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“Does he only sing country?”
“Well, Madeline asked him to sing a lot of Thomas Rhett songs, so he’s been learning those, and I guess he added them to his set.” Milo leaned in as the song ended and the crowd began to clap. “He’s not only in the wedding. He’s providing the music.”
My eyes went wide, and after sipping my beer, I turned to look at the stage when the Ed Sheeran song came to a close. “Like all the music?”
Milo nodded. “He’s good.” He smiled, dragging out the word longer than necessary.
“All Thomas Rhett? All country music?”
“Thank you!” I heard from the stage. “As always, it was fantastic playing for you tonight. It always gets me when you guys get up and dance!” The crowd cheered as Elliot waved to them.
“You didn’t have to pay for us to get in here tonight, did you?” I asked Milo.
He shook his head. “Nah, it’s just Elliot.”
“He seems to be pretty big.” I motioned to the people sitting closer to the stage, noticing how there was a small dance floor. A few couples were still hand-in-hand, lingering as Elliot spoke to them.
“He doesn’t do this to get paying gigs. I mean, sure he'd eventually get paid, but for now, they’re just having fun playing music. He owns his own business, so this is kinda his side gig.” Milo shifted in his seat.
“He’s not a paramedic?”
“Hell no, I’m not a paramedic.” Elliot came up behind Milo and slapped his shoulder. I didn't even notice him leave the stage. “I only did that through college. How you doin’, Clay?”
I glanced up at the now-dark stage, the rest of his band members packing up. Turning back to Elliot, I saw his guitar resting on his back. He took his seat next to me and grabbed his beer. Sweat dripped down his forehead, lightly staining the collar of his t-shirt. I furrowed my brow and tried to pull my attention away from his appearance.
“I’m doing fine, thanks. I didn’t know you were in a band,” I responded.
Elliot turned to the waitress, waving his hand at her. She gave him the same flirty smile and came over with a glass of water. He chugged it down the second it hit the table.
“It’s hot up there.” Elliot laughed.
“I can imagine,” I mumbled, lifting my drink to my lips.
“Ignore Clay. He’s kinda going through a hard time.” Milo slapped my back, moving his hand so I rocked back and forth. I shot him a glare and set my beer down on the table.
“Yeah, man.” Elliot turned his attention toward me. “Milo told me you were let go from that firm in Seattle.”
I inhaled. “Yeah, well. . .”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about Jackson and Rye.” Milo raised his eyebrows and looked over at me. “I was talking about—”
“Don’t.” My glare deepened. Milo pursed his lips, and his eyebrows raised. He was giving me a dumb little smirk.
Elliot’s eyes went from Milo and then to me. “A girl?” he asked point blank.
I didn't answer. I didn't even acknowledge his question. I was completely avoiding the conversation.
“His ex.”
“Anyway. . .” I shifted in my seat. “Are we going to order food or sit here and talk about how pathetic my life is?”
The two looked at each other and then at me, both giving the other the same look before they turned back to one another and started conversation. It went from Elliot’s set to Holly being across the globe, and then back to the wedding. The whole time, I just listened, paying just enough attention that if they were to ask me a question, I could easily answer, but truth be told, my brain was somewhere else.
Today started out fine. I had woken up and had a decent breakfast. I showered and shaved, drank a few cups of coffee, and then saw Ophelia.
Ophelia.
That’s when my day got better.
