Page 9 of High Note

“I bet she’s pretty.” Her ladies were all gorgeous, just ask her; she’d tell you.

“She is.” Those dimples popped up. “But I sure wish I could take a kitten. I’d save them all if I could.”

“I hear that.” She chuckled, even though she didn’t want to. “I’ve got a reputation down at animal control.”

“The only reason I don’t is I’m on the road.” Skyla leaned across the table. “I’ll tell you a secret. When I have time, like here? I go to the shelter and walk the dogs and socialize kitties.”

Her opinion of Skyla jumped up about a thousand points. Maybe silly of her, but it was true. “They need it, don’t they?”

Truth was, she liked animals way more than people.

“They do. And I give money, but you know, you never can be sure where that really goes. So I go and sit and jabber at them.” Skyla shrugged. “Good me time too.”

“They’re the best listeners.” She spent hours with her fuzzy girls after her last dog had died.

“They are. They believe in you, too, when no one else will.” Skylar wrinkled up her nose. “And now I’m getting into bad, maudlin country music territory.”

She hooted. “You mean it’s not all bad?”

“Nope. It’s heart music. Sure, some of it is blah blah girl in short shorts with tanned legs, but if you listen to what hardcore country artists are doing, like the Red Dirt folks, you hear soul.” There was passion in Skyla’s voice, and she got it. She was mostly singer-songwriter slash folk, but she totally got it.

“Hey, if you didn’t like what you do, I would worry about you.”

Skyla sat back, chuckling. “Right. Sorry. Got on my soapbox, huh? And you just wanted to drink your coffee in peace.” She sighed. “The band got delayed, and I’m just knocking around by myself.”

“Oh, well…depending on what turns you on, I can make suggestions.”

“Can you?” Those petal pink lips parted, Skyla’s eyes going wide. “That sounds like a plan.”

“Sure.” Kirsten knew everyone in town, and she knew the fun shit around. “What’s your poison?”

“Well, I like to unwind. Relax some. Or do something silly. I kinda work out for a living, so I mean, I can ski. I know how. But I’d rather watch everyone else do it.” That little giggle should have annoyed her, but it was weirdly hot.

“Well, you can do a sleigh ride. There’s a place here in town where you can paint and have wine. It’s neat and relaxing.”

“Now that seems like my kind of thing. Have you tried it?”

She tried to remember that Skyla was just bored. That she wasn’t really interested in anyone like her. But man, those slightly raised eyebrows and the teeth sunk into the bottom lip sure made it look real.

And tempting.

“Believe it or not, I have. It’s really cool in a totally dorky way.” She looked it up on her phone, showing the website. “See? Wine and cowboy boots.”

“Oh, I need that in my life.” Skyla’s blue gaze caught hers. “Wanna go with me?”

Was this a thing?

Could it be a thing?

“Why the hell not? I’ve never painted this one.”

“Yay!” Skyla clapped her hands. “I’m totally ready. I love those little things you paint with jewels, so why not try this?” She looked truly pleased. And those fingers touched the back of her hand, just a quick brush.

Her fingers curled, crushing the napkin with the little song she’d been writing. “Let’s do it. It starts in an hour.”

“Okay!” Skyla laughed. “Do we need to call to reserve a space?”

“I’ll text.”

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