Page 43 of Doc Rock
They were pretty funny, and the two glasses of Taylor’s expensive rosé champagne that she managed to drink on the way down were probably helping.
“Have you seen Ford since then?”Clara asked.
Mai shook her head. “At the show, when I covered for Hel. That was the first time I've seen him in person in sixteen years.
“Shit,”Hel breathed.“I’m so sorry I asked you to cover.”
Mai reached out to grab her friend’s left hand, lifting it up so the ring glinted in the sunlight.“I would never begrudge someone else’s happiness.”
“But still, it can’t have been easy.”Hel squeezed Mai’s fingers.
Mai took a deep breath as she thought about what to say.“No. It wasn’t easy, although he didn’t recognise me then. Donnie, his manager, did. He came toseeme. I denied it. He must be meddling by sending Ford here. But I’m still confused about how he ended up at your house, Clara. Does Taylorknowhim?”
“No. His manager called Taylor’s manager and set them up on a weird celebrity date.”Clara shrugged.
“Oh, to have a manager and celebrity dates.”Sadie sighed deeply.
“George,”both Clara and Hel said in unison to Sadie, who immediately replied.
“That’s right. The love of my life.”Sadie nodded.“Although you can’t blame a girl. I have one friend married to a movie star, the other engaged to an NHL player.”
“Ex-NHL,” Hel interjected.
Sadie waved her away.“And now I find out my newest friend is Hannah Montana and married to a rock god. It gives a girl a complex.”
Clara put her arm around her friend’s shoulder.“It’s just their jobs. It’s not who they are. If I think too hard about Taylor being as famous as he is, it totally freaks me out. But at home, he’s just Taylor, the man I fell in love with.”
Sadie grumbled,“George is the best.”
“He has to be to put up with you!”Hel said cheekily.
“So this Donnie is meddling?”Clara asked, drawing the conversation back to Mai.
“Yeah. He’s obviously decided that Ford and I needed to meet again,”Mai huffed. Donnie had always pulled other people’s strings.
“How do youfeelabout this? About seeing Ford? Seeing your husband,”Hel asked.
Mai thought long and hard.
Howdidshe feel?
Happy, sad, confused, tearful.Therewere so many emotions running through her.
“Relieved. I'm relieved.”
“Really?”Clara raised an eyebrow.
“It sounds weird, but I never thought I wouldseehim again in person. Iwatchedas the band headed for the stratosphere, and I thought that was all I was ever going toget. I was too afraid to reach out to Ford. At first, because my mental state was so poor. Then, too much time passed. I threw everything away. I was the one who chucked away the man who was the love of my life. WhatcouldI say?Sorry? Hi, how are you?”Mai shrugged.“Nothing Icouldthink of saying was ever good enough. So days became weeks, then years, and suddenly it’s sixteen years later, and I still didn’tknowwhat to say. I thinkit wasthe only way I would have ever spoken to him. If he hadn’t recognised me, I wouldn’t have approached him. I would have hidden.”
“That’s a lot,”Hel murmured.
Mai laughed.“It is. Clara, I’m so sorry to bring drama to your baby shower.”
Clara waved her hand in the air.“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. I’m just pleased I can now brag that I had a member of Midnight Thunder play at my baby shower.”
“Ex-member,” Mai corrected.
“Okay.Originalmember,” Clara amended. “I’m still blown away, to be honest.”
