My stomach knotted as my eyes intently searched the crowd, desperate to catch one more look at him.
Chapter Four
“There you are!” Maggie shouted as she reached for my arm and aggressively tugged me back into the barn. “You’re about to miss the big surprise!”
“Surprise?”
“Yeah! Booker told me he had a surprise that everyone was going to”—she held up air quotations—“lose their shit over.”
“I can only imagine what he has planned because if the party is anything to go by, it has to be something over the top.”
“Everything that man does is over the top.” Maggie giggled.
I couldn’t help but mimic her laugh. “At least let me grab another drink before the big reveal. Do you want one?”
“Yeah, grab me one, please. I’ll go get us a spot.”
The bar was empty and the bartender remembered my drink order, so I was back in no time.
“Vodka tonic,” I said, handing over the drink.
“Thank you. Cheers!”
“Cheers,” I said, taking a swig of my drink. My eyes wandered to the stage just as Booker made his way to the microphone. I didmy best to focus on him, but my mind was doing a better job at wandering to the encounter I’d just had outside.
“All right, everyone, I told you I had a surprise for you and I’m here to deliver. Are you ready?”
Everyone cheered, and I even gave out a little “Woo!”
“I’m excited to have Stetson Walker—”
The crowd erupted. Whoops and hollers filled the space around us, echoing throughout the barn.
“Are you serious?” I yelled over to Maggie, who was grinning ear to ear.
Stetson Walker was all country music could talk about. He was the industry’s bad boy, or at least he appeared to be, based on all the articles I’d ever seen. Yet despite his lack of character, he’d continued to produce music that everyone loved.
“How in the hell did Booker land Stetson Walker to come play his private party in tiny Quincey Falls?” I asked.
“How in the hell does Booker do half the shit he does?” Maggie responded, shrugging. “He literally knows everyone and their grandma and has connections in places that we only wish we had.”
“That’s fair.” I laughed. “Well, I guess it’s safe to say I’m glad you forced me out of the house tonight.” I bopped my right hip into her left one and sipped from my straw, a dash of excitement pinballing inside of me.
“Like I said,” Booker started, chuckling as he tried to settle the crowd, “I’m here to deliver, so here’s Stetson Walker, playing a couple of his songs for us. Let’s give him a warm, Quincey Falls welcome!”
The whoops continued, only louder this time.
From behind the stage, Stetson Walker appeared.
Our eyes locked almost immediately, and I was shook by the icy blue color of his.
I immediately looked away, my heart rattling around my chest.
“Holy. Shit.” I gasped, nervously searching for the straw swirling around in my drink.
“I know. Damn,” Maggie replied. “He’s even better looking in real life.”
The trucker hat, the gold chain dangling from around his neck…
