An alarm went off on my phone mid song, I almost felt embarrassed as I turned it off. Knowing that we had to go, I fet like I was letting my crew down. But I had more than the band to think about now. I had a life to save. Both were equally important and somehow, I would have to find a way to make it all work. “Sorry guys and gals, me and the lady have plans tonight.”
Shelly gave me a disgusted look. “Do not make a habit of this, Sparks, I will replace you,” she muttered as I walked by.
She wouldn’t really, but I heeded her words anyway. However big the band was, a single mistake could lose us everything. I wouldn’t let that happen.
Jeers and taunts from the band members about how I was gonna spend my night, leaving me blushing. Thankfully, Lily seemed engrossed in her sketch pad, paying them no attention.
“Shut it,” I said quietly, rolling my eyes. I walked over and touched Lily’s shoulder lightly. Bringing her back into the room from the sketching. Pictures of guitars, amps, even a half drawing of me singing into a microphone. “These are really good; youse could go pro!”
It was Lily’s turn to blush as she shoved the half-finished art into her oversized bag that never left her side. She seemed to carry her whole life inside of it. “Yeah, I thought that once as well. Drawing album covers until I got screwed over. Never saw a single penny out of all the sales. Serves me right for not demanding a clearer contract, I shouldn’t have ever trusted a friend. Now, I just draw for my own pleasure, no one else. It is bad enough seeing my art all over the Billboard 500.”
I sighed. “That ex screwed youse over for royalty as well?”
Lily laughed bitterly. “Oh, only on his last three album covers. He made millions while I could barely make rent. Some sub clause or another saying that my royalty is paid only once every ten years or some such bullshit I am told. So, I still have another four and a half years before I see a single penny of what I am owed and quite sure that asshole will find another way to weasel out of paying me out even then. Price I pay for helping out a struggling artist.”
I made a mental note to get Brad on that in the morning as well. What a fucking asshole. I grew to hate the man a little more each new thing I found out about him. “Well, ye are not going to think about him tonight. Come on, you have a treat to come.” I led Lily outside to where a group of people were collecting around a guy in a red jacket on the street. Lily looked up at me with a wordless question. Before I could answer, the guide gathered us all around.
“Hello people, welcome to the Dublin Ghost Tour. Tonight, we are going to walk in a graveyard, talk about murder, eating babies, black magic ceremonies, cannibalism and serial killers. Ye know, normal everyday shit. For the next two hours or so, we will explore the city together. Now, follow me to our first point of interest.”
“A ghost tour, an actual ghost tour when it’s almost Halloween?” Lily exclaimed, smiling up at me.
I swung my arm around her shoulders. “What else could ye possibly want to do around Oktoberfest, in the dark, other than be terrified by real ghost stories?”
That smile on her face, so warm, so real and the impulsive way that she reached up to kiss my check. I decided that it would become my life’s work for as long as she would have me to try and get her to smile as much as humanly possible. I felt content watching her, only half listening to the tour as she snuggled under my coat against the cold. That cruel, evil man clearly did not understand the amazing woman he gave up.
But I did.
Chapter 9
Adrian’s POV
A second day of rehearsals gave me the chance to catch up with Brad and get the news on what he was doing to get Lily’s life back on track. Everything seemed to be going well. He was very polite when he introduced himself to Lily as my manager, as was Rose when she introduced herself as my runner and band PA. Everyone seemed to be accepting Lily fairly quickly, although Shelly was still giving her and me the evil eye while muttering gold digger under her breath. I could hardly blame her; this wasn’t really the time for bringing a possible romance into my life. “Look, I am paying back an old debt,” I said quietly as I cornered Shelly.
“Oh really, and what debt is that? Did she say she is pregnant? Because I will demand a fresh test.”
“It is nothing like that!” I insisted. “It’s …” How could I
