Page 17 of Love on the Main Stage
“I suppose,” Kaldi agreed.
The song began, but I felt a strange, familiar pull. Somehow, it was like I knew this song or band. I reflected on my recent drives, but I couldn’t place the intro. The band remained in the dark and the singer faced away. The lights came up on the band, revealing a woman with afantasticass—still facing away from the camera. I couldn’t have cared less what the rest of the band looked like since I was drawn immediately to her. I triedsohard not to stare at her adorable back dimples. I hated girls that could get away with low-rise jeans. I never could without looking more balloon than woman.
Then, the singer spun, staring dead into the camera as it pulled close. She was blonde with a geometric, sharp haircut and big brown eyes. Again, I felt some sense of familiarity I had no business feeling. How did I think I knew her? Shewasn’t a typical sort of face. Cheekbones like those didn’t just show up on everyone.
Bitingly, she sang, “You thought you were the judge, but your gavel is a hammer.”
It hit me. Iknewher. She was the guitarist in the bar five years before. If I tried hard, I might have been able to conjure the way her lips felt pressed to mine or how I wanted so badly to grab her ass and have her throw me against a wall. Suddenly, all those feelings rushed back—all while my reaction was recorded. I needed to tamp it down or I’d give myself away.
“Catchy,” I said.
I didn’t want to look so thirsty that I tripped over myself, nor could I be anything more than polite. They weren’t the home team.
“It sticks with you, right?” Kaldi asked.
Yes, just like my bi awakening with the lead singer!
I couldn’t look away. Yes, she was talented and fit and had that sort of take-charge-no-fucks-given thing I loved, but it was more. I couldn’t cut away from the feeling of wanting to kick myself for not getting her number. I hadn’t kissedanyonesince that night without thinking about how good it felt to kiss someone who seemed so authoritative. Thankfully, here she was—still a babe and still doing her thing.
“Just wait for this part!”
Thinking back to the revenge song before me, I admitted it was a bop. I found the song’s chorus infectious. At the end, the guitar solo kicked ass. Every line was more cutting and cleverer than the last. When it finished, I had to tone down my smile.
“So, you were into it?” Kaldi asked.
“That is a certifiable hit, I’d say. I need to ask Ingrid if she’s listening to it in her car. She’s a car singer.”
“Ingrid?” Kaldi asked.
“Oh, the Duchess of Inverness,” I said. “My brother’s wife.”
“Ah, okay!”
“She’s one of my besties. I bet she’d love this.”
“It’s going to be a house divided then, isn’t it?” Kaldi asked.
“Well, every World Cup is a mess. Thankfully, I do not care for football and Lars and Keir have mostly stopped their fistfights.”
Brita glared. The truth was, my brothers were allhalf-brothers, my lineage confused even me, and Lars and Keir were fiercely competitive. Hell, they’d once fought at a family barbecue over Ingrid and that was less than ten years ago!
“So what do you think so far?” Kaldi asked.
“I think it will be an interesting six months,” I said. “We shall see who wins.”
I downplayed it, but I knew full well who thrilled me—and not just because the song was good. No matter what, I could not stop thinking about Mary’s back dimples, wondering how the hell she was, and—more importantly—if she was single.
Chapter 5
De Facto Mom
MARY
“Can someone please hold this kid?” Bea called as we waited in a security line in Berlin.
It was the first time Baby Jonas joined us on tour. At almost a year old, he was a lovable sort and had been a good traveler so far on our impromptu German jaunt. Still, we weren’t homeyet,and Alicia’s hands were full of baby gear.
“I’ve got him,” I reached out my arms.
