Everywhere: Book 3 of the Nowhere Trilogy

49. Losing Me

You could be so happy, then it suddenly turns - JP Cooper, Gabrielle Aplin

8:20 PM, Wednesday, March 30, 2022

"Where is she?" Harry bunches his manager's shirt in both hands. While his volume isn't loud, his stare is intense, causing Jeffrey to flinch. Dammit. He likes Squib, but this thing has gotten out of hand, and it's negatively impacting Harry. And tour.

"I don't know, H. She should be here by now." Reminding himself to remain calm, Jeffrey searches his memory for some tidbit of information that might have come across his plate about Chele.

"Find. Her." The two words are bitten off as though Harry used a cookie cutter to snap them out.

Shit. Chele is a big girl; she can take care of herself. But right now, Jeffrey knows he needs to do something before Harry has a complete meltdown.

"Oh, hey! Sarah!" Jeffrey calls to the drummer as he wanders the tunnel, seeking any sign of the blogger. "Have you seen Chele?"

"Not since this morning's flight."

"Yeah," chimes in Mitch. "She connected with those two guys at the airport, and I haven't seen her after that."

Crap. "Adam! You're always watching out for our Chele. Any idea where she might be?"

The bassist shrugs and looks away, which forces Jeffrey's footsteps to slow and halt just after the man. "Adam? What do you know?"

Once more, the bass player doesn't make eye contact. "Maybe you should check with her boss?"

Had she been reassigned? Was a new blogger on the way? Harry would never forgive himself if Chele changed tours, and Jeffrey would be near the top of that shit list for not blocking that move. Quickly he withdraws his phone, scrolling to find Mandy's phone number.

"Mandy? Oh. I'm sorry it's so late. I didn't know you were back in London. Yeah. Everything's fine. I'm was chatting with someone about Chele's blog. How's it doing?" No need to freak out the public relations woman if Chele has gone on a short walkabout. Not that Jeffrey would blame her if Squib had. After all, Harry has been a bit much to handle lately.

"I can't understand it, Jeffrey." Mandy's voice is tight, frustrated. "The other blogs are not even close to demonstrating the same success. Her numbers are higher than the other two combined and multiplied by ten. It's a bit insane, actually. But my supervisors are calling the experiment a success, mostly because of Chele. It's why I gave her some vacation time when she asked."

Uh oh. Vacation? What's he going to tell H? Shit. The churning that begins in his stomach will require an antacid soon.

"That's good news about the project, Mandy," he insists, keeping his dismay to himself. "Anything I can do to support you?"

"Not really. Just make sure Chele keeps writing. She's a cash cow; I can't afford to lose her."

"Um, yeah. Sure." Which means someone better fix the problem between Chele and Harry. Fast.

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11:20 PM, Wednesday, March 30, 2022

The final encore finished, Harry stumbles down the stage stairs, seeking Chele. Why won't she respond to his messages? Entering his dressing room, he stops in his tracks when he spots Jeffrey with two glasses of ice and a bottle of tequila.

"We need to talk," his manager begins.

"Fuck," Harry replies, his knees giving way as he reaches for the door behind him to maintain his balance. "Is she gone for good?"