Free The Miles Between Us by Laurie Breton Page B

circumstances?”
    “We all have extenuating circumstances. ” He tossed down the pen. “You pull yourself up by the bootstraps and keep on keeping on.”
    “ While I fully agree with what you’re saying, please understand that I’m nothing more than an employee. I don’t run the train. I simply try to keep it on the track and make sure all the passengers are properly cared for.”
    “I hear you, buddy . But if somebody doesn’t do something with your passenger pretty soon, your train’s going to derail. And then guess who they’ll blame?”
    “Thank you . You’ve considerably brightened my day.”
    “ Glad I could help.” He disconnected the call and swiveled his chair in Kyle’s direction. “The enfant terrible is too hung over to work today. Looks like we get the rest of the day off.”
    “ Enfant terrible? ”
    “ Hey, it fits. Note that I used the proper French pronunciation. I learned it from my wife.”
    “ Go ahead. I’ll probably hang around here for a while. Play around with some different mixes. That’s why you’re paying me the big bucks.”
    “ Hah! Right.”
    Out on the street, he called Casey’s cell . “Hey there, my hot little mamacita ,” he said when she answered.
    “Hey, yourself . You sound uncharacteristically cheerful. What’s up?”
    “Your husband unexpectedly got the rest of the day off, and he thought maybe you’d be interested in a hot date. Go somewhere, do something. Play tourist. Eat exotic foods. Have a drink or two. No kids included. Just you and me, my gorgeous, sexy woman.”
    “I’d love to, babe, but y our timing is terrible. The girls and I are on the train, halfway to Coney Island. I promised them the beach, and they’re getting the beach.” She paused. Said, “You could always hop a train and join us.”
    The dead-last place he wanted to be on this sunny summer day was on a train headed for Coney Island. A little disappointed, he said, “I think I’ll take a rain check. I have plenty here to keep me busy. Give Emmy a kiss for me. I’ll see you later.”
    Even without Casey’s companionship, it was a rush, playing hooky from work. Dealing with Phoenix Hightower and his antics had turned into one big headache. Funny, back when he was producing for Danny, it had never felt like work. Nor had it with the handful of artists he’d signed to his own fledgling record label in the last fifteen months. It had felt more like play, the kind of play that left him elated and made his soul sing. But Danny Fiore, and the artists Rob had signed to his Two Dreamers label, were people he believed in, artists who were deeply invested in their own careers. Artists who listened to what he had to say and who respected his opinions and his input. Even when they didn’t agree, they were still willing to try his ideas on for size.
    Phoenix wasn’t there yet . He might not ever get there. Right now, the kid was too caught up in the fame and fortune, the parties and the drugs and the easy women, to care one whit about the quality of the material he produced. He was just taking the ride, without a thought for the future. But the future would come, as surely as tomorrow’s sun would rise, and when his ride slammed into that brick wall, Phoenix Hightower would crash and burn like so many others Rob had seen over the years.
    He ducked into a small bakery, bought himself a glazed doughnut, and ate it while he walked. Rob loved the quiet of home, loved raising his kids with the kind of safety, comfort, and community that a rural Maine town like Jackson Falls could provide. But at heart, he was still a city boy, and New York was the ultimate city, one loaded with novelty and excitement, a place he didn’t think he could ever tire of.
    He ’d passed this music store a hundred times, had admired all the guitars displayed in the window just as often, had itched to take one in his hands and make it sing. But he’d always been in a hurry, always on a deadline, always headed