“Oh, man,” Lenny muttered when he realized what he’d walked in on. “Sorry. But, Jameson—we’re up.”
Jameson sighed. “Be right there.”
Daisy stumbled for an escape. “Good luck out there. You’ll kill it.”
Before he could stop her, she hurried back toward the crowd, her heart still pounding. Restroom forgotten, she made her way back to the table where Anna and Ryan were still at it. They didn’t seem to notice that she had left in the first place. Daisy didn’t mind; she was still reeling from what had just occurred in the hall. Daisy’s throat tightened. She’d been so close. One more second and she would’ve finally known what it felt like to kiss him.
She was also embarrassed that Lenny had caught them. She wondered if he would tell Sean. She prayed to God Jameson would stop that from happening. After learning that Sean had prohibited Jameson from asking her to Homecoming, sherealized that, whatever they were, Sean had his reasons for keeping Jameson away from his sister.
He would not be happy to find out about their little hallway tryst and even more so about their sleepover.
Oh, please don’t be a big mouth, Lenny.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice over the loudspeaker. Frankie, the animated owner of Bullets, took the stage.
“Up next, we have quite the treat for you guys. All the way from Surrey, England, give it up for… The Kings Court!”
The guys stormed the stage to wild cheers.
Jameson took center stage, adjusting the mic to align with his mouth. “Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming out. Like Frankie mentioned, we are The Kings Court. We have a cool show for you tonight. Hope you enjoy it.”
More applause erupted as the guys began playing their first song. It was appropriately titled, “We the Kings.”
If Jameson was nervous at all, he masked it well. He owned it, every movement confident and sharp. He smiled at Daisy more than once, winked once too, and each time Anna squealed like a fangirl and squeezed her hand.
Not everyone noticed.
“OMG, he keeps looking at me,” a girl behind Daisy whispered.
“Totally. He wants you, Brittney. Let’s find him after the show.”
Anna whipped around. “Shut it, twinkle-twats. He’s looking at his girlfriend, who’s standing right here.” She jabbed a finger at Daisy.
Daisy didn’t bother correcting her this time.
“Her?” the girl sneered. “Have her boobs even come in yet?”
Anna bristled, but Daisy grabbed her hand. “Not tonight. Tonight’s about the guys, okay?”
Anna huffed but let it go.
By the end of the set, the crowd was screaming. Jameson lifted his shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead and the place nearly collapsed from the noise. Daisy couldn’t blame them. If she were a more presumptuous girl, perhaps she’d be right there with them, telling Jameson to quote, “Take it off!”
After the final song, a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” Daisy wanted nothing more than to find Jameson and finish what they had started in the hallway. But Ryan glanced at his watch. “We’ve got twenty minutes till curfew. We’re out.”
“Okay, but let’s see the guys first.”
“No can do. I’m not in the habit of pissing off dads who know the sheriff.”
Daisy wished her father were only kidding. But in truth, Philip Daniels had been closely acquainted with Sheriff Rodgers and his entire family for years.
Ryan’s fear was valid.
She lingered one last moment, hoping to catch Jameson’s eye, but he was swallowed by the crowd backstage.
Daisy groggily awoke the next morning to loud noises and the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen. Throwing her wild hair into a ponytail, she went downstairs to find out who was causing the ruckus.
She paused in the kitchen archway. Her parents looked up, and Sean and Jameson turned at her entrance.
