“Your team, you mean?”

“Yeah, it’s like having another family.”

Eden cringed. The word ‘family’ always made her cringe. It amazed her that people had associations with it that weren’t being crammed into rooms with assholes. She pulled her hand away from Willow’s, looking out at her dark, flickering city.

“So, how’d I do?”

She smiled faintly. Willow had proved her initial assessment correct. He was as spicy as a blueberry bagel. “You’re vanilla. Not even the kind of vanilla that has black dots in it. You’re one hundred percent white.”

Willow laughed. “So harsh. And based on three little questions.”

“What more do I need? You told me your favourite things to do are to call your dad and have house parties for your buddies.” She decided to aim below the belt. “And you keep trying to hold my hand.”

“Holding hands is nice!”

She shook her head, unable to keep herself from smiling. “It’s okay to be vanilla. Plenty of people love it.”

“But not you?”

She looked out the window again, wishing she had more margaritas.

Willow cleared his throat. “What do you want, Eden Jade?”

“I don’t know. To play shows. Have fun.” She thought of Cheryl and Kieran. “Actually, what I want is to get a European tour and establish myself as an artist. Once I’m a big name, I can pay my crew a full-time wage. Then everything’ll get easier.”

“Is that hard? To get a tour?”

“Yeah, but not impossible. I’m just having a slow come up. I’ve got good songs and my shows are tight. I just need more fans.”

“You need more clout.”

“I guess.”

He wore a look she’d never seen before, his eyes narrowed, jaw tight. She squinted at him. “I feel like you’re working up to something?”

“I might be.” He smiled a mysterious little smile. “Why’d you come here with me tonight?”

“Because you asked me to come here with you?”

He grinned. “And do you curl into the arms of every man who asks you to come somewhere with him? And smell their shirt at the same time?”

Eden sat back in the booth, irritated and mad at herself for being irritated. “So, you smell good. That doesn’t mean we should date. Besides, I’m…”  She looked at him, not wanting to say it.

Willow laid his hands on the table. “I’m not gonna break. Just tell me.”

She sighed. “I’m kind of into this other guy. Maybe. I don’t know.”

The sunshiny brightness on Willow’s face vanished. He looked as devastated as he had when she mentioned his mother. Eden closed her eyes. She felt like she’d poured hot water into an ant’s nest or some other thoughtless act of cruelty. “I’m sorry.”

Willow cleared his throat. “I asked. Who’s the bloke?”