Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
F or the first time in a long time, Kyle felt like Thanksgiving had almost lived up to its promise—because it seemed like he finally had a few things to be grateful for. Although the holiday at his mother’s had been stiff and difficult, it was better than it had been the year before when Liam’s death was fresh.
And even though Kyle hoped it was a sign of a smoother relationship with his mom in the future, that wasn’t what had him feeling gratitude.
Instead, it was his future. Intent to Murder had just signed a three-month contract with Tequilaville to continue playing for them, opening for Impending Cataclysm regularly on Friday nights twice a month. The manager had told them that they could renew it so long as they kept bringing in a steady crowd. But Impending Cataclysm had also talked to them about doing a small week-long Colorado tour in the spring. They were lining up shows and thought having another band along might sweeten the deal with some of the venues. “But it’s all about the merch,” Declan, their drummer, had insisted. “Fans will want something to remember you by—so you gotta have all that stuff on hand.”
Intent to Murder had been working on all of that, thanks in large part to Adrian’s sister Maria—not just in preparation for a spring tour but also for Tequilaville shows and even The Apothecary in Charlotte.
And they had boxes of t-shirts ready for the next show.
Kyle had paid for one, a women’s size small, as a gift…and he wasn’t about to wait for Christmas. One afternoon before heading to his job at Burger King, he stopped by Tequilaville, hoping Scarlett would be there. If not, he planned to slip the person at the bar enough cash for the information about what her usual hours, other than Friday nights, were.
When he walked in the bar, the first thing he noticed was how empty the place was. Sure, there were a few patrons, most noticeably three women huddled at a table, and it looked like they were there to cheer up a friend. There were also several people around the bar itself who looked like they were beginning their evenings early.
But no sign of Scarlett—or any other bartender, for that matter.
He sat on a stool, knowing eventually someone would appear—and it was just a couple of minutes later that he heard Scarlett’s voice as she walked behind the bar. “I thought that was you. You guys don’t have a show tonight, do you?”
“Why? Does Al have bands here during the week too?”
“Not since I started working here. Just Thursday through Saturday night. Al said he tried Sundays one time and the football crowd threatened to maim his, uh, manhood.”
Kyle laughed. This woman was adorable—and turning out to be irresistible…because she wasn’t just a cute little thing in a petite body. The more time he spent with her, the more he found himself drawn to her. Not just to her looks, although she was hot as hell, but her mind. There was something about her that kept him coming back.
And he was certain the feeling was mutual. So her initial rebuff meant nothing. Until she said no firmly without any flirtatiousness or told him to quit asking, he wasn’t going to stop. Did that make him a stalker? He knew he was toeing a fine line—and so he had to make sure he didn’t cross over it…meaning if she gave a firm no and told him not to ask again, he would respect her wishes.
But the last time he’d talked to her, the no had been quite soft and flirty—as if she were daring him to ask again. And so he was going to.
“I guess the sports guys need at least one day of their own, huh?”
“Yeah. So what are you doing here? Did you come to drink or…?” her voice drifted off, waiting for a response.
“Nah. I gotta head to work. But I wanted to give you something. Not a Christmas present, okay? But something I’m sure you’ll like.”
Her brows pinched together over her nose and her lips turned downward. “You shouldn’t have gotten me anything.”
“Just reserve your judgment until you see it. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it back. And you don’t have to get me anything in return.” With that, he set a small paper gift bag on the counter.
While he waited for her to pick it up, he felt the anticipation that Christmas morning used to bring when he was a kid—those few moments as he was waking up, realizing Santa had left presents under the tree, he’d hop out of bed and run to the living room, excited to see what he’d gotten. This feeling right now, the eager anticipation of seeing Scarlett’s reaction, was even better.
Her expression remained somewhat stern, her eyes reflecting a touch of dubiousness as she pulled the bag open. He’d purchased the item from Maria, whom he now thought of as the band’s marketing queen, and she’d been the one who suggested placing it in a bag with tissue paper around the shirt itself. Now, as Scarlett pulled the tissue-wrapped gift out of the bag, Kyle was glad he’d taken Maria’s advice. Somehow because she couldn’t see immediately what it was made it all the better.
After removing it from the tissue, she unfolded the cotton fabric to discover what he’d given her: a woman’s size small baby doll-style black t-shirt with the relatively new Intent to Murder logo on the front. He’d never flat-out asked if she liked their music—and, if she didn’t, she probably wouldn’t like the shirt, but he hoped she loved both the shirt and the band.
