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“Well, it's a good thing you’re going to be stuck in a car with me for twelve hours isn't it, we will have plenty of time to talk then.” I cleared my throat.
A corner of his mouth lifted, showing off a glimpse of his white teeth and one eyebrow cocked up. “Yea, I guess. These two weeks flew by didn’t they? Until then . . .” Elliot wiggled his shoulders and sat up a little straighter. “Is there anything you need to know about me?”
I narrowed my gaze at him. I could ask that man so many questions. We could go back and forth, a truth or dare if you will—except without the dare. Elliot had years on me that were filled with whatever he had accomplished. I knew he owned a business, I knew he sang, I knew he was friends with Milo, thanks to his time as an EMT, and that he and Clay talked almost every day. But other than that, this man was still a mystery.
“Tell me about your tattoo,” I blurted out.
“I already told you about the tattoo.” He rolled up his sleeve, showing off the black unfinished guitar.
“You only told me it was a part of the band. You didn’t elaborate. Most tattoos have meaning. Does this one?”
Running his palm over the ink, he grinned and nodded. “Bennett and I got them together once the band was formed. Chase has drumsticks on his shoulders and Jameson has music notes on his thigh. Bennett and I got them at the same time, and we picked the same design, except he finished it once we completed our first year. His guitar goes up to his shoulder.” His palm ran from his forearm all the way to his shoulder, his muscles twitched as he touched the fabric.
I blinked, pulling my eyes from his arms to his eyes, “You never wanted to get it finished?”
He scrunched his nose and shook his head, “Nah, I like it this way. Ben’s always on my case to get it done but I never will. It’s perfect just the way it is.” Rolling his sleeve down again he continued, “I have a lot of long sleeve shirts, so if your parents don’t approve of tattoos, I can keep it out of sight. My dad never cared for it.”
“I don't think my parents will mind. Tell me about your family. You know mine, so it’s only fair I know yours.”
He smirked. “Don’t we have an entire twelve hours ahead of us to talk?” He wiggled his eyebrows once, giving me a wink.
I shook my head and sighed, releasing a small chuckle. I had a feeling Elliot would make me chuckle a lot over the next three weeks. He was free, and he was fun. My family was going to fall for him.
“Are you coming to the show tomorrow? Milo and Maddy are going to be there, I think Hannah and her husband will be there, too,” Elliot said softly.
“All you need is Clay and Ophelia and your entire posse is there.”
“Milo will FaceTime Clay for sure, but I want to know about you? You’re not avoiding the place anymore, are you?” He pinched his brow, his eyes heavy.
It was a punch in the gut. I was avoiding the Piano Bar while he played, ever since that night we kissed. I didn’t think I could trust myself to not want to talk with him again. He wasn’t the one I wanted to get involved with and yet, here I was.
I rubbed my lips together, giving him a small nod. “I’ll be there. Just promise me lots and lots of coffee Saturday morning.”
He laughed, his perfect laugh that filled the room. “Deal. Speaking of, you said we needed to leave early . . . hopefully nottooearly.”
“Finally!” Madeline pulled me close for a hug as I sat next to her on the small round table. “You become Elliot’s fake girlfriend and you show up to a show.”
“Fake girlfriend?” Hannah, Milo’s ex-wife, asked. She sat next to Madeline leaving a chair open for her husband, who was currently up with Milo ordering drinks.
The stage was dark, the illuminated logo forSavaged Whittakershanging behind the drum set the only light on the stage. The black lettering and half guitar looked amazing—something I had never noticed before. All of the guys’ names were under theguitar:Bennett, Elliot, Jameson, Chase.I squinted, keeping the thought that Elliot’s name should be first to myself.
I shook my head and looked at Hannah. “He’s just helping me keep my family off my back. Are you guys here just for the night?”
Hannah nodded. “Yeah, Holly gets the next week off school so she’s coming up to Seattle, we’ll leave in the morning.” Hannah smiled, twisting her body towards the stage. “I’ve only seen Elliot play at the wedding, is he still singing country?”
Madeline shook her head. “Nah, that was just for me.” She smiled.
“For us,” Milo corrected as he came up behind her, dropping a glass of white wine in front of her.
Donald, who still looked uneasy and irritated, sat next to Hannah. I’ve never seen that man smile and, by the looks of it, he was annoyed he was here. If I had to guess, he was only here because Hannah wanted to be. Milo had been married to Hannah and, together, they had Holly. After a nasty custody battle, they formed a friendship and were able to co-parent from different states. But even though Hannah and Milo got along like old friends, Donald was still just along for the ride.
“He said he may sing some new things tonight. I guess he writes the lyrics and Bennett makes the music,” I added, remembering that little tidbit from five months ago.
“For being the fake girlfriend, you seem to know a lot,” Milo said, his lips forming a cheeky grin.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, your wife put it in my head that we needed to get to know each other. So, we’ve been texting and talking a lot.”
“So, are you fake dating him, or are youdatinghim?” Hannah asked, raising her wine glass to her lips.
