Page 36 of High Note

“I’m glad that you are spending time with me, now,” Kirsten whispered.

“Me too, honey.” She reached for Kirsten’s hand, squeezing it.

Kirsten held on, just for a second, then she let go. “I’m doing okay?”

“You’re doing amazing. The band is on board, too, you can tell. Talent is a big equalizer around here.”

“Good deal. I just don’t want to embarrass myself.”

Skyla blinked over at her. “Embarrassed? About what? My God, girl, you can pick like an angel. You shouldn’t ever be ashamed of that!”

Kirsten’s eyes went wide, and she ran her hand through her short-cropped, multicolored hair. “Thanks, lady. I…thanks.”

“I swear to god, Mich spends more time in the bathroom…” Andi came wandering back over, coat over her arm, eyes curious. “So where did you learn to play?”

“My grandpa taught me.” There was no hesitation in that particular answer, no chance for Skyla to tell Andi to not be nosy. “He used to play at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and I can’t hardly remember not knowing how.” Kirsten smiled, the expressionwistful, sweet. “He taught me all the old songs. He loved Arlo Guthrie, The Carter Family, Bill Monroe, all of those.”

Andi blinked. “Kerrville? Seriously?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Brenda’s eyes narrowed. “Where are you from, originally?”

“I’m from San Saba. Do you know it?”

“I used to go to Girl Scout camp at Inks Lake. I so know it.” Andi hooted like a big owl. “I swear to God, Skyla. You come all the way out here to Colorado to find you a Texan!”

Kirsten shot Andi a wicked grin. “Well, you know if all the Texans would leave, Colorado would gain ten thousand feet in elevation.”

Skyla sat there with her teeth in her mouth. How long had Kirsten been out of Texas?

She acted like Colorado. She sounded like Colorado. She looked like Colorado. She drove like Colorado, for fuck’s sake.

It seemed a little funny, really. She’d slept with this woman, and she didn’t know that she was from Texas.

Of course she knew a bunch of other things, including the fact that Kirsten had a hot spot right above her tailbone.

And that there was a little pink triangle tattooed right on the inside of her left thigh.

That had to count for something.

Brenda tilted her head. “So how did you end up here, kiddo?”

Kristen rolled her eyes. “About the same way than anybody ends up anywhere, I suppose. There was a girl…”

Mich cracked up, appearing behind Andi’s shoulder. “Don’t all the best stories start with that particular sentence?”

“You know.” Kirsten ’s cheeks were bright red. “I thought I was in love. I got out here, I got settled, and before you know it she was gone.” Kristen opened her hands wide, but there was something in those pretty eyes, something hurt and a bit lost. “I don’t have any better answer about why I stayed except therewas something about this place. It’s friendly. It’s…it’s in the mountains, and I love it. So here I am.” By the time she was done speaking, that hint of sorrow was gone like it had never been there.

Weird.

And as far as why Kirsten stayed? Well, that was as good an answer as any Skylar guessed. She could see it, even. This was a charming little spot.

God didn’t make her sound like a twat even, if it stayed in her own head.

Charming little spot. Shit.

Summit Springs wasn’t for everyone sure, but it obviously was home for Kirsten and Skyler had to respect that.

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