Page 176 of On The Rocks

“Nah, I think I got it. If we practice the jam songs anymore, then it won’t sound authentic. It’s supposed to be chaos.”

“I hear that. My voice will be shot if I keep going, anyway. I’m still rusty.” Marc grabbed his cane and hauled himself up off the office chair we’d brought in for him. The hip replacement was still sore as hell, no matter what he said. I could tell by the way he was holding himself. “I’m going home with my nurse.”

“That’s a new one on me.” Flynn held his hand out for a bump. “Pleasure playing with you, sir.”

“Same, man. Fucking A, I missed this shit.”

A tall woman who looked more like she was at ease on a volleyball court than in a hospital ran forward and hooked her arm around Marc. “You overdid it, Mr. Justice.”

“You keep calling me Mr. Justice and we’re going to have words, Misty.”

“Yes, Marc.”

“Much better.”

But he did lean on her, and the two of them took it slow down the stairs to the golf cart Marc had brought in. If nothing else, Marc had always been a forward thinker. As long as it didn’t include Irene, anyway.

“Think we’re going to pull this off?” Baron tucked his acoustic back into its case.

“Sure seems like it,” Flynn interjected. “The kid can sing anything. He’s like a damn jukebox, but he doesn’t do the late nights anymore. Dad time.”

“Nothing wrong with that. I was just glad you and Ian could come last minute.” I set my guitar in the big trunk at the back of the stage.

“Laverne calls and we come. She makes me dumplings like my mama used to make. I’ll fly from damn near anywhere just for that.”

I laughed. “Laverne, feeding misfits since 1989.”

Flynn chuckled. “You’re not wrong. She lives to mom us and I don’t mind letting her. In fact, I’m heading to the Lodge to see if I can sneak some pie out of the kitchen. You up for it, Baron?”

“I could go for some pie.” He glanced at me. “You in?”

“I’m gonna go find my girl. I’ve been lax in my duties with all these rehearsals.”

Once we all stood up, Elmer stretched and came over to lean against me. I rubbed his head.

“Don’t do that, son. She’s gonna be scooped up in a second.” Flynn tucked his guitar into the four-guitar case and locked it, wheeling it back near mine. “And I’d be the one doing the scooping.” He laughed as he went down the stairs.

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or impressed that he said that.”

Baron laughed and slapped my back. “Go with impressed. I’m pretty sure that guy can get any girl from twenty to eighty.”

“You’re not wrong.” I brought him in for a hard hug. “I’m really glad we’re doing this. I’ve missed you guys.”

He pulled back. “Without the haze of Irene, things seem a lot damn clearer. The music was what was supposed to matter. Not the twisted games.”

“Took a break to figure it out, maybe.”

“Just maybe.” He nodded after Flynn. “I better go, or he’ll leave me in the damn parking lot.”

I locked up my case, ran around to the light board, and powered down, then Elmer and I followed them both.

I waved from my truck as Flynn and Baron squeezed into his Shelby, taking off like a shot.

I fired off a quick text to Lennon before I got to the edge of the parking lot. The trip up to my place was slow going as dust kicked up from the ruts. There’s been no rain all week and the forecast said none until well into next week. The other rental units were on the more lit side of the orchard.

The Manning men were handy with a solar lighting grid, that was for sure. Didn’t help my neck of the woods, but they’d catch up to the Starling soon enough.

Elmer’s head was out the window, and his steel gray ears were flying behind him. Happiness was a new thing for me, and there was a part of me worried that it wouldn’t last.

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