“They’re just people, Molly,” I responded with a shrug.
“C’mon, give me a little more than that.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay. Silas is a little quiet, but he’s sincere and encouraging. He’s been coaching me a lot, since we’re both guitar players, and it’s been incredible to learn from him. Cole is funny and easy to get along with. He’s the kind of guy that everyone likes immediately. I’m still getting to know Ezra, but he strikes me as kind and levelheaded. He has a more mature air to him compared to the other guys. And Abel is…a brilliant singer. He’s producing the album.”
She hummed in response. “And which one is the most attractive, in your opinion?”
“Molly!”
“Oh, please. Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t noticed you’re surrounded by four really,really, good-looking men. Come on, Ade. Nothing wrong with a little innocent crush.”
I bit my tongue. Sure, there was nothing wrong with one crush, but how about three? A part of me was glad Abel was acting cold to me. At least that helped me ignore the way my entire body reacted to him when he sang.
“It’s a job, Molly. Not a hunting ground.”
She snorted. “Fine. Anything else I should know?”
“Don’t bring up Charlie, the member who died. They’re still grieving him,” I explained.
“Got it,” she said, and I knew she did.
A ringing bell announced our arrival at the restaurant. I scanned the rows of tables covered in checkered red and white table cloths, topped with delicate jars of olive oil and crushed chilies. The smell of baked dough wafted through the restaurant, two huge clay pizza ovens being the likely culprits.
“Over here!”
Cole waved at us from a round table in the corner of the dining room. His dark curls somewhat tamed and slicked back behind his ears.
“Hey, guys,” I greeted them as we got to the table. “This is my sister, Molly.”
Molly gave them a shy wave, her usually outgoing demeanor dampened by her nerves.
“Hey,” Ezra said, giving her his best disarming smile. “We’ve heard so much about you from Adeline.”
“Yeah, she’s been spilling all your dirt, so you know, tonight is the perfect chance for payback,” Cole joked. The mischievous bastard.
“Don’t listen to him. And don’t trust a word he says,” I advised, guiding her to an empty chair between Cole and Ezra before taking the last free seat between Silas and Abel.
“All right, quick introductions,” Ezra said. “The brooding giant is Silas. He doesn’t look it, but he’s harmless. Just keep your eyes on your fries—he’s been known to eat a truly astounding amount from other people’s plates.”
Molly stifled a laugh, and I could’ve kissed Ezra in that moment for trying to make her feel more comfortable.
“The one on your left is Cole. He snuck onto the tour bus one night, and we’ve never been able to get rid of him.”
“If by snuck on, you mean you begged me to start a band with you and told me you’d never find another bassist who sounded as good,” Cole retorted, “then yeah, sounds about right.”
Ezra shook his head at the bassist and then continued. “This is Abel. He…” Ezra trailed off as if trying to figure out the most appropriate thing to say about the enigmatic lead singer.
“He can introduce himself,” Abel said, glaring at Ezra before pinning his gaze on Molly.
My palms were clammy. In that moment, I wished I’d asked Abel to play nice with my sister before agreeing to come to this dinner. I could deal with his attitude and biting comments, but the thought of him being cruel to my sister made my blood run cold. The urge to protect her was so strong, I was about to jump out of my seat and do God knows what.
To my shocked relief, Abel sounded perfectly cordial as he said, “Nice to meet you, Molly. I don’t try to be a comedian because I know I don’t possess one funny bone in my body. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about my bandmates. I also sing and write our music.”
She smiled back at him. “You know, I think Adeline could learn a thing or two from you. Sometimes her attempts at being amusing are truly cringe-worthy.”
I narrowed my eyes. So much for needing to protect Molly.
“Hey, you’re not supposed to throw me under the bus in front of my new coworkers,” I grumbled.
