Chapter 4
W e finish out a full day at the studio, and we’re both feeling good about the progress so far. Micah suggests we go out for drinks at my favorite wine bar before dinner, but he’s got an errand to run first, so I head over to his apartment to drop off my suitcase and grab a quick shower.
I packed a fun outfit for just this occasion, but my little black dress with the plunging neckline suddenly feels a little over-the-top. I don’t need to be making things any weirder than they already are, so I pull on my favorite jeans and a cute black tank top.
Micah picks me up, and we walk the three blocks over to Vino Bella.
We wave to the bartender on our way in. The seats at the bar are packed with patrons, but we have the rest of the place to ourselves, so we grab our favorite table—the one by the window overlooking the Blue Line ‘L’ stop.
Micah heads to the bar to start a tab and returns with a glass of wine in each hand.
He smiles as he hands me my drink and sits across from me. “Cheers.” He clinks his glass to mine, and my nipples are already perking up to meet his gaze.
Oh no. Breathe. I’ve got to keep my body in check this time.
I try to distract myself with a few sips of wine, and the taste is heavenly—not too dry and not too sweet. Just the way I like it.
“It’s good to have you back here.” He leans toward me. “I wish you could stay for more than a few days.”
He takes a long swig of wine, then sets his glass back down and looks right into my eyes.
God, he’s gorgeous.
“You know, Kace, having you here and playing music with you today—it feels like old times.”
His blue eyes are dancing, but something in his words has my skin prickling.
Old times.
Like that time I realized he was going to replace me with Rebecca? Or the time I ran off the stage in a state of sheer panic? My blood pressure’s rising just thinking about it.
Jesus—what the hell am I doing back here?
I take a few more sips of my wine, but it’s not working fast enough, so I move to full-on gulps.
“It’s crazy that Rebecca just took off,” he says.
Umm…nope. I do not want to talk about Rebecca right now.
I down the rest of my glass in one giant swig and practically leap from my chair, blurting out, “I’m getting us a bottle.”
“Wait, what? Kacie Meyers is having more than one glass of wine?” he calls after me as I scramble over to the bar. “This is one for the record books. I’ll try and keep up,” he teases.
I’m finally starting to feel that first glass, thank God, but as I get back to the table with the bottle, he’s bringing her up again.
“I can’t believe what happened with Rebecca,” he says, pouring me another glass.
The wine is making me feel bold, and I can’t hold back.
“I know the feeling,” I say, my voice full of sarcasm as I grab my glass and take another huge swig.
He scrunches up his brow. “What?”
“Yup. I still can’t believe what happened with Rebecca.” I tell him, my voice sharp as I stare straight at him.
“Wait, what do you mean?” His eyes are wide.
“When she first showed up here in town, I mean. I know what happened, Micah.”
“OK, hold on.”
I can tell he’s trying to calm me down, but I don’t want to calm down anymore.
“What happened was that I was just some lowly drummer from Pine Creek, and then Rebecca showed up, and she had it all—the talent, the fame, the connections. And the next thing I know, she’s in the band.”
He presses his thumbs against the edge of the table and leans in close, his brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?” He seems genuinely irritated. “I asked her to join the band, but that was only after you quit on me.”
“Uh-uh. No way. That’s not true!” I’m raising my voice, and Micah glances over toward the bar to make sure no one is listening.
He brings his own volume down to a whisper, but his eyes are intense. “What do you mean that’s not true?”
I’m watching his face closely now. I need to see his reaction.
“I know you took her to our practice space to work on songs back when I was still in the band.” I pause to let that sink in .
His eyelashes flutter. He jerks his head back abruptly as if he’s been stung.
Is it possible he was never thinking of replacing me? That I somehow blew everything out of proportion?
“Kace. I-I didn’t even realize you knew about that.” A new emotion flashes across his face. It looks like guilt.
“I found her sticks on top of my kit at the space,” I tell him. “She probably left them there on purpose just so I would see them. I found a scrap of paper where you’d written out some notes to show her how to play the different parts. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”
“I mean, yeah, she was coming around a lot, and she wanted to hang out and play music, but there’s no law that says you can’t play music with a person. I didn’t do anything wrong, Kace.”
It sounds like he’s trying to convince himself.
“Mm-hmm, sure,” I say, my voice clipped, because there is something in his eyes giving him away, and I know for a fact that it’s true. He was planning to replace me.
My eyes are welling up with tears, and my chest is so tight I can’t breathe.
“Kace?” He leans forward to rest his hand over mine, but I yank back and turn away from him.
Hot tears stream down my cheeks, and my shoulders hitch with every breath.
“Fuck,” he curses.
We sit in silence for several minutes as I cry. At one point he stands up and moves close to me as though he wants to console me, but then he sits back down again.
My tears finally subside, and I swallow hard, staring out the window at the blur of people walking by. When I finally get the courage to glance back in his direction, his shoulders are slumped and his hands are at his temples. He looks crushed .
“Is that why you wouldn’t talk to me after you quit?” he says.
I nod slowly.
“I see.” An expression of sadness comes over him. He tilts his head down toward the table for a moment, then he takes a deep breath and looks right into my eyes.
“I missed you so much, Kace.”
And it’s true. He did miss me. I can see it written all over his face, and I could feel it all day today while we were together.
I give him a small smile, and he sends one back to me.
“I missed you too, Micah.”
I missed you so much.
The betrayal stings, but I can sense something shifting between us.
I wipe away my tears and take another sip of wine. I promised I’d help with this album, and I intend to see it through. I just have to relax and try to enjoy my time here with him.
Another glass of wine and we’re back to laughing and having a good time. He catches me up on what’s been going on with some of the bands we used to play shows with, and I fill him in on the small-town gossip from home.
We manage to make our way through the entire bottle, and I’ve got a pretty good buzz going by the time Micah starts telling me about all the different cities he’s hoping to play when he goes on tour.
“Oh, Micah—I am so happy for you. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy. Don’t worry—we’ll find you a new drummer for the tour, and everything is going to work out great. I just know it.”
I hop up from my seat and rush over to his side of the table to give him a big hug, but I catch my toe on the table leg just as I’m leaning down and almost fall right in his lap .
“Whoopsies.” I can’t stop giggling.
“All right, all right. That’s it, little missy.
I’m cutting you off,” he announces, steadying me with his hands at my sides as he stands to help me to my feet.
The feel of his strong hands on my body is thrilling.
I need those hands to stay right where they are.
I press my fingers over his, holding him to me for a moment.
I tilt my head up to gaze dreamily into those cool blue eyes of his. “You’re beautiful. You know that, Micah Andrews?” I’m swaying a little as I smile up at him. “You’re freaking beautiful.”
“OK, Kace.” He winks, laughing. “I’m gonna get us a pizza delivered, because I think I need to get you back to my place.”
Mmmm. I like the sound of that.