Chapter 17 Not Long Ago
Not Long Ago
The sky was still light at eight p.m. when Paloma took the stage at the Cherry Mill Bar getting older is a lot to accept.”
Jace nodded. “Besides, I don’t go out much because I do events for a living, which means I work long hours and a lot of nights and weekends. By the time I have an evening free, I just want to stay home.”
“You run your own business,” Paloma countered. “If you really wanted more time off, couldn’t you cut back?”
“You’re sounding like the sensible person I am not.”
The beers arrived. As they made small talk about how many brew pubs had sprouted up lately, Paloma wondered why Jace hadn’t come right out and asked if she was seeing anyone.
This was fine by her. In the past twenty years there’d been two men, three women, no cohabitation, and little to look back on with fondness, which was as embarrassing as it was sad.
It seemed like there was no one out there now who made her happy just to wake up beside them day after day.
No one who meant as much to her as Jace had, once upon a time.
Before she embarrassed herself by asking Jace about her recent love life, Paloma got back to the topic at hand. “Well, I’m sorry that Sabine has had to deal with this, but then again, there is life beyond indie music.”
Jace chuckled. “No, there isn’t. You just proved that to me tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
She rested an arm on the back of her chair and casually crossed her legs. “Tom Strager covers? Oldie sing-alongs? In broad daylight?”
“It’s what the audience likes,” Paloma said defensively.
“Screw the audience. You should be playing what you like. Otherwise, why bother?”
“Who says I don’t like it?”
“You’re not playing your own songs.”
“I don’t play my own songs in case some tourist in an Artemis Club T-shirt figures out who I am,” she hissed.