Chapter 21
Cole
The Tap was packed when Gavin and I entered. Ryan spotted us and motioned for us to sit at the booth where he and Allie were. She slid over so Gavin could take the inside, and I sat beside him, our legs pressed together where people couldn’t see.
“Look who finally showed.” Ryan leaned back with a grin. “I figured you’d bail again.”
“We were finding a spot to park, not bailing.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were getting some. You’ve got that look.”
Allie swatted his arm. “Don’t be gross.”
“I’m serious. Who is it?”
“No one.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “Uh-huh. You’re grinning at the room for a reason.”
Allie nudged him. “Drop it.”
Ryan held up both hands, still smirking. “Fine. We’re up next anyway. She picked ‘Die With a Smile.’”
“And you promised to stay with me on the chorus.”
“I’ll stay with you. I won’t carry you.”
“You couldn’t carry me.” She stuck out her tongue, and he leaned in and nipped at it, causing her to giggle.
I glanced at Gavin, and he rolled his eyes. “We should get a drink.”
“Hell yeah. I’ll be back.” I slid from the table and walked over to Maggie at the bar. “Hey, Mags. Can I get a Sam Adams and a martini, please?”
“Anything for you, Cole.” She winked and then got to work on my order.
I turned just as Kyle called Allie’s and Ryan’s names.
They climbed onto the stage, and right on cue, Ryan started the first verse, nerves showing for half a line before he found the rhythm.
Allie came in on her part, her tone clear, her smile soft as she matched him.
Their voices blended smoothly on the chorus, neither pushing to be louder than the other.
The Tap went quiet as people listened intently.
On the last chorus, they held the final words together and let them fade before the track cut.
Applause broke out, and when I turned back toward the bar, Maggie had already put my drinks down.
I left her some cash and then took the drinks back to the booth, sliding Gavin his.
“Thanks.”
“Of course.” I winked.
Allie and Ryan came back to the table, Allie flushed and Ryan shaking his head like he couldn’t believe it went that well.
“Your turn,” Allie told me.
“I’ll put my name down.” I stood and walked over, writing my name and chosen song down before handing the sheet back to Kyle.
When I returned to the table, my leg rested against Gavin’s again. Paige came by with a drink in her hand. She stopped at our booth and leaned her free hand on the edge of the seat I was leaning back on. Before she even spoke, my mind went to her grandma cornering me at the tree farm.
“Hi, Cole. My grandma told me she ran into you while you were picking out your tree.” She rolled her eyes, apology already there. “Sorry about her. She means well, even if it doesn’t seem like it.”
“Just another day running into Bonnie Perkins. It’s cool. I handled it.”
“I figured you did.” Paige tapped her straw on her glass and looked at me for a beat. “But if you did want to grab a bite while I’m in town, I’d be up for it.”
I felt Gavin pull his leg away from mine, but I didn’t turn to look at him. My eyes stayed on Paige.
“Like I told your grandma, work is keeping me busy and tired, but if that changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Sounds good. See you around, and you too, Ryan.” She turned away and moved back toward her friends.
“Who was that?” Allie asked.
“The one I thought Cole was banging,” Ryan stated.
I narrowed my eyes. “Firstly, fuck off. And secondly, her grandma tried to set us up.”
“Cole took her for a coffee date,” Gavin chimed in.
I shook my head and closed my eyes. He knew it wasn’t a date.
“Oh.” Allie perked up. “That was when we first came to Brookhaven, right? We saw you together at Maple & Mug.”
“Yep.” Gavin popped the P as he responded.
“It was a favor to Mrs. Perkins,” I argued. “Nothing more.”
“But by the looks of it, Paige would be down to fuck,” Ryan announced.
“You know I’m not interested in her,” I shot back.
“Then who are you fucking? Because I know you’re getting it somewhere.”
“You don’t know shit.” I glared and took a pull of my beer.
Before he could say anything further, Kyle called my name.
I climbed onto the stage and took the mic.
The screen lit with the lyrics to “Simple Man.” The opening took me straight to my parents’ kitchen and my mom telling me to slow down, to listen, and to keep my word, even when it costs more than I planned.
When the song turned to what life should be, I didn’t think about work. I thought about who I wanted to be. A good son. A brother who shows up. Someone Gavin could count on, even if our secret stayed between us.
When the line about finding the right person came around, I ignored the details and kept what mattered: love can settle you if you let it. The song pressed on, talking about following your heart, I found Gavin’s eyes and held them for a beat. I meant it. All of it.
