Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Layla
I f only Emily hadn’t sent me four fashion photos, so I could help her dress for the night. If only she hadn’t called me twice to let me know that she planned to stand up close to the stage again, so I should bring earplugs if I was worried about the noise. If only she hadn’t picked me up ten minutes early and come to the door with an eager, starry-eyed expression and the words Nash Ledger leaving her lips three times before we even got to the car. For some reason, I’d hoped the highly improbable would happen, and Emily would have gotten over her crush. I couldn’t blame her though. I found my own crush on Nash was growing exponentially.
I’d dressed down for the occasion with shorts and a tank top. I hoped not showing any enthusiasm for the night would throw her entirely off the trail. Pretending to mostly ignore Nash was not going to be easy, especially if we were standing up near the stage, but I’d been working on my poker face in the mirror for a few minutes before Emily arrived, and I was sure I had nailed a good one. I needed every tool in my arsenal tonight. I was nowhere near ready to tell Emily what was happening. I was still holding onto hope that she’d lose interest in him.
“We’ve got to hurry. Remember how crowded it was last weekend? I don’t want to stand in the middle where he can’t see me. Our last spot was perfect.”
I sat in the passenger seat. “Except for the speaker giving us both a headache and you nearly ended up having a panic attack.”
“Don’t ruin the night with your predictions. Quick, knock on something wooden,” she said as she searched for something wooden in her very un-wooden car.
I reached over and knocked three times lightly on her head.
“Very funny. I was in the same spot on Wednesday, and it went fine.” She’d been exuberant and excited, then suddenly, she slumped in the driver’s seat and put on her best frown. “I forgot how that night ended.” She looked at me. “Please try and turn off the Lovely lights, so you don’t blind him from seeing me in the crowd.” She pulled out onto the road.
I laughed. “I’m sorry. What are the Lovely lights?”
“Oh, please, those are the blinding lights that shine in everyone’s eyes whenever one of the Lovely sisters is in the room.”
I stared at the side of her face as she kept her eyes on the road.
“That might possibly be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said, and that says a lot because as I’m sure I don’t need to remind you—but I most certainly will—you were the girl who asked the high school biology teacher if they took the frogs back to the pond once we were through dissecting them.”
Emily leaned her head back with a laugh. “Mr. Grant was barely able to hold it together. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
“Very wishful.”
“Poor frogs,” she said.
“Well, anyhow, I have no mythical light to shine, and I will be there mostly in spirit. I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I’d planned to nap today but never got to it. One glass of wine and I’ll be having trouble holding these eyes open.”
“Uh-oh, why didn’t you get any sleep? I’ve been so exhausted after work I’ve been falling into bed right after dinner.”
I’d stepped in it, and now it seemed I’d have to lie and that was how it began, the snowball of lies that usually formed once one lie had been tossed out. “I don’t know. Too much coffee in the afternoon, I think.” And now I was getting smooth at lying. I looked up toward the top of the car and silently asked Nonna for forgiveness.
“At least we both have the day off tomorrow,” she said. “I was thinking, maybe we should go for a swim down at the beach.”
“You hate swimming in the ocean.” I knew exactly why she’d suggested it but wanted to make her admit it out loud.
“I don’t mind it that much. As long as there are no jellyfish.”
I nodded. “That’s right. I forgot about your jellyfish trauma when you were little. Well, I’m very connected to our strip of the cove, but I have no control over the jellyfish.”
“I can just put my feet in. I need a reason to show off my new bathing suit.”
“I was thinking about a bike ride,” I suggested.
She looked over at me with a pronounced pout. “You’re trying to keep me from seeing your new neighbor. That’s pretty selfish of you, bestie.”
“I’m not. If you want to go down to the beach and stroll back and forth all day in your new swimsuit, go right ahead. I’ve hardly gotten any exercise since I started at the bakery, so I’m going to go on a bike ride.”
“Exercise? I thought you were walking your neighbor’s dog, or is that over?” she asked with a little too much glee.
“I’m still walking Rocky,” I said curtly to let her know there was nothing more to say. I didn’t need to add to my lie tally because the current one was already making my stomach feel gurgle-y.
“Lucky you,” she said wryly.
We sat in silence for the remainder of the trip, which didn’t bode well for the rest of the evening. I was regretting saying yes. I should have let her go with Kelly the whiner.
