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“Hey, I’m sorry. None of my business. I just didn’t think Cathal would hold you back even if you are the only one he trusts to manage the shop.” When Shay lifted a brow, Rhys reclined in his chair again. “That’s what I heard Cathal say.”
“Maybe you should mind your own business.” Shay snapped, her expression turning stormy, making that tiny spark of anger in his chest force its way to the surface.
With a smug smirk on his face, Rhys indicated to Shay. “Then maybe you should take your own advice, darling, and mind ya business too. You opened the door by calling me a dickhead and talking about things you know shit about.”
A muscle in Shay’s jaw ticked and she reached under the counter and turned up the music, essentially giving Rhys the middle finger and halting any further opportunities for them to argue. Rhys ducked his head, his hair falling into his eyes once more, and yet, he still watched as Shay bobbed her head in time with the Limp Bizkit song playing.
Well, at least the woman had good taste in music. It almost made up for the attitude.
Eh, pot and kettle, Rhys...pot and kettle.
Rhys snorted at his own thoughts. Yup, he was being a damn hypocrite. His own attitude had been his downfall lately and it was the reason why he relationships with most of his family and friends were blown to hell. Rhys knew he had a lot of bridges to build and pissing off Luna’s new boyfriend’s best friend wasn’t the way to go about it.
The music changed to a Billie Eilish song that he liked to play on the piano. Rhys closed his eyes and used his fingers to play out the keys on his thighs, inhaling and exhaling as he let the music wash over him. Heartache Melody was known for its heavy riffs and drumbeats as well as Declan’s killer voice, but sometimes, Rhys liked to take songs that the band wouldn’t think of covering and make them his own.
Rhys hadn’t meant to start singing along with the song, but he had got used to just using his voice when he played the piano now and it had lulled him into a false sense of normality. It wasn’t until the music stopped suddenly and he heard himself singing which caused him to stumble over the lyrics and he clamped his mouth shut.
His eyes darted open to find that Shay was looking at him with a clearly surprised expression.
“I didn’t know that you could sing?”
“I can’t. I don’t.” Rhys heard voices coming from the back and he felt his heart begin to race. “Please, Shay. Forget what you just heard.”
Shay frowned, then made to respond when Luna, Cathal and a very happy client came out from the back and Luna came over to where he was sat, nudging his shoulder and glancing at Shay.
“I hope he hasn’t caused to much hassle.”
Shay held his gaze for a solid minute before she grinned at Luna. “I can handle him. If I can manage to wrangle my three misfits, then I can handle one rockstar.”
Cathal, who had just finished saying farewell to his client, chuckled, glancing at Luna. “That’s what I thought too. I was dead wrong.”
Rhys glanced at Luna, saw his friend grin, her eyes all shiny and loved up as she bounced to her feet and went to kiss Cathal on the cheek. “But you know I like the way you handle me.”
Rhys groaned at the innuendo, as Cathal just shook his head. “You ready to go eat?”
Oh for fuck sake. There was no way Rhys wanted to play third wheel with Luna and Cathal. He got to his feet, readying his excuses when Cathal turned to Shay. “Come on, Shay. I’m paying.”
Nobody seemed to notice that Shay was looking at him and Rhys kept his expression guarded as the woman who knew his secret slipping off the counter and grinned. “I’ll never refuse a free meal. Let’s go, I’m starving.”
Shay ducked into the back and Luna angled her head to look at him. “Rhys? You’ll come eat with us?”
Maybe it was the way Luna said it, but she fully expected him to refuse and cause a scene. But Rhys was hungry so he just nodded, waiting until Shay had come out with a leather jacket on to grin and reply. “I could eat. Since Cathal is paying, I could eat.”
ChapterFive
Shay
Shay had been taken abackwhen Cathal had suggested they go out for food, even more so when Rhys had agreed to go with them. He had been quiet on the walk over to the restaurant, even more so after they had ordered drinks and the rockstar had ordered a Coke. Luna had looked pleased and had ordered one herself, with her and Cathal having already ordered a beer.
Luna and Cathal were chatting now about something Oli Scott was planning. Oli was an even bigger rockstar than Luna and her band, but he and Cathal had fallen into a friendship that surprised even Luna, but Shay was happy that Cathal was making friends outside of the shop.
It was like Cathal was getting his teen and early twenty years back now that he’d found Luna.
Shay kept trying to catch Rhys’ eye, feeling the need to assure him that she wasn’t going to spill his secrets to anyone. When Shay had heard the keyboardist start to sing, she had been so utterly shocked that she had wanted to make sure she wasn’t imagining what she was hearing.
That had startled Rhys and he had fumbled lyrics, his eyes opening with a look that could only be described as terror. Shay had heard Luna and Jameson repeatedly tease Rhys for his lack of singing ability, and Shay had unfortunately heard the croak that Luna called her singing voice.
But unlike Luna’s screeching, Rhys had a subtle, almost pureness to its tone. He didn’t have that harsh gruff tone that Declan Walsh was renowned for, nor was it like Jameson’s emotionally charged voice. No there was something entirely different about Rhys’ singing voice and Shay was curious to find out more.
