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“It’s a date.” Reese smiled. Even if Sterling didn’t trust her—yet—she had Morgan on her side. Morgan’s opinion carried a lot of weight with Sterling, so maybe she wouldn’t get fired. It would also make the tour a lot easier if she had a friend on the bus.
Maybe when Sterling inevitably realized that his best friend/manager had the hots for him and that he felt the same way, Reese could actually be happy for them. Maybe. Even if right now the thought of a front-row seat to this classic best-friends-to-lovers romance made Reese feel like someone had poured battery acid on her insides. Though she could be wrong about Morgan’s feelings for Sterling. Morgan wasn’t overtly flirting or chasing after Sterling.
As they walked back through the bus, Reese heard male voices from the front. “Oh, good,” Morgan said. “I can introduce you to the rest of the guys.”
Reese tried to get a hold on the nerves crashing around her stomach. Because of her disastrous first meeting with Sterling, she had paranoia about everyone thinking of her that way. He probably hadn’t mentioned it to the other guys, since he hadn’t told Morgan. At least, she hoped.
“This is Moby, Chuck, and David,” Morgan said. “Guys, this is Reese. She’ll be handling all the social media stuff.”
The three guys were draped over the furniture in the lounge. Only Moby got up to shake Reese’s hand. He had a wide, flirty smile and skin the color of rich mahogany. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said as their fingers touched.
Chuck had reddish brown hair and looked almost translucent, save the freckles dotting his cheeks. He didn’t even look up from where he drummed on the coffee table with worn drumsticks. David gave Reese a quick smile from behind a curtain of long blond hair and went right back to his phone.
“Where’s Sterling?” Morgan asked.
“Probably still pacing the parking lot,” Moby said. “He’s such a little girl.”
Morgan laughed. “Sometimes, yeah. We’re hitting up Subway before we go. Anyone want food?”
Chuck and David texted Morgan orders, which was faster than trying to have her write them down. “I’ll come with,” Moby said.
“Think we need an escort?” Morgan said, smirking.
“Oh, I think you two look plenty capable to handle whatever comes your way. I’d just like to get to know you better since we’re about to spend the next few months up in each other’s business.”
Reese grabbed her purse from the bunk area and met up with Morgan and Moby in the parking lot. Sterling stood with his arms crossed, talking to Morgan. “Just text me what you want,” she said. “I don’t mind picking it up.”
Sterling looked from Moby, who seemed to have a perpetual smile on his face, to Reese and back to Morgan. “I’ll come with you.”
Morgan’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, but if we run into fans, you have to be nice and sign stuff.”
“I’ll put on a hat,” Sterling said.
Reese snorted and all three of them looked at her, Sterling with a stony glare. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just that a hat isn’t going to keep people from recognizing you. Fair warning.”
“I go places all the time and people don’t recognize me,” Sterling said.
“Friendly wager,” Reese said. “Twenty bucks says at least one person asks you to autograph something.” She immediately regretted the words. Her tendency was to push things too far, speaking without thinking. Sterling glared, but Morgan and Moby began to laugh.
“Let’s make it interesting,” Moby said. “Fifty says someone not only asks you to autograph something, but to autograph a body part.”
“I’m in,” Reese said.
“Sterling?” Moby flashed a grin.
“You guys are asinine,” Sterling said.
“Big word, big guy,” Moby said, slapping a hand on his shoulder. Sterling pulled away from his grip and began striding toward Subway. Moby fell in behind him and Morgan matched Reese’s pace. He was laughing, but Sterling’s shoulders were a tight line. Tension practically radiated from him.
“Is he okay?” Reese asked. “I thought it was just me at first, but he seems overly stressed out.”
“Between you and me, this is the worst I’ve ever seen him. But I’m hopeful that on this tour, we can usher in an era of permanent Day Sterling. Moby will be good for him. I barely know the guy but he’s always in a good mood. And I’m sure you can help.”
“You can, maybe. I doubt I’ll be much help,” Reese said. “I seem to have the opposite effect on him. My plan is to rock out his social stuff while steering as clear of him as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it. He’ll get over it soon. One thing to know about him is that he’s an introvert. Things like tours and events where he has to interact with fans really take their toll. I think this is just him adjusting to the fact that he’s going to be around people constantly for the next few months. It’s nothing big.”
Watching the tight line of his shoulders and the way he kept his head bent down, staring at the ground as he walked, Reese wasn’t so sure. She sensed there was more to this and wished that she knew him well enough to ask. Probably not even two months could get him to trust her.
