Page 28 of The Drummer's Heart

NICOLE

It felt so good to be out of the house and enjoying a cocktail. My emotions had calmed down considerably from earlier in the day.

One cool thing was that we could check in on Mimi remotely via a camera set up in her room. Louise had used it to gauge when she needed to return to assist Mimi, and I was able to access it via an app on my phone. Ronan had no idea he was being watched as he played guitar for my grandmother. Mimi had a huge smile on her face while he entertained her.

We’d stopped at a bar before heading to Laurentano’s, since we weren’t able to get a table for dinner until eight. Skip’s was a hole in the wall but a popular speakeasy in our little town.

“I’m surprised Atticus and Tristan haven’t been recognized yet,” I said to Emily as we waited for them to come back from fetching us a second round of drinks.

“True.” She nodded. “Normally at least one person would’ve asked for a photo by now. But you know, there’s something about a small town. People don’t seem to care as much about celebrities as they do in the bigger cities. They’re nowhere near each other, but Monksville sort of reminds me of Shady Hills in Missouri, where I’m from. Same kind of vibe.”

She was about six years younger than me, but Emily seemed very mature.

She looked over her shoulder at the guys before turning back to me. “So how are you doingreally? This living situation can’t be easy on you.”

I swirled the last of the drink around in my glass. “I’m hanging in there. It’s been a bit stressful, as you might imagine. But there are some beautiful moments to make up for the tense ones.”

I thought about Atticus doing my grandmother’s nails today and coloring her hair. Definitely something I would never forget.

Emily once again looked over at the bar. “I don’t have a lot of time before the guys come back, so I hope you don’t mind me being frank with you.”

I licked my lips. “Okay…”

“For so long, you were like this mythical creature to me, Nicole. Every time anyone mentioned your name, the room would go quiet. I’ve been so curious about you. And it took a while for anyone to even explain to me what happened between you and Atticus.”

My heart began to race. “You know…everything?”

She nodded. “I do. And I just want to say…” Emily exhaled. “Despite all that’s happened, Atticus is still hopelessly in love with you. I know you don’t know me well, and I have no right to interfere, but it’s one thing I know for sure about him.”

She didn’t need to convince me of that. I felt it. Lack of love had never been the reason Atticus and I were apart.

“I’m not sure what to say to that…”

“You don’t need to say anything. I just needed to get that off my chest.” She sighed. “It’s really great to meet someone I’ve heard so much about. And no matter what happens, I hope you end up happy. You deserve it.”

I liked this girl. She seemed genuine. Good that Tristan had found someone like her to spend his life with. “Thank you for being so open and for trying to get to know me, though I tend to put up a pretty big wall. Thank you, too, for being honest about what you know rather than tiptoeing around me—I hate that.”

“You’re just as stunning as I imagined.” She smiled. “I often wondered how beautiful a woman had to be to keep a man like Atticus so transfixed.”

“If you’re trying to be my friend…it’s working.” I laughed.

“Good.” She giggled.

The guys returned, bringing our conversation to an end. Atticus placed a cocktail next to me, along with an extra cup filled with cherries.

“I got you maraschinos.” His eyes lingered on mine.

“Thank you.”

I always loved to snack on those when I drank. Atticus might not be perfect, but he was thoughtful.

Tristan looked between us. “Can I say something?”

“Depends.” Atticus sipped his beer.

“It warms my heart to see you two getting along. Like, more than anything has warmed my cold heart in a really long fucking time.”

“You should be a fly on the wall back at the house if you think we’re getting along,” Atticus quipped. He winked at me.

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