Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“She must have thought you were good.”
Johnny scoffed. “Dude, I sucked. Everyone does at first. It’s a game of endless starts and stops. Mom heard a refrain or two, then probably passed out and came to when I began a new one.”
“Did you have any other family?”
“No. No one.” He stood abruptly and waved his hands. “And don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You’re making a pity face.”
I snorted. “I am not.”
“Hmph. I don’t want pity. I didn’t tell you any of that so you’d feel sorry for me. That was a long time ago. Geez, she’s been gone for twelve years now.”
“Still sucks,” I replied lamely.
“I suppose. But I don’t miss her. She wasn’t…easy. And I don’t dwell on the bad stuff. What’s the point? I saw things no kid should ever be exposed to, but wishing my mom was someone she couldn’t be isn’t good for me. There are a fuckton of kids who have it worse than I ever did. I hate that there are so many crappy, selfish people having kids who have no business procreating. It’s nice to see parents like you who really give a shit.”
“Well, thanks, but—”
“You’re welcome.” His radiant grin lit the room like a spark of sunshine after a rainstorm. He moved toward the door and clapped his hands, signaling an end to the topic. “All right, here’s the deal…you give Parker the guitar and tell him to make noise. I’ll be at your place at eleven, ready to rock. Tell him his new guitar guru recommends that he strums a bit and gets a feel for the instrument. When I taught guitar regularly, I noticed there were a few kinds of students. The super eager ones who wanted to morph into Van Halen immediately, the ones whose parents made them take lessons, and the ones who needed time to absorb the experience…make it their own. I don’t know your son at all, but from what you’ve said, I have a feeling he might need a lesson or two before he’s comfortable. In other words, don’t expect greatness on day one. And if he hates it or hates me, that’s okay too.”
“He won’t hate you,” I said with a wry smile. “You’re a very likable guy. Thank you for doing this.”
“You’re welcome.” Johnny braced one hand on the doorframe and cocked his head thoughtfully. “Can I ask you a nosy question?”
“Sure.”
“You seem nervous about this. Why?”
“Nervous? No. Not at all. I just have a lot on my plate at the moment and…” I supposed this was my opening. I frowned as I set the guitar on an empty stand to free my hands. Then I stuffed them into my pockets and paced the length of the room twice before stopping in front of him.
“What’s wrong?”
I held my breath and let it out slowly. “Nothing. But I need to be completely up-front with you.”
“O-kay…”
“I have a bit of a situation unfurling, and you’re unintentionally at the center of it.”
Johnny furrowed his brow. “How so?”
“It’s not bad, it’s just confusing, and I need to unravel it a bit…with your help. See, I’ve made it a rule to never mix my personal and professional life. But I have two separate compartments personally. My kids and my social life. They don’t touch. For the first time ever, all three are on a collision course.”
“Because of me?” He pointed at his chest. “I can find you another guitar teacher, man. There’s no need to make life harder than necessary.”
“No, I need you. Parker needs help, and I need to try this for him. Just once.”
“All right. Done deal. What else is bugging you?”
“Business.”
He held his arms up in surrender. “Not my jam.”
“I know. I need to talk to Charlie.”
“You want me to get you a meeting with Charlie?” he asked in confusion.
I scratched the back of my neck and inclined my head. “Well…yeah.”
“Okay. But why not ask Tegan or…hell, call Charlie yourself? He knows you. He’ll meet with you.”
I knew that. I’d known Charlie since his Instagram influencer days. Well before he’d met any of the boys in Zero, Charlie had frequented Vibes with a posse of colorful gays who’d agreed to chat up my club on social media in exchange for free drinks. It was a loose arrangement…no contract. We’d both kept our part of the bargain with minimal discussion. It was great advertisement when Vibes was a new entity in WeHo. By the time Charlie completed his masters and became Zero’s manager, other Instagrammers had swooped in to take over.
We weren’t close by any means, but we’d always been cordial. Meeting with Charlie was the easy part. Inserting myself into his project with Clay wasn’t even that big of a deal. The part that got me was Johnny. I couldn’t claim I didn’t understand why. It was simple. I had a fucking crush on an emo-looking punk fifteen years younger than me.