First, she held the shirt up to her torso to see how it would fit—and, near as Kyle could tell, it was close to perfect. He wouldn’t know for sure until she wore it. “Do you like it okay?”
Finally, she looked up at him, a warm smile spreading across her face. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Like I said, this isn’t a Christmas gift. But I guess I should ask…do you like our music okay?”
“ Like it? I love it. You guys are really good—and Hayley’s voice is spectacular. Have you guys tried to get signed to a label?”
“No, not yet.”
Scarlett refolded the t-shirt, placing it back in the bag. “You should. Your music is better than a lot of stuff I hear here.”
Although Kyle was sure she was exaggerating now, he appreciated the gesture. “Thanks. We’re getting ready to record a CD now. I can hook you up with a copy when they’re done.”
“Only if you’ll let me pay for it.”
“We’ll see.”
Scarlett frowned again, placing the bag under the counter. “What can I get you to drink? It’s on the house.”
“Thanks, but I’m heading to work in a minute.”
“Yeah? Where do you work?”
It was Kyle’s turn to frown, but that was dumb, he thought. He might not be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he didn’t aspire to that. Right now, he held a steady job that paid the bills while he pursued his dream. There was no reason to be ashamed of it. “Burger King.”
“Very cool. I worked at Wendy’s in high school. I’ve heard all fast-food jobs are similar but I haven’t tested that theory.”
“Don’t worry. I have—and you’re not wrong. But I think it all comes down to who’s your boss. I’ve had shitty managers and good managers—and I try to be the kind of team lead I used to like to work for.”
Scarlett nodded, and Kyle couldn’t tell if maybe she was a little bit impressed or just being polite…which meant it was time to shift the conversation to the real reason why he’d come by this afternoon.
“Did you hear that we’ll be playing here two nights a month now?”
This time, her emerald eyes said it all—they sparkled and danced, despite the way she tried to keep her expression neutral. Those eyes just couldn’t hide how she felt inside.
And that gave Kyle the confidence to keep going, even though her voice was calm and cool. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. And since I’ll be here all the time anyway, I thought maybe we should get to know each other better.”
He saw the shields go up as if they were palpable, visible force fields over her entire body. “Aren’t we already doing that?”
“Sort of—but I mean get to know each other outside of the bar. As in a date .”
A soft sigh escaped Scarlett’s lips, one Kyle couldn’t miss even with the low music playing overhead. Her shoulders dropped a bit as she picked up a rag from behind the counter and started wiping down the top of the bar. “We already talked about this, Kyle. I really don’t think I should be mixing business with pleasure.”
“Who said anything about pleasure? I just want to get to know you better.”
“Yeah, and we know where that kind of stuff leads.”
She wasn’t wrong…but what the hell kind of guys had she dated before that made her so cut off from even trying? Kyle’s brain took him back for just a moment as he looked into his not-so-distant past. He’d been a major fucking asshole to Hayley during his darkest days, those moments when he’d acted like a hurt animal, one who’d just wanted to curl up in a ball and die—and she’d been right there, trying to help him, but she’d caught all the shrapnel from his self-destruction.
Maybe Scarlett had been in that kind of relationship.
But Kyle was finally on a steady path—and he and Hayley had mended the broken bridge between them, partly because he’d apologized and gotten his shit together and she’d found it in her heart to forgive him.
As if she could read his face, Scarlett said, “I’m sorry, Kyle. You’re a super-nice guy and I look forward to talking with you whenever you’re here—but I’m really not in a good place to date anyone right now. I, uh…hope you understand.”
He had to ask one more clarifying question. “Are you saying no for now or for forever?”
She’d been focused on the rag as she scrubbed a seemingly stubborn spot on the bar, but when she looked up at him, Kyle sensed a little hesitation before she spoke. “I don’t know.”
That was all he needed to hear. Now he was positive she was recovering from a shitty relationship, and her heart wanted her to move forward but her head was reining her in. It made perfect sense and he respected it.
But he was positive she was interested…just not ready. That meant all he had to do was bide his time.
“Okay. That’s fair.” Kyle slid off the barstool and smiled as warmly as he could. This was not a moment where he felt the need to tuck his tail between his legs. This mission had not been a failure. “I gotta head to work.”
“So I’ll see you soon? At your next show?”
“Tomorrow.”
Her smile practically lit up the room. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Knowing that biding his time meant they’d have lots more moments like this one, he agreed wholeheartedly. “Not as much as I am.”
He walked out of the bar, maybe feeling even more confident than he had when he’d walked in. Winning Scarlett’s heart was just a matter of time.