By the last lines, the bar was quiet. I finished clean, let the track cut, and the clapping came strong and loud. I nodded to Kyle, set the mic on its stand, and stepped down.
“Ladies and gentlemen, will someone get that man a recording deal?” Kyle said into his mic as I walked back to the table.
I slid in beside Gavin again, and he said, “I think I could listen to you sing twenty-four-seven. You need to do it more.”
“Yeah? Well, I want to hear you sing. Put your name in.”
He started to shake his head. “I don’t usually sing in bars.”
“Come on, Gav,” Allie spoke. “You have a good voice too. Do it!”
“Yeah, Gav. Do it.” I smirked.
He took a deep breath. “All right.”
I moved out of the seat so he could slide out, and then he went up to the binder, flipped some pages, and then wrote on the sign-up sheet before coming back.
“What song did you pick?” Ryan asked.
“Just a little musical number.”
I raised an eyebrow. “A musical number?”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with musicals?”
I chuckled. “Nothing.”
Two singers went ahead of him, then Kyle called him up.
He walked onto the stage, nodded, and faced the screen. The opening notes started, and people cheered.
“What song is this?” I asked Allie.
“‘Rewrite the Stars’,” she answered.
“What is it from?” I wondered aloud as Gavin started to sing about wanting someone, and it not being a secret he can hide.
“The Greatest Showman,” Allie responded. “But it’s a duet.”
“Really?” My mouth fell open, watching as he sang every word, singing about rewriting destiny. He sang what I assumed were both parts, and he closed his eyes for most of the song. I wondered if he was singing directly to me.
Gavin carried it to the end, left the mic on its stand, and stepped down. The applause came fast, a few cheers with it. Some people only looked at each other as though they were in shock.
Mike Barnes, the fire chief and Pete’s boss, stopped by our table with a non-alcoholic Heineken in his hand. “Damn, Maddox. You two would be fire singing together.”
If he only knew the heat we had together.
“Yeah,” Allie agreed. “Both of you make everyone lean closer just to hear how beautifully you can sing.”
“Let me be your manager?” Ryan teased. At least, I thought he was joking.
I chuckled slightly. “What would we call ourselves? The Handyman and the Big City Writer?”
Gavin shook his head. “That’s catchy in the worst way.”
“You two have talent,” Mike chimed in. “But we’re happy to keep you performing just for us. See you next week.”
We stuck around for a few more songs. Ryan kept needling me across the table, Allie kept grinning, and people drifted over to talk about the storm that might roll in overnight.
Through all of it, Gavin’s leg rested against mine and stayed there, a quiet anchor under the table that I didn’t question.
When it felt late enough to slip out, I caught his eye and tipped my head toward the door. He nodded, and we slid from the table.
“We’re going to head out,” I told Ryan and Allie.
“Already?” Ryan furrowed his brow.
“You know, work at seven a.m. Boss is a hard ass.” I playfully nudged Gavin’s arm.
“Your so-called boss lives with you now. Doubt he’d fire you,” Ryan challenged.
“Just let them go, babe. We should go too, if you know what I mean.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.
He hurried to get out of the booth. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Outside, snow dusted the lot, and the freezing air cut through my coat.
We moved quickly to my truck, saying our final goodbyes, and then climbed in.
Once I got the heat blasting, Gavin shifted closer without a word, his hand on my knee over the console, and kept it there while I pulled onto Spruce Street.
The wipers worked steadily as we traversed the empty roads, and the town lights fell away behind us until it was only headlights on white.
“I had fun tonight. Did you?” he asked.
“Yeah. I always go to karaoke unless someone shows up at my door when I only have a towel around my waist.”
His lips curved. “Lucky for me, I showed up when I did.”
“Lucky for you. Anyone else and I’d have called the cops.”
He squeezed my knee. “So, I’m the exception?”
“For now,” I teased, giving him a look. “Depends on if you keep making me miss karaoke.”
“Missing it last week worked out.”
“It did,” I agreed, heat spreading across my skin. “Now let’s see if you can make the rest of tonight work out too.”
He leaned closer, his grin lit by the dash. “I think I can.”
At the house, the porch light threw a soft glow across the steps.
I unlocked the door and held it open for Gavin.
The tree lights blinked from the corner, and the faint scent of pine filled the living room.
I hooked my coat on the peg, turned, and he was on me, his mouth firm and his tongue slipping past my lips.