“Thank you,” I managed to croak.
“The keys are still in the ignition, and you’ll have to adjust the seat,” he explained.
“Great. I’ll uh, be by in a few weeks to make another payment?” It came out more like a question since I’d basically lost most of my brain function.
“That works. And unless you need anything else, I’ll see you tonight.”
“Right. Tonight. I’ll, uh, see you then.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
So was I. With a quick nod and small smile, I turned and left the auto shop. Only once I was in my car and driving down the road did I finally feel the tension leave my body as I expelled a long breath.
Holy fuck. I was in trouble. Big trouble.
And I’d be lying to myself if I said I wanted anyone else but Stellan to dole out my punishment.
8
Stellan
My sunglasses were firmly on my face, my saxophone case in my hands, and my hair was hanging loosely around my shoulders with only enough pulled back that it wasn’t in my face. With the rest of the guys beside me, we walked into Clancy’s like we owned the place, and as cocky as it sounded, on the night we played…we did.
Mina had informed me that the crowd was nearly doubled on nights we played compared to others. When I pointed out that maybe it was a fluke and just a typical Saturday night, she shook her head and swore it was because of our following. That had pride swelling in my chest, knowing that me and the guys had a good thing going and hopefully the momentum would continue. But rather than worry about what could possibly happen, I would just enjoy the ride in the meantime.
“What’s with your hair?” Baylor asked as he sat behind the drum set and started fiddling with his sticks.
I shrugged. “Thought I’d try something different.”
What did it matter to them how I wore my hair? Down. Up. It was only hair, and it didn’t fucking matter how it was done. And there was no way in hell I was trying to look extra good that night for Foster. No way at all.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Stellan.
Weston cackled. “I call bullshit. You always say it gets in your way when you’re playing.”
“That’s why some of it is still pulled back,” I explained with a shrug, not letting their ribbing get to me.
“So you say. Who are you trying to impress?”
I didn’t say anything as I popped a reed in my mouth to moisten it. The guys took the cue that I wasn’t in the mood for their shit, so they started tinkering with their own instruments as I worked on getting mine put together. After deeming the reed wet enough, I lined it up to fit it properly into the mouthpiece before assembling the rest of my instrument. Once I made sure the ligature was tight enough to hold the reed in place, I put the strap around my neck and applied a small amount of grease on the neck so the cork could slide on easily. Finally, I twisted the entire mouthpiece into place and attached it to the neck strap.
“Are you finished?” Maverick asked.
“With what?” I queried as I tested different pitches to make sure it was tuned properly.
“Avoiding the conversation. Usually you’re quick to give us snarky one-liners, but this time you completely dodged the conversation.”
“Maybe I just didn’t care for what you guys had to say.”
I looked up to see Baylor, Weston, and Maverick all sharing a look.
“Damn, it’s worse than we thought,” Baylor whisper yelled.
“I wonder who it is. Could be a fan,” Weston chimed in.
“Maybe it’s someone who—”
“Enough,” I snapped. “We’re here to play, not gossip like a bunch of high schoolers.”
“Whoa. That bad, huh?” Baylor snickered, not dropping the subject.
I sighed and stole a glance at the man behind the bar. Thanks to my sunglasses, the other guys couldn’t follow my gaze, but once the lights dimmed, I’d have to take them off. And every time I saw him chatting up a customer, or saw a particular person lean too close, something inside me would rage, and I’d have to remind myself I didn’t have the right to get territorial.
He was nothing to me. Not even a friend. I was just the person who played at the bar where he worked, and who fixed his car. But maybe I could rectify that...
“Okay, enough guys. Are we ready?” Maverick asked.
Taking off my sunglasses, I clipped them onto my music stand. We all gave our affirmatives and took position before Maverick started playing the opening notes to a popular number. Soon the rest of us were joining in, the lights dimmed completely, and hundreds of eyes were on us. But I didn’t care about everyone else watching me, only the man behind the bar. In the few times we’d interacted, the innocent bartender had gotten under my skin and he had no idea. So I didn’t play for anyone else, only for him as I poured my heart and soul into my music.
When we paused to take a break, I walked up to the bar while the other guys dispersed and was grateful there was an empty seat.
“Here you go,” Mina said as she placed a bottle of water in front of me with a flourish.
“Thanks,” I told her before removing the cap and taking a long swig.
But my attention wasn’t on her, but instead on the man at the other end of the bar. I watched as he flashed a pretty brunette a wide smile, and an invisible fist tightened around my chest when she leaned closer and placed her hand on his forearm.
I hadn’t realized I’d reacted until I heard a growl rip from my throat as I squeezed the bottle in my hand, causing water to spill from the top onto the counter.
“Easy there, big guy,” Mina said as she grabbed a towel to mop up the mess.
“Sorry,” I grumbled as I loosened my grip and sat the water bottle down.
“It’s only water, and the counter could use a wipe-down, anyway.”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Foster, though. And rather than look anywhere else, I kept my eyes trained on him while he continued to chat up the brunette. I seethed as I watched him stretch across the bar to whisper something in her hear and she tilted her head back to give a hearty laugh. What were they laughing about? I wanted in on the joke, too. Not that I liked jokes; I just wanted Foster to whisper them into my ear.
“You know, this might sound like a crazy idea, but you could just walk over there and actually talk to him,” Mina suggested.
I turned my head sharply to stare at Mina and winced when my neck cracked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mina shot me a knowing look before casting her shrewd eyes on Foster. “Uh-huh, whatever you say. But you really have nothing to worry about.”
I shrugged. “I’m not worried about anything.” But the way my eyes instantly went back over to Foster told a different story.
Mina chuckled before yelling out, “Erica,” and I watched as the pretty brunette made her way over toward us. Her smile was already radiant, but only got wider the closer she got to us. Of course, if I had Foster whispering in my ear while casting that smile in my direction, I’d be grinning like that too. But no sooner did that thought enter my mind than she and Mina both leaned across the bar to give each other a lingering kiss.