“Hey, that’s not it at all,” Neo argued. “And if you want to leave the label, then that’s fine. I will find another way to help Fern because I’m not letting her walk into that place on her own.”
No matter how hungover or fucked off I was, I couldn’t help noticing the worried look burrowed into his expression.What the hell was going on with her family?
“He’ll do it,” Archer replied for me.
“Like hell I will.”
“We will not lose what we have here because you’re being a knob. We’ll lose you first,” Fox spat out.
“Nice!”
He continued, “Oh, come on, Charlie, you’ve been a nightmare for months. It’s too much. We feel like we’re babysitting you all the time. Maybe a week with Fern will help.”
“Actually, you should probably do this week sober. I mean, look how easily you get into trouble when you drink. I want you clean and sober until the New Year.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Are you trying to torture me, Neo?”
He shrugged as a smile spread across his face.
I looked between Fern, Archer, and Fox, before landing back on Neo. “Fine. One week. No booze, no drugs, no fun. Pretending to be in love with Daddy’s little princess.”
“Did anyone think to ask what I wanted?” Her blue-green eyes darkened and her body stiffened. “I’m not some defenseless damsel in distress, you know?”
Neo placed his hand on hers. “Sometimes we need to accept the situation we’re in and take the help we’re offered.”
Fern closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. Wiping it away angrily, her eyes popped open again. “Fine. Are you really okay with this? We’ll have to share a room to make this believable.”
“You know I sleep naked?” I laughed bitterly.
“Not if you want your contract with the label back,” Neo growled, sounding more like her dad than her boss.
I held my hands up. “Understood.”
“Right, there’s a car downstairs to take you to the interview. Then you need to be on the plane with Fern first thing in the morning. You in, Charlie? A hundred percent?”
Gritting my teeth I agreed, wondering how far I could push this without getting the band fired for good, because as much asmy friends loved me, they’d made it clear they were done with my recent behavior.
“And do not go out tonight. If you do, it’s game over.”
“Hey,” Fern mumbled as she looked up from her seat when I boarded the plane, having been escorted there by Dawson, who refused to believe I was going to show up or do it sober.
I nodded, dropping into the large leather seat across from her. I wondered about sitting elsewhere, but I knew I needed to start acting like the loving boyfriend, and ignoring her probably wasn’t the best start.
The flight attendant appeared next to us, asking if we wanted a drink. I ordered a double whiskey and a beer, but Fern raised an eyebrow, silently reminding me of the pact I’d made with Neo. “Actually, can you make that just a Coke?” I sighed.
It didn’t take long before the plane was in the air on our short flight to Scotland and then we had an hour's drive. I went to slip on my headphones when she tapped me on the arm. “We should probably learn about each other and make up some stories that sound the same when we tell them.”
I shrugged, dropping my headphones to the table. “Okay, where did we meet?” I asked, twisting my head to look at her. Her long silver hair was pulled back from her make up free face, her unusual colored eyes looking tired.
“We should keep it simple, so at work. At the label.”
“Our first date?”
“Dinner?”
“Lame. How about I fucked you in the bathroom in between meetings and you couldn’t get enough of me?”
She tutted.