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“It’s nice.”
“Thanks.”
“So,” Skylar dropped her backpack by the front door, “is it still okay if I crash here? I can get a hotel if not.”
“No, stay,” Elena blurted out. “You’re totally welcome to stay here. I have three rooms that aren’t being used. Gordon and Andy live nearby, and Erica and her family have rented an Airbnb.”
“What about Michael?”
“He’s staying with Andy.”
“So, the gang’s all back in town.” Skylar slowly walked through the house as Elena followed her. “Did you make dinner?”
Elena snorted a laugh. “Please. I hired a catering company. You know I don’t cook.”
“I see some things never change.”
She tried not to linger too long on Skylar’s comment. There was no point in overanalyzing it. They had to work together for the next few months, and the last thing either of them needed was to fall back into their old ways. As much as Elena wanted to be with Skylar again, she knew it would only lead to her heart being broken once more.
And she wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Thankfully, the doorbell rang again, and within fifteen minutes, the entire band was literally back together. Everyone was busy catching up on their lives since the last time they’d seen each other, and Elena was grateful for the presence of more people to keep her mind off Skylar. Erica, their backup singer, and pianist, had brought her husband and three kids with her, which definitely livened up the place. Until that moment, no kids had even been in Elena’s house as far as she knew.
It felt incredible to sit around her oval dining room table with all her old friends. Elena was keenly aware that Skylar had chosen to sit by her.
Erica clearly noticed it too. She had been shooting Elena daggers from across the table since they’d sat down. Out of all the band members, only Erica knew the truth about Elena and Skylar. The boys were, thankfully, too oblivious to notice what was happening between the two lead singers.
But Erica knew. Mostly because she found Elena and Skylar fucking in a dressing room one night before a show. There was no talking themselves out of that situation. Thankfully, Erica didn’t seem fazed by the news, so they all entered into an unspoken pact that they wouldn’t talk about it.
Until now, that pact had remained in play. But Elena doubted that it would last much longer. She could tell by the way Erica kept looking back and forth between Elena and Skylar as if she knew they had kissed a few weeks ago.
Was it that obvious? Elena didn’t think so. It wasn’t as if she had a post-kiss glow. For all Erica and anyone else knew, this was the first time Elena and Skylar had been in the same room in almost a decade. Elena had no intention of clarifying that. They didn’t know she had gone to Maine to convince Skylar to join the band.
“So,” Erica’s voice cut through the chatter that had lasted all through dinner, “what made you finally come back to the band, Skylar?”
Skylar sat up straighter in her chair. “Oh, well, honestly, I wasn’t planning on coming back. I thought Maine Event was just a part of my past. But then Elena showed up in the Cove and convinced me to come back.”
“I bet she did,” Erica smirked as Skylar and Elena looked at each other and then back at Erica.
Elena knew the Cove was small, but was it small enough that someone saw them kissing and told Erica? As far as Elena knew, Erica didn’t keep up with anyone in her hometown. But Elena had no idea what Erica had been up to the last nine years except getting married and having a family. She didn’t know anything beyond that.
“I didn’t do anything.” Elena picked up her wine glass and took a sip. “It was all Skylar’s call on if she came back or not.”
“Well, it’s good she came back,” Andy laughed. “I don’t think I could perform in another shitty bar without wanting to pull my hair out.”
“What hair you have left.” Michael playfully rubbed the balding spot on his head. Andy swatted his hand away as they laughed.
“So, Elena,” Erica turned her attention back to her, “have you dated anyone since Peter?”
What the fuck? Why would she bring up Peter?
Was it to show Elena that she had kept up with her life since the band broke up? Was it a way to slam that relationship back into Skylar’s and Elena’s faces? Elena didn’t know. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and forced a smile.
“No, I haven’t.”
“You should get back out there. You can do so much better than Peter.” Erica turned her attention to Skylar as she arched an eyebrow. “Right, Skylar?”
“Uh, yeah,” Skylar cleared her throat and smiled, “right.”
