Brighton laughed through the tightness in her throat. “You clearly don’t know Charlotte Donovan very well.”
Adele shrugged. “I don’t, you’re right. But I do know what running scared shitless looks like, and Charlotte is—”
“Adele, stop.” Brighton held up her hand, sighed. “Look, I know you’re trying to help, but just…don’t. Okay? I’m fine.”
Adele sniffed. “Sloane hasn’t mentioned her much, though I know they all reunited in London a few days ago. In case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t.” Brighton kept her eyes on her computer screen, her vision blurring on the Station Inn’s booking page. She was lying, of course—every single day she had to stop herself from asking Adele if Sloane had said anything about Charlotte. She knew Sloane had been pretty pissed at Charlotte too, and part of Brighton really did just want to know if they’d worked it out.
The other part was hungry—dying of starvation, really—for any indication that Charlotte wondered about her too.
A bad habit.
And like any bad habit, she needed to wean herself off Charlotte Donovan. Eventually, she’d stop wondering. Eventually, her mind would stop wandering back to their time in Winter River, to their time as kids, as teenagers, even to their time in New York. Eventually, she’d stop feeling that thrum between her legs at the mere thought of Charlotte’s mouth. Eventually, her chest would stop feeling like she’d been punched when she heard a violin play.
Eventually, she’d stop thinking about everything she would’ve done differently.
She shook her head, needing to focus on something else. She clicked over to the Katies’ website, just like she’d been doing at least a dozen times a day since she’d gotten back, wondering what the hell to do about “December Light.” She really didn’t want to get lawyers involved. She had dated proof in her notebook thatshe had written the song, not to mention the track she and Lola had laid down at a studio in Grand Rapids, which she knew meant she owned the copyright automatically. Still, it all seemed so messy and involved. But she also knew she couldn’t just let it go. “December Light,” while bittersweet, was her song.
Theirsong.
And no matter how much Brighton was determined to finally move on, Charlotte was a huge part of her history, her story. And that song…it meant something.
Hell if she was going to let the Katies simply take it.
She clicked on their schedule page, her eyes snagging on today’s date in a very long list of upcoming concert dates. She leaned closer, made sure she was reading the information correctly.
“Hey,” Adele said, leaning on her forearms, the sleeves of her checkered button-up rolled to her elbows. “Idea.”
Brighton looked up. “Oh?”
“I think you should play here.”
“Here?”
“At Ampersand. You’re comfortable here. I’ve got some slots open in January. It’d be a great way to get your feet wet again. This could be your home base.”
Brighton sat back, folded her arms. It wasn’t a bad idea. Ampersand was small but reputable. Already, a few bigger names had come through here, up-and-comers who went on to make real names for themselves beyond the Nashville bubble. And god, Brighton wanted to play. She’d already written two new songs since being back in town—as everyone knew, romantic misery was excellent fodder for art—and she was starting to feel restless, that artist’s need to not only create but also put that creation out into the world.
“Okay,” she said before she talked herself out of it. “You sure you don’t mind?”
Adele frowned. “Mind? Are you kidding? Baby girl, you’regood. You’ll bring in business, I have no doubt. Deal with it.”
She slapped a bar towel at Brighton’s arm. Brighton laughed and grabbed it, pulling on the end. “Okay, but first…I need you to do something with me. Tonight.”
Adele tilted her head, a mischievous grin already settling on her face.
Chapter 28
Brighton could barely breathe inthis crowd, but she kept ahold of Adele’s hand and wove them through the bodies, the dim lights casting everyone into shadow.
She was determined to be front and center for this show.
3rd and Lindsley was a popular music venue and bar, but it was small, the audience space just a freestanding area in front of a raised stage. The Katies used to play here right after they booted Brighton from their midst—they were never even big enough to get into this place when Brighton was at the mic—and soon after, their popularity exploded. So it was no surprise they still played here, the origin of their more humble beginnings.
And it was no surprise the place was absolutely packed.
Brighton finally worked her way to the front, Adele cool and calm beside her.
