Read Online Playing Autumn (Breathe Rockstar Romance Book 1) by Mina V. Esguerra - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mina V. Esguerra
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TT folks hadn’t realized, and what Chris knew but was nice enough not to say, was that Oliver would rather eat shards of a broken CD than beg Trey for career scraps. They would like to think though that Oliver was more of a survivor than that. That he would suck it up.
He knew he was halfway toward an epiphany but had to let that go when Haley emerged from the coffee shop's kitchen that moment, carrying a box of something. Her hair was up, revealing her neck. She set down the box on a vacant table, shrugged, and grabbed a butter knife and stabbed it into the center.
Oliver saw her first, but then Trey turned in that direction and cut the pleasure of that moment in half.
“Don't you have a girlfriend in LA or somewhere?” Oliver asked. “Or Katy?”
“Nah,” Trey said, watching now as Haley used a very blunt knife to unpack a very securely wrapped box. She went at it with enthusiasm though and retrieved what looked like baked goods from inside.
“Not right now. I don't think it's practical, anyway. I'm always here or there. But maybe Haley and I could hang out, finally. I always wondered.”
Oliver lifted his mug enough so he could hide whatever expression his face had made. It was one thing to step aside and let Haley settle for a life with her dependable once-a-cheater. But if she chose this weekend to have a cold-feet fling…
Not today, Trey. Trey may have won the chart, the year, and possibly the next decade, but Oliver wasn't going to let him take the weekend. He may have thought he had a head start with last night’s kiss, but amazing as it was, she did pull back. He was going to respect that distance she asked for, but that didn’t mean he was going to leave the door open for every dude with a guitar.
“So, the mentoring thing,” Oliver said, “want to work together on that? It’s my first time, and I’d like to see how it’s done. Before I ruin someone else’s life.”
That surprised the youngster, and no doubt flattered him. “I have done this before.”
“Mind if we hang together, my students with yours, later?” This idea had the double benefit of keeping Trey out of Haley’s way and appearing as if he was doing something for TT .
Trey was psyched at the idea, and Oliver congratulated himself on being a little bit of a self-serving dick for suggesting it. It made him feel like an adult. Like he had put his foot down and stood for something, even if every other person who had his phone number was telling him he had nothing left.
***
The toughest crowd Oliver had ever played for: Singapore, when he was fifteen, jetlagged, and thirsty. Later he was told that the particular audience was a polite bunch of bankers and would have been as unenthusiastic if Mick Jagger had been bouncing around in front of them. Oliver had been flown in with a smaller version of the group to perform a selection of pieces. He could have sworn not one person there, out of the two hundred in the concert hall, was convinced he knew what he was doing. The look he was getting from Kari Ball and her brother John was giving him déjà vu.
It started out painless, at least for him. Victoria’s scheduled nine a.m. “Welcome to Breathe Music” ceremony had to be moved up to one of the second-floor function rooms from the poolside because the pool was somewhat visible from the outside, and that was where about a dozen girls were camped out, with actual camping gear.
“Sorry about this,” Victoria said as soon as she accounted for all thirty-two people she was supposed to be welcoming. “I don’t think this’ll be the only time we’ll have to suddenly squeeze into a confined space this weekend, if only to get some peace and quiet. Those Trey Girls are on Twitter about what’s happening here, I don’t even know how. But Trey’s management is making sure that those girls outside are safe and won’t get attacked by bears or something. Anyway. Welcome to Breathe Music, everyone!”
Oliver didn’t take one
He knew he was halfway toward an epiphany but had to let that go when Haley emerged from the coffee shop's kitchen that moment, carrying a box of something. Her hair was up, revealing her neck. She set down the box on a vacant table, shrugged, and grabbed a butter knife and stabbed it into the center.
Oliver saw her first, but then Trey turned in that direction and cut the pleasure of that moment in half.
“Don't you have a girlfriend in LA or somewhere?” Oliver asked. “Or Katy?”
“Nah,” Trey said, watching now as Haley used a very blunt knife to unpack a very securely wrapped box. She went at it with enthusiasm though and retrieved what looked like baked goods from inside.
“Not right now. I don't think it's practical, anyway. I'm always here or there. But maybe Haley and I could hang out, finally. I always wondered.”
Oliver lifted his mug enough so he could hide whatever expression his face had made. It was one thing to step aside and let Haley settle for a life with her dependable once-a-cheater. But if she chose this weekend to have a cold-feet fling…
Not today, Trey. Trey may have won the chart, the year, and possibly the next decade, but Oliver wasn't going to let him take the weekend. He may have thought he had a head start with last night’s kiss, but amazing as it was, she did pull back. He was going to respect that distance she asked for, but that didn’t mean he was going to leave the door open for every dude with a guitar.
“So, the mentoring thing,” Oliver said, “want to work together on that? It’s my first time, and I’d like to see how it’s done. Before I ruin someone else’s life.”
That surprised the youngster, and no doubt flattered him. “I have done this before.”
“Mind if we hang together, my students with yours, later?” This idea had the double benefit of keeping Trey out of Haley’s way and appearing as if he was doing something for TT .
Trey was psyched at the idea, and Oliver congratulated himself on being a little bit of a self-serving dick for suggesting it. It made him feel like an adult. Like he had put his foot down and stood for something, even if every other person who had his phone number was telling him he had nothing left.
***
The toughest crowd Oliver had ever played for: Singapore, when he was fifteen, jetlagged, and thirsty. Later he was told that the particular audience was a polite bunch of bankers and would have been as unenthusiastic if Mick Jagger had been bouncing around in front of them. Oliver had been flown in with a smaller version of the group to perform a selection of pieces. He could have sworn not one person there, out of the two hundred in the concert hall, was convinced he knew what he was doing. The look he was getting from Kari Ball and her brother John was giving him déjà vu.
It started out painless, at least for him. Victoria’s scheduled nine a.m. “Welcome to Breathe Music” ceremony had to be moved up to one of the second-floor function rooms from the poolside because the pool was somewhat visible from the outside, and that was where about a dozen girls were camped out, with actual camping gear.
“Sorry about this,” Victoria said as soon as she accounted for all thirty-two people she was supposed to be welcoming. “I don’t think this’ll be the only time we’ll have to suddenly squeeze into a confined space this weekend, if only to get some peace and quiet. Those Trey Girls are on Twitter about what’s happening here, I don’t even know how. But Trey’s management is making sure that those girls outside are safe and won’t get attacked by bears or something. Anyway. Welcome to Breathe Music, everyone!”
Oliver didn’t take one
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