Page 79 of Relief Pitcher

I’d damn near tripped over myself and twisted my ankle when I’d spotted Cooper beaming at me from the front row next to my brother. That had spurred me to put on the best show I could. I’d never considered myself a performer by any stretch of the imagination, but he’d pulled magic out of me. I’d lip-synched like my life depended on it.

I thanked the person working the door and moved into the crowd. The Lucky Tongue hadn’t been this packed since the drag show last year. It wasn’t a huge bar, but it was a great venue for an intimate show.

As I moved toward the bar, I kept an eye out for Cooper.

“He’s over there.”

I was startled by Dom’s gruff voice in my ear. Sure enough, Coop was where Dom pointed. His thick hair hung over his shoulders. He didn’t wear it down often, and I hoped he’d done that for me. He tilted his head back and laughed at something Seth said. My chest grew uncomfortably tight seeing him and my brother together. I hadn’t known I was capable of all these feelings, but at least now it made sense why I hadn’t experienced them fully before.

As though he’d sensed my thoughts, his attention snapped to me with a smile brighter than the stage lights. I didn’t realize I’d consciously decided to go to him until he was standing before me.

“You’re incredible.” He gave me a heated once-over and not so subtly licked his lips.

I curtsied. “Why thank you, good sir.”

Seth shoved my shoulder playfully. “Nice job, bro. You’re way hotter like this. The makeup does your ugly mug some good.” Seth gave me a lot more shit these days than he ever had before. I took it as a sign that our friendship was stronger than ever, which made him feel safe to be a dickhead.

“Fuck you.” Laughing, I pulled him in for a hug. He squirmed out of my grasp before I could mess up his perfectly styled hair.

Parker and Caleb greeted their boyfriends with NSFW kisses.

“Never thought I’d see you in a dress.”

I tensed at Hayden’s voice.

“Life would’ve continued on just as well if you hadn’t,” Dom snapped back.

Austin and Ethan pulled back from their guys to either watch or join in if a fight went down. I wasn’t sure what any of us would do if it happened.

“It’s for charity. I couldn’t miss it.”

“You not missing something? That’s a first.” Dom’s voice was rougher than usual.

Hayden winced, opened his mouth, and then gave his head a small shake. He smiled, but it looked forced.

Dom stormed off toward the bar.

“Great show, guys. I’m gonna head out. Got an early morning tomorrow.” Hayden shot a look toward the bar, then disappeared through the crowd.

I grimaced at Austin, who shrugged. It was awkward because, obviously, we had Dom’s back. None of us knew exactly what had happened between them, but Hayden was becoming a friend.

“You guys were great,” Dave said as he approached, hand-in-hand with Mikey. I didn’t see Dave outside of his coffee shop often enough. I should fix that.

They had the dictionary definition of heart eyes even a year after getting engaged on this stage last year. It tugged the strings on my cold, dead heart to have been a part of that moment for them. Mikey had cried so hard his mascara had run down his face.

“I think we were a lot better than last year,” Austin said.

“Oh, definitely. Much better,” I agreed.

More people approached and congratulated us on our performance, and I was swept away from Cooper to take photos with people. It hit me after a while how much had changed in the past year. During last year’s Pride Fest, we were the new kids on the block. The brewery had been open for less than a year, and we were trying to make a name for ourselves in town. We’d wanted to show the people of Dahlia Springs that we were a part of the community, which was why we’d decided to participate in the drag show.

This year, we were a major sponsor for the festival and had volunteered to help organize it. Wewerepart of the community. We’d gone from praying people would fill growlers or stop in for a drink after work to being an established brand served all over the state.

I took in my family, both blood and chosen. My parents sat at a table chatting with a couple of their friends. Austin and Caleb huddled with Ethan and Parker in a conversation, and Ethan yawned and rested his head on Parker’s shoulder. Ethan’s wig was right in Parker’s face, and he wrinkled his nose. He didn’t try to move Ethan and instead rubbed his back. Seth chatted with one of the bartenders who had been in his year in school. We’d all made connections in town, whether we were from Dahlia Springs or had moved there.

I couldn’t wait to discover what we could accomplish before the next Pride. If things kept going well with trying to get into the smaller markets, our presence in the state could grow exponentially. I’d locked down contracts with three other stores, but Danita’s market would make a big difference since so many viewed her as a trendsetter. I had a feeling we had a solid shot at that one. I’d done the softball thing, and even without that, our beer was fantastic.

Thoughts of baseball and Danita reminded me that this season was about to end. We only had one more game. Did that mean my time with Coop would end too? Without that activity keeping us around each other, I wasn’t sure we would make the time to hang out. I rubbed my stomach like I’d been punched.

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