“No, good news in fact,” he replied as he sat, letting out an audible sigh of relief. “Your mum called me.”
Fern’s face fell, and she whispered, “What?”
“She called me earlier. Told me about their Christmas plans for you to meet your niece and how you were too busy to go. She mentioned your sister’s wedding and that you only made it to the ceremony and then got called away for a band emergency. I’m so sorry, Fern. If Addi would have known, I’m sure she never would have dragged you away. Anyway, you know how important family is to us, so I’ve promised her you can have the week off. She said it’s in some remote corner of Scotland, so you can take one of the private planes if you want to travel in style. How does that sound?”
“Neo… you didn’t have to do that,” she mumbled.
Her body tensed, the change in her obvious to see or so I thought, but Neo continued, “You deserve a break. Go spendsome time with your family. I can manage on my own for a week.”
She offered him a small smile before turning to the bar and downing two of the shots the barman had placed in front of her. I moved the rest away before she drank the lot and regretted it in the morning.
She pulled them back, downing another while glaring at me. “I best get these to Archer and Fox before they think I’ve got lost.” She picked up the remaining drinks and made her way to the dance floor and while I didn’t want to stare at her ass as she walked away, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Chapter 3
Charlie
“Is she close to her family?” I asked Neo as he took a sip of his champagne.
He frowned. “Who, Fern?”
I nodded, watching her on the dance floor with the rest of my band. She was still dancing and laughing, but the spark had gone from her eyes and if I had to describe how she looked, it would be defeated.
“I think so. I mean, she’s never said anything.” A look passed over Neo’s face and he pulled out his phone, typing out a message. “Fuck, what if I’ve just messed up?” He turned to look at Aaron, but before he could say anything else, his phone beeped and he groaned loudly.
“Hey,” he yelled at the barman. “Can I get a tray of tequila with the works?”
“It’s not like you,” I remarked.
“It’s not like me when the band that owns the label is around. Remember, we had an addict and a girl who lost her kidney after getting shot, so drinking was never something they did or we did around them. They’ve all gone home, and this is a party. Now, I need to go make sure I’ve not ruined Fern’s life. You coming, Myth Maker?”
“Nice name,” I scoffed.
His gaze landed on mine. “It’s what Fern has called you for years.”
I furrowed my brow, not sure how I felt about that bit of information, as I followed him and Aaron over to a table surrounded by sofas next to the dancefloor. On the way past, Neo nudged Fern with his cane, indicating to the table. I watched as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh before she nodded, following him along with Archer and Fox.
The background music was quieter as the night started to wind down, making conversation easier. Neo sat, tapping the seat next to him, but Fox didn’t get the memo, plonking his ass down, pulling Fern onto his lap, Archer sitting next to them, leaving Aaron and me to sit on the chairs either side of them.
“What’s up?” Fern asked.
“I’m sorry,” Neo replied, handing her a shot and a slice of lime. She poured salt onto her hand and he watched as she licked, slammed, and then sucked. Her face twisted as her toned body shuddered, and I couldn’t help but notice the way it moved beneath her dress.
“What for?” She smiled, but it was clear, even to someone like me who hardly knew her, that she was faking her happy demeanor.
“I spoke to Addi. She said you don’t talk about your family. That she got the impression you weren’t close.” He reached for her, placing his hand over hers. “I should have checked before I agreed to anything. I just thought your mum missed you and we’d been keeping you too busy to spend time with them. I think I might have fucked up, but it came from a good place.”
With her free hand, Fern reached for another shot, not even bothering with the salt and lime, slamming it back before she burst into tears.
Fox wrapped his arms around her, and Archer held her hand as she fell apart.
“Shit, what can I do?” Neo offered. “Do you want me to phone her and tell her I made a mistake?”
“What’s going on, Fern?” Fox asked.
“Can I tell them?” Neo asked, obviously not wanting to upset her anymore.
She nodded, wiping her nose on the back of her hand, making me like her that little bit more.