Chapter 3

I kept my distance, but I noticed her when she was around. Running after Carlisle. Setting up craft services. Handing off laundry at one of the hotels.

Passing out smokes and booze I knew she was not old enough to buy.

She was Carlisle's new assistant, Jasper said. His baby niece from Arizona.

Baby, he had stressed, 'cause he knew me.

Carlisle's, he had emphasized, like he thought that would make a difference.

Out the window, another field rolled by, another cow. Another day of strumming and riding, joking about the chick who clamped down on Yorkie's dick so hard he thought he'd have to go to the hospital.

What town was that? Was that just last night? How long had it been since I'd thrown that blonde around in the green room bathroom?

I plucked the strings of my guitar, letting the smoke from my ignored cigarette waft out of the ashtray on the table. Nantucket, it said. With a lighthouse on it. Jasper sat across from me, flipping through his phone probably looking at pictures of a naked Alice.

We'd be in her town, soon. Where Jasper would abandon the bus for the comfort of his own bed. I didn't get it. Didn't get the idea of wanting to be somewhere more than once and calling it home. I liked the road, the bus. Liked the room I had in back that made the others jealous.

I liked it when we had enough time, when the cities were manageable so we didn't have to use the plane Carlisle insisted on when we were back-to-back, miles and miles away.

My stomach growled. Did a mental inventory of anything on the bus I wouldn't have to prepare or microwave. "Sam, where are we? Can we get some fried chicken?" I yelled over my strumming towards our driver.

"Fried chicken!" Jake started beating his drumsticks against the cabinet. Leah gave him a look for bumping into her, but pulled out her phone. "There's a Popeye's about four miles away."

"You got a shift tonight?"

"Fuck you, Edward!"

"Been there, done that." She promptly gave me the finger and shot a nervous look towards a glaring Jake before getting up to give Sam directions.

Leah was lucky she was even riding with Jake. I could've kicked her out easy, just the band and Carlisle on here, usually. But he was in love or some shit. I just smiled at him, played a few chords of the new tune I'd dreamt of. Maybe I'd call it 'Water-Stained T-Shirts'.

The bus rolled to a stop across seven spaces of the parking lot, the other two in our caravan pulling in and lining up. "Who's taking the order? We have no more Paul." Jasper asked, referring to Carlisle's ex-assistant who'd done the unthinkable. Quit to get married.

"I'll send Bella." Carlisle dialed the phone. "What'll it be?" Everyone shouted their order and Carlisle started repeating it. Bella wasn't on our bus, she was mixed in with crew and random girls, probably in bus three. I guess he didn't want his precious niece exposed to us like any other assistant.

The parking lot was empty, so I thought I'd stretch my legs a bit, have a smoke. Not too worried about being recognized. I didn't mind it, most times anyway. Gave me a bit of an ego boost. Maybe a pretty girl would pull up who wanted to see what the inside of a tour bus looked like.

The gush of the hydraulics lowering one of the other buses sounded, and Bella stepped out, ear to the phone and hurrying across the lot.

Hair in a ponytail. Blue cut offs, legs on the short side, but nice. I wondered where her head would come up to if I pulled her in for a nice, friendly hug.

I grinned, waiting for her to look over her shoulder, but she didn't even glance my way.

I didn't like that.

I flicked my cigarette out onto the pavement and followed.