between your wife and your best friend.”

“I don’t want you to understand it. It’s private.” Sean was getting pissed.

I was feeling defensive.

“So, are you saying, for the record, that you won’t address any rumors that Baby and Hank may have had an affair?”

“That’s it!” I bolted out of my chair. “You crossed a line, fucker!”

9

Mike stood up, too. “She’s right.”

“Okay, calm down. Please, Lisa,” Lance said.

I looked over at Hank and Sean, they were both staring at me, mouths open. Sean took my hand and pulled me back down into my chair.

He turned to Lance. “I’m only going to say this once, so be sure you get it down. Hank is my best friend and Dani is my wife. They never, ever, had any kind of intimate relationship,
ever
. And I will come after any one who says otherwise.” Sean turned and looked at me. “Or I’ll let Lisa at ‘em. Which is way worse.”

“Damn right,” Hank said, grinning.

“Okay, let’s move on.”

“Good idea,” Mike said, taking his seat again.

“I believe you. I do. We are writing this article to prove that the last one was wrong. So I have to ask about the blood test. My magazine is willing to pay all the costs to have a blood test done to prove once and for all–”

“Did you see the picture of little Henry?” Hank asked. “The kid is like the spitting image of Sean. He’s three months old and he has a head full of black hair. Also, he’s a friggin’ giant.”

“I did see the picture. He’s adorable.” Lance smiled at Sean. Sean did not smile back. “But this is science we’re talking about. It’s a simple thing to put it all behind you, right now.”

“Not happening,” Hank said.

“We talked about this on the phone,” Mike said sternly.

“I know, but I have to ask, why?”

“Because we know the truth and we don’t give a fuck what anybody else thinks,” Hank responded.

Lance leaned over the table toward Sean. “Sean, your son is going to grow up with this over his head. Wouldn’t you rather just have it over with, for his sake?”

Sean leaned over too. He looked very scary. I thought I saw Lance flinch. “If my son grows up and asks me to do it, I will. But he’s the only person who has that right.”

Lance sighed.

“Lance, can we have a minute?” Sam asked.

“Um, okay,” Lance said.

“Just wait outside the door. We need a family moment.”

Lance looked pretty pleased, and he got up quickly. He and Ken left the room and we all turned to look at Sam.

“Sam, don’t start,” Sean said.

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” Hank asked.

“I’ll take the damn test. My DNA will be at least a 25% match with little Henry, and it will prove Sean’s his father. No one’s principles will be compromised and it’ll all be behind us.”

“Wow. That’s kind of a good idea,” Hank said.

“You know that’s going to involve a needle, right?” Sean said.

Sam let out a long breath, his cheeks puffed out. “Yeah.”

“You’re afraid of needles?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s as afraid of needles as I am of heights.”

“What is it with your family?”

“Everybody’s afraid of something,” Sean said.

It was true. I was afraid of something, too. But I was going to keep that to myself.

“You’ll really do it?” Sean asked.

“Yes. I’ll do it. But I’m gonna need Lisa to hold my hand.”

“What? Why me?”

“Because I’m not having one of these assholes hold my hand.”

“Hey, Sam.” Sean looked at his brother. “Thanks.”

Sam shrugged.

Rather than getting up and going to the door, Mike just shouted toward it. “You can come back in now, Lance.”

Lance must have been right behind the door, because he and Ken came back in immediately. They sat back down, looking expectantly at Sean and Hank.

“I’ll take the damn blood test,” Sam said.

Lance looked over at Sam. “Huh, yeah, that would work.”

“It better work, because if you question Sam and Sean’s paternity you’ll have to deal with Gloria,” Hank said.

Sean turned to Hank. “You know, it would almost be worth it.”

“Yeah,” Sam said, grinning. “That would be some funny shit. Lance, why don’t you call my mom and ask her if Sean and I have the same dad?”

Lance was ignoring them. He was pressing buttons on his phone. “My editor will be pleased.” He looked up. “I have a doctor’s office on stand-by. It’s just up the street.”

“Now! You want me to do it right now?”

“Yeah, we’re on a deadline here. We want the article to come out in next week’s issue.”

“Shit.”

****

“Where are you?”

“We’re in the doctor’s office. Sam insisted that only a certified phlebotomist could take his blood, so they’re hunting one down.”

“Isn’t it just like a little prick?” Dani asked.

“Maybe to you,” Sam said testily.

I regretted putting her on speakerphone. “They want the whole kit and caboodle just in case, since it’s familial and all. Plus, Mike doesn’t trust them, and he’s having a separate sample sent to a different lab.”

“Sorry, Sam,” Dani said.

“You owe me big, sister.”

“I do. And so does your nephew.”

“He’s being a giant baby,” I said.

“Whatever, I fucking hate needles.”

The phlebotomist came in then, with a big syringe and two little vials. She smiled at him.

“Lisa, give me your hand,” Sam said, panicked.

I grabbed his hand and he squeezed hard as she put the rubber thing around his arm. “Ow, Jesus, I’m going to loose a finger here.”

“It’s okay, Sam. Don’t look at it,” Dani said.

“Baby, you owe me so big.”

The lady came at him with the needle.

“Hey, look at me,” I said.

Sam turned to me.

“Tell me what you want Sam. What’s the big favor?” Dani asked.

“Get your sister to go out with me.”

“Are you kidding me right now? Oww.” He was crushing my hand.

Sam squeezed his eyes shut as the needle went into his arm.

“Just a little longer,” the lady said.

“Lisa, say you’ll do it,” Dani begged.

“No. Oww.”

“Come on, just dinner.”

“Dinner and movie,” Sam said.

“Don’t push it,” I responded.

