Page 110 of Second Chance

45

Take Care of Her

[Denton]

As the words behind me fade to black, blending with the curtain at our back, and the song continues, I notice Mati jump down from the bar and race away from the concert.

Shit.

Tommy lifts an eyebrow at me, but I shake my head. I’m good to finish the song. The guys are counting on me, and I owe them so big. After the stint in Costa Rica, I fired my agent. I don’t need gigs that falsify my age—or me. That’s not the point of growing older and accepting who I am. I do accept my age, and I’m good embracing it, not hiding it or aging me. I’ve already lost enough time in my life. I don’t need to fast forward to life when I’m older. Unless that life includes Mati.

With her in mind, I begged the guys to do me this favor. Go home with me and help me win the girl—the right girl. Of course, the groveling to her included groveling to them. My head down and my apology prepared, I asked Tommy and Hank to meet me at a casual place near Hank’s new home in St. Gabriel.

“I need a favor,” I started.

“What?” Hank asked, implying he wanted to know more.

“Why?” Tommy narrowed his eyes, questioning my motives.

“It’s about Mati.” I didn’t need to explain too much. They both already knew about the girl I loved, the best friend who asked me to leave, and how I left her behind. Hank always thought I was a fool for letting her go. Tommy said it was a sign of the greatness we would produce together. We did have a good run of things.

I explained my predicament. The photo shoot in Costa Rica. The hint that Mati misunderstood. The strange, sudden, unexpected need I had to return to my hometown to be with her. And then I opened the letter.

“Chris was my best friend. Whether it was him or me, we both looked after her. It was like a secret code between us. I never took advantage of her or our friendship once he started dating her. I bit my tongue and buried it in other girls instead. The final straw was him asking me to leave, and me warning him to take care of her.”

“Now, it’s your turn,” Hank mumbled, looking down at the tri-folded paper between us on the table. One line is all it reads: Take care of her.

“What does this have to do with us?” Tommy asked, and I didn’t blame him for his suspicion. I’m the one who left the band. That’s how they’ll always remember things. Not Kit being diagnosed. Or Hank too drunk to play. Or Tommy so out of control as a control freak.

“I need to woo her.”

“What the fuck?” Tommy’s head shot up

“He means he wants to win her back.” Hank smirked.

“I know what the fuck it means,” Tommy snapped. “But what does it have to do with us?”

“Her brother is hosting an Oktoberfest. He runs a pub, and he needs a band for the party.”

Tommy’s eyes narrowed. “You want us to get the band back together, for you?”

“I think it’s—”

“If you say sweet, I will pummel you,” Tommy warned Hank. I waited a full minute before exhaling in defeat. I knew it was too much to ask.

“Never mind,” I sighed at the same time Hank said, “I’ll do it.”

“What?” Tommy and I say in unison with two different octaves to our voices.

“Look, I love Midge. Wholeheartedly, absolutely, one-million percent, and I would do anything if I lost her, so if I had a chance to win her back…” His voice lowered, and his eyes connected with mine. I sensed Hank would have also liked a second chance with a certain someone else in our lives, but that relationship was never meant to be. Midge to him was my Mati. The right woman.

“Fuck,” Tommy muttered, combing his fingers through his chin-length hair. It’s a wonder he can still pull off the look. I’ve had to trim my hair to nearly a buzz cut, and it accentuates the gray every damn day. “Fine.”

“What?” I blinked as if the motion would clarify the word.

“Fine. I’m in. But I’m warning you. You better take care of everything.”

And I thought I had, right down to the letter—literally. What I didn’t predict was Mati running.