Dare nodded, looking disappointed. “Well, good night, ladies. Thanks for playing with us.”
“Seriously, any time. That was the most fun I’ve had playing in a while,” Lara laughed.
I wanted to hug Dare goodbye, but far too many eyes were on us now. “I’ll text you later?” I said, my voice barely audible over the sounds of the bar. Dare nodded, relaxing at my suggestion.
Lara and I started toward the door, but before we could leave, George stopped us. “That was a wonderful performance! If you ladies ever feel like playing again, give me a call. I’d be happy to have you on my stage.”
“Thanks, George!” I gushed, feeling overwhelmed and excited. Lara looped her free arm through my arm as we continued out the door.
“Holy crap. Did we just get invited back?” she asked, as if she couldn’t believe it. I was having a difficult time processing the events of the night too. When I’d invited Lara out to The Wharf, I hadn’t anticipated we’d end up on stage.
“I think so,” I laughed, stepping out onto the sidewalk. The bitter cold wind coming off the water stole the breath from my lungs for a minute, shocking my system. “That was incredible, wasn’t it?”
“You’re going to take him up on his offer to go back, right?” Lara asked, reaching into her coat pocket for her keys.
“Maybe. After I tell my dad…” I trailed off, thinking about the huge list of things I had to eventually tell my father.
“Do you really think he’ll be mad?” Lara asked, looking surprised. “I mean, it’s just a gig at a local bar.”
“I don’t know how he’s going to handleeverythingI have to tell him. That I’ve been working on my debut album behind everyone’s back, I want to perform on stage, I want to go on tour, I want to spend my days making music…and Dare. He’sreallynot going to be happy about the last one.”
“Who cares?” Lara shrugged, unlooping her arm from mine and approaching the back of her car to put her violin in the trunk. “Most fathers don’t approve of the men their daughters date. That’s nothing new. You should meet mine.”
“Have you ever brought someone home?”
“Hell no. I know my dad well enough to know it’d be nothing but an interrogation.”
“I guess you’d have to date them a little longer than a week to justify putting them through that,” I teased.
Lara winced, but recovered quickly, pasting a smile on her lips. “Well, I always say no repeats unless there’s that…spark. You and Dare have a spark. It’s obvious, and even if I didn’t recognize you…I would have known after tonight. It’s probably good you’re bailing early, otherwise, Cal would pick up on it too.”
I opened the passenger door and climbed in. I waited for her to do the same, and once she’d closed her door, I responded, “I’m going to tell him when things calm down for him. He’s got a lot on his plate.”
“But he’s going to catch wind sooner or later, especially if you guys are around each other. What are you going to do, avoid Dare when everyone else is around? Kinda cold.”
“No, of course not.” I sighed, the tension headache returning. “It’s complicated though.”
“It’s only complicated becauseyou’recomplicating things,” Lara shot back. “At the end of the day, you love Dare, right?”
“Yes.”
“And even if your father disapproves, you’re still going to love him…right?”
“Right…”
“Then stop denying that poor man. It’s clear he just wants to be with you, let him,” Lara said. She put her car in drive and pulled out of the parking space, heading toward my parents’ house.
I mulled over Lara’s words on the short drive, and when she pulled into the driveway, she turned to me. “Look, I don’t mean to put pressure on you. I know it’s coming at you from all sides already. But I just want to see you happy, and you can’t be happy if you’re hiding the things that make you happy.”
Dare had said something similar. I sighed.
“You’re not wrong. Text me when you get back to the dorms?”
“Of course. Thanks for a fun night out!” Lara grinned as I climbed out. The front porch light was still on, though it was just after midnight. I unlocked the door and went inside.
I tugged off my dress boots and hung up my coat, pausing by the living room doorway.
Dad was sitting in the living room. A couple of beer cans sat on the end table beside him. I could feel his mood rolling off him like a storm brewing.
