Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,2
then back at Megan, raising a pointed eyebrow. If possible, she cocked her hip even further.
“Dude, clearly I know I live in the middle of nowhere. My best friend is the coyote that thinks the hammock in my backyard is its own personal den. I’m just sayin’...if I was looking for adventure, Sunnyville, California wouldn’t be the first place I’d choose, Dylan McCoy or not.”
She splashed some coffee in my mug, then ambled away, leaving her very strong opinion in her wake. The kid had spunk. If I were ten years younger, I’d have her in the dingy bathroom, bent over a sink, probably contracting Hep from breathing in the air. Hell, two years ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about making a pass, even though she looked like an emo college student and, as she said, I was old. And douchey…couldn’t forget that part.
I took another look at Dylan McCoy in her new hometown and slipped out my own phone to map out the route to Sunnyville. If I left now, I could be there by dinnertime.
But did I want to go to Sunnyville? What if I drove all that way and nothing changed? I’d have to face that maybe I was the problem—not my location.
I laughed to myself. I could practically hear my ex’s voice in my head. “Of course you’re the problem, Dev. Was that even a question?”
Tossing a stack of bills on the table, I grabbed my jacket and made a pit stop in the bathroom before heading to the front door. Megan stood there with a pad of paper in hand and a smirk on her glossy lips.
I tipped my chin at her. “It’s been real, Megan. Stay cool.”
She shook her head. “Such a Devon Chambers thing to say.” She shoved the pad of paper at me. “Would you sign this? My brother won’t believe you were here otherwise.”
Without thinking, I took her pen and scrawled my autograph. Then it hit me. My eyes flicked up to hers, which were alight with amusement.
She shrugged. “Hey, I told you about my best friend, the coyote. Not much happening around here. If I can have some fun at the expense of a rock star who probably has his ass kissed every five seconds, I’m going to take it.”
“Fair enough.” Shoving my hands in my pockets, I tried to hide my grudging respect. “It’s about every ten seconds,” I grumbled.
She laughed. “Forgive me for assuming five.”
“You need a selfie or something?”
She rolled her eyes. “Nope. The autograph will do. Once I show it to my brother, I’m totally selling it on eBay, just so you know.”
Now, I was the one laughing. “Can’t fault you for being enterprising.” I raked a hand through my hair. “Fuck, am I really old?”
She scrunched her nose. “You’re more concerned about being called old than douchey?”
I shook my head and turned toward the door, throwing, “Never change, kid,” over my shoulder. One last glance back got me a middle finger and more sarcasm-laced laughter.
As obnoxious and rude as Megan was, there was something about the entire experience I enjoyed. I thought it was that she’d treated me like a regular person, like the numbers in my bank account or the fame I’d earned made no difference to her.
I wanted more of that. To get back to my roots. Remembering what life was like before this whole music thing took off.
Sunnyville, California sounded like the perfect place to do that. A few swipes on my phone and a couple minutes on Air BnB later, I secured a cottage to stay in. Eight hours, and I’d be in my new home for the foreseeable future.
My jaw cracked with a yawn. Eight hours, and I’d be able to hunker down in my rental and sleep for at least twelve. I could do this.
Two
Kat
I was going to murder my best friend. It was unfortunate, since he was also the father of my child, but sometimes these things couldn’t be helped. My BFF had made me homicidal.
“I can’t believe you.” Hitching my hip on my kitchen counter, I crossed my arms over my chest, laser beams shooting from my eyes.
Victor Domingo—or Veego, as his fellow firefighters dubbed him long ago—shrugged and tried to charm his way out of the hole he’d just dug himself in by giving me one of his patented sunshine smiles. And yeah, my heart softened a little, but he was still in trouble.