The parking lot was already half-filled when we pulled in, and a line snaked around the bar. That worsened Emily’s mood. “Great, now I’m not going to get my favorite spot. We should have left way earlier.” She had the nerve to shoot an admonishing glare my direction as if I’d made us late.
“What are you looking at me for?” I asked. “I was ready when you arrived—ten minutes earlier than you said you would, I might add.”
“Whatever. Let’s just hurry and get in line.” She pulled into the first open parking spot, and we climbed out of the car, both of us grumpy and tense from the exchange in the car.
The doors opened just as we reached the line, so we didn’t have to wait outside too long. The line did give me a clear view of the patrons who were waiting to go inside, and I didn’t see Dustin amongst them. That would have been the cherry on top of an already tense evening.
Emily had her arms crossed, and she was wearing the grumpiest face I’d ever seen.
“I didn’t make us late,” I said again in my defense.
She stared forward at first, ignoring me, then dropped her arms with a sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect there to be such a big crowd already. I guess the band just keeps growing in popularity. Who knows? Maybe they’ll get that big record deal soon and then I’ll have my own special room on the tour bus as I travel around the country as Mrs. Ledger.”
I laughed. “Wow, that is the biggest mood transition I’ve ever seen, and I witnessed it in real time.”
“Sorry I was grouchy.” Emily wrapped her arm around mine. “I’ve decided we can just push our way up to that prime spot. I’m not above using my bony elbows.” She demonstrated with her free arm.
“You’re on your own with that, Emi. I agreed to join you tonight, but engaging in elbow combat was not part of the plan. I think we’ll be fine a little farther back. It gets hot up near the stage, and all the bodies always end up pressing forward, which was probably the main source for your near panic attack at their first show.”
“Yes, but it was worth it. I got to stand right up front just feet away from Nash, and don’t forget, there was that wink.”
Emily was still thinking about the wink that may or may not have happened and that may or may not have been directed at her.
We finally got inside. We were on a break from the heat wave outside, and that relief transferred indoors. The barroom was much cooler than the first night.
“Thank goodness, the air conditioners are working well tonight. It won’t be nearly as suffocating in here,” I said, but Emily wasn’t listening. She was on her toes trying to get a look over the crowd, planning out her strategy to elbow her way to her spot up front. It looked like an impossible task. There was already a group of people standing in our old spot. The maze of people standing between us and her chosen spot didn’t stop her. Determination was Emily’s middle name … unfortunately.
“I’m going in. Are you with me?” she asked.
“Nope. Not going in with ya. I’ll stay back here and avoid being elbowed and pushed and scowled at. Good luck. I’m with you in spirit.”
“Coward,” she said with a smile. She turned toward her focal point, took a deep breath and forged ahead. She returned before I could even blink. She was holding her side and looking decidedly less confident about her plan.
“I just got the worst elbow in my side.”
“I’m sorry, but you knew what you were facing going in. After all, you were going to use the same weapon.”
“Yeah, but before I could draw my weapon some bottle-blonde with a hideous green sundress drew first, and man, did she get me when she thought I was trying to pass her.”
“In her defense, you were trying to pass her,” I said.
Emily shrugged off that detail. “I did get some good intel though,” she said, sticking with the combat theme. “The eagle has landed,” she said in her best covert voice.
“Uh, the secret service is here?”
“No,” she rolled her eyes. “The band just pulled up out back. And I was thinking …”
“Oh no, you’ve got that same twinkle in your eyes you had when you talked me into sneaking into the movie theater through the emergency exit. Nonna was so mad at me, to this day, I still tremble with fear when I think about her face as she picked us up at the theater security station.”
“That was probably not our finest hour. But this isn’t nearly as illegal. The band is no doubt parked in the alley, and they’ll be busy going in and out as they move equipment. And I happen to be with Nash Ledger’s dog walker. Let’s go around to the alley and wait to see him. You can say hi and casually reintroduce me to him. It’s way better than standing close to the stage—and those loud speakers.”
A lump formed in my stomach with each word. This was why lies were so insidious. They fed on more deceit and then grew like the giant blob in that vintage horror movie until the original lie became so big it literally started devouring everything in sight.
Emily grabbed my arm. “What do you say? We won’t stay there long, just long enough to talk to Nash and say hello.”
“They’ll be busy, Emi. We’ll be in the way.”
“That’s why I promise we won’t stay long. Come on, he owes you because you walk his dog.”