“Oww, this really hurts,” Sam whined.

“Fine. Dinner.”

“Tonight.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!”

“Lisa, please,” Dani pleaded.

“Fine.”

“And we’re all done,” the phlebotomist said.

****

I was so annoyed. I had a free evening in Denver and I was stuck having dinner with Sam. And we hadn’t even left the hotel and gone somewhere cool, because I didn’t want to. Well, I wanted to, but I also wanted a quick getaway. So I’d insisted we meet at the hotel restaurant. Besides, we had to leave for the overnight jag to Minneapolis in a few hours, anyway. Which actually worked out to my advantage.

We’d just ordered our food when Sam turned to me with an accusation. “Thanks for ratting me out by the way.”

“Ratting you out? First of all, you are the one that freaking blackmailed me. And second, I didn’t ‘rat you out’ about anything.”

“You told Sean, or Baby, one of them anyway. And Sean gave me shit about it.”

“Really?”

There was something very satisfying about that.

“Yeah.” Sam took a sip of wine. “And it seems you’re totally off the hook.”

“I was never on any hook,” I said. But I had been, a great big hook.

“Whatever. Apparently Baby could care less about your little crush, and Sean doesn’t even believe it. He says I’m just desperate. I figured they wouldn’t care. But I never intended for them to find out anyway. I was just using it as leverage.”

“Dumb,” I said.

“Yeah, you sure are calmer about it now,” he sighed. “You know, Sean sees you like a sister. So the idea that you would have a thing for him is totally inconceivable. It’d be like telling him Stacey had a thing for him.”

I was pretty sure that Sam was telling me this to get to me. But it didn’t. I had started to see myself through Sean’s eyes in his green room the other night, yesterday on the plane, and even this morning during the interview. And I liked that image of myself – the badass little sister who stood next to him protecting Baby and Henry and taking care of Sean in their absence. I liked it a lot.

“You’re grinning. Okay, I give up.” He sat back in his chair.

“Good.”

Sam flexed his arm.

“You are such a baby.”

“Whatever, she took a lot of blood.”

I hated to do it, but I admitted to him, “It was a nice thing you did today.”

“You like that, huh?” He leaned forward. “See? I’m a good guy.”

“Knock it off. I was trying to pay you a compliment. You don’t have to turn it into anything else. I’m on this date as a favor to my nephew.”

“Okay, don’t get excited.”

“Poor Dani,” I said. “Why does everything have to be so hard for them?”

“It’s not.”

“What?”

“Look, this whole thing sucks. And the press in general, but you have to admit that Baby and Sean have a really great life.”

That was definitely true. But I wasn’t ready to concede it. I took a sip of my wine.

Sam leaned toward me again. “You know what I think?”

I rolled my eyes.

“I think you envy your sister’s life.”

“No. No more psychoanalysis. You know what, I’m going to psychoanalyze you.”

He looked amused. “Okay, go ahead.”

“You’ve spent your whole life in your brother’s shadow. And now you want to walk in his footsteps. You don’t have any dreams or ambitions of your own. Everything is tied to Sean.”

It was pretty mean, and he should have been pissed. Instead, he grinned.

“Wow. That’s quite an accusation. You ever run this by Baby or Sean?”

“Actually, I did mention it to my sister.”

“And?”

I frowned. “She said she completely disagreed.”

“Mmm, hmmm.”

“Hey, that’s how it looks from where I sit. I mean you were 14, you saw your brother play music, and you decided to be a music manager.”

“It didn’t work exactly like that.”

“No?”

“No. I was at that concert and the place was for shit. It was a dive. It held maybe 200 people. Sean was playing with his old high school band, because he was back in town for a while, back from school. Anyway, they weren’t even headlining the thing. There were maybe five bands. The rest of them couldn’t hold a candle to Sean. Not even his own band. The guy that wrapped up the night, he was like twenty years older than Sean, with way more experience. Sean schooled that guy on the guitar. And nobody there could even start to compete with his singing voice.”

He shrugged. “So, I’ve got a brain for numbers. I was sitting there watching all this and crunching the numbers in my head. I mean, Sean was going to walk out of there with maybe a couple hundred dollars in his pocket. But his talent was worth so much more, and I saw this potential.”

“To make money?”

“No, I mean that occurred to me, yes. But the potential was not to leave someone like Sean behind. I mean, think of the tragedy if he’d never gotten a record deal.”

“He and Dani might be happier.”

“He and Baby would never have met.”

“Okay, so that’s why you wanted to be a manager. But you don’t have to be Sean’s. I mean, come on, there are plenty of rising stars out there. But you’re going to work for your brother.”

“Yeah, Sean asked me the same thing recently. He wanted to know why I’d want to work for him. After all, he’s in the middle of his career. I could start with some young rising stars and make a killing.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“Leroy is retiring soon. Sean will have to find someone new. They will see him as a giant dollar sign. They won’t care about him, or Baby and Henry. They might take care of his career, but not his life. I love my brother. He deserves the best manager. I will be the best manager. And I’ll be the best manager for him, because I care more about him than his career.”

It was super sweet. But it left one thing unanswered. “You dragged him on this tour. How is that best for him, Baby, and Henry?”

“Not really. Hank just released an album, he needed to tour. It’s good business. And remember, I plan to be Hank’s manager, too. I never intended to even ask Sean to come. I had other acts picked out. But, it was Sean and Baby that insisted Hank couldn’t go without him.”

The waitress arrived then, and brought our plates. After she deposited them in front of us she turned to Sam and put her hand on his shoulder.

“Can I get you anything else, Mr. Rush?” She fluttered her eyes.

“We’re good.”

When she walked away I looked at him. “She’s pretty.”