Page 55 of Shattered Hearts

My head tilts, and I want to ask what it is, since she seems a little down, but I decide not to. If she wants to talk about it, she will. I’m not going to force it out of her.

“Did he pay for everything?”

She nods.

I grab a bottle of water and some glasses to take to the table, but Paisley stops me. “Hey, Grayson, could you wait for a second.”

“What is it?”

She bites down on her lip. “Thank you for everything you’re doing with Knox. You have no idea how much he needs this right now.”

“It’s no problem, but is there something going on, Paisley? I can help you if you—”

“No, it’s nothing. Just that Knox needed a… He just really likes hanging out with you, and I appreciate it.”

The crease between my brows deepens, and I give a small nod. “Anytime.”

Giving me a small grin, Paisley tells me she’ll bring everything else over in a few minutes, so I return to the booth.

“We have the local group, Dust N’ Dirt, who will be playing a few songs for you tonight,” Chris announces into the microphone. He looks at the younger boys dressed in denim cut off and bandanas.

They start off with a catchy rock song that I nod my head to as the others continue their conversation. The next song is just as upbeat, but the third is slower and more acoustic.

Grinning, I look at Laynie, who is watching me. I nod my head towards the middle of the bar where people are dancing. She knows exactly what I’m asking, and she’s up a moment later. I hold out my hand, and when she grabs a hold of it, my fingers tingle at the connection as I lead her into an open space. Holding her waist, she clings to my shoulders as we move to the beat.

Her eyes reflect the lights, and the shininess of her skin glows under the soft warm bulbs. She looks ethereal. Hair falling down her cheeks and temple. I lift my hand to tuck some behind her ear. She tracks the moment, chewing on her lip a little. My gaze drops to watch. As soon as she stops, I blink up. She is watching me, her face slightly tilted and eyes narrowed a fraction like she’s trying to dissect me.

I clear my throat. “Have you planned everything for this weekend?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to bake more on Friday to make up for it, but that’s all right. I’ll get it done.”

My chin dips slowly, the music surrounding us as we sway gently together in time. “Do you want some help?”

She eyes me for a moment before the tops of her cheeks darken to a soft pink shade. Laynie pink. Utterly gorgeous, like the dusk sky. “You want to help me bake?”

“I promise I won’t drop the sack of flour this time.”

“Or the carton of eggs?”

I bark a short laugh, gaining the attention of some of the people around us, but I ignore them. All I’m focused on right now is the girl in my arms. “I won’t touch the eggs.”

The grin that shows on her face is infectious, and I smile. “You can help me. I would love that.”

My stomach flutters when the song comes to a stop.

Chris is back at the mic. “That was awesome. Thank you guys so much. Our next act is one of our local boys. You all know him, but I bet you didn’t know about his singing ability. If you could all give Holden Lawson a hand, please.”

My mouth parts as Holden walks through the cheering crowd. Peering down at Laynie, I can see that she’s just as surprised as he takes centre stage and picks up the guitar.

“Thank you,” is all Holden says.

I sniff a laugh when he starts playing a song. I’ve heard him play the guitar before, it’s hard to miss in the house, but singing?

As soon as he opens his mouth, my jaw slackens.

Laynie’s hand grabs my arm, and I lean down for her to whisper in my ear, “Did you know?”

“No idea.” I mutter back, standing in awe as my younger brother floors the crowd with his singing.