He cleared his throat. “Ah. I’m back in Willow Sound the day after we play Winnipeg. June 9.”
“I’d meet you at the airport, but I still won’t be able to drive,” Carter joked.
“You’re a mess,” Jeff agreed—and the irony ofthatwasn’t lost on him either. “I parked at the airport anyway.”
“Right.” Finally Carter released him, took a step back, and mounted the scooter. “Call me?”
“Uh, obviously.” Jeff had proven pretty conclusively that he couldn’t live without him. “Time zones permitting.” It’d be pretty late in Ontario by the time Jeff wrapped a show in Calgary.
A garbled announcement came over the speaker, and Carter made a face. “I really do have to go. Text me when you land?”
What a sap. “Of course. You too.”
Statement released to Twitter and Instagram
May 29
HI EVERYONE,
Since by now our pictures from last night’s dinner are probably making the rounds on social media, I might as well come clean. Yes, I’m seeing someone new. Yes, my best friend from high school. (I know, but clichés exist for a reason.) Yes, that’s him with me in that picture from 416 Morning. Yes, that was us together at the restaurant, which was a very nice first date aside from the invasion of privacy.
Anyway, feel free to speculate about which songs I wrote about him. It’s not like he doesn’t already know.
Lots of love,
Jeff & Carter
Attached is a photograph taken in selfie mode—Jeff and Carter pressed cheek-to-cheek, grinning, with a filter of bubble hearts.
CR: LANDEDin Willow Sound. Getting a ride home from Mom. Feel like I’m 15
JP: Before or after you dated whatshername?
CR: During, obviously
JP: WHEELSdown in Calgary. Gonna buy a cowboy hat for reasons
CR: Just the hat?
JP: Didn’t think you’d approve of the leathers
CR: You’ve seen me eat steak
JP: So should I get the boots too or just the chaps?
CALGARY WASa shit show.
Joe’s voice was absolutely shredded. Unless he was on the phone with Sarah, he barely spoke outside of sound check and shows, to preserve what remained. Their flight was delayed two hours due to a mechanical problem, and everyone was cranky. Trix got food poisoning from something in the airport.
That left Jeff and Max together, and they hadn’t hung out just the two of them since Max stole a grand out of Jeff’s wallet.
They ended up in the hotel bar watching NHL playoffs over plates of good steak with sad, limp salad. Jeff did his best not to flinch when Max ordered his third beer. Three beers wasn’t even out of the ordinary forJeff, so he didn’t feel like he should judge.
“So, what do you think?” Max said.
Jeff did his best to divert his attention from the tie game between Winnipeg and Colorado and focus back on the conversation, which was about… shit. Best touring locations? “Uh,” he started, hoping to buy some time.
Fortunately Max apparently hadn’t been finished. “I just think it would be really cool to start the next tour in the UK, in a bus, you know? Things are pretty close together there, it’d just be neat. Like a working vacation.”
