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Smolder (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024) 19. Chapter Nineteen 63%
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19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Skyler

“Well, you sure as fuck handled it wrong.” I gave a defiant nod and adjusted the piano bench to get back to work.

Sandy laughed again, but this time, he moved my composition notebook and sat on the bench next to me before gently placing his left hand on my right cheek, turning my face toward him. “You’re right. I did. Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay? What about this festival Arlo mentioned? Where is it?”

I moved away from his touch. “It’s in Nevada outside Las Vegas. We’re driving there tomorrow and camping overnight somewhere. We play on Saturday afternoon at two.” Why was I telling him anything? Was I really going to give him a second chance?

“Who’s we ?” I couldn’t begin to figure out what his expression meant. Was he jealous?

“Me and the guys—River, Arlo, Goldie, and JD. They’ve chosen a band name, Accidental Fire. I’m only playing with them until they find a new drummer.”

Sandy grinned. “So, you’re not going on the road with a band?”

“Nope. Not permanently.”

“Why is Marsh still here?”

I chuckled. “You mean, why is he back? He’s going with us to Vegas. Goldie’s dad, Kenny, is letting us borrow some equipment he has from when he played in a band. We’re picking up a rental van tomorrow, and uh, I was going to drive your Yukon. Goldie’s going to drive the van.”

Sandy laughed. “ Fuck no! We’re not sleeping on the fucking ground. We’re staying at a hotel, and Marsh is going to pay for it. I’m too old and banged up to sleep in a tent.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think we even have tents. Sleeping bags, but no tents, and who invited you?”

Sandy kissed the side of my neck. “Good god, we’ll get bit by snakes or some shit. Nope, there’s gotta be a motel or someplace out there where we can safely sleep. I’ll find it. By the way—I’ll be your security, so I’ll be going along with or without an invitation. No worries. I’ll handle everything. You still need to work on this?” He pointed to the stave notebook on top of the piano.

I glanced at the sheet music he’d moved from the bench to the top of the piano. “No. I got through what we need. I should get them to come inside so we can go through it a couple of times. Riv is supposed to be working on his part out by the pool.”

“He was doing just that when I came in. Where’s everyone sleeping?” Sandy glanced around, seeing his living room was littered with instruments. I’d put together my drum kit on the other side of the piano so I could at least practice while they were trying to figure out their parts.

“I’m in the room I used before. Marsh is in his room, and the rest are sleeping in the media room.”

Sandy nodded. “I’ll go get them. Be right back.”

I watched the man walk away, and I was in shock. Did I have a stroke?

Is Sandy really in love with me?

It was extremely hot when we arrived at the campsite Sandy found for us after talking to someone at the ski resort. The desk clerk told him the resort was booked for the weekend because there was also a mountain biking event. The clerk explained there was an alternative to the resort, so Sandy forced Marshall to call the owners to make a reservation—using his corporate credit card.

We would be staying in four camping trailers set up in a semi-circle about ten miles from the sight of the festival. Our equipment was in the rented van that Goldie and Marshall had driven to the site, and everyone was excited about what would happen on Saturday.

“I’ll room with JD,” River announced.

Sandy stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder. “Sky and I’ll room together. Somebody gets a trailer to themselves.”

Without waiting for me to respond, Sandy went to the SUV and unloaded everyone’s bags, carrying mine and his to the trailer on the end. I glanced toward Marshall to see his smirk before he turned to the lead singer. “Goldie, you and I can share, and Arlo, you get one to yourself.”

“Good. I need to practice on that keyboard because it’s smaller than I’m used to, and I need to record some elaborations to use during our performance. This way, I won’t disturb anyone.”

Arlo went to the van and opened the back, pulling out the smaller keyboard. River had gone to our parents’ house and liberated the old one I’d had as a kid from the back of the studio without getting caught by Regal. My little brother was sneakier than I’d been when I was his age.

“Okay, that’s settled. The caretaker should be here in an hour to set up for dinner. The guy’s name is Errol, and he’s going to bring supplies. I thought we could have an old-fashioned cookout—you know, hot dogs on sticks, s’mores, the whole nine yards,” Marshall told us.

I glanced at Sandy to see a snarl. “What?” The man’s mood swings were killing me.

Sandy started after Marsh, who ran away, his arms fluttering as he ran through the brush, laughing loudly the whole time. A minute later, Sandy came back, grinning. “He’ll get lost. He has no fucking sense of direction. Anyway, gimme a minute.”

Sandy pulled out his phone, quickly dialing a number. “Hey, Errol. It’s Sandy Kensington, Marshall’s brother.”

He walked to the trailer we would share and looked under a large stone in the little cactus garden. He lifted it and picked up four keyrings before he dropped the stone and returned to where we stood. Sandy held them out to show they were numbered tags corresponding to the numbers on the trailers.

“You can bring the hot dogs and stuff for s’mores, but I told my brother to order steaks for the seven of us. Uh-huh. Okay. Beer and soft drinks are fine. Thanks, Errol.”

Sandy put the phone in his pocket and glanced at all of us. “Marshall is a cheap fucker. He took it upon himself to ignore what I told him to order, so I fixed it. We’ll have dinner delivered in a while. I’ll go look for the idiot who took off and gather some firewood so we can have a fire in the pit. Tomorrow night, we’re going to Vegas after the festival, and we’ll drive home on Sunday. How’s that?”

