Page 26 of Hittin' the Right Note
Unfortunately, they both got those smirks on their faces he knew all too well.
“I don’t know why I even bothered coming out here,” he said. “I should’ve just gone back to the cabin.”
They both snorted.
“You came out because you love us and know we’re always going to tell you the truth, whether you want to hear it or not,” Katrina said. “We’re your friends and not your groupies.”
He rolled his eyes, but he had to admit she had a point. Hedidappreciate the fact they were both always scrupulouslyhonest with him, especially when he’d rather they just tell him what he wanted to hear.
“Okay, fine,” he said. “I might have some residual feelings for Mikey. But let’s not forget he blew me off first. I would gladly have tried to make things work with him when we were together. Hell, I probably would’ve tried it even later, but he also didn’t say a damn word when I got outed. So, yeah, maybe I do have feelings for him, but I’m not stupid enough to think they mean much or anything could ever happen between the two of us.”
Luke’s words were saying one thing, but his heart was saying another. Even as he sat there his mind seesawed between his desire to try to forge something new with Mikey and the equally strong desire to keep things professional, to stay focused on the concert rather than letting his heart run the show.
No. Damn it. I’m not going to let my heart get broken by Mikey Smiles again. I’m not going to let it happen.
Luke, however, knew Mikey Smiles was going to continue exerting his charm offensive even when he wasn’t even present. In fact, as he sat there talking to his friends, he could feel his mind wandering, thinking about the way Mikey’s hair still had its old curl, still caught the sunlight like gold bars, about how his eyes still had a mischievous gleam tinged with just the faintest bit of sadness.
It made him want to kiss the sadness away.
And speaking of kissing, Mikey’s lips were as plump as they’d ever been, and he couldn’t help but think about what it would be like to press his own against them, and he most definitely couldn’t help but wonder whether Mikey was still as good of a kisser as he’d been when they were teenagers, or whether he might be even better, having learned a thing or two while they’d been apart.
“Earth to Luke,” Katrina was saying, “are you even paying a bit of attention to what I’ve been saying?”
Bryce had a grin on his face like the Cheshire Cat.
“He clearly hasn’t been paying attention, Kat, because he’s been too busy day-dreaming about his new, or old, boyfriend.”
Luke sighed. “Fine. I guess you’re right. I guess there’s something more to what I’m thinking about than just resentment. What difference does it make, though? I’m not going to get together with Mikey again, no matter what the two of you seem to think, and even if I was interested, who’s to say he would be?”
By now Katrina was sitting up, a bright gleam in her eyes he knew all too well. She loved few things more than playing matchmaker with him, even though they both knew that wasn’t an easy thing to do, given his pickiness and the fact that everyone seemed to have an opinion about him and his life.
“Look,” she said, “I’m going to be honest with you, Luke, because you deserve it. You’re always too hard on yourself. I think you think you’re not worthy of love because of all of the stuff that happened to you. You’ve got to remember, though, none of it was your fault. You were outed by people who had no right prying into your business. And sure, Mikey broke your heart when you were teenagers, but he seems to have grown up a bit since then. Maybe you should give him another chance. If nothing else, you deserve to give yourself a bit of time to figure him out and see how he’s changed, if at all.”
Luke waited for the other shoe to drop. Katrina had the tone in her voice that said she was planning something, and she wasn’t going to be happy until she’d pulled him into it.
“Okay,” he said, trying to stay patient, “just come out and tell me what it is you’ve got planned, because I can tell you’ve got something in mind.”
“Listen,” she said, leaning forward. “I think you both should come on one of the history tours I lead, and I can focus more on the music than I usually do. I think it’d be a great chance for thetwo of you to get to know one another better. And you’re always saying how you want to start writing music again, how you want to write something truer to your roots here in the Valley than anything you wrote while you were in Nashville. This could be your chance to get some inspiration.
“And besides, this could also be your chance to show Mikey how West Virginia has such a rich musical history it’d be a shame not to acknowledge it in your music and your concert. I mean, think about it. It would be the perfect opportunity for the various parts of your life to come together into a perfect whole.”
Bryce snorted through his nose at the unintended innuendo, but Katrina ignored him.
“Just think about it, Luke. It would be a great chance for the both of you.”
“And do you really want Mikey to come on the tour?” he asked. “He’s almost certainly going to have his entourage with him, and you know how annoying those can be.”
He tried not to think too much about what it had been like whenhe’dbeen one of the ones with an entourage. Those had been the people who’d abandoned him first when things got crazy, though, so he generally tried not to dwell on that. They’d only been trying to protect their best interests, even if it meant betraying the person they’d claimed as a friend when times were good.
Katrina frowned. “Well, I mean it wouldn’t be the worst thing, right? I’m not doing this entirely out of the goodness of my heart. Whether you want to admit it or not, Mikey Smiles is still a pretty big draw. He’s got a new album in the works, his book just came out, and he’s going to bring some much-needed attention to my business. If he does all of that while also falling back in love with my best friend, then it sure seems like a win-win for everyone!”
Luke hated the way Katrina always managed to sound so excited about all of her schemes, to such an extent she swept everyone else up with her. You could no more deny one of her proposals than you could resist a force like gravity. You could fight it all you liked, you could call it all sorts of names, but the end result was the same: you ended up doing what she’d said you’d do in the first place.
“You are literally the worst.” he said. “I don’t know why we’re still friends or why I still put up with you.”
“Because,” she said, “you know I’m always going to look out for your best interests, even if you’re not going to.”
Luke sighed. So, it looked like he was going to lose yet another argument with her.
