That or I was more lonely than I thought.
Nope.We were not thinking about that.
“Scone?” His brows lifted with amusement.
“A less violent analogy,” I explained.
He looked at the ground again, so I couldn’t tell for sure, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile. “Good album name,” he said.
It was my turn to hide a smile.
“Okay.” He met my eyes. “I’ll try to make Saturday work.”
“And then?” I crossed my arms.
“Then we’ll see.” He was tugging at his hair again.
“Need I remind you of the marching band alarm clock?”
“Need I remind you of restraining orders?”
I bit my tongue to keep from grinning. “Fine. Just be there. And try to dress better.”
His dark brows lifted as he looked down at himself. “It’s Green Valley.”
“It’s our nicest steak house. If you insist on wearing Adidas slides and sweats, I’ll pretend I don’t know you. Not when I’m working my magic with the owner.”
“Now I really have to go. If for nothing else than to see you sic yourself on someone besides me. Does the rest of the town know about your hidden dark side?”
“Oh, shut up.” I turned and started to walk away before the kids started to wonder where I went. “See you Saturday,” I called over my shoulder.
A thrill of excitement trickled down my neck. I clamped the feeling down, even as I wondered if I had any nice clothes that weren’t all black business casual for performances. It might be nice to get a little dressed up. Just for myself.
CHAPTER 8
LEO
My feet made a boom-bap rhythm as I hopped/jogged down the back set of stairs to the kitchen. My mother’s shocked face greeted me. To her credit, she tried to cover the surprise as fast as it arrived.
“Don’t you look dapper,” Janice said, taking me in from head to toe.
“Has it been that long since I showered?” There was a slight shake of nerves in my voice.
“Do you really want me to answer that?” she asked with a wry grin.
“No.” I guess I had let my hygiene slip a little. Without hours of sweat-drenched practice, I hadn’t felt like I needed to shower as often. My curls had been tangled and greasy, and my beard grew a little long, giving me a somewhat feral look. It kept people from approaching me, at least, if I ever did have to venture from the house. For thenotdate with Mari—because it was clearly a work thing and nothing else—I’d tidied up my face and slicked back my hair as much as possible until the humidity would free the curls from their prison. I wore my nicest black jeans, and my shirt had a collar.
Mari had made a big impression on me in a short amount of time. I should have told her the truth about my history with The Burnouts at the homecoming game instead of agreeing to this meeting tonight. But there was something about the intimacy of our conversation and the look in her eyes that I hadn’t quite been able to get the words out right. Clara, my neighbor and Mari’s friend, had found me first under the bleachers. She wormed ideas into my brain about Mari, things like asking her out. The woman seemed to feel likeshe was taking on a big sister role with me. I didn’t need any more people in my life. Not that it mattered. Asking somebody out required leaving the house. And tonight was an exception to my rules.
Not that it was a date.
“Can I ask where you’re off to, or would that be uncool mom behavior? I don’t know the rules when you aren’t a teenager and it’s your home,” Janice spoke, breaking my internal spiral.
“First, I would be offended if you didn’t ask. And second, it’syourhouse. I just bought it.” She glanced at my shoes, my nicest black Vans, and raised an expectant eyebrow.
“I’m going to the Front Porch. Mari wants me to see Cath’s jazz drumming.”
“You decided to tutor her? Oh, I’m so proud of you.”
