Every Time a Bell Rings by Barbara Ankrum

Author:Barbara Ankrum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781951190743
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2022-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Jason Tunney isn’t coming, Cole.”

Those five words from Lisa, the concierge, stopped Cole in his tracks. Dread sent cold fingers through his gut. “What do you mean he isn’t coming? He’s committed. For months now.”

The worried look on Lisa’s face said it all. “His manager, Edward Ainsley, called ten minutes ago. Said Jason is sick.” She handed him the note she’d taken.

Cole stared at it in disbelief. “Sick? He’d better be freaking dying.”

“His manager sent Jason’s sincere apologies.”

“Oh. Did he?” Running a hand through his hair, Cole paced in front of the concierge desk like a penned-up tiger. He’d bet his apologies were sincere. After all, if it wasn’t for Granger, he wouldn’t have a career now! “And Ainsley called you, instead of me?”

Lisa blushed, clearly wishing she wasn’t the messenger. “I’m sorry, Cole. I told him he should speak to you, but—”

“Get him on the phone for me.”

She winced. “He said to tell you he’s not going to be available as he’s on vacation in the Bahamas, but he just said to pass on Jason’s deepest apologies and best wishes.”

“Then get Jason on the phone.”

“I tried. He’s not answering.”

“The show is in—” he glanced at his watch “—forty-three hours and thirty-nine minutes. Half the people coming are coming specifically to see him. Where on God’s green earth will I find a replacement for our headliner by then? I can tell you where. Nowhere. Where is he? Is he in the hospital?”

“Mr. Ainsley didn’t say.”

“Cole?”

Eden’s voice came from behind him and he whirled around to find her and Quinn walking toward him. Just seeing her there lowered his blood pressure a notch. With her hair down and her cheeks reddened from being outside, she looked just as she had eight years ago when he’d fallen in love with her. “Eden.”

“Is everything okay? You look upset.”

“Hey, Q,” he said, ruffling the boy’s hair. “No,” he told Eden. “Everything is not okay. But it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“Please. Tell me,” she insisted, exchanging looks with Lisa, who backed off immediately and buried her nose in the computer screen at her desk.

Cole glared off at the mountain outside the giant glass windows of the atrium. “My headliner for the concert just canceled on me.”

“Jason Tunney?”

He sent Lisa a confirming look. “See? Yeah. Apparently, he’s sick and can’t make it.”

Her face lost a little color. “Oh, no. I’m sorry, Cole. What’ll you do?”

“What can I do at this point? The show’s in two nights. No way I can get another artist to drop everything and bring his entire crew and band in that time. I really thought Jason was more dependable than this. But if you’re sick, you’re sick, right?”

“This concert,” she said. “It’s important to you. And to this place. Right?”

He couldn’t read what was in her eyes just then as she asked that. Maybe just simple concern. But he could have sworn there was something else. Almost like she hoped he didn’t say yes. But, of course, he did.

“This concert can make or break us,” he said simply.

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