“What’s wrong with your mom?” Brek asked, covering some kind of bread in a cheese sauce that looked and smelled delicious. “If she’s a looney tune, you have to convince her to go. Babushka and her crew already took the front row tables.” He squinted and dropped his shoulders. “I don’t have the capacity to deal with two locos in one night.”
“Mom’s not like that. She’ll just drivemenuts.”
“Oh, well, then she can stay.” Brek went back to work.
Ugh.
Babushka was Sadie and Heather’s Russian grandmother-in-law. She was a battle-axe with a love of matchmaking grandkids and manipulating everyone into doing what she wanted. Actually, she was a lot like Becca’s mom in that regard. Maybe that ability came with age?
The last time she and the ladies from her retirement home came for drinks, she kept trying to shove dollar bills in the waistbands of the band members.
Though with Linx onstage, actually…maybe this might be fun.
Becca put on her best confident saunter and walked straight into the neon-lit lion’s den. The band was already taking the stage. It didn’t take long before Linx started the set with a Dimefront cover. Though it wasn’t really a cover if he was singing it, since he was in the original band—was it?
The old ladies hooted and hollered from the front row. They waved dollar bills and tossed them at the stage. For what it was worth, Linx rolled with this development. He even caught one bill in his teeth. An eruption of raucous hoots and several more bills flew in his direction.
A few even threw quarters and dimes. Linx had to duck so they didn’t take out an eye or something.
The bouncers did their best to confiscate the change, but it was a losing battle. In all the concerts Becca had seen him play, no one in the audience had ever tossed dollar bills or coins at the band members. Nor had they screamed for him to take off his pants already.
Also, those old ladies could whistle louder than the amps. It was impressive on a large scale.
A tap on her shoulder had Becca glancing behind.
“Which one is the gentleman you’re fond of?” Mom asked, linking her arm with Becca’s.
Becca was in her standard Brek’s Bar tee and jeans, ponytail high on her head. Mom, however, had foregone her standard twinsets for a cute little black sheath dress. She had not swapped out the orthotic shoes, however.
“I’m not fond of him.” No, Becca just wanted to shag him.
“The drummer?” Mom asked. “He’s adorable.”
Gah. No. Not Tanner. Tanner was way too clean cut for Becca’s tastes. He was adorable—don’t get her wrong—but definitely not her type.
“The one singing at the front,” she said.
Mom seemed surprised at that. “He’s got long hair.”
Becca bit the inside of her lip and said, “He does.”
Linx’s hair was not tied back, he wore his on-stage leather pants, and he had the two-day stubble that Becca adored. Deep sigh. He was rocker perfection.
“With hair that dark, I bet he’s got lots of chest hair, too. Did you ask if he manscapes?”
Come again? “If hewhat?”
Yes, she did know what manscape meant. She just didn’t understand why her mother insisted on using words like that.
Becca did, however, know that Linx wasn’t a manscaper. The first night he bartended, she’d seen his chest. He also didn’t have a ton of chest hair. He had the perfect amount of chest hair.
“You know,” Mom said. “Does he take care of it—” She made a circle with her hand in her chest area. “—with scissors and a razor so you’ve got a little traction but not so much that you’ll get rug burn. I tried to get your father to try hot wax, but he refused.” Mom frowned. “Which is a disappointment because Belinda says that it would make things much smoother when we get out the Crisco.”
“Mom.” Becca closed her eyes. She counted to ten then opened them again. “Please don’t talk about you and Dad, hot wax, and Crisco.”
“I didn’t say what we do with it,” Mom said in a huff.
“Have you considered that maybe you spend too much time with Belinda?” Becca asked.
