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“It's fun, Lark, it's like being a rock star for a few minutes.”
Gwen hit a few buttons and Adele's “Rumor Has It” pumped loudly from the speakers.
I was seriously beginning to wonder if this entire town was really some avant-garde mental hospital where the patients were allowed to roam freely. Maybe they even piped airborne narcotics into the air supply to keep the natives from going completely bonkers, though with this—singing karaoke in the middle of the town square—I think we were definitely at or even past bonkers.
Saffron started to sing and I learned that I was just as nuts as the rest of them, because I was actually having fun watching her. I think that part of my enjoyment was the realization that I was being included. Here in Harrington among people who were most likely relations of mine, I wasn't on the outside looking in.
“Your turn, Lark.”
I didn't want to be included that much. “No thanks. Listening is one thing. Singing is something else entirely,” I said.
“So you are a chicken?”
I couldn't believe I was actually being goaded into singing and worse, I was letting myself be. There were just a few people milling around, and since I was so damn competitive, I relented. Saffron grinned like a fool.
I selected a song that reminded me of Bastian, “Brighter than the Sun,” and when the music started, I sort of lost myself to it and the boy. I didn't have a great voice, but Saffron was right, it was a hell of a lot of fun. Made even more so when my eyes met hers and I saw affection staring back. I had never experienced one, but I was pretty sure we were having a bonding moment.
As if I summoned him with song, Bastian appeared, crossing the lawn of the town square heading right to me. I followed him with my gaze as I sang—the words expressed so perfectly how I felt about him. Despite the festival workers around us, I sang just to him and when the song was over, Bastian came on stage to sweep me into a kiss.
“My siren.” Hewhispered. A devilishness entered his expression. He took a lock of my hair between his fingers. “Seeing you singing up here is so fucking hot.”
“I can't sing to save my life.”
His grin turned borderline lascivious. “True, but it's still hot as hell.” He sealed that observation with another kiss.
***
The following evening Logan and Broderick came to take Bastian to play some pool. Logan's car and Bastian's motorcycle had just left the driveway when I heard another knock at the door and opened it to find Saffron and Gwen.
“Hi.”
“Bastian's gone, right?” Saffron asked as her eyes darted around the foyer.
“Yeah, he just left.”
“Cool, grab a jacket.”
I didn't move. What was she up to?
“Where are we going?”
“To have fun.” She narrowed her eyes at me and she started to cluck like a chicken.
I reached for my jacket as I muttered.“Last I checked, I was the adolescent in the crowd.”
“We are young at heart.” Saffron said, before she turned and started waddling away and I couldn't help calling after her.
“You going to start quacking soon?”
Gwen stared at me a second, then burst out into laughter, but Saffron just looked at me from over her shoulder. I added, “Shoe on the other foot and all that.”
“Nice.” Shehissed.
We drove into town, where we got ice cream, walked down Main Street, and spent some time at the harbor. About two hours later we startedfor home, but instead of going to the little Cape on the bay, we stopped just before Tucker’s—the bar Bastian was at. Gwen parked her car along the side of the road. I followed her out of the car and when I came around to the other side I asked, “What are we doing?”
“Practice.” Saffron offered cryptically.
“Meaning?” I pressed.
