More Than Anything Read Online Free PDF Page B

the car, and he points the wheels toward the highway to Lakeport and the curvy pass that almost got the better of Melody last time. When we’re about to begin climbing the grade, I ask my dad to pull over, and we switch seats, Melody taking the front.
    “I’ll be fine,” she says, but she looks grateful when I offer.
    “No problem. There’s nothing in this world that can make getting the hell out of this town anything but pleasant for me. Do your worst, Dad.”
    The drive back to the city takes longer than it did going north. We jump out of the car at Melody’s, my dad with only minutes to spare if he’s going to get the car back in time. I press a hundred-dollar bill into his hand. He tries to refuse, but I’m not having any of it.
    “Dad. Seriously. You don’t have time to argue. I want to pay for it. Just take the money.”
    “I…thank you, Sage. You don’t have to keep paying for everything,” he says. I covered the motel, too, which barely dented my bankroll. The truth is I’ve hoarded so much from the appearances that I’m flush, and I don’t want my father having to eat dog food for a month so he can play the gracious host. I have no idea how long the good times will last, and I intend to do what I can while I’ve got a few bucks to spare.
    “I know. Don’t worry, Dad. Everyone says I’m going to be rich and famous. Don’t sweat a couple days of car rental.”
    My cell goes off. New York number. I wave goodbye and promise I’ll call as soon as I get settled in L.A., and then answer it.
    It’s Jeremy.
    “All right. I have the number of the boarding house he’s staying at, off the island. Someplace in Queens. Yuck. Anyway, you got a pen?”
    “Shoot.”
    He gives me the number, and I thank him. “You’re the bomb, Jeremy. I’ll get you flowers or a box of chocolates, I swear.”
    “I want a duet with the Maroon Five guy. Nothing less will do. You’ve been warned.”
    “I’ll see if Saul can make it happen.”
    A woman answers the phone when I call the number Jeremy gave me. Derek’s not there, but I manage to convince her to let me leave a message. She repeats my number back to me, getting one of the digits wrong, and I have to give her the whole series again before she gets it right. She grudgingly promises to give Delek, as she pronounces it, the message when she sees him, and I get a sinking feeling. If her aim was to inspire confidence, she failed big time.
    Melody and I mount her apartment stairs, and when we get inside, there’s a note from her mom – she’s going to have a few friends over tonight for beer and snacks, and would it be possible if I’d sing a few songs for them? I groan, and Melody rolls her eyes.
    “I don’t even have a guitar,” I say. “I left it in New York. I was only supposed to be here for a couple of days…”
    “Score. They can’t insist you sing if you don’t have an instrument.” She pauses, thinking. “Unless Samantha comes. She only lives a couple blocks away, and I think she has one. You may be screwed.”
    “I can say I have laryngitis.”
    “Or the plague.”
    “You really think she’ll insist?”
    Melody gives me a smile. “I know you don’t drink, but I’d strongly suggest you start. That’s all I’m going to say.”
    My phone trills. It’s Saul’s assistant with my flight information for the following day. “We’ll have a driver pick you up. He’ll be waiting in arrivals holding a sign with your name on it. And Saul wanted me to ensure you have time the next day to do some shopping – the awards ceremony starts at six. We’ll have a car get you at five, so you can do some photos on the red carpet. Oh, and you’ll meet Sebastian at one o’clock, so plan on doing the shopping in the morning.”
    My words catch in my throat. “Oh, my…what should I get? How formal is this?”
    “Don’t worry. You can wear whatever you’re comfortable with. It’s not the Academy Awards or anything. But it might not hurt if you