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“Are you sure you have to do this?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“I’ll wait here,” she said, turning off the car.
“I can’t just fire him and leave,” he said. “I have to warm up to the conversation.”
She groaned.
“I won’t have the conversation in front of you,” Micah said. “I’ll take him for a walk. I promise.”
Danny smiled at them from the porch, beckoning them inside. “God, he seems so nice.”
“He is. That’s the problem. He’s too nice for Band of Outlaws.” He popped open his door and stepped out of the truck. “Danny!” he yelled.
“Micah. I’m happy to see you.”
“You too, brother,” Micah said, and the two men hugged.
Helen climbed out of the car feeling like she was going to be watching an execution.
Inside, the cabin was…well, both amazing and a mess, and Helen didn’t do a very good job of reacting to the whole of it. She stared, mouth open, at the floor-to-ceiling windows, the musical instruments on top of musical instruments. Recording equipment—mics and amps and speakers and miles of cords wrapped round everything. There was a kitchen, or at least a fridge and a sink that looked like it had a plant growing in it. And over everything, like a layer of dust, were books.
Piles and piles of books.
“Come in, come in,” Danny said. “Let me…just…” He took an accordion out of what looked like a very comfortable chair and set it on the floor. He pulled one of those Irish drums off another. “Would you like a drink?” he asked. “I can offer you water, coffee or my new batch of sake.”
“Sake?” she said, only because it was a word that did not belong.
“Oh, perfect!” Danny clapped his hands and ran over to the plant sink to pull some cups down from a cupboard. “This batch is best cold,” he said, taking a bottle from the fridge. “And I’m glad you’re doing to try it. I think it’s quite good. But once you have a second glass, just about anything is good.”
He came over with a tiny porcelain cup and handed it to Helen. He poured a glass of water from the sink and handed it to Micah and then poured himself a tiny glass of sake. They did a quick cheers standing in the entryway and suddenly, without really understanding how this had all happened, Helen was doing a shot of sake.
“What do you think?” Danny asked.
“It burns,” she wheezed.
“But in a good way, right?”
“I guess?”
He took their glasses back to the sink. “You didn’t have any sake,” she said to Micah.
“I don’t drink,” he said.
She blinked. Band of Outlaws had their share of drinking songs and she had to admit that drinking seemed kind of part of the culture. “But you and your brother went out for beers. Before the fight.”
“He drinks them,” he said. “I quit drinking after that fight at The Grammy’s. Addiction runs in my family and I knew I couldn’t handle it anymore after that fight.”
He turned to face her fully and she mirrored him, feeling braced someplace deep and low for a body blow. “I’m going to say a name,” he said. “See if you remember it.”
“Okay.”
“Emmaline Bassiter. She went by the name Emmy. Emmy Bassiter.”
“How…how am I supposed to know her?”
“She had long brown hair. Like to her butt. And she sang. A lot. She had a real good voice.”
“Is she another singer?” she asked, totally confused.
“Okay!” Danny said, coming up with another round. “One more drink and then you’ll stay for dinner? I’m making risotto tonight. I found beautiful chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms in the forest yesterday. Really. It’s going to be very good.” He handed everyone a glass and Helen tried not to take it. “Please,” he said with an exceedingly charming and boyish smile. “I need to make an announcement that is best with a drink.”
“Okay,” she said and took the drink.
“Kanpai!” Danny said, and they all downed their drinks. More burning. Her eyes watered.
“Before you say anything, Danny,” Micah stepped in. “I’m so sorry for what my brother said. He’s a dick, he really is.”
“I will not argue with you about your brother being a dick. He’s not a guy I want to play music with, but he only said what needed to be said. I quit, Micah. I’m sorry, but I quit.”
Chapter Fifteen
Helen went outside down by the pond to give them the privacy to talk. Her head swam from the sake on an empty stomach.
Emmaline Bassiter. That was a really memorable name, but it didn’t ring any bells. And what did she have to do with his not drinking?
Her phone in her back pocket buzzed and she pulled it out, surprised to see a text from Jonah. He wasn’t much of a texter.
Did you find out how he heard of us?
Gosh, he really was a dog with a bone. Not yet. I’ll find out.
