As I took a big gulp of my drink, I lifted my eyebrows in her direction. “You’re welcome?”
She barked out a laugh, and I followed.
“Hey, I was with Mr. Gage ‘Curmudgeon’ Parker every day before you two got together. He was miserable. And I had a hunch the two of you would hit it off but knew he would resist any suggestion I gave about it. I had to get creative.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder, hugging me. “I love you for it, girl. I really do. He’s my soul mate, I’m sure of it.”
We continued talking while finishing our drinks. My mind kept drifting to the idea that her and Gage’s relationship started on a sour note for her. It gave me hope I could push through.
“Let’s head back to the table, I don’t want to miss the start of the live music,” I said.
As we stood, she stopped me. “You good? Like, do you need to talk about anything else? We could meet up next week after the party if you want, maybe do dinner.”
“How about the four of us do dinner?” I suggested. “Or maybe the six of us? Mitch and Evie are seeing each other. That would be fun.”
“It’s a date. Put it on your boss’s calendar.”
As we approached the now even larger group, Evie ran up to us.
“Where the hell have you guys been? I’ve been stuck here with finance bros and girls I don’t know.”
She latched on to our arms for dear life as she dragged us to some empty chairs. Pushing us into our seats, she poured us each a beer, sat between us, and held up her glass.
“Cheers, bitches!” she yelled. “And by the way, who the hell is the fancy bitch in the leather pants? I’ve never seen her before, the guys are drooling all over her, and do I need to be worried?”
As I looked to the other end of the table, Mallory was being bombarded by the juniors in the company. I wanted to save her.
“That’s Mallory,” I told her. “Chase’s new assistant. She’s super sweet. I think we should bring her down here with us.”
Harper stood to rescue her, and when she did, Jerry went to the mic.
“Live night at Iggy’s!”
The crowd cheered.
“How y’all doing tonight? We have some of our good ole standbys you’re used to, but some fresh meat I think you’ll enjoy hearing as well. Make them all feel welcome. First up, you know and love her, let’s hear it for Katie Marie.”
Harper pulled up another chair for Mallory, who sat next to me. We all faced the stage, anxiously awaiting for Katie to start.
“Thanks for the invite to sit with the girls,” Mallory said in my ear.
My hand went to her leg with a compassionate tap. “Of course. You don’t need to deal with those bozos. You’re always welcome with us.”
There were enough bitches I dealt with at the office when I started. I vowed to never be one and to welcome newcomers the way I would have enjoyed being welcomed. Gage knew I worked on changing the climate in the company that way. He continued to praise me for it.
The music started, and we all got lost in her voice. She sang popular rock songs, and she did them well. The entire bar sang along with many, much like on karaoke nights.
Suddenly, my palms were sweaty and my heart was racing. Looking around, everyone was singing along and having a good time. But I was nervous for my guy. This was so important to him. I wanted him, no, I needed him to succeed.
The next several performers were a blur to me. I clapped, I listened. But I bided my time simply waiting for Chase.
“Next, we have a special treat for you. Not only does this guy have a one-of-a-kind voice, but he’s playing his guitar for you tonight as well. He’s the total package. Let’s hear it for Chase Parker!”
The place went wild. Not just our corner of the bar, the entire establishment went crazy for Chase when he walked on stage. More people were here for him than we realized. People we didn’t know.
As he approached the microphone and took a seat on the stool, he peered into the crowd. To my surprise, he seemed calm.
More than calm.
