“Good evening, Mrs. Madison.” He extended his hand. “I’m Simon Parker.”
I cringed. I’d forgotten to tell him that Larissa and Frank weren’t Madisons. They were Lawtons.
Grinning like she was the one going out with him instead of me, Larissa shook his hand. “Please, call me Larissa.” She giggled.
I rolled my eyes.
“This is my husband, Frank, Chloe’s father.” She turned to look at my dad.
“Mr. Madison.” Simon nodded and then shook my dad’s hand, too.
“Simon. Nice to meet you.” Frank gave a smile and nod. “And it’s Mr. and Mrs. Lawton.”
“Oh.” Simon’s face paled, and he glanced at me. “Sorry, sir.”
Frank released Simon’s hand and waved him off like it was no big deal. “I thought Chloe would’ve told you.”
Ugh. Watching him was vomit-inducing. How could he act like he was father of the year when he’d been missing for more than half my life? And calling out Simon like that? What was my father’s problem? I hated him so much.
“Thank you for allowing Chloe to go to the concert with me,” Simon said. “We’ll probably stop for food once the concert is over, but I promise to bring her home right after.”
Frank stood beside Larissa, his arm around her waist. “Thanks for inviting her. She’d been having trouble adjusting to being here, and she needs a friend or two.”
“Dad!” I shrieked, eyes wide. I was going to strangle him.
He didn’t bother to look at me. Figures.
I patted my pockets to make sure I had money, my ID, and my phone. Then I moved around him and Larissa. “We should go,” I said to Simon. “I’m sure parking is going to be a nightmare.”
Simon grinned, a knowing twinkle in his eyes. I could only imagine what he must be thinking about what my father had said. Maybe if I “accidentally” tripped on the way to his car, I’d be rushed to the hospital rather than the concert—anything to get out of this awkward situation.
“Have fun you two,” Larissa said as she opened the door for us, a smile still plastered across her face.
I’d bet, when she was younger, she’d been exactly like Abby—overly dramatic and gossipy. Or maybe she’d been like Olivia—beautiful, popular. Mean. I prayed she didn’t wait up for me and ask me a billion questions.
“See you later.” I waved and led Simon out of the house.
Thankfully, Dad and Larissa didn’t follow us out onto the porch.
Simon stood next to a sleek, black BMW, the passenger’s side door open. “Ladies first.” He nodded toward the car interior.
“Thanks.” I climbed in.
The cool of the leather seats permeated my jeans, causing me to shiver slightly. Good thing I hadn’t worn shorts. Simon jogged around the front of the car and got into the driver’s seat.
“Where are your sister and her boyfriend?” I asked.
“They drove separately. They’ll meet us there.” He started the car, and the engine purred to life. “They probably wanted to sneak in a quick shag before the show.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I laughed. “That’s a mental image I didn’t want.” I hooked my seat belt.
But at least I didn’t have to be trapped in a car with Olivia, and the concert would be crowded, so it would be easy to avoid her there, too. The night was getting better already.
On the way to the show, Simon and I chatted about school and how I was looking for a job just so I wouldn’t be so bored all the time. I left out any mention of tutoring Jaxon, though, because I didn’t need Simon to tell anyone else. Not that I thought he would, but if Olivia found out… Yeah, I didn’t want to even think about what she would do with that information.
I’d been wrong about parking—Simon, of course, had VIP parking privileges, so we didn’t have to drive around looking for a spot, which was great. And the walk into the venue was short, which was really awesome considering we were both dressed in jeans, and the temperatures were still in the mid-nineties.
The place was packed with wall to wall people dressed in varying degrees of black, gray, and dark blue. The lights were already dimmed, and the opening act was coming onto the stage.
“Looks like we made it just in time,” I said. “Where are our seats?”
“We don’t have seats.” Simon grinned playfully. “We’re on the floor, center stage.”
“What?” I said around a shocked laugh. “We’re in the pit?”
He laughed. “No. I’m not suicidal.” He gave me a knowing smile. “We’re in the VIP section.” He nodded to an area that had been cordoned off.
I had no idea why I was surprised—this was Simon Parker—of course he wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best. I wasn’t sure how I felt about standing for the duration of the concert, though, especially when Black Veil Brides came on and the moshing and crowd surfing started. Things could get pretty wild, and I didn’t want to be caught in the middle of it.
“No other way to see a concert.” He took my hand and led me toward the stage.
His hold was firm, and his palm was warm, fully enveloping mine. I waited for a tiny thrill or butterflies, anything to prove I had some type of feelings for Simon, but there was nothing, not even a hint of disappointment that I didn’t have any physical reaction to his touch.
I eased my hand from his, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. The lights went out, and the crowd screamed. Moments later, the stage lit up with a rainbow of lights, each color bouncing in a different direction, creating a kaleidoscope effect.
The opening act—Asking Alexandria—played the beginning chords of their first song. I didn’t know them or any of their music, but they were good, and by their third song, I was moving to the beat and screaming along with everyone else.
Simon looked over at me and smiled wide, giving me two thumbs up as he did a weird hip shake dance move. I flung my head
