Page 159 of Verses

“Lucky you. You should try to get a birthday drink on the house.”

“Already did!” she said, picking up an empty glass on the table.

“Maybe you can score another one,” I said with a smile. “Would you mind giving me your honest opinion? Like…is there anything we should be doing differently? Were there any songs that—”

“You guys are amazing. Way better than some of the bands I watch in Silver City. It’s like you guys have taken it up a level.”

I couldn’t help but let her words go to my head, but I had to remind myself that this was Adrian’s sister—so she was naturally biased. Still, I had to be gracious accepting her praise. “Thanks so much. Having you here is really good for us.”

“I was happy to do it.”

While I loved this girl and I was thrilled that she’d loved the show, I wanted to get feedback from someone who would be willing to tell me the things they thought I didn’t want to hear. Ihoped I could find that in Claire. “Hey, Maria…thanks again for coming. It’s really good to—”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Leaning closer, she lowered her voice. “Do you know if Pedro’s seeing anyone?”

Hmm…I’d had no idea she’d been checking out Pedro, and I immediately wondered if Adrian knew.

Not my business.

“I know he was dating someone,” I said, looking to find him—and, sure enough, he was at the bar with the woman who had a big ass that Pedro couldn’t keep his hands off of. “Um…that girl there.”

Maria screwed up her lips for just a quick second but then raised her eyebrows. “They’re not married yet.”

Laughing, I thanked her and her friends again, needing to find Claire. I didn’t want her thinking I’d begged her to come to the show only to ignore her afterward. Still, I really wanted some water, because the bottles I’d had onstage I’d finished near the end and I was feeling thirsty—but there were too many people crowding the bar, including my bandmates, so I’d have to wait.

I noticed that Kyle was chatting with a couple of friends, probably from work, and there was a woman in the group he seemed to be especially enjoying.

Good for him.

Finally, I got to the table where Claire stood chatting with somebody. When I approached, the other woman said, “Great show!”

“Thank you—and thanks for coming.”

“Claire told me about it yesterday. I’m glad I could make it. What’s your band’s name again?”

“Intent to Murder.”

“That fits.” Turning to our mutual friend, she said, “See you next week, Claire. Nice to meet you.”

I said, “You as well.”

As her friend made her way toward the door, Claire asked, “Want to sit?”

“Yeah, I think I do. I’d buy you a drink, but…”

“Yeah. Good luck with that,” Claire said, glancing toward the crowded bar. “That’s okay. I’ve still got a little left.” As if to emphasize it, she lifted the bottle of Bud Light to her lips.

“So…what’d you think?”

“General observation first. I was paying attention to Wolf, ‘cause, you know, we talked—and, sure, he’s older, but I get it, girl. He’s hot.”

I nodded but really didn’t know what to say. After all, I’d already put our relationship, if that was what I could even call it, on ice. But I didn’t want to talk about Wolf. “What did you think of the show? I mean…it’s still a little rough, but what did you think of the music?”

“You guys are really good, Hayley. You sound like you’ve been playing together for years.”

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