“Yeah?” I say softly, looking up.
“Just enjoy the time with him,” she says from behind the hand that’s splayed across her face.
I can’t do anything but coyly smile as my cheeks heat. Soon the sweetness in the room grows to be too much for me, so I throw a pillow at her and reach for the remote. “Just hush and watch the rest of your movie.” With the TV back on and the stream reloaded, I retrace my steps back toward my bag in the kitchen.
Maneuvering to the island that separates the cooking area from the living room, I pull out my laptop and phone with the intent of getting work done.
“You better be texting him right now—”
“And if I’m not?” I crow, turning a boring notes app in her direction.
“If you don’t start right now, I'm going to text him and tell him that you’re thinking about him.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll text him that you’re out of toilet paper and are having an emergency and you need him.”
“Rude!” she yells before finally turning back to watch the rest of the film.
Chapter 32
Dalton
THE BAR IS FULL tonight, which shouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. It’s one of the smaller ones a few blocks away from the masquerade of Music Row. It’s a regular country song in here with a cast and crew of regulars, heartbroken cowboys, and whiskey drinking girls sitting along the bar. A guitar picker that actually knows a country song or two sits on a stool in the corner.
I’d consider myself a regular here, my little slice of Nashville that I haven’t shared with anyone, not even my own brother. I love that the air still smells like smoke—despite the fact that smoking inside this place was banned 20 years ago— and the framed dent in the wall near the back that they swear was made by a vivacious Emmy Tenny back in ‘80 but has never been confirmed.
It’s a neon fever dream that’s way past its time in the sun, but a place I love dearly. A place I’m excited to share with Raleigh tonight. All my giddy joy turns to dread when my thoughts turnto Raleigh and some of the information I have to share with her. I’d hoped tonight could be about us, but I know she has things to share with me about Mae and I have to break some news about Trenton— if she doesn’t already know about it.
I throw back my bottle for a little courage. When I lower it back to the table and open my eyes, I find Raleigh standing at the end of the booth with one hand on her hip. “Do you not greet your dates at the front door?” she asks with a playful smile, before throwing her purse into the bench across from me.
“I always meet my dates at the door, but I usually let my coworkers figure it out for themselves.”
She stops scooting and glances up at me with a scowl. It’s all a front; her demeanor quickly eases back into her easygoing self.
“This is a cute place. I’ve missed visiting little holes in the wall like this,” she says. “Oh, you got me a beer already?” She reaches across the table and pulls the freshly opened bottle toward her. I’d bought it for myself, but if it stops her from going to the bar by herself then I can let it go.
“How has the break treated you?” I ask like an idiot. I know how the break has gone, and I texted her the same question two days ago to which she responded that we should catch up in person.
She nods before wiping her mouth the back of her hand. “It’s gone well. Mae’s still recovering from everything that happened but I think things are looking up.” I wish she’d go into depth about herself, but she prattles on about Mae and I hardly feel like stopping her. “You know how I mentioned a show?” She smiles and takes another drink. “I’ve got one booked at this lovely amphitheater in Arkansas.” She pauses as her eyes find mine. “It’s actually in my hometown.”
Raleigh rarely talks about home and, from what I know about her history there, this can’t be the easiest thing for her. “Howdoes that make you feel?” I ask, swiftly throwing back a drink, because I can’t think of anything else to do.
She softens, as if she was hoping I’d ask her about it. “I was not excited about it at first. There’s a lot I need to take care of, but I do want to see my parents and a little coffee shop that I miss dearly.”
“I’m glad. It’s great for Mae, but I want it to be good for you too.” I shrug. “You seem…brighter.”
Raleigh pauses and cocks her head to the side like she can’t believe I just said what I did. There’s a moment between us where we’re just studying each other. Raleigh’s emerald eyes gaze at me from beneath her lashes and there’s nothing I can do but try to breathe.
A crash from behind the bar breaks the lusty haze between us and then both of us go back to our drinks.
Neither of us acknowledge the breathy moment between us but the flirty glances continue as we call for another round. The conversation turns from words about our time apart to plans of the future. Raleigh dives deep into her notes about Mae’s upcoming show and how successful she plans for it to be. She brings up her childhood, with no more complaining than a sigh. Though she doesn’t bring up the business she has to attend to during her early arrival, it’s enough to hear her sharing a part of herself that I hadn’t known before. It’s that chameleon that I’ve seen in her since we first met.
A shapeshifter sits before me, and yet, it doesn’t scare me one bit. I’ve seen her genuine smiles and the way she rolls her eyes when a man speaks down to her. She is a woman who knows her worth. A woman who, despite the way she has been treated by the machine in the past, has championed it, both for herself and her best friend. I admire her for that.
”You’re staring at me again,” she says, tilting her head to the side. “You’re lucky that handsome men staring at me doesn’tmake me uncomfortable or I may have bolted by now.” Her attitude breaks the heavenly halo that was steadily growing around her. It’s been replaced by the hard neon pouring in from the front windows, and I realize that that’s the type of light her hard edges and gritty smirks are meant to be bathed in.
“I am the lucky one,” I confirm through a winded breath. Her head tilts down to hide a smile, freeing the tendrils of hair that have always framed her face perfectly. Without thinking much about it, I lift off my seat and stretch forward. My hand hovers just beside her cheek with every intention to push the strands away. Her green eyes rise to mine before her grin grows and she too leans across the table.
This woman is a temptress, poison ivy that I just can’t shake. She’s daring me to kiss her here and now. The scorecard is 100 to one in her favor, and I’ve just about had it. Wanting nothing more to even the score in dares, I nearly leap to my feet, though the booth table stops me from leaping. Gathering her face in my hands, I cradle her jaw and bring her lips to mine.
