Absorbed(19)

The waitress comes over to ask me if I want another beer and after I wave her off and Kylie orders a bloody Mary, I ask, “How’d you do it?”

My sister smiles sheepishly, and I groan as I wait for it. “I sent her this big ass check for all the hours she worked for you and threatened bodily harm if she refused it. She called to thank me, the rest is awkward history in the love story of Kylie and Sienna.”

The love story of Kylie and Sienna. I stare at her for a long time, trying to figure out if she’s serious or f*cking with me, but then she sits straight on her side of the booth. “And yes, I’m telling the truth. She’s back in Nashville, just in case you were wondering.”

This catches me off guard more than learning that Kylie’s been in frequent touch with a woman who consumes most of my thoughts. My eyebrows drag together. “Why?” She loved Los Angeles. Loved working in wardrobe, even if it was on the set of a show I can’t stomach watching for longer than the opening credits. “Does she have plans on what she’ll do there?”

My sister looks at me like I’m a dumbass. She waits until after the waitress places her bloody Mary in front of her and she’s taken a healthy drink of it before responding. “Wardrobe. Same thing she done here. She’ll be amazing—I’m sure of it.” It sounds like Kylie’s trying to convince me, but I have no doubt. Sienna will be amazing at anything she does, but I’d sure as hell prefer that she was doing it with me in her life.

We talk about Sienna for another few minutes before Kylie steers the conversation to something new—an idea she has for the tour late this summer. We talk about the tour for the rest of lunch, but right before we leave, she places her hand on mine.

“And the answer to your original question about Sinjin—it’s complicated. She’s a lot younger.”

A cold chill runs through me, and I ease back down in the booth. “How much younger?” I ask in a voice so soft that I’m not sure it’s my own. “Tell me he’s not doing something f*cking stupid.”

Kylie is shaking her head wildly before she even speaks. “No! God Lucas, I’m loyal to Sinjin, but even that has limits. She’s 20.”

That’s not too bad. I’ve seen worse. In this industry, some of the age gaps have left me scratching my head and wondering what the f*ck. “Then how the hell is it complicated?”

“She’s his therapist’s daughter.”





Chapter Twelve


Kylie Wolfe





The rest of the day working for Lucas passes by at an agonizingly slow pace. When it’s finally over, and I’m ready to go back to my apartment for the night, I run downstairs and poke my head in his music room. He’s deep in concentration, with his guitar sitting on his lap and holding a guitar pick and a pen in the same hand. I feel bad for disturbing him when he’s in the zone like this, but since I won’t be around tomorrow or the next day on official band business, I feel the need to remind him.

“Hey,” I say gently. Of course, he doesn’t look up. He continues to play his guitar, so the next time I speak, it’s more forceful and attention grabbing. “I need a raise like yesterday.”

This time, he glances up at me. He cocks his head to one side and a bemused expression forms on his olive-toned face. “You make plenty, Kylie.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “I’m just screwing with you,” I say, but he doesn’t look convinced. “Just wanted to remind you about the AMPed Awards.”

He gives me a deadpan look, like he has no damn clue what I’m talking about. “Alright.”

I release a heavy sigh. “You know? The show in Vegas that you asked me to go to in your place? Yeah, it’s tomorrow night so I won’t be back for a couple of days. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I left.”

He bends his head to the song he’s working on and makes a note in his book. As if I’m not standing in the doorway talking to him. What the hell? “Since you can’t pay attention for longer than ten seconds, should I text you where I’m going to be?” I ask, but he shakes his head, never looking up at me. Times like this are the ones where I want to wrap my fingers around my brother’s neck and throttle the shit out of him.

“I heard you. I remembered. And no, I don’t need anything.” He glances up and gives me a stern look that probably works like a charm on any woman other than our mother and me. “Don’t get into too much shit while you’re in Vegas.”