“I do that strictly for selfish reasons. I love walking Rocky.”
Emily did her head tilt, pleading gesture.
“Oh my gosh, are you serious? Fine, let’s go out there. It’s possible we won’t even see them.” I hoped that was the case, but if not, I was ready to put on that poker face for a quick interaction with Nash. I was just his dog walker, and we certainly didn’t kiss five times today during and after that dog walk.
There were still people filing in, and we were the only people walking out. One of the drink servers was clicking a counting device to keep track of how many people were inside. Our leaving threw her off, and she grumbled at us. “You might not get back in,” she said sharply. “We’re almost at capacity.”
I looked at Emily. “Are you still willing to risk it?”
Emily bit her lip in thought. “Yes, let’s go.” We walked along the side of the building. My first interaction with Nash came back to me, vividly, as we approached the corner.
Emily glanced over at me. “What are you smiling about?”
“Smiling?” I asked too abruptly. There it was again, the lie blob growing to epic proportions. “Just glad to be out of that crowded bar.”
We rounded the corner. A white van and Nash’s truck were parked in the alley. Bosco and Nash were carrying a speaker down a ramp.
Emily grabbed my arm and startled me. “There he is,” she squealed.
Nash looked up to see who’d come down the alley. He nearly dropped the speaker. Bosco growled at him angrily about it, then he spotted us.
“The bar entrance is on the other side,” Bosco scolded.
“It’s all right. They’re here to see me,” Nash said.
There was only one light bulb hanging over the back door, but it was enough light for Bosco to recognize us as we got closer. “That’s right. Your newest conquest,” he said snidely.
The words were meant for Nash, but they hit me like shards of glass. Was I merely his next conquest?
“Shut up, Bosco. Let’s get this inside.” Nash turned our way as they carried the speaker past. “Be right back,” he said to me.
We stood in the mostly dark alley, Emily practically producing her own glittering light with excitement and me standing in a hurricane of emotions, guilt, nervousness and worry that I’d jumped into this too fast.
Nash returned a few minutes later, and I could feel Emily’s entire body tense next to me. Mine was tense, too, but for an entirely different reason and because of the big blob lie, the name I was now calling it. I couldn’t just come straight out and ask Nash if I was merely his newest conquest because tonight, I was just his dog walker and inconsequential neighbor. And darn him for looking especially good tonight in a gray shirt that matched his eyes.
It seemed Nash was working extra hard to smile at Emily, which, in retrospect, might not have been the best idea. It would only encourage her to think she’d be walking out with his marriage proposal tonight.
“Was it already too crowded inside?” he asked Emily and then dropped a fleeting smile my direction.
“No, we just thought we’d say hi,” I said. “You remember my friend, Emily.”
“Sure do.” He stuck out his hand, and I thought my friend might melt through the asphalt beneath her when she took it. “Good to see you again.”
I was having a minor meltdown about the conquest comment, so my smiles were limited. Nash seemed to sense something was wrong because, aside from his smile, he shot me a concerned look.
A wide, uncomfortable silence followed. Emily always ended up tongue-tied when she was nervous, and judging by the way she was fidgeting on her sandals, she was very nervous.
“Well, we don’t want to keep you,” I said. My plan to vacate spurred her into action. She wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to talk to him longer.
“Will there be any new songs tonight?” she asked. “It’s been a while since you guys produced a new one. I keep checking your site, hoping something new will pop up.”
Nash raked his fingers through his hair and exchanged a conspiratorial look with me. They still hadn’t announced the band’s breakup, which was another big, secret/lie I was keeping. “Uh, you know, keep an eye out tomorrow. Might be something new.”
My eyes rounded in surprise. I knew he’d been working on a song—“just somethin’ I’m messing with,” he’d told me more than once. Was that the new song?
Emily clapped excitedly. “I can’t wait. Are you performing it tonight?”
“No, not tonight. Well, I need to get back inside.”
“We need to go, too, Emi, otherwise we won’t get back in.” My enthusiasm for the whole night had really bottomed out. “Nice to see you again, Nash,” I said politely.
“Yes, you too.” It was all so formal and dry it made me grit my teeth. Emily and I turned to leave, and unexpectedly, his hand brushed mine. It was hard not to show a reaction. Emily didn’t notice. Behind us I heard the door to the building open and shut. I could still feel the heat of his hand on mine as we headed back to the bar.