Page 47 of Best Kind of Trouble
He gives me a cryptic look. “Sure. It’s better to laugh if you can. I’ll grab the beer samples when I’m out.”
I’m about to walk off, frustration and annoyance simmering in my blood, when I remember Hannah’s suggestion about Garbage Fire playing at the New Year’s party.
I tell Liam, and he nods once. “She already checked with Travis, and they’re up for it. Cormac’s officially joining as the bassist.”
“Is he good?”
He tips his head. “Very. Way better than that shithead they had before.”
“That’s great. Yeah, that guy always seemed kind of shifty.”
“Shifty, huh?” he asks, his lips curling in amusement.
He’s amused by me, obviously, not with me.
Maybe he’ll talk about me behind my back, just like he did with Frodo.Oh, that Briar is totally pathetic. I made the mistake of being nice to her, and she practically threw herself at me.
I lift my chin. “Yes, shifty. He stared a lot.”
“Well, of course he stared atyou.”
My cheeks heat. “What do you mean by that?”
He gives me a wry look, like,you can’t not know what I’m talking about, Princess.His hands are buried in his pockets, so his arms aren’t flexed, but his biceps still look thick and muscular, like they’re straining the limits of his shirt. My eyes keep settling on them, as if to say,People can’t stop looking at you either.My fingers want to dance over them.
Finally, he shrugs. “You said your parents aren’t the kind of people others like. But you are. And you’re definitely the kind they like to look at.”
The heat from my cheeks spreads through my body, and I shove down the urge to fan myself. I have no idea what to say. He’s the one who wanted to keep things professional, and here he is talking about how I look.
I swallow, then say, “You won’t be able to play with the band at the party. I’ll need you to introduce the beer.”
He leans back, getting comfortable. Really settling in against that wall. I feel my muscles twitch in annoyance.
I remind myself that I have no reason to be upset with him. He never promised to be my friend, my confidant. He only said he’d help me, and hehas.
“Won’t be a problem, boss,” he drawls. “I’m not in the band anymore.”
“Did you quit this time, or did you trick them into firing you too?”
He grins. “Too many loose ends. I quit after finding someone to take my spot. My friend Mick, who owns Bell’s. You know…Ring Your Bell Boxing Gym.”
Part of me wonders if that’s what he’s planning to do here. Get me going and then find someone else who’ll be willing to step in. But I don’t ask.
“All right. Well…”
“Am I dismissed?” he asks with a twinkle in his eye.
That twinkle makes me want to shove him. Instead, I stand taller, calling on every last etiquette lesson my mother forced me to take, and say, “Yes.”
A few hours later,I’m standing outside of Tea of Fortune with Sophie and Hannah. We arranged to meet ahead of time because Hannah seemed to consider it essential for us to present a united front for Nora.
Now, though…
“Don’t you think Nora will be overwhelmed if we descend on her like a bunch of vultures?” I ask, idly rubbing a lock ofhair between my fingers. “She’ll probably try to escape out the back door.”
“Ha!” Hannah says. “Then she’ll find out the hard way there is no back door.”
“Isn’t there?” Sophie asks with a frown as a man dressed like a clown pushes past her. I’ve learned not to look twice. There’s a comedic bus tour, Lazoom, with daily runs through town. They plant costumed people along their route–nuns on bicycles, clowns like this one, you name it. “If there isn’t, we should talk to Dottie about it. It would be a major fire code violation.”
