One Night Only (Season 1: Deni's Story)

Chapter Twenty-Two

If Mom notices my happier-than-I've-been-in-weeks mood, she doesn't ask me about it. My cheer must be contagious, because she relaxes more than she has in eons. I'm glad to see her put work aside for the day. Her laptop stays out of sight until she retrieves it for me so I can Zoom with Sawyer.

I expect her to hover close by and eavesdrop on my conversation in case I ask him for more news from the outside world. She decides to give me some privacy and take Alfie for a walk, though, leaving me alone with her laptop and an internet connection.

It's tempting to check in on the news and social media, but I don't. Trust is a two-way street, after all. If Mom trusts me to steer clear of these things and honor the time out our vacation is supposed to give me, I trust her to tell me any important breaking news after our discussion yesterday.

With that in mind, the only thing I open is Zoom. Sawyer's exuberant face, floppy hair, and bright Hawaiian shirt show up on my screen a few seconds after I sign in.

"Finally!" I squeal. It's only been a few days since I last spoke to him, but it already feels like a lifetime. I don't remember the last time he and I went more than thirty-six hours without even texting.

"I'm so relieved I can finally talk to you," he greets me. "Remind me where your mom is holding you captive without a phone again?"

I laugh at his description of the situation. "We're at a lake outside Thunder Bay, in Ontario. It's close to Minnesota. The lake is nice, but I wish I wasn't cut off from you."

"The name sounds familiar. Give me a sec." He picks his phone up and taps the screen a few times. He reads something, then puts it down again. "Nope, I was wrong. I thought we might have a show there if the tour still happens, but I don't see anything on my website. I feel like someone mentioned Thunder Bay recently, though."

He's much more calm and together than I expected after yesterday's reports, even when he mentions the tour. "If it still happens?" I repeat. "Are they thinking of postponing it because of the news yesterday?"

"I don't know about that. It's more to do with--" Sawyer stops. He twists a beaded mala bracelet on his wrist, which is something he does when he's nervous. "We probably shouldn't be talking about this."

I act like I missed the last thing he said. "It's more to do with...?" He doesn't answer, so I give him a stern look. "Sawyer Santiago, you know better than to keep anything from me. Spill it."

He stops twisting his bracelet. His face is a mixture of apprehension and pain. "Fine, you win. It's more to do with what Bowie has been up to, but your mom will put me on blast if she finds out I mentioned him. We might not get to Zoom again."

"She gave you rules for our conversation?" I may need to reconsider the two-way trust thing.

"She might hear us talking, you know."

"She isn't here right now," I assure him. "Answer me, though. Mom seriously banned you from talking about Bowie?"

"Bowie and the tour," he admits. "It wasn't a ban, exactly, but a strong suggestion that I don't bring either topic up. I figured it was because of your breakup or wanting you to have distance from everything."

"I'm well over the breakup. What did he do?"

Sawyer scowls. "Nothing that would surprise you, other than him running his car into a tree on Mulholland Drive the other night. That, and he's been showing up to rehearsals high or drunk or both, and so have some of his band members. There's also a video of him drinking and acting belligerent at a mansion party that got out online this morning."

"Back up for a second. He ran his car into a tree?" I don't ask if Bowie injured himself or anyone else, although the thought crosses my mind. I also don't know why I care.