C’monthinkofaway to see her again…Chase couldn’t let Maggie walk away. He had to do something. “Hey, we could always use some extra help at the bar… if that’s something you might be interested in. Ya know, to earn a little extra money.”
Maggie stopped and turned toward him. “Trust me, I’m not the waitress type. Way too clumsy.”
Shoot… That was a fail…“What about being my manager?”
“Your manager?” Maggie looked at him, confusion creasing her brow. “I thought you were The Break manager.”
“Ah, right. I meant my music manager. I play gigs Friday and Saturday nights and I can always use someone to sell my merch for me. I have a hunch that you’ll be less easily distracted than Arlo, my roommate. Most of the time he’s picking up girls instead of sitting at the merch table.”
Maggie peered up at him. “Who are you? Are you secretly famous? I feel like I’ve watched a series like that on Netflix.”
“No, unfortunately that’s not me—yet. Currently just a poor, starving artist… What do you say, wanna help me out tonight?” Chase knew it was lame to hire Maggie in order to hang out with her, but he couldn’t help it. He needed a reason to see her again.
Maggie pursed her lips momentarily and then responded, “Sure, yeah that sounds good. Although extra cash would be nice, I’m mostly agreeing to this because I wanna hear you sing.”
Chase hesitated. He didn’t usually get nervous while performing. A stage was the place he felt most comfortable, but the idea of Maggie watching him made his legs turn to Jell-O. Shrugging his shoulders, he attempted to respond casually, “It’ll be fun to have you there. What’s your number? I’ll text you the details.”
After punching in her digits, Chase pocketed his phone. “See you tonight. Have a good day at work.”
Maggie nodded his way with her bright eyes and cute grin before heading inside. He couldn’t help but notice her exposed shoulder blades.Never knew I was an upper-back guy, but apparently, I am.
As Chase walked down the street, he threw up a little prayer.Thank you, God. I know I don’t say it enough because you help me all the time, but seriously, thank you for pulling off that one. What are the chances I’d run into Maggie again? I guess pretty good when the God of the universe decides to help you out.Chase looked up at the sky and shook his head.
He couldn’t stop smiling.
Chapter 9
Maggie
AsMaggie’sUberrolledup to a matte black building, she gulped another swig of water. Her mouth felt incredibly dry despite downing sixteen ounces.Great, I’m already super nervous for some reason, and now I’m gonna be peeing the entire night. Why am I anxious? I’m not the one performing.
She stood on the sidewalk and assessed the venue. It was painted completely black, except for the wavy, white font above the door that read, “The Onyx.” As she cautiously entered, she noticed a large, wooden dance floor extending toward a tall stage. Tables dotted the open space. At the back was a bar and off to the right, Maggie saw a white table with CDs, records, and T-shirts strewn about.
The show started at 7 pm but Chase asked her to come around six, so the room was empty except for a few people setting up sound equipment and a lone bartender.
I can’t do this.Maggie turned to speed walk to the exit when she heard her name from somewhere near the stage.
“Maggie, hey!” Chase stood with a mic in one hand and a cord in the other. “Thanks for coming.”
“Hello, sir,” she curtsied. “Glad to be of service.”Why did I suddenly start acting like an 1800s English house maid?
He flashed his sparkling smile, “Well, I appreciate it.” Still holding the sound equipment, he pointed toward the merch table. “So this is where you’ll be. I didn’t really get a chance to set up. We’re having some trouble with one of the amps. I think it’s a faulty cable.”
Maggie blinked at him. He was sporting another white V-neck T-shirt, boot-cut jeans, and brown lace-up boots.No one should be able to make a white T-shirt look that good,Maggie thought to herself.I should have known from first glance that he was too good looking to be a bartender. Of course he’s an undercover rockstar, and now I’m a weird drooling groupie.
“What are you thinking?” Chase eyed her nervously. “Are you regretting coming?”
“No, no. I’m not regretting it. I’m just a little intimidated. I’ve never really been to a place like this. And I’ve definitely never known anyone that’s the star of the show.”
Chase chuckled as he said, “Well, you’re in LA now, so musicians are as common as billboards around here.”
Maggie couldn’t keep her mouth from grinning like a schoolgirl at Chase’s adorable nonchalance. “Well, I’m excited to watch you. What kind of music do you sing?”
“A little bit of everything right now. Still trying to figure out the exact genre I want to be—”
“Yo Chase, I need that cable so we can run a sound check.” A man wearing a backwards baseball hat and flashy sneakers approached. He looked short next to Chase, but who wouldn’t? Chase had to be at least 6’ 3”. Even though he towered over her 5’5” frame, his warm demeanor made any feeling of intimidation vanish.
“Arlo, this is Maggie. Maggie, this is one of my roommates, Arlo.”
