Destroyed (Lost in Oblivion, #3)(39)

It was time to work.





* * *



Margo dropped her keys into the bowl on the table inside her door. It felt like forever since she’d been inside her house. Between the studio gigs and the trips into Los Angeles and New York City, she hadn’t seen her own bed in well over two weeks.

She opened to door to her music room and set her violin into its slot between her Stradivarius and her 5-String Realist. Which, in hindsight, she should have brought with the Starfish. She’d honestly thought they would bring her out for the three songs she’d worked on and that was it.

The fact that the band had utilized her as an asset, not just a guest star had been thrilling. Deacon seemed to be their mastermind at putting the songs together cohesively.

To an impressive level. So much so that the little part of her that had been composing in her head got really loud.

Not good.

That wasn’t her job. She was an accomplished violinist who was hired on because she was skilled in learning songs in a very short time. Not for her composing skills.

Even if she’d had a lot of input for the three songs she’d done with them.

No.

She closed the door firmly on her music room and moved to her living room. Her far too quiet living room.

Quiet had never bothered her before. She picked up her phone and sent off a text to her friend Siobhan. Maybe she could go out to lunch with her tomorrow.

Her phone rang in her hand.

“Hey, Siobhan.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course.”

“It’s after one in the morning. You never text that late.”

Margo closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. You were probably sleeping.”

“No, I’m actually out with some people from the orchestra. Do you want to come out and meet us?”

“I...yes.”

“You do?”

The fact that her friend sounded so surprised cinched the decision. She was tired of holing up and working more than having fun. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Great. We’re at Callahan’s off—”

“I know it.”

“Well, we’ll see you in a little bit then.”

“Thanks for calling to check on me, Siobhan.”

“Of course I would. We’ve been friends for a long time. I worry about how isolated you get.”

She swallowed hard. Things like friends and socializing had never been on her radar. At least socializing beyond the kind she did for networking.

Being around Simon and the band had been eye-opening.

Everything about Simon had been eye-opening.

She cleared her throat. “I just got in from Los Angeles. I don’t have time to be isolated.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

“I know. Well, let’s make some changes then, huh?”

“Excellent idea.”

Margo hung up and went to her closet. She pushed aside the sweater sets and skirts that made up her wardrobe for the symphony.

At the back of her closet, she found the high-waisted pencil skirt that she wore so rarely. She could hear her mother’s voice lecturing in her head that it was too revealing, hugged her too-curvy figure, and sexualized her.

It was the skirt she’d been wearing when Simon had taken notice of her over a year ago.

Flashes of the studio and now the catwalk wrapped around each other until her skin flushed. If that’s what it felt like to be wanted, then she couldn’t find a reason to put that Margo back at the back of the closet.

Dammit, she was tired of hiding who she was under frumpy clothing. Maybe it was time to use a little of her savings to update her wardrobe.

Maybe it was time for a lot of changes.





10





Simon spun his glass on the itinerary page. The sweat rings from his ever present bottle of water smudged out the city. Not that it really mattered. They’d been trotted out to every major city for the last few weeks.

But they were finally in week four.

Acoustic gigs, small garage band gigs, hell, they’d even played a converted armory for a late spring festival. Anything to get their name out there and build buzz for the tour.

Tickets were selling out.

For them.

On a freaking headline tour.

It was insane.

Just last year they’d been the opening act and this tour they were in talks to be one of the most sought after tickets of the summer. The album had actually hit the top three on Billboard for two weeks in a row, only falling off to the stay in the top ten.

He walked to the window. On the street below there was a crowd of people—mostly women. Every city had the same scene. With increasing numbers, they were getting stalked at every hotel. He was still trying to comprehend it all.

What the hell had changed? Was this album so very different from the last one? It didn’t feel like it. And still, this was so incredibly nuts.

Jesus f*ck, it was just weird to have a room to himself. He’d been living in Nick and Deacon’s pockets for years now. Once the tour started, they’d be back to the buses, of course, but even then it would be a big change. They had the married and babies bus, then the one for himself and Nick.

The budget for the tour was increasing as well. If he got one more update from Lila about what the stage was going to look like, he was going to bust his hand through a wall. All he cared about was his mic and a place to run around.