Rocking Karma : The Road to Rocktoberfest 2023 by Kaje Harper

Author:Kaje Harper [Harper, Kaje]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Dax

I looked up from my mixing desk when the studio door opened again. This time it was Lane, and something inside me unwound, like taking the tension off a string. Like that’s a good thing? Stupid. Loose strings are no use to anyone.

Lane’s nose was chapped and red and he held up a hand my way, even though I hadn’t made any move to go to him. “Keep your distance. I’m still virus city.”

Across the room, Brody made the sign of the cross with his fingers in Lane’s direction. “Begone, foul spirit.”

Lane chuckled hoarsely. “I’ve tried every cold remedy there is, but I didn’t think of exorcism.”

Tanisha said, “I hope you had a good time with your folks before the plague hit.”

“Yeah. It was great to be home for a bit.” He turned to Jamie. “What’s the schedule for today? I’m gonna be pretty useless.”

“We need to talk about the set list for Rocktoberfest. You haven’t been there before, have you?”

Lane shook his head. “My last band never made it that far.”

“It’s a shorter set than we’re used to, headlining our own shows. We’re up third to last on Saturday, right before Social Sinners and Maiden Voyage. Ours is one of the longer slots, but we still can only fit in maybe ten songs so we need to make each one count.” He waved at the couple of empty chairs left. “Park your ass and let’s get to planning.”

I’d sat in the corner as usual, where I could see everyone easier than they could see me, and one of the empties was nearby. Lane came over and sat down, his back slumped. He really did look like shit, even his pretty hair a little limp and stringy. “Sorry I didn’t come get Princess,” he said.

“Like I told you when you called, get yourself healthy first. I can afford to feed a five-pound dog a few more days.” I admit, I’d been disappointed not to see him, but he’d sounded like he’d been gargling acid when he phoned me from the train.

“Well, she is half yours.” His attempt at a smile was pretty pathetic.

“On paper,” I said, because I didn’t dare think about her any other way.

He seemed about to reply, but Jamie cleared his throat. “You two can flirt on your own time.”

Lane quickly shifted his attention away from me but didn’t blush. I wondered if he was losing his shyness, which would be a good thing for his future, but I’d miss it. Or maybe he just didn’t have the blood pressure to turn red today. He looked awfully pasty.

Jamie continued, “Songs, people. ‘Don’t Rock the Boat.’ It’s getting old. Do we keep it in or out?”

“It gets the crowd dancing,” Brody said.

“But it’s not really our current sound,” Tanisha pointed out, “and they dance to ‘Round the Bend’ too.”

I let the discussion wash over me, keeping an eye on Lane. I really didn’t like his color, and while I cared about which songs we took to Rocktoberfest, we’d be hashing out the set list for the next couple of days.

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