Page 43 of Finding Emotion

“Yeah,” Damon agreed. It was strange to realize that it had only taken a few days for him to fall in love with Skylar. He choked as the thought sideswiped him, and he let his head slump to the bar. No, it wasn’t love. He barely knew her. Skylar was way too complicated to understand in mere days. “Fuck, Malcolm. I need a drink.”

Malcolm patted his head. “I’ve got you.” He turned, the bottles behind the bar clinking, but Damon wasn’t ready to look up.

“Is something wrong?” He heard Jami ask Malcolm softly.

“You just made him feel shy.” Malcolm set a glass on the bar near Damon’s hand.

Damon lifted his head to reach for the drink. “Don’t be an ass,” he muttered to his friend.

Malcolm glanced past him before looking at Jami. “It’s slow. Why don’t you sit and talk about his music some more?” His smile spread. “I bet you’ll continue to make him blush.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Jami protested.

Damon patted the seat beside him. “I’ve been wanting to get to know you better. Malcolm wouldn’t fall for just anyone.”

Jami met Malcolm’s gaze with a small smile of her own as she sat.

Malcolm took care of her tables as Damon chatted with Jami about music. Skylar’s sister really was a fan, mentioning songs from every one of his albums. She was into his music much more than him as a rock star, which suited Damon just fine. He wished all his fans were more like that.

Jami lit up when he asked about her classes. She seemed to love college. And writing. He watched Malcolm flush when he admitted he’d agreed to be the cover model for her first romance novel, his hand gripping his barely-there ponytail.

Jami reached across the bar to fiddle with the flyaway strands. “The writing is going slowly enough for you to grow your hair back out.” She sighed. “I really loved his long hair.”

“I got the message.” Malcolm laughed as he turned away to pull more drinks.

“Is writing something you always wanted to do?” Damon asked.

Jami’s fingers found each other where they rested on the bar, twisting together. “Well, sort of. I used to write a lot back when I was a teenager, but I didn’t show it to anyone. I mean, Skylar knew, but my parents wouldn’t have approved.”

Damon remembered how his mother had made him promise to pursue his happiness. Even as much pain as she’d been in, she’d forced smiles and encouraged him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Jami shook her head. “My father was a very logical man, that’s all. At least, before the accident. Then all my focus was on keeping him comfortable.”

“Malcolm told me a bit about that,” Damon admitted.

“Honestly, he never would have noticed the writing, even if I’d been open about it. His eyes were all for my mom.” Jami stared down at her hands. “And her life was all about him. She was very devoted.”

“You mean a zombie,” a voice Damon recognized said from behind them. Skylar gave Jami a one-armed hug before sitting on the other side of her sister.

“You came,” Damon said, wanting to kick himself over the sappy smile that joined his words.

Skylar shrugged. “Nothing better to do.” She grabbed for the bowl of pretzels on the bar. “Be real, Jami. Mom found a man and became pathetic.” She crunched on a pretzel before making a face and pushing them away. “Shit, Mandy will let me have it if I gobble these. Take them away, Muscles.”

Malcolm came over to retrieve the bowl. “Can I get you anything?”

“Seltzer and whatever this one’s favorite food is.” Skylar bumped her shoulder against her sister’s. “As long as the sugar won’t kill me.”

“Sweet potato fries,” Jami murmured. “You can have them hold the brown sugar butter.”

“Oh, hell yeah.” Skylar grinned. “An order of those.”

Malcolm nodded, his gaze shifting to Damon. “Food?”

“Maybe in a little bit,” Damon muttered. His hand tightened around his glass. He’d been sipping at the Patrón, but was still on his second. Suddenly the idea of scarfing a loaded burger in front of Skylar felt wrong.

“Mom wasn’t pathetic,” Jami cut in, frowning at her sister. “She was very happy with her life.”

Skylar shrugged. “I didn’t say she wasn’t happy. She just wasn’t really there for us. Shit, Jame, you’re the one I have the most memories of, even before the accident.”

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