Page 16 of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
He scrutinizes me for several moments, his lips pursed, before shaking his head.
“Nope, not buying. Spill the tea, girl. Tell Uncle Milo why your frown is bigger than Evan’s attitude.”
A smile pulls at my lips while Evan flips Milo off and Milo returns the gesture.
“Uncle Milo?” I ask.
He nods. “That’s me. Listener of all problems and doler-out of awesome advice.”
“Does anyone ever listen to your advice?” Evan snarks.
Milo shrugs, a smirk playing on his lips. “Not my problem if they don’t. I give great advice. Lilah will listen.”
“I don’t need any of your no-doubt-incredible advice, Milo,” I say.
“How about we talk about the concert then, princess?”
“Andrews, if you ever pull that stick out of your—”
God, what is it about that man that pushes my buttons?
“Okay, Chloe and I think we have a plan lined out,” Chris interrupts with a roll of his eyes.
We all stop and look at Chris, except for Milo, who gazes at Chloe like she hung the stars. I peek over at Evan around Finn’s back, turning my head just enough to see him out of the corner of my eye. He’s the picture of cavalier, and I toss the whole idea of claiming my coal out the window. The kiss last night was obviously a mistake.
It’s more than clear exactly how indifferent he is to me.
Shaking my head, I focus on Chris.
“We’re going to head up the day before the concert—”
“Flying?” Finn asks.
“Driving. Let’s try to arrive under the radar to avoid a mob,” Chris clarifies.
“The day of the concert, a local radio station is hosting Chris for an interview, but otherwise you’ll have plenty of time for sound check,” Chloe says.
“We’re the last band of the night,” Chris tells us. “So after we’re done, we can head back to the hotel.”
And as quickly as it began, the meeting ends, everyone filtering out of the conference room before Chloe calls me back at the last minute.
“Lilah?”
“Yeah?” I turn back to face the young woman, my hand falling from the door.
“What are your thoughts on endorsements? Chris has done a few in the past, but a couple of companies reached out to see if you’d be interested. They like the idea of a female rocker.”
“Really?” There are hundreds of other female rock stars or pop stars in LA. Hell, Michaela King’s latest single is sitting in the top three on the charts and has been for months.
She nods. “Nothing crazy. A keyboard company and a makeup rep have reached out, and I’m still going through other offers. Interested?”
I shrug. “Maybe? Can we talk about which ones? Maybe you’ll have some recommendations after going through them?”
Chloe’s face brightens. “I can totally do that. I’ll let you know after the concert next week.”
“Thanks, Chloe. Have you…”
I want to ask her if she’s aware of Milo’s crush on her, but really, it’s none of my business.
