AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I didn’t.”
He smiled a little, then led me to the patio door, opening it and holding it wide while I passed through. The cool evening air immediately relieved some of the pressure in my head and chest, and I closed my eyes to take a deep, cleansing breath.
There were only a couple people out here, but they were huddled together at the far end of the patio. Twinkle lights zigzagged over our heads, and a country song played softly in the background.Thiswas much more my speed.
But was it his?
“You sure you don’t want to be in there doing karaoke with everyone?” I asked as we took a seat at one of the wrought iron tables.
Beau let out a breezy laugh. “Uh, no. Zac and Layla have like five songs on the list by now, and I swear I can’t handle hearing him do another terrible rendition of ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ tonight.”
“I love watching people sing. I’d never do it myself, but it’s fun watching other people. For a while, anyway.”
A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he stared out at the dark parking lot beyond the short patio wall. “My dad’s a big karaoke fan.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, that’s actually how he and my mom met.”
I blinked. “Wait, really?”
“You ever seenTop Gun?”
“Yes,” I said with an eyeroll. Who hadn’t?
“You know how good ol’ Maverick has everyone sing ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’? Well, Pops was in the navy back in the day, and not even kidding, he and his buddies re-created that scene so he could hit on my mom.”
Jaw dropping, I gaped at him. “Stop it.”
“I swear.”
“How did it go? Did he crash and burn?”
Beau’s eyes sparkled with laughter as he held out his hands. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
A laugh tore out of me before I had time to stifle it. “That’samazing. Your dad sounds hilarious.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s a real comedian.”
“Where do they live? Your parents?”
He picked an invisible piece of lint off his jeans, then ran his large hand over his thigh. “Uh, my dad lives in New Orleans.”
“And your mom?” I asked it so quickly I hadn’t had time to read his expression first. When he didn’t answer and looked toward the parking lot again, my heart cracked. “I’m so sorry. Is that why you didn’t want to spend much time in the hospital?”
His gaze returned to me with a surprised twitch of his mouth. “Noticed that, huh?”
“I guess I’m pretty observant, too. Must be because of my job,” I said, stealing his words from earlier.
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of hospitals. In my experience, people go in, but they don’t always come out.”
I didn’t know what to say, but I had to say something, so I racked my brain for whatever would be the most normal response. “I’m really sorry about your mom, Beau.”
He squinted into the night again. “Thank you.”
Sadness as deep as the ocean welled up in my chest, feeling way too big for the moment. Desperate to return the mood to the lightness it held before, I sat straighter in my chair and pasted a smile on my face. “TheTop Gunthing is epic though. Perfect grand gesture.”
“Grand gesture?”
