“Oh come on. You’re telling me you can’t see it?” Brock waved his arm, indicating the other students and the farm. “When I met you, you couldn’t even let anyone listen to you play. Now you’re having fun with them. I love it.”
“I have you to thank, big guy.” She squeezed her arm around his.
Brock chuckled. “Naw. I’m just the doof who tried to steal your fiddle.”
Brianna rolled her eyes. “You are way more than that.” She pressed her cheek against his arm. “Thank you again for trying to commit larceny,” she said with a dramatic sigh that cracked both of them up.
But as they walked down the street toward the coffee shop, her enthusiasm faded and her smile started to look forced.
“Hey.” Brock pulled his arm loose from hers and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You’ve still got this.”
“They’re going to tell me to quit.”
“And you’re going to show them the same resolve you’ve had all day and they’ll stop.”
Brianna gave him a vague nod. They’d reached the far edge of the coffee shop’s parking lot. Brock stopped and turned her to him. He kissed her long and slow. “I’m here for you.”
Her smile returned. “Thank you.”
Just before the dinner hour, Riversong Coffee only had a couple of customers plugged into their earbuds and staring at laptops, but the place was by no means quiet. Jazz played overhead as staff bustled around, restocking and cleaning before the evening crowd.
As soon as they walked in the door, a little boy with shaggy brown hair raced up to them. “I’m Kevin. Do you fart when you poop?” Before Brock even had a chance to open his mouth, the kid dashed off again.
Brianna covered her face with one hand. “Oh my God, that’s my littlest cousin. He’s five and slightly toxic.”
“He’s fucking hilarious, you mean.”
“Ugh. Give him five minutes, you’ll change your mind.”
A woman with the same brown hair as Kevin’s jogged up to them. She looked stressed. “What’d my kid say now?” she asked as she tilted her head over her shoulder in the direction Kevin had sped off in.
“Don’t even ask,” Brianna answered as she hugged the woman. “Brock, this is my cousin April. My other cousin, Hannah, is around here somewhere. Brock is doing festival security.”
April kept her arm around Brianna’s waist as she eyed Brock before extending her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Brock shook her hand. She had a grip as firm as the look in her eye. Protective. He liked that for Brianna on one hand, but on the other, he realized this was his first taste of what she might have to go up against to continue doing what she loved.
“So, how’s the workshop going?” April asked her cousin while keeping her eyes on Brock. Her tone sounded too casual, especially in light of the day’s events.
“Great. Brock’s actually been a big help with my rehearsals.”
April’s eyebrow raised slightly before her expression snapped back to neutral. “Good. I’m looking forward to actually hearing you play.”
“She’s amazing,” Brock said.
April shrugged. “Her family wouldn’t know. She’s never played for us.”
Brianna rolled her eyes and stepped away from April. “You know how shy I am.”
That made April smile and roll her eyes right back. “Really, Bri? You chat up the customers like nobody’s business.”
“Well, I’m notfiddlingfor them. That would be totally different.”
“Uh-huh.” A crash sounded somewhere behind them and April and Brianna turned. “Crap, that’s gotta be Kevin.”
“I’ll get him.” Brianna jogged toward the sound before April could take a step.
“Thanks, hun,” she called after her cousin. Then April turned back to Brock.
