Page 29 of Songs of Summer

“Unfortunately, yes. It’s one of the reasons I’m sitting here at the bar alone. I needed to decompress.”

“Do you know if the old guy is OK?”

She was pretty sure the old guy was her grandfather but didn’t allow herself to really think about that.

“Shep? Yes, he’s fine.”

“Was it a heart attack?”

“No—it was more of an…episode, I’d say.”

“Like a mental episode?”

“No. More like a soap opera episode. He was faking.”

“Faking? So, he’s crazy too?”

“Certifiable, but he’s the only one who really qualifies. Beatrix was just having a bad day.”

“I’ll say,” Maggie joked, though she didn’t find any of it remotely funny.

“Shep and Beatrix Silver are two of my favorite people in the entire world, for real. Shep is the GOAT.”

It was a big statement—from a complete stranger. A complete stranger with extra points for wearing her favorite Pretenders T-shirt.

Chase returned with the fish tacos. He placed them down and pulled a piece of paper with his phone number written on it from his pocket, handing it to Maggie.

“If you need anything while you’re here.”

“Oh my God!” Matt jumped off his stool while swatting the paper from her hand like it was on fire.

“What the hell, Matt? Just being neighborly.”

“Maggie, I have to show you something,” he declared in a panicked tone. He must have realized that he was now acting crazy because he recalibrated his intensity and took it down a notch.

“Do you trust me?” he continued.

“Oddly, yes,” she laughed.

“Can you wrap these up to go for us?” he asked as Maggie made a quick detour to the ladies’ room. As she did, she heard Matt continue with, “And Chase, I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but trust me too, this girl is off-limits.”

Behind the closed stall door Maggie did a deep dive into Matt Tucker’s social media. He was easy to locate.

Matt Tucker Roving Reporter Rolling Stone

In between pictures of concerts and bylines were personal shots like a loving post dedicated to his mom for Mother’s Day and a recent picture of his pet cat, Houdini, with a sweet message about his passing. Even though her gut had told her Matt was harmless just from chatting with him, she was thankful that the internet confirmed it.

She fought the urge to express condolences for Houdini when she confidently hopped on the back of his bike.

Track 15

Glory Days

Chase Logan

There was areason that the bartender, Chase Logan, was drawn to the olive-skinned, dark-haired girl at the bar—and it certainly wasn’t just because she was pretty. His days of picking up women had seriously receded over the years, not unlike his hairline. He had gone from fighting off the hot ones to taking home a straggler or two, to barely receiving a look in his direction that didn’t come with a request for a beverage.

He stared at the girl because she looked familiar. And not yesterday familiar. Thirty years ago familiar, which of course was not possible, because she didn’t look to be over thirty years old now.

---