Page 112 of Lyric & the Heartbeats

But his voice… she was sure he’d answered the phone a few times when she’d placed an order.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Javier Rivera. It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Lyric.”

“It’s nice to have you visit. This is delicious,” she said, trying to hide her flushed cheeks by holding up her plate.

And so are you.

His scent hit her, all citrus and spice that she knew was all him and not a remnant from his work in the kitchen. Would it be appropriate to ask for a slice of him, next? Probably not.

She tilted her taco at him, an extra lame move, but the smile she earned in response was worth it.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“What branch are you from?” Lyric inquired. His voice did sound familiar.

“I’m from the Main Street location in Uptown,” he answered.

Lyric’s jaw dropped. “No way! That’s the same location I used to go to all the time. Is Emma still there?”

His cheeks flushed. “Yes, but only part time. That’s my sister.”

Her amazement grew. Uptown wasn’t a small area, so what were the chances?

“I haven’t been by in a while, tell her I said hello.”

Javier brushed a hand through his hair, his cheeks flushing the slightest bit as he looked away. “I’ll do that. To be honest, my family is quite fond of you. They’ll be happy to know you’re doing well.”

It was Lyric’s turn to flush. “I came by that often, huh?”

Javier’s deep chuckle made her bite her tongue. “Enough that Emma remembered your favorite,” he said, lifting his plate.

“For good reason. This is some good shit,” Emerson mumbled through a mouthful of food. As Lyric glanced away from Javier, it made her realize they weren’t the only two in the room, and Lyric’s cheeks heated. At least she could blame it on the spice of the food.

“Where is this place exactly? I think it’s become a new favorite,” Emerson continued.

Lyric was content to watch from the sidelines and listen to them talk about everything from Javier’s food to the show to whatever other topics they could snatch from the air.

After performing, and food, and the relief of a smooth show, she was tired. Not to mention her little fuck up, that while she’d been able to push to the back of her mind, still lingered. As they finished eating, Lyric remained in the greenroom until she could feel her social meter hitting empty. But she couldn’t help it, she stayed a little longer because she didn’t want to say goodbye to Javier. His gaze caught hers and she smiled.

“I think I’m gonna head to the bus. Anyone wanna join me?” she asked, mostly to appease Henry before he could bark at her about that damned buddy system.

“I’ll follow in a moment, don’t wait up,” Desi said.

“Alright. Thank you for the wonderful food,” Lyric told Javier, somehow without her cheeks flushing ten shades of pink. She could have listened to him talk all night, the cadence in his voice softer, drawing her in.

“Thanks for inviting me. Great show, by the way. Do you mind if I walk with you? My truck is parked at the back as well.”

“Actually I think Henry would prefer that. We have this system,” she muttered, leaning in close.

Henry’s gaze narrowed on her as she crossed the room, and she couldn’t escape it until the door closed behind her, a persistent spiderweb of disapproval she couldn’t shake off.

Javier followed her. “System?” he asked.

She waved her hand. “It’s Henry’s rule. The buddy system. We have to travel in pairs so he doesn’t lose us or something.”

A chuckle sounded from behind her as he dodged a crew member. “Sounds pretty smart if you ask me. This is a big venue,” he remarked.