Um… She shook her head. Oh, she wanted Linx’s candy, but at the moment she was dealing with a malfunctioning automobile.
“Do you always carry candy in your pocket?” she asked, purely for scientific purposes.
Not really, they were for her own purposes but, whatever.
“No.” He pulled off his gloves and shoved them in his coat pockets before cracking open the wrapper. He bit off a chunk like a heathen instead of pulling apart the bars first. “I ran over to the gas station to grab some jerky for Gibson. He’s pissed at me.” Linx held up a Slim Jim in his other hand.
Becca made a mental note that there was a gas station nearby. That gas station probably had an attendant. That attendant likely had access to a working telephone. Therefore, the next time she ran out of batteries in her cell, got locked out of the bar, her car sounded like a meat grinder, and a mega rock star and two auto mechanics didn’t show up, she’d know exactly where to go.
“I figured maybe this might help him get over it.” The Slim Jim in Linx’s hand kind of fell limp to the left. She refocused away from Linx’s limp meat back to his face. “Gibson, as in your cat?”
“Uh huh.” Linx held the now mangled Kit Kat out to Becca. “I grabbed this for me, but I’m happy to share.”
She didn’t take it. “If I take your chocolate, will you require reciprocity?”
“No, not this time. Consider it a freebie.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because you look cranky and chocolate always makes me feel less cranky. I don’t like being around cranky people, so technically, if you eat it, I’d owe you a favor since it’d be more for me than you.” He bit another chunk out of the side.
“That makes no sense at all.”
He shrugged. “Let me know if you change your mind.” He turned his attention to the other guys. “Where are we at with the vehicle situation?”
“Tow truck’s coming,” Mach said, picking up one of the equipment cases from where he’d set it on the frozen asphalt. He handed it off to Tanner. “He can drop Becca off on the way to the shop.”
Linx gave a little headshake. “Nah. I’ll drive Becca home.”
“You’re trying very hard to get me in your debt,” she muttered, low enough for just him.
“I’m trying very hard to make your night not suck.” He bit off another heathen bite of chocolate.
“Uh… Mr. Linx?” Tanner asked, shifting from foot to foot.
“Just Linx,” Linx corrected. “Or Cedric.”
“I just wanted to tell you how much your music has meant to me.” Tanner shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “Mach and Lucky and me. We love Dimefront.”
“Thanks, man.” Linx clapped Tanner on the shoulder. “You guys have a good sound. Not just with the covers, either.”
“Lucky writes our songs. He played keyboard tonight. Sang with you last time.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Linx spread his stance. “Switching the lead.”
“We take turns.” Mach reached a hand to shake Linx’s.
Linx shook it. They did another version of the name thing. Linx, also asking if Mach was his actual name and seeming intrigued that it was.
Becca had started out giving Linx a load of crap about his philosophies, but here he was, shooting the shit with a couple of guys who looked up to him. The yawn she’d been holding back since she left work finally made it to the surface. Knackered didn’t even begin to describe her level of fatigue.
Linx narrowed his eyes in her direction, thoughtful, soft. “I should get her home. She’s wiped. You guys mind handling the tow?”
They didn’t. And even if they did, they probably wouldn’t have said anything. He was Linx and they were star struck.
