When I get out of the shower, Roxanne is already tucked in bed, her face illuminated by her Kindle. I no more than tell her who’s back when I understand the reason Heidi brought up the party.

It’s happening in the room next to ours.

Loud music, laughter, and later, moans, filter into our room throughout the night. It’s impossible to sleep, no matter how hard we try. When Heidi starts to scream Caleb’s name, I’m fully aware of what she did – or will do – to stay on this tour. It’s pathetic.

“That’s it!”  Roxanne jumps out of bed and rips the handset off the phone. “I’m calling the front desk!”

Like it will make a difference, I think. Not with Caleb involved. He’ll probably toss some extra record label cash at the manager and continue his sexcapades. I bury my head beneath the pillows as Heidi starts up again. Good God, she has to be faking by now.

As predicted, the complaint to the front desk yields zero results. It’s three a.m. and I have to get up in two hours. I’m dead tired and pissed as hell. It’s almost as if they’re doing this on purpose. I throw my blankets off and march to the door.

“Where are you going?” Roxanne sits up straight.

“To shut them up,” I snap.

I pound on their door like Heidi did earlier. It takes a few times before the noise stops. Satisfied, I start to walk away when the door opens. Caleb stands there, half-naked, holding a sheet around his waist.

“Would you two keep it down?” I hiss. “People are trying to sleep!”

“Jen.” He looks me over. “I didn’t know you were next door.”

“Does it matter?  Just shut the hell up!”  I start to walk away.

“Don’t leave.”

Against my better judgment, I turn around. “Did you get my flowers?” he asks.

He wants to discuss this now?  I groan. “Yes. I gave them away. I don’t want anything from you, Caleb.”

Suddenly, Heidi appears behind him and shrieks, “You sent her flowers?”

“As an apology,” he says.

She starts to pummel him with her fists. “No!  No no no no!”  He tries to block her. “She can’t have you, too!”

“Calm down. Christ.” Caleb moves and tries to ward her off. “What is wrong with you?”

I hear the distinct sound of a door open across the hall. Fantastic, I think. We’re waking up the whole floor. “Guys!”  I try to whisper-yell. “Knock it off!”

“You bastard!”  Heidi continues to wail on Caleb’s chest, her red hair a tangled mess. “How could you?”

“Nothing’s going on!”

He lets go of his sheet to catch Heidi’s flying fists, and it falls to floor. Oh, Jesus. I slam my eyes shut, but not before getting a full view of Caleb’s naked ass. Their struggle stops and I hear, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me, asshole!”

A door slams and I open one eye. Caleb has been left in the hallway sans bed sheet. He faces the door, sets his hands on either side of the frame, and hangs his head. I can’t help but notice that’s not the only thing hanging.

My eyes find the ceiling and I sigh. “Would you like some help?”

He turns and faces me, covering himself with both hands. “Yes, please.”

We look at each other, and I try not to laugh. This is ridiculous. We’re standing a few feet apart and he’s totally naked. I’m wearing nothing but Latson’s t-shirt and my underwear.

“Come on.” I turn to walk the few steps back to my room. No one deserves to be Heidi’s victim, although he did bring it on himself by getting involved with her.

When I open the door, Roxanne sits up in bed. “What happened?”

“I stopped the sex.”

Caleb follows me into the room. “Hi.”

Roxanne’s eyes bug out of her head. “So you brought him over here for more?”

I shoot her an “oh, please” look. I open the closet, find an extra blanket, and toss it at Caleb.

“Thanks.” He catches it with one hand against his leg. “Can I use your phone?”

After he calls the front desk and apologizes to us, he leaves to meet someone with another key. I fall back into bed and close my eyes. Apparently he and Heidi have separate rooms, which I’m grateful for. I don’t want to hear arguing or, god forbid, make up sex. I’ve seen Caleb in all his glory; I don’t need any more to add to the visual.  All I want to do is get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be hard enough; attending a funeral is always sad. I want to be as alert as I can for Latson, and I can’t wait to hug O.

Unfortunately, when my alarm sounds, it’s way too soon. I’ve never been a morning person, but this feels especially torturous.

Forcing myself out of bed, I get dressed and catch a cab to the airport. When I make it to my gate, I take a seat and look up to watch some news channel playing on the TV. It’s not long before my eyelids start to droop and I close them for a few minutes. Thankfully Pete is picking me up when I land and taking me to his apartment before the service. I hope he doesn’t mind if I nap on the way.

“Excuse me?  Miss?”

Someone nudges my shoulder. When I open my eyes, I’m face to face with a kind-looking elderly woman.

“Yes?” I say, my voice scratchy.

“You’ve been sleeping for quite some time,” she says. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss your flight.”

“Thank you.” I smile. “But my plane doesn’t leave until eight a.m.”

Her face falls. “Oh, honey. It’s after nine.”

It can’t be. My eyes dart to the monitor behind the ticket desk. Bold white letters advertise the time and the temperature, along with the flight number and location. Instantly, my stomach knots. I’m not going to Topeka, Kansas. Panic starts to set in.

I missed my flight.

Chapter Twenty Six

I leap out of the cab as soon as it pulls up to the cemetery.

By the time the airline found me another seat to Chicago, I knew I would miss the church service. With a shaky voice, I called my brother and told him how stupid I was. He tried to reassure me that mistakes happen, but it didn’t make me feel any better. He said he would send me the cemetery address and meet me there. After I changed clothes at the airport, I prayed during the entire flight that I could attend most of the graveside ceremony. When the plane touched down, my body was coiled with tension. Nothing moved fast enough; not my feet, not the cab, and certainly not traffic.

Now, as quickly as I can, I make my way toward the green tent and the people gathered around it. The closer I get, the more I realize everyone is standing in small groups and talking casually.

Damn it all to hell!  Did I miss everything here, too?

A group standing off to the side breaks apart and it’s then that Pete catches my eye. He waves and starts to walk in my direction, hand in hand with Jules. The whole Torque crew follows them, and, when we get close enough, Jules lets go of Pete and wraps me in a hug. “You made it.”

“Not soon enough.” I frown over her shoulder. “Did I miss it all?”

She steps back and nods. “We just finished.”

My heart sinks. “How is he?” I look at Pete. “Did you tell him what happened?”

“I did. He seems …”  Pete rubs the back of his neck. “He seems pretty pissed, Little J.”

A lump forms in the back of my throat. I knew Latson would be upset.

“You should ride with Kenzie and me to the dinner.” Gwen rubs my arm compassionately. “There’s room in my car.”

“Thanks.” I give her a weak smile.

“Jen!”

In the space between Carter and Felix I see Oliver running toward me. He looks adorable in his little suit and tie. I kneel down and the boys step aside, so Oliver can reach me. He throws his arms around my neck, and I squeeze him tight. “Hi, O.”

“Uncle Gunnar said you were coming.” He leans back. “What took you so long?”

“I got stuck at the airport,” I say. “How are you?  I’m sorry about your grandma.”

He nods. “She was sick, but it’s okay. Know why?”

“Why?”

“Because she’s in heaven with my mom.”