Blurring the Lines by Mia Josephs Read Free Book Online Page A

in, not when what he’d wanted from the beginning was finally in front of him.
    “I’m not saying forever. I don’t think you’d be the kind of guy either you or I would like if you weren’t moving forward with music, but maybe a longer break would be okay. There’s this kid in Oregon. I’ve listened to his stuff, and I think he’s worth considering. He wouldn’t take your place, but maybe to add him to the group so your set is shorter?”
    “It’s good. I’ll get it together.” If he could just get far enough away to take a deep breath, he’d be okay. “A weekend. Week tops.” In a lot of ways, Chris changing his sound and then touring with Lita was a safety net for both of them. He was determined not to let her down.
    Max nodded, his demeanor changing slightly. “Let’s get you to Maui. Four Seasons or something. Sound good? You have two weeks, Chris. We need to have that album done in two weeks, and we’re going to have to pay Don a shitload of money because we’ve just made his job ten times harder.”
    Four Seasons on Maui sounded like a different version of what he lived every day, but at that point, any kind of different was better. “Perfect. Thanks.”
    “I’ll call Miranda and have her set it up.” Max moved back toward the house. “See ya.”
    Chris gave him a wave, and lay back on his chair on the porch. Something had to change.

 
     
    FIVE
     
    Corinne walked through the kitchen into the short hallway, stepped into Jonah’s room, and snuggled in bed next to him as he stammered through Go, Dog, Go. His twin bed just fit between the wooden walls.
    “Auntie Corinne?” he asked as he leaned into her.
    “Yeah?” She kissed his forehead, clinging to him hard.
    “Can I read good enough to be in Kindergarten?”
    She chuckled and gave him another squeeze. “Of course you do. I bet most kids don’t read at all.”
    “Okay.” He bit his lip looking so much like his dad that her heart squeezed.
    The worst part about Jonah’s dad walking away from the situation was that Corinne knew there was a part of him who would have been an amazing father—if he’d been able to set himself aside. Instead she’d cut off ties the second she left LA. She couldn’t take any more disappointment from one person. The only good thing that came out of her leaving was that no one but Jonah’s dad knew she was pregnant—one part of that mess had been spared from the tabloids.
    “What if they say weird things about me?” Jonah asked.
    Corinne pinched his cheek. “Who would say weird things about you?”
    Jonah shrugged.
    “Hey.” She poked his chest. “What matters is what you think of you. No one else. Got it?”
    He pressed his tiny lips together to hold in his smile.
    “And you have a lot of amazing things going for you.” Just being next to Jonah filled her heart in a way she couldn’t have even imagined before he came along.
    “Okay,” Jonah said, his small chin jutted out in determination. The same suppressed smile she loved so much.
    “Sleep good, and we’ll get to go to the school together in the morning, okay?”
    He nodded.
    “You okay?”
    “I’m excited to be one of the big kids.”
    “And you are.” And it had happened so fast. Her sister should have been there for his first day of school. She should have been around for a lot of things.
    Corinne slipped out of his room and wandered into the living room when she heard a knock. The darkness was thick outside and she flipped on the porch light, in hopes that whoever stood there could be seen from the small side window. No luck. Heather didn’t knock, she just came in. Nerves were followed quickly by fear.
    She clutched her phone in her hand, knowing that the police would never get to her remote cabin soon enough for a call to do any good.
    “Okay,” she whispered. “I’m being stupid. It’s fine. Someone’s just stopping by. I’m sure that happens.” Just not to people with mile-long driveways...
    She pulled open the