Accidental Rock Star by Emily Evans Page B

you?”
    “No. Wine. A bottle. A
light rosé.
    Caz shut his eyes.
“Absolutely not.”
    Max leaned away from
the screen and crossed his arms over his chest.
    “Go with champagne next
time. Settled.” Caz stared at Garrett. “There’s more to discuss
here.” He narrowed his famous teal eyes. “Well, then?”
    Tyler knew he was
asking about the proposal comment Garrett had made last time
they talked. Nothing else would garner such an expression. Well,
maybe a tea shortage.
    Garrett got a superior
look. “Some plans are meant to be private. Sharing them dilutes
their specialness.” He toasted them with a glass. “Some
relationships are going better than others.” He put the glass down
and gave a nod. “Much better.”
    “Dude. Speaking of…”
Tyler glanced at the closed door and lowered his voice. “Aunt
Joellen threw out my condoms. The ones packed in the bag you sent.
Now, when I get Aria to go out with me again, I got no stash.”
    Caz shrugged. “Tell
Aria to pick them up for you.”
    “Tell?” Garrett shook
his head. “Women should be persuaded, not told.” He turned to
Tyler. “Persuade her of the merits of picking them up for you.
Being a woman of the millennia, it’s her privilege—nay, her
right—to provide the contraception.”
    Max sat back up. “Go to
the pharmacy. Take out a twenty. Buy more.”
    “Small town. It’ll get
out.” Tyler lowered his voice. “Aunt Joellen will hear about
it.”
    Max pointed at the
screen. “Buy them anyway, dickwad.”
    Straight shooter, that
Max. “You kiss Hannah with that mouth?”
    “Don’t fucking talk
about Hannah,” Max said.
    “Drive to a bigger,
more anonymous town,” Garrett said.
    Caz shook his head.
“He’ll get recognized. As I said, tell her to pick them up.
Say…”
    Marissa popped up
onscreen, standing beside Garrett.
    Caz immediately shut
up.
    Marissa leaned down and
smacked a kiss on Garrett’s cheek, her arms around his neck. She
faced the camera. “Hey, guys. What are we talking about?”
    Garrett snaked his arm
around her waist and pulled her on his lap, making her smile
bigger. “The foibles of youth. Love versus morality versus desire.
An age-old tale of a boy and the inevitable rejection of his
transition to manhood by his mother figure.”
    “Ah.”
    “A coming-of-age tale…
no, wait…” Garrett rubbed his hand on Marissa’s arm. “Caz was
saying something else. Some advice. What was it, Caz?”
    Caz’s eyes flashed. “My
speakers are breaking up.” His words came out clearly on Tyler’s
end. “Not sure I caught that last bit correctly. Marissa, are you
seeing Ashley today?”
    “Yeah.” Marissa slapped
at Garrett’s wandering hand. “She’s meeting me here.” She gestured
behind her. “At Garrett’s, to hang.”
    Caz was stuck in London
checking on crap with his parents while his girlfriend Ashley
remained behind in L.A. He’d sulked about it more than once. “Tell
her to call me for face time. And don’t listen to these idiots. And
don’t let her talk to them either.”
    “What were you guys
really talking about?” Marissa narrowed her green eyes. “What are
you up to? Sax? Don’t make me call Baylee.”
    “Nothing. Geez, I’m the
victim here.”
    “Victim? Your new
single only hit number two on the billboard charts or
something?”
    Tyler hadn’t thought
about rankings in weeks. It was nice not having the label shove it
down his throat every morning. Up two. Down one. Release dates.
Timing. Marketing. Crap. He just wanted the music—and here, he got
that.
    “Who else is going to
be at your house?” Caz tapped on the camera. His thumbprint grew
big on the screen each time he pressed. “Garrett? You’re not
inviting any losers from your new movie, are you?”
    Garrett was shooting a
half-anime, half-live action film in L.A. with Max.
    “A few.” Garrett gave
the uncharacteristic short response, probably to screw with Caz’s
head.
    “Who?” Caz shifted his
gaze from Garrett to