Babushka, who had picked up her pace.
If he hazarded a guess, Babushka was going to rec room two, where who knew what was planned.
He didn’t particularly care though since she’d taken off and that left him alone with Sam to walk together.
“She’s headed to the rec room,” he said, hoping for the nonchalance of bass player Linx, adding in half-a-dash of lead singer Bax’s confidence.
Look at him Frankensteining the perfect personality.
Sam nodded and looked at him, wide eyed. “I’m a little concerned. Whenever she gets that pep in her step it usually means more work for me.”
“But sometimes it involves cake,” Tanner said with a Linx-esque grin.
“This is true,” Sam agreed, her thick brown hair falling across her shoulders, tracing her back to the middle of her spine. “You come by a lot?”
“Yup,” he nodded. “This crew keeps me on my toes when I’m in town.”
“How have we not met?” she asked.
“I was out of town,” he said, hoping that was safe enough.
When a guy wanted to get laid, he opened with the whole drummer for a mega-band thing. When he wanted to truly get to know a person, he went with the more subtle approach.
He should ask her something. What would Linx ask?
“What are the odds of cake?” he asked.
“Not great,” Sam said, giving him a funny look like he’d dropped a cracker or two.
“I like cake,” he said, still channeling Linx. Truth of it was he preferred ice cream. But he’d already got himself invested in the whole Linx-loves-cake-so-I-do-too sitch.
“It’s too quiet for dessert,” Sam said, picking up speed to move double time down the hallway. “Nothing good comes when this crew gets quiet.”
He didn’t disagree. That’s why he played instruments instead of attempting to wrangle them by applying for a job at this joint. A person might think it’d be simple to take care of his friends here at the Purple Peony. A person would also be wrong. Very wrong.
“They are here,” Babushka flung the door to the rec room open and clapped her hands together.
Everyone else joined in on the applause.
Literally, everyone else. A solid twenty men and women from the retirement home had all joined them for whatever the hell this was.
“What…?” Sam asked under her breath.
She frowned.
There was a whole lot of clapping going on. Hoots and hollers like they’d just got onstage or just finished tying the knot. He could handle this, because Linx would eat it up.
Linx would bow.
So that’s what Tanner did.
Honestly, nothing much surprised him with this group anymore. But Sam? Sam seemed surprised, what with the quick startle and the small step backward.
Once she worked here longer, she’d get over that. Because this place was always a surprise. That was part of the magic of the Purple Peony. Part of the reason he enjoyed stopping by.
“You are right on time,” Etta said, winking heavily at Sam.
“On time for what?” Sam asked, more than a little confused.
