He signals to the server, then gives me one of his shit-eating grins. “You’re being obvious, man.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Right.” He claps my shoulder.
I take a drink and try to focus on the conversation. Try not to notice how easily Summer fits in. Hannah’s talking about the wedding like she’s already on the guest list. Natalie’s asking if she wants to visit her in whatever city she’s working next. Foxand Mia are trying to convince her to stay in Chicago after the album is recorded.
She shakes her head, but is that hesitation? Or am I just seeing what I want to see?
I like that my friends are welcoming her. That they’re trying to make her part of our slightly dysfunctional found family.
She looks like she belongs here. With my friends. In my life.
That should feel good.
Itdoesfeel good.
Which is exactly the problem.
Because she’s leaving.
Helm drops the drinks hard enough to rattle the bottles and snap me out of my daze.
“What kind of music do you make?” Natalie asks. “Like, gonna-key-your-car country or swept-off-your-feet country?”
Summer laughs. “Is that the official classification system?”
Natalie shrugs. “It should be.”
“Maybe a mix? We’ve only finished one song.”
“Oh, what’s it called?” Natalie sips what looks like a vodka tonic.
Summer’s gaze darts to me before it returns to Natalie. “Promise Me Tomorrow.”
“You should play a show here,” Hannah adds. “I know it’s nothing like the Nashville music scene, but there’s got to be some open mic nights or something. Could be fun.”
“Good idea, Sunshine.” Logan pulls her back against him, kissing her shoulder before whispering in her ear.
“I wanna be there,” Natalie whines. “Do it when I’m in town.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Summer smiles, then takes a sip of her Budweiser.
Her throat works as she swallows. My gaze flicks back up, and she’s watching me, still grinning, but this one feels just for me.
I love the way she looks at me, her face so expressive, or maybe I’ve just picked up on all her tells. It’s like we’re talking without needing to exchange words.
Then Mia and Fox pull her into their debate about something I don’t catch. The conversation flows, and Summer’s in the middle of it, laughing and gesturing with her hands in that way she does when she’s excited.
She catches my eye as she stands, says something to Ada as she passes her, then makes her way to me. At my side, she nudges her shoulder into my arm.
“Remember the last time we were here?” Her voice is low.
I turn toward her, angling my back to the table to give us some privacy.
How could I ever forget?I raise a brow, opting for safer ground. “Is this you challenging me to a Scrabble rematch?”
She leans further into my space. “Challenging you to a rematch implies you won last time.”
