A Lush Rhapsody: A Rhapsody Novel Read Online Free Page A

on the 666 tour. My sister’s a good Irish daughter who married a good Irish boy and opened a good Irish pub, The Dublin Devil. I’m the bad daughter who has piercings, tattoos of birds on my ass, and plays ‘that damn piano’ for a living.
    “Only that their hotness, as you put it, is irrelevant. But being stuck on a tour bus with them for six weeks isn’t. And if Joss’s wife, Mel, were coming that would help, but she’s five months along and he doesn’t want her traveling that much. Tammy will be there some of the time…”
    “Ooh, she’s the really bitchy one, right?” My sister has loved hearing all the gossip about Portland’s favorite sons since I joined the band. She spends her days with her four-year-old and her nights helping out at the bar, so my life seems glamorous in comparison. I’ve tried to explain that it’s not, but she refuses to believe me. I think she needs to see it that way. It’s her fantasy that helps her escape sticky fingers and stickier tabletops.
    “Yes, and she really does hate me, so I won’t be getting any support from that quarter.”
    Savannah pops her head up from the fridge under the bar. “Do you think she and Walsh are happy?” she asks.
    I shrug. She thinks about all of these things, I really don’t. They’re real people to me now, so my thoughts are more along the lines of who brings the best snacks to practice. That would be Colin by the way. Mike is the most patient about how long we spend in rehearsals, but I think that’s mostly because his wife, Jenny, is out on tour with her country band. There’s no one waiting at home for him right now. Joss always makes sure everyone is comfortable—are we warm enough, cool enough, rested enough—like he’s the host of a party or something, and Walsh is the one who jokes and puts everyone in a good mood.
    “I don’t know. They seem really happy together. And with the rest of the guys she’s comfortable. They’re sort of like brothers and sister, they snipe at one another, but it’s not too serious.”
    Savannah raises an eyebrow at me. We’re both thinking the same thing—that’s not how it is with our brothers. Our battles go far beyond sniping, and it’s always serious. Especially with James. He’s the biggest jerk of the bunch, the heaviest drinker in a family of heavy drinkers, and he’s not a nice drunk I might add. Luckily I have Savannah, my best friend and my only sister. I count my blessings and try not to think about the three Neanderthals that come as part of the package.
    The door to the bar swings open and in walks a guy in a dark suit with a cap on his head like a bus driver.
    “Miss O’Roark?” he asks, looking from Savannah to me and back again.
    “You’re looking for her.” Savvy jabs a thumb my direction.
    I step out from behind the bar. “I’m Tully. You must be here to drive me to the airport.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he says with a small smile.
    “Okay, let me grab my bags—”
    “Just tell me where they are, ma’am, and I’ll get those for you.”
    I stare at him for a moment, because my automatic reaction is to be prickly. I’ve spent so much time fighting for some scrap of respect from my brothers that I tend to react poorly to all kinds of situations, including people trying to help me, which often feels like people trying to control me. I want to tell this guy that I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own bags. But then I see the look on my sister’s face, and as if she’s talking to me telepathically, I remember that he’s simply doing his job. He was hired, by Lush, to do this for me, get me to the airport on time. No reason to take the guy’s head off for that.
    So, I point him in the right direction and send him off.
    “Good job,” Savvy says after he walks back out to the parking lot.
    I sigh. “It’s hard for me. And now you won’t be there to remind me to relax for the next six weeks.”
    She pulls me in for a hug. She’s five years older than me,