Chapter 31

I couldn’t help but smile as the sign for the Wellsville exit came into view. I’d only been gone for a week and a half, but it felt like a lifetime. Even not counting the competition and all the insanity around that, Los Angeles was a weird place. I hadn’t realized it until now, but somewhere along the way, I’d become a small-town boy, which was wild because I’d only lived here for two and a half years. All I knew was that I didn’t mind going into cities for gigs, but I knew I’d never want to live in one ... at least, not if I could help it.

Vinney skipped the Wellsville exit and took the next one that would take us to the Blue Ridge, claiming he’d forgotten something he needed to grab. I barely resisted smirking. They were all too slick for their own good. Mrs. Phillips, Chef, Seth, Warren, and Lyla had all claimed they were too busy to come get me, forcing Chef to send Vinney, which told me all I needed to know.

They were throwing a welcome home party and wanted to surprise me. Since I still had a heart, I didn’t say anything since I wanted them to have their fun. I think even Vinney knew the gig was up when we pulled into the parking lot. It was two in the afternoon, which was after the lunch rush, but there were usually a handful of people who’d come to eat late, or early, I guess. This time, however, there was a sign on the door that said, ‘Closed for a private event.’ Vinney visibly grimaced when I gave him a sideways glance as we headed for the door.

Still playing along, I flung the front door open and stepped in as if I had no clue what was happening. Everyone I knew, well, except for Hanna and Kat who had finals and couldn’t make it, was inside waiting for me, probably having watched me walk up from Vinney’s car, and they all cheered the moment I stepped through the door.

“The triumphant hero returns,” Seth called out.

“Oh, Charlie, we’ve missed you so much! But we are so proud of you!” Mrs. Phillips said, coming over and giving me a big hug.

“Thanks, it’s really good to be back.”

“Were the other contestants completely crazy? Did you see any celebrities?” Lyla asked.

“Yeah, spill. Anyone get into fights or go to jail?” Peyton, one of my lunch friends from school, asked.

The previous season, there was this big brawl where three contestants started going at it, and one even went to jail when he tried to take a swing at one of the cops who’d been called out. At the time, I’d thought it was wild and wondered what was wrong with those people. Of course, now I knew it was all the alcohol that was made available to the contestants, hoping for exactly that kind of drama. I wasn’t sure if Amanda going to the hospital was going to top the brawl, but it would definitely be up there.

I held up my hands in mock protest. “Whoa, whoa! Too many questions! I told y’all before I left that I’m not allowed to talk about all that, yet! You should have seen the stack of paperwork they had me sign swearing I wouldn’t tell anyone anything that happened. I’ve been in enough lawsuits this year, thank you.”

That got a chuckle out of everyone. If I couldn’t laugh at my past trauma, who could?

Mrs. Phillips took my arm gently, leading me away from the doorway where everyone had crowded around to surprise me, and said, “Don’t mind them. They’re just enthusiastic. We know you’ll tell us everything as soon as you’re allowed.”

“I promise,” I said.

I made the rounds, stopping at my school friends, the guys from the kitchen, Warren, and everyone else, thanking them for coming and finding out what I’d missed. It really was good to see everyone, and it made me feel lucky to still have so many people who supported me like this.

Chef had set out big platters of food for everyone, and I knew he’d probably refused to let Mrs. Phillips pay for it. I’d try later, but I doubted I’d be successful. Considering everything he’d done for me, I was still going to try.

“Charlie!” Cameron said, intercepting me. “You have to tell me all about the celebrities you met! Were there any famous actors there? Please tell me you have an amazing story with a huge star!”

I had quite possibly the biggest celebrity sighting he was ever going to hear, and it killed me not to be able to tell him yet, but I knew if I did, it would be all over school by tomorrow and on the Internet tomorrow night. The producers might let me get away with dropping something about one of the other contestants, but they had to have pulled out all the stops to get Trey Mitchell, so letting that slip was guaranteed to get me into trouble.

“You guys are killing me,” I said instead, over-exaggerating it a bit to try and deflect. “They will have my head if I say anything.”

“Oh, come on!” Cameron pleaded. “Just a little hint?”

“Nope, sworn to secrecy.”

“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “But you have to tell me everything as soon as you can.”

“That I can do. So, how was everything while I was gone?”

“Really slow. A few of us came out both nights to support your guys, but ... I swear I’ve never seen it so dead in here since I first started coming to listen to music.”

I frowned slightly. Willie had drawn okay crowds when it was just his band, so I’d assumed it would be okay while I was gone. Worse, giving it even a moment’s thought, it wasn’t hard to work out that I was the reason for the drop-off. Willie had been getting mostly regulars, people who came out to see him specifically, plus the occasional fan of blues music who’d heard about someone here playing the classics.

When I’d started getting my own sets, some of them had dropped off, I know, but most had just moved to Willie’s later time slot, so none of us thought anything of it. With everything going on with my music and Willie’s health, I hadn’t been paying much attention to the later set after Dwight took over, but I needed to check on that. Because there was a good chance that I’d replaced Willie’s regulars with my own, and there wasn’t enough crossover to keep them coming when I was gone.

Beyond what this was doing to Dwight and his guys, who must be suffering if the crowd dropped that much, I also worried about Chef. While it wasn’t the core of his business, it had become a good moneymaker for him, and I didn’t want to let him down now. Not with everything he’d done for me. Besides, if things went well after the show aired and we got back to touring, I’d be gone more, and he needed a more long-term solution. I needed to talk to him.

Cameron and I talked for a little bit more, until I saw Seth and Lyla break off by themselves. While I did want to talk more to Cameron, ever since he mentioned the slowdown, I couldn’t get my mind off it. So I excused myself and went to catch them before they either left or started talking to someone else.

“Hey, guys,” I said, walking over. “I heard the crowd last weekend was bad. Really slow.”

“I mean, maybe a little,” Lyla said.

“She’s being modest,” Tabitha said, coming up behind us. “She made next to nothing.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Lyla said defensively. “And Charlie isn’t responsible for that.”

This had obviously been a source of contention between them, and I was seeing their argument spill over. Lyla was usually very careful about sharing that side of her life, but I knew Tabitha wasn’t my biggest fan. While I could live with that, and I appreciated Lyla sticking up for me, I didn’t want my choices to cause friction in their relationship.

“Tabitha’s right,” I said, going off what I knew she meant rather than her actual words. “I had hoped I set you guys up with enough work to make it through while I was gone. The last thing I want is either of you struggling, which I know you have been since the beginning of the summer, and I’m really sorry about that.”

“You should be,” Tabitha said, earning a look from Lyla.

“And I am,” I said, holding up my hands. “But there is good news. Before I say anything else, you all have to swear this stays between us.”

“Of course, whatever you say,” Lyla nodded eagerly.

“Absolutely,” Seth said.

Tabitha was less easily convinced, “Why?”

“Just promise,” Lyla hissed, the two sharing a look.

“Fine. I promise.”