The younger guys clapped, though I wasn’t sure what River had to clap about. He wasn’t twenty-one, so casinos were out for him.

There were places we could go that didn’t involve gambling, and there were a lot of fantastic restaurants. I’d gone to Vegas with Regal and the band once, and Dusty had taken me places where I could have fun. I would always be grateful to him, and I’d do the same for my brother.

An hour later, an older model Ford Explorer traversed the gravel road to the campsite. A man and woman stepped out of the vehicle and looked around. They both went to the back of their SUV and unloaded coolers, neither speaking to anyone—or each other.

Sandy exited our trailer and walked to the group, so I followed him. I’d been sitting at the picnic table working on a new song with River’s acoustic guitar while Sandy had gone inside to get the mosquito repellent he’d brought along.

The previous night, after the band and I played through the Lifehouse song I’d reworked to adapt to our abilities, Sandy had escorted me to my bedroom door, kissed my cheek, and wished me goodnight.

Standing there, I was a moment away from inviting him into my bed. I was surprised I’d resisted the urge because there was still a lot to sort through before we embarked on a physical relationship.

I wasn’t a friends-with-benefits kind of guy. I needed more commitment before I could hop into bed with someone. Honestly, though, the temptation to be with Sandy was strong.

“Errol, Karen, this is JD, River, and Arlo. Marshall and Goldie are collecting more firewood, and that’s my guy, Skyler. Everyone, these are our hosts, Errol and Karen Donner.”

Everyone exchanged glances, but of course, River couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Wait, are we actually guests of the Donner party?”

My little brother was a funny guy. He sounded like one of my high school kids, and I couldn’t hold the laugh. He had Regal’s sense of humor.

Everyone laughed, and Mr. and Mrs. Donner made the rounds to greet and shake hands with us. They were very pleasant, and I was glad they were our hosts.

After the fire was at a low blaze, Mrs. Donner put the steaks on a wire rack they’d brought and warmed pre-baked russet potatoes in the coals. Ten minutes later, dinner was served, and the food was delicious.

After everyone had their fill, we helped the Donners clean up and thanked them for the incredible meal. Once they were gone, Marsh opened the cooler and handed out beers. I started to complain about him offering beer to River, who was a minor, but my little brother held up his hand.

“Thanks, but I don’t drink. I’ve seen what alcohol can do to people, and I’ve found other ways to blow off steam.”

I was truly proud of him until he pulled out a joint and sparked it. He took in a large draw before passing it to JD, who matched River’s draw.

“No smoking before the show. I don’t care what you do tonight, but if you’re going on stage with me, you won’t be high. That’s it.” I stood from the picnic table and went to the trailer I was sharing with Sandy.

As I walked through the small camping trailer, I immediately noticed there was only one bedroom. Obviously, Sandy intended for us to share the queen-size bed at the back. Was that what I really wanted to do?

We all sat around the little campfire, made s’mores with the things the Donners had left for us, and sang some old campfire songs—well, all of us except Goldie. His voice needed to be saved for the concert the next afternoon.

If the band got more gigs, Goldie needed to develop a routine for taking care of his instrument, much as we all took care of ours by tuning the piano, replacing drumheads, and tightening guitar strings. He was young, and his vocal cords were healthy, but with the type of music they planned to perform, his vocal cords could become strained and damaged. He was too good of a singer for that to happen.

I accompanied the campfire songs using River’s guitar. We had a great time, and just before midnight, I called it a night. I made Marshall take the cooler of beer with him because JD was enjoying it a lot, and to give his best performance the next day, he needed a clear head.

Sandy and I went inside the trailer, and I stopped to stare at him. “There’s only one bed in here.”

He smirked at me, damn him, and I hated to say it was adorable. His eyes got big, and he stared at me through his lashes, feigning innocence. “Really? I didn’t look around, but I guess you’re right. Whatever will we do?”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sandy opened it and started to step out when I glanced around him to see Marshall. “Can you show me how to put together the other bed? I remember Dad’s friend, Edmond, had that camper and the table and benches made into another bed we had to share when Mom and Dad took us camping that one time. Thank god we only had to do that nonsense once.”

I stepped in front of Sandy, chuckling. “Yes, Sandy, show us how the table and chairs create another bed.” He grumbled and began putting together the one in our trailer and then went to help Marsh with his.

As I studied the bed, I knew Sandy wouldn’t be able to sleep on it comfortably, so I went to the little closet and found an extra set of sheets and a couple of pillows, making up the bed for myself. I quickly undressed, deciding to shower in the morning so Sandy could shower before bed. I could be reasonable.

When he returned to the trailer, I heard him mumble, “Fucking hell. Goddamn you, Marshall.” I was resting on my left side with my back to the door so he couldn’t see me smiling at his discomfort.

“You awake?” I stayed perfectly still, though it was hard.

“I’m killing you, Marsh.”

Sandy stomped off to the back of the trailer—about twenty feet away. I could hear him cursing Marshall as he brushed his teeth, so when he got into the shower, I slipped out of my makeshift bed and into Sandy’s.

Call me what you want, but Sandy was a gorgeous man who had professed his love for me. I hoped it wasn’t his less-than-stellar attempt at getting in my pants. I was in love with him too, and I’d tell him—after I was certain he wasn’t playing me. It was horrible to put a condition on my love, but I still wasn’t confident we were on equal footing.

As they say, time would tell.

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