Page 7 of Falling for the Guy Next Door

Betty had made good on her promise to open the doors. Voices and laughter rumbled through the building. Glasses clinked and music blasted out of a jukebox. We all had our ways of gearing up for a night on the stage. Ronnie liked to play games on her phone. Bosco usually found some place to stretch out his legs, rest back his head and close his eyes for a few minutes. This time he’d found an old cardboard cutout of a beer mug to rest against. Seth and his girlfriend, Brianna, had been trying to buy a house, and he was spending a lot of his spare time looking at real estate listings and loan sites. I, on the other hand, preferred to step outside and get some fresh air before going on stage. And since it had been a hot summer day and the air conditioning in these crowded bars was never great, I decided to take advantage of the fresh night air before having to stand in front of hot lights.

I stepped out the back door into the large alley where the van was parked. I walked to the corner and saw that most of the line had gone inside. Some people were wearing Moonstone shirts, which was cool to see. We’d gotten a big enough following to have a few record producers interested, only we didn’t have enough original songs for an album. We just couldn’t pull it together and find time to write more. A song-writing session almost always ended with all of us mad at each other. We were a great team on stage but not so great behind the scenes.

I stood at the corner and gazed up at the stars. It was a clear night, and the summer heat had been replaced by a cool breeze. Even though the bar was inland a good ten miles, I could smell the ocean trailing along with the wind. While most people were piling into the bar, one patron came shooting out as if something was chasing her. She was slender with long, tanned legs sticking out from a denim mini skirt and short brown cowboy boots. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, and even from the distance, I could see she was pretty.

As her boots scooted along, she kept looking behind her. She reached the corner where I was standing but didn’t pay any attention to me. She looked back again, and this time, a man walked out of the bar. His head turned back and forth as he searched the parking area. The woman gasped, spun toward me, and her eyes rounded.

“Quick, hide me.” She took my hands, and we turned in a circle until she had her back against the building, and I was standing in front of her.

I was probably having far too much fun because she was obviously worried the man would see her. He walked in the direction of the corner. I placed my hands against the wall on each side of her to block more of her from view with my arms. I leaned forward. “Should I pretend to kiss you?”

“Sure.” She hopped up and looked past my arm, then seemed to realize what I’d asked. “I mean, pretend, yes. See, he’s this guy who I broke up with today, only he didn’t take it as well as I hoped. I knew he wasn’t for me. Kind of a nudge, if you know what I mean?”

“Nope, not really. And I can’t blame the guy for being upset.”

She glanced up over my arm. “Oh, good. He’s heading out to the parking lot.” She relaxed some and became even more beautiful as her full lips softened.

I stayed in my commanded position. “What’s a nudge?”

“Oh. I don’t know. I just came up with it because some of the other words floating through my head weren’t as ladylike. Not that he deserves politeness. I broke up with him nicely, and he went all nuts on me acting as if we’d just spent the last five years together instead of three months.”

I’d been teasing her and enjoying the moment. A beautiful woman using me as a human shield—that was new even for me, but it seemed this wasn’t a funny matter at all. “Do you want me to go talk to him? Tell him he needs to leave.”

She turned her big brown eyes up to me and paused a second. I was sure she recognized me, but that was just my big ego talking. “That’s very nice, Mr. uh, Mr.—”

“Nash. My name is Nash.” The name didn’t ring any bells either.

“Right, Mr. Nash. That’s nice of you to offer, but it’s fine.” She looked over my arm again. “That’s his blue sedan leaving the parking lot. Honestly, I think he was here to see the band. They’re a big deal, apparently. I’ve never seen so many people at this bar. I came with my friend, Emily.” She rolled her eyes, and it was extremely cute. “She is absolutely bonkers about the lead singer. She found a spot near the stage and told me she was going to stand there all night until the lead singer noticed her and then, of course, sparks would fly, and the two of them would drive off into the sunset. In the meantime, I was surveying the big crowd in the room, and boom, there was Dustin just twenty feet away standing behind a group of women all wearing Moonstone T-shirts. I think they had the same plans as Emily. When I spotted Dustin, my heart dropped to my stomach. He was the last person I wanted to see tonight. I was sure he hadn’t seen me, so I snuck through the crowd.”

“Except he followed you out of the bar.”

“Yeah, I guess I have to work on my ‘sneaking around in a crowd’ skill. Thank goodness I found a good hiding place.”

I hadn’t moved my arms.

She smiled shyly. “Thanks for being my human shield. I think it’s safe for me to leave the fort now, but I really appreciate your help.”

“Trust me, it was all my pleasure.”

“I better get back to Emily. She refused to give up her spot near the stage even though her best friend was clearly in distress. That’s how crazy she is about the singer. Are you here with friends?”

I nodded. “Sure am, and I should probably get back to them.”

Her smile stole my breath. She was hurrying back to the bar before I could say goodbye. “Hey, wait, you never told me your name!” I called to her. She didn’t hear me before she disappeared back into the bar.

ChapterFive

Layla

The jukebox was still blasting tinny-sounding music through the crowded building, and the patrons were talking loudly over the discordant noise. I’d been to Comstock Bar plenty of times, but I’d never seen it this packed. It seemed Emily wasn’t the only major Moonstone fan in the crowd. I found her exactly where I’d left her when I raced out the door on a shot of adrenaline. I’d managed to push the stressful breakup out of my head, so I could enjoy a night out, but seeing Dustin had fired up all the cylinders again. He’d left the bar, but now I was on high alert for his return.

Emily had been staring dreamily up at the stage as if she could conjure the singer with her mind. The equipment was set up, and from the energy bursting from the audience, I was sure they’d be coming on stage soon.

Emily tried to feign a look of concern as I reached her.

“Don’t bother, pal. I was clearly distressed, but you wouldn’t walk out with me,” I said.

“I didn’t want to give up this prime spot.” She pointed up at the microphone stand. “In a few minutes, he’ll be standing right there, mere feet from me, and I will put my plan in motion.”

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