AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Morgan smiled. “Okay, so ask Brett if you need to stop. Your body will adjust to the schedule. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
She was suddenly glad that she had a stomach of iron. Reese kept having to push back her desire to text Staci every five seconds with details. The next section of the bus was a narrow area with three bunks on either side. Curtains were pulled in front of most of them. Morgan pulled back the curtain on the lowest one on the right side. “This is an extra bunk. You can set your stuff here for now. We’ll figure out beds in a bit. The guys aren’t here yet. I’ll let them get first pick of bunks. Unless you’re scared of heights?”
“Actually, I’m not a huge fan.”
“Just take the other bottom bunk, then,” Morgan said. “I’m sure the guys won’t care. Anything you don’t want to sleep with can go in the extra bunk.”
Reese put her purse and laptop behind the curtain on the bottom bunk on the left. It was a coffin-like space, but would probably be cozy for sleeping. She didn’t mind small spaces—just heights. The bedspread was a dark gray and she could see outlets and a charging station, plus some dim lighting.
Morgan eyed Reese’s small duffle. “I meant to ask—you didn’t bring a larger suitcase with more clothes?”
“I was told to pack light.”
“That’s really light. We have a tour assistant who handles laundry whenever we’re at a stop. If you need more things, we can do a shopping run when we get to Atlanta. You can get a pretty cheap rolling suitcase or something and we’ll keep it under the bus. Your duffle will be great for overnight, but you’ll likely want more clothes so the assistant isn’t having to constantly wash them.”
Reese felt so unprepared for the reality of this suddenly. As she followed Morgan back through what would be Sterling’s bedroom and his private lounge in back, nerves had her stomach clenching. His queen bed fit snugly against the wall where her bunk was. For the next two months, Reese would be sleeping with her head on the other side of a thin wall from Sterling James.
The guy who clearly still thought she was some rabid fan. Reese was thankful she got to meet Morgan before having to face him. Maybe Morgan would help vouch for Reese and would tell Sterling that she seemed normal and stable.
All the explanations she had come up with in her head for why she had behaved that way sounded ridiculous. Clearly, she would tell him the truth, but how much? Reese didn’t want to seem like a total dork who couldn’t handle one glass of wine. And she definitely didn’t want to admit to him that she had planned out their wedding when she was fourteen.
Morgan finished showing her the lounge in the back that was basically for Sterling and anyone he invited, since you had to pass through his bedroom to get there. “I want to check that everyone’s on track to get here so we can leave. Once we get moving, you and I can meet back here and start strategizing. The table is bigger and it’s more private.”
“You had me at ‘strategizing.’” Strategy always sounded good. It’s one of the reasons that Reese loved her job. If she could get past her infantile crush on Sterling and convince him she was a mature professional and not a fangirl who snuck her way onto his tour, things would be peachy.
Morgan pointed back toward the doorway. “Let’s head back out.”
Reese opened the sliding door and stepped right through, almost running into Sterling. Not now. She knew she would have to face him, but didn’t feel ready. She sucked in a breath and his face flashed with recognition. Jumping back, he lowered his eyebrows, glaring at Reese.
“You! How did she get on here? Where’s security? Morgan, what’s going on?”
Morgan stuttered behind her. “Um, I don’t—wait, what’s wrong?”
Reese held out a calming hand to touch Sterling’s arm. He flinched back and she dropped her head, sighing. This hadn’t gone much better when she imagined it in her head. But he hadn’t physically thrown her off the tour bus yet, so maybe that was progress?
“I can explain. Could I just get a minute?” Reese looked to Morgan, whose eyes were narrowed.
“James?” Morgan asked.
In the small part of her brain that wasn’t freaking out, Reese made a mental note that Morgan called Sterling by his last name. Did he prefer that? She shoved the thought away. If she didn’t get to stay, it wouldn’t matter anyway.
“No way. She goes. Now.”
Sterling stepped sideways, making room for Reese to move past him and off the bus. She froze, staring up at him. Even angry, his chiseled face and dark eyes were hard for Reese to look at without her heart trying to shove its way out of her chest. That feeling coupled with her anxiety about this exact moment had her wondering if it was possible for a heart to burst from working too hard. Hers felt pretty close right now.
Morgan stepped up next to Reese, looking between them. “Look, I know you were against hiring a social media person, but you haven’t even given her a chance.”
Sterling’s mouth dropped and he shook a finger at Reese. Even his fingers were attractive. “That’s our new social media manager? Seriously?”
“I’m sorry,” Reese said. “If you’d let me, I think I could clear things up a bit.”
“Security will clear them right up,” Sterling practically shouted.
Reese was not going to cry. She wouldn’t. In her head she had a very serious conversation with her eyeballs about how they need to man up and put the tears away.
“What things need clearing up? I don’t understand,” Morgan said. “We hired her.”
“I don’t know who she really is, but I’m positive she’s not a social media manager.”
