I smirked. “Uh, I don’t think a guy like that will ever be done with women, but in terms of marriage and commitment, yeah, he’s done.”
“He told you that?”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re not interested in casual?”
This was an odd conversation, given Max’s prior interest in me, but maybe it meant he’d finally accepted being relegated to the friend zone. I hoped so, because I really did like him, as a friend.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Right now, I just want to have some stability in my life, ya know? A place of my own, good job, maybe a few gigs to round things out.”
He sat down on the chair across from me. “You ever see yourself up on the big stage, like Dade?”
I thought about it half a second before I shook my head. “No, not really. I love music. But crowds this size, that’s probably my limit. I don’t need to be rich or famous to be happy.” My sister had a pretty sweet gig with Knox, but even that didn’t appeal to me. I was a free-spirit and I loved to travel, but I enjoyed putting down roots and being close to home most of the time too.
“I know what you mean.” He leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head. “Still, it would be nice not to have to worry about paying the bills.”
I wasn’t even sure Max had to worry about that, since he was living in a rental house owned by his parents. Not that I was one to talk, since I’d been staying with my parents until Dade rescued me from the madness.
“Yeah, I guess.” I gestured to the closed doors. “Guys setting up?”
“Yeah, we’ll be going on in about fifteen.”
I nodded, subtly drawing a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“If things were different, and Dade didn’t have all that shitty history with women, you think you’d go for it?”
“It, meaning him?” I shrugged when he nodded. “I don’t know. Maybe.” Given our chemistry, I suspected it would be hard to pry us apart, if not for Dade’s past.
A tap on the door interrupted us and Max jumped up to answer it. “Oh wow,” he said, taking a step back to let our visitor in. “Skylar.”
I looked up, relaxing when I saw her genuine smile. She was a beautiful blonde with icy gray eyes that drew you in, but I knew her looks were only a small part of the reason for her success. She was crazy talented with a unique sound that new country fans seemed to like.
“Hi.” I returned her smile before standing to offer my hand. “Charli—”
“I know, your sister and brother-in-law are friends of mine. Knox has opened a few festivals I’ve played. They’re great.”
“Uh, I think I’ll head out there, Max said. “See if the guys need any help.”
“Good luck tonight,” Sky called after him. “I’m sure you guys will be great.”
“Thanks,” Max raised his hand before walking out and closing the door behind him.
“So, you and Dade?” Sky laughed when I groaned and palmed my forehead.
“Don’t believe everything you hear.” Although I couldn’t deny there was some truth to the rumours. We had slept together… twice. “It was one kiss at my sister’s wedding and everyone’s making it out to be way more than it is.”
She claimed the seat Max vacated before she said, “I know people like to give Dade a hard time about his relationship status, but I got to know him pretty well while we were on the road and…” She crossed her arms, leaning forward. “He’s not a player, Charli. He doesn’t bed hop.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know why she was telling me this, but it was making me uncomfortable. “Good to know, I guess.”
“I talked to Dade earlier,” she said. “And I got the feeling there was something between you two, beyond that kiss?”
“It’s complicated.” I didn’t know how much Dade had told her and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to out us.
“I’m sure it is.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile. “But I’ve been doing this awhile now and I’ve gotten to know quite a few musicians. Dade is one of the good guys. He treats women with respect and as single girls,” she said, smirking, “I think we can agree, not all men do.”
“That’s for sure.” I had no doubt Dade treated women with respect, in spite of the rumours that he used beautiful women for sex and to fill some void before moving on to the next one. “The way I see it, we, as women have to accept responsibility, right? We get involved with someone like Dade and we’re going into it with eyes wide-open. He’s not a regular guy and it’s not fair to expect him to be.”
