She looked at him with an open innocent expression. “What?”
“He’s mad 'cause you got it wrong. It should have been more like this,” Jared leapt to join her on the ground. His hair was a blur of red as he landed, making a slight variation during his air guitar, which actually looked like he was playing since he was a rather skilled rhythm guitarist.
“No, neither of you are leaning back far enough.” Wes climbed on to the seat next to me, feet planted on the faux leather, ready to leap over my lap to join the others on the floor. “Let me try.” Mid-step, he was yanked down, anoomphescaping him as the breath was knocked from his lungs.
Garrett released the back of Wes’s shirt and turned his attention to Jared and Evelyn, sighing as he looked through his glasses and down his slender nose at them “We get it. The power slide was cool. Can everyone just sit down?” I smiled to myself thinking about how often he must have played disappointed dad over the last few months. He was always the most serious of the bunch. “We’re going to get kicked out and I’m not done eating.”
“Fine. But one day we’ll walk in here and they’ll beg us to power slide across their floors.” Jared rose to his feet then helped Evelyn up too.
Wes leaned close to me and whispered so I was the only one who could hear. “Admit it, you missed us.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m just here to show your fans what real music sounds like.”
“Rude.”
My shoulder bumped his. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
We finished eating and when the bill came, I pulled out my card faster than anyone else could and handed it to our waitress. “Take this and run!”
“You can’t do that. We’re celebratingyourbirthday.” Wes stretched his arm across the table to snag the card, but the waitress was already leaving.
“Yeah, what gives?” Jared asked.
“Consider it a thank you for inviting me on the tour. Seriously, tonight’s been priceless.” I was finally back on stage; dinner was nothing compared to what they’d given me tonight. By the end of my set, I felt like my old self, sloughing off the rust I’d collected living with my grandparents.
“See if you still feel that way after five back-to-back tour bus rides,” Garrett grumbled, as Wes shot him a warning look. “What? I’m just telling her to brace herself. Jesus.”
“Before Garrett kills the mood entirely,” Wes said, “we should head back to the hotel for the little surprise I have planned.”
“Oh?” I cocked my head.
“This is Vegas, baby! We need to make some worthy memories.” He waggled his brows at me, looping an arm around my shoulder so his fingers grazed across my skin. My stomach flipped again. I really needed to figure out how to get that under control. I was going to be with them for months in tight spaces and I didn’t want anything to change now that I finally had him back.
“And that’s our cue to head out,” Luca said as he slipped from the table. “Come on, Ev. Time to call it a night.”
“No. I’m going to the party.” Evelyn looked to me for confirmation.
“I don’t have a problem with it.” I shrugged. I liked Evelyn, she was three years younger but usually the only other girl around and I’d absolutely consider her a friend.
“See! I’m invited,” Evelyn said. “What’s the point of coming here without an adult if I can’t have fun.”
Luca shot me a glance, his jaw clenching, as if to sayseriously not helping.“Because Mom and Dad will actually murder me if they find out.”
Evelyn sighed, but stopped pushing the matter, following her brother out but despondently dragging her feet as she did so.
“Don’t worry, I’ll have an extra drink in your honor!” Jared called out.
I was muffling a laugh, basking in the pure joy of being with my favorite people, when our waitress returned. “Ma’am, there seems to be an issue with your card.”
My eyes flicked around the table but no one else seemed to hear. “I have other ones you can try.” Even as I spoke my gut twisted.
“Of course, if you would follow me,” she said, eying our rowdy group with mild distrust.
“I’ll be right back.” I stood, my heart rattling in my chest. It’s probably no big deal. The credit card company probably just thought it was a fraud charge.
At the service stand we tried a second card butDECLINEDflared across the screen in bright angry letters. A suffocating flush of embarrassment crawled up my neck.
“Sorry, is there another one you’d like to try?” she asked.
