The meeting lasted another forty-five minutes after that bombshell. I was supposed to be gone forty minutes ago, but here I am, sitting at the conference table and watching my colleagues file out when Aaron places a hand on my shoulder.
“We came in almost fifty grand under budget, man.” He moves my shoulder back and forth in his excitement.
“That’s… uh… really great. So, you said Sin City will be here an entire year, huh?”
He puffs his chest with a sense of accomplishment. “Technically it will be two weekends a month, a total of forty-eight days spread over fifty-two weeks. Since they’re local, we won’t have to put the band up in the hotel, well at least most of the band. That’s one of the ways we were able to come in under budget. Ms. James will be on property, but everyone else will be staying in personal homes.”
Aaron, being in entertainment, understands hotel profits a little better than most. He gets that gains do not negate or impact the budget allotted for a project because the revenue earned is not immediately available. We track everything down to the cost of replacement light bulbs needed to light the stage. Eating the cost of a hotel room that we could otherwise book is a loss. Sure, it balances in the end but in the meantime, it ties up funds allocated for other functions. This is definitely a W for his department.
“I’d heard that the lead singer and the guitarist are a couple?”
I try to slip that question in without sounding too invested in the answer. My life is distinctly divided into pre-Sin breakup, and post-Sin breakup. If you weren’t in my life before the breakup, and no one at The Hotel was, there would be no indication that I’d ever known Sin. I don’t go around telling all who will listen that I once upon a time dated a pop singer who at the time wasn’t famous. I’ve known Connor since grade school and with him going to undergrad on the East Coast and grad school in England, I don’t think he’s put the pieces together. When our relationship ended, Sin exited stage left. She didn’t pass go or collect two hundred dollars. It was the damnedest trick, like magic. Now you see me, now you don’t. She became a ghost, only existing in fractured memories and phantom touches.
In the years since she’s been gone, I’ve done my best to relegate her presence to the times when I’m alone where I can recall the exact texture of her skin and the husky timbre of her voice. This time was mine, she was mine. I could reminisce. What we had was unique and maybe once in a lifetime.
So yeah, I asked a question. The one thing I probably shouldn’t. The one thing I have wanted to know for years. Are Sin and Adam a couple? While we were together did they… did she ever… If they are a couple one room would suffice, and one bed, and one shower. My pulse kicks up thinking about the two of them taking full advantage of all the amenities in our hotel rooms. Together.
But on the slim chance I’m wrong, that hundreds of publications are wrong, I wait for Aaron’s answer. Sin was always so adamant they were friends. God, if they’re not together… I can’t even let that thought percolate. I’m not saying I’d do anything stupid, but I’m not saying I wouldn’t either. There is no telling what fool thing I’d do if given another shot. It would sting to get confirmation that she went from me to Adam. Okay, that’s bullshit. I don’t need a definitive answer for it to sting, but it still doesn’t change the fact I want one.
I stand up, collecting the few papers I have on the table, trying to feign disinterest like we’re discussing the weather, but every molecule in my body is zeroed in on his answer.
“I don’t think so.” A slight frown creases the skin between his eyebrows. “The couple of times I met with them, they seemed more like siblings, and they wanted to take the residency because their base guitarist is expecting his first baby. They all just seem like a close-knit family.”
A firework of emotion burst through my body and the papers I’d been gathering into a neat pile with deep focus fall from my flustered grasp as his words sink in. Fuck yeah! Those words are exactly what I needed to hear.
I’m not a cup-half-full kind of guy. I don’t pray regularly or hope for the impossible, but this whole situation seems like something bigger than me at work. What is the likelihood of Sin and I being in the same stratosphere let alone the same hotel for a year? I’m a finance guy who sits behind a desk, and she’s a rock star who travels the world. For the first time in a long time, I let the idea of reconnecting with her take root.
Aaron pats me on the shoulder as he makes his way toward the door. When the door shuts behind him, I’m the only person left in the room.
“Thank you,” I whisper to whatever’s out there that brought Sinclair James back into my life.
It’s the end of the book and here’s the bizness. . .
Soooo. . .I did a thing. Earlier this year I published my first book. That roller coaster ride has been fun and exhilarating but also rough, and at times REALLY HARD. It is real in these publishing streets y’all. But I’m back for more with my new book Exquisitely Hidden.
Adam’s story was a difficult one to navigate. I wanted to honor his story which is the journey of so many, and hopefully I did it a way that, you-the reader, love!
That said, let me get on to expressing my gratitude for everyone that has played an integral role in my writing journey.
Daddy, who keeps a copy of my first book in a Ziplock bag, with pertinent information written on the front of the bag, in black sharpie. THANK YOU for always having a positive word and always taking the time to ask how I feel about the writing.
Colleen, Colleen, Colleen, Colleennnn (sang in my best Dolly Parton ‘Joleen’ bravado) thank you for taking the time to read and re-read this manuscript. Thank you for your priceless feedback and whole-hearted belief in my talent, even when my own belief waivered.
Lauren Schmelz, editing diva, we did it! Adam’s story is out in the world. I didn’t have to slam my laptop down this time to get away from the comments but damn girl sometimes give your girl a break. Okay I was joking on that last part. Your tough critiques have made me better and taken my writing further than any grad program. You are exactly what I need. THANK YOU!
And to the AWESOME reader, who actually picked up this book and gave me a chance THANK YOU! I hope you felt something and were thoroughly entertained! BIG hugs!
That’s it for me.
Mjay out!
xx
A Sin City Tale Series
Available Now
EXQUISITELY BROKEN (A Sin City Tale Novel)
Ebook & Paperback
EXQUISITELY HIDDEN (A Sin City Tale Novel)
Coming Soon
EXQUISITELY YOURS (A Sin City Tale Novel)
M. Jay Granberry is first and foremost an insatiable reader.
Among her favorite things are classic fairy tales, smutty books where characters have heart, old lady sweaters (preferably chunky knit), gift baskets (giving not receiving), and charcuterie trays (green olives, smoked cheese, and Genoa salami).
She is a true Las Vegas native, the one in Nevada not New Mexico, and to answer the most frequently asked questions about growing up in Sin City. . .
No, she doesn’t live in a hotel.
No, she has never been a stripper although she does know some.
Prostitution is absolutely illegal in Clark County (Las Vegas)!
And what happens in Vegas does indeed stay in Vegas.
M. Jay earned a degree in words and stories, and after fifteen plus years of doing everything other than writing, she penned her first novel.
Giving a voice to characters, that are strong yet fragile, that are sometimes uncomfortably real, that express love in dirtiest ways with the sweetest sentiments is honestly a dream come true.
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Exquisitely Hidden: A Sin City Tale Page 28
