‘Evidence to the contrary,’ Mary said, nodding in the direction of the bar.
Luke turned to follow Mary’s gaze. At the bar, the G.R.I.T.S looked like a firing squad and Mary was clearly the one at the end of their scopes.
‘They certainly look like they’ll have more than a shot with you tonight.’ Mary smiled before giving Luke a kiss on the cheek. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you, Luke. Have fun.’ She swerved past him.
‘Mary,’ Luke called again.
She turned to look back at him.
‘Did you at least enjoy the gig? What did you think?’
Mary nodded. ‘I did, very much so. You were great on stage, Luke. You’re going to be a star. Just keep on doing what you’re doing. It’s just a matter of time.’ It was Mary’s turn to send a disarming wink Luke’s way.
‘Hold on,’ he paused her again, before she had a chance towalk away. ‘Umm…’ Luke scratched his forehead. He seemed like he was having a hard time finding the right words. ‘Would you… like to meet up again sometime? Maybe for a coffee, or… a walk in the afternoon? I know some pretty amazing places around town.’
Mary held Luke’s stare for a couple of moments longer than she would’ve normally, just enough time for butterflies to start gathering momentum inside her stomach, but her resolve was unflinching, and she was able to curb them way before they started flying.
Sure, Luke Jenkins was a hell of an attractive guy, talented too, but despite missing the pleasures of having sex, Mary wasn’t really looking for a quick hook-up, and she sure as hell wasn’t looking to get into a relationship with anyone that early in her new life. Her reply to Luke’s question was a meager slight tilting of the head, accompanied by a feeble smile that clearly said – ‘I’m sorry.’
Without saying another word, Mary turned, cleared the crowd, and walked out of The Whiskey Bent Saloon.
Outside, she paused and took in a deep breath. It was a warm evening, but the breeze blowing in from the Cumberland River felt cool and refreshing against her skin.
As she started walking in the direction of the bus stop, she paused for a second, reflecting on how silly she felt right then. She should’ve been a bit nicer. She should’ve given Luke a verbal response, some sort of decent excuse, instead of simply walking away in silence like a diva. She was just beginning to ponder the thought of going back inside when she saw him for the first time – directly across the road from where she was standing – leaning back against the wall by the door to the Broadway Brewhouse. And the sight of him made Mary’s core rattle for the second time that evening – only this time it wasn’t out of excitement, it was out of pure fear.
Fifteen
Tall, clean-shaven, with short dark hair and a strong frame, the man standing across the road from Mary looked to be around her real age, give or take a year or two. He was wearing a dark gray suit that seemed to have come straight out of a gangster movie. His posture was calm and relaxed, with one hand tucked into his trouser pocket, matter-of-factly, and the other holding a lit cigarette.
In all fairness, there wasn’t really anything about the man standing across the road that could scare anyone, except for the fact that to Mary he looked familiar… too familiar, in fact.
The man’s eyes moved up and for the briefest of instants their stares met. Right then, it seemed like the whole world had frozen in place. His unblinking dark eyes, like two black holes, seemed to be staring straight into Mary’s soul, as if he could see past her disguise… as if he knew who she really was.
Mary’s heart stuttered. She was certain that she had seen that face and those eyes before… but when? And where?
The man casually turned to face the other way, taking another drag of his cigarette, but Mary found herself unable to drag her eyes away from him, as if spellbound. The harder she stared at him, the faster the gears inside her brain turned – the faster they turned, the more that she was certain that the memory of him hadn’t been created in Nashville. She hadn’t seen him during one of her manywalks by the Cumberland River or sitting outside one of the many bars and saloons along the Broadway. She hadn’t seen him at any of the cafes in Hillsborough Village either. No, Mary was almost certain that she had seen him somewhere else, before she made it to Nashville.
‘Mary.’ A voice called from behind her.
She didn’t move.
‘Mary… wait.’ A hand fell over her left shoulder.
Spell broken.
She turned around to find herself face to face with Luke one more time. ‘Hi.’ The word came out as a whisper, riding on the waves of a deep breath.
‘Sorry,’ Luke said, his embarrassment palpable. ‘Did I scare you?’
‘What?’
‘You seem spooked. Did I scare you? I’m sorry.’
Mary turned her neck to look behind her. The man was still there. This time, he seemed to be looking into the Broadway Brewhouse through the front door and waving at someone.
‘Mary, are you OK?’
‘No,’ she finally replied. ‘You didn’t scare me. I was just… looking at the lights.’
