Page 21 of Wild Tonic
Nate turned to Clem. “There’s a table in the VIP area that’s reserved, so why don’t you settle down there? I’m sure the others will be here soon, and you can get to know them.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you later.”
As she walked away, he watched her with a pang of guilt. He’d rushed the end of their meal and now she had to sit alone for who knew how long until the others arrived. Although Alik’s shout from the stage to get his arse in gear soon quashed that thought.
No matter how many times they played, Nate always got the same buzz as he did from the early days. A mixture of excitement and apprehension. What if something went wrong? What if he forgot the chords? He knew that as soon as the lights went down, and Dev counted them in, all those thoughts dissipated, and he enjoyed the moment when the music took over. Tonight, Clem was seeing that for the first time.
His beloved Les Paul was set up on the stage already. While the sound guy may have been new, the techs who supported them knew exactly how he liked things. He slung the strap over his head and settled the guitar into position, playing the riff to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ as a warm-up. He glanced over at Clem. She was engrossed in her phone, and barely lifted her head at the sound of his guitar.
“You wanna run throughBleed Like Cyanide?” suggested Alik. “Make sure the levels are right?”
Richey and Dev had joined them on stage, both ready to play.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
Alik gestured to the sound booth and waved Dev in.
The moment Dev’s sticks hit four, Nate was on it. His fingers flew up and down the fretboard as his other hand plucked expertly at the strings. It was one of their oldest songs, and their most popular. The one that had cemented their place in the music world. It never got old, and they frequently messed around with it, changing the tuning, trying it acoustically, swapping out Alik’s vocals for Richey’s. It was the one song where Nate could lose himself, shutting out everything around him. He would never get tired of that feeling. Despite the hassle Alik had given him about getting there, as soon as he hit the stage, the showman within him appeared and he didn’t want to do anything else.
Suddenly, he knew he wanted Clem to witness him playing more than ever.
Chapter Fourteen
Clem sat alone at the table, nursing a large gin and tonic, in the VIP area that Nate had pointed out to her. The bar around her was beginning to fill up and she felt like a total loser being there on her own. Several people glanced in her direction, no doubt wondering what she’d done to get a front row seat; however no-one bothered her. It was a slight surprise not to be recognised or asked for a selfie. Looking around the assembled audience, she doubted that many of them, if any, watchedPretty Rich Thingsor read the gossip magazines.
When Leona had bailed on her, Clem had second thoughts about even going to North Ridge. It wasn’t somewhere she knew much about, despite it only being less than half an hour outside of London. Being there on her own, in an environment she didn’t know, filled her with dread. Nate told her that Poppy and the other wives and girlfriends would be there, but she didn’t know them at all. If Leona had been there, it would have been easier. She desperately wanted to see Nate play, so she had to be brave and go it alone. Her favourite Uber driver had already been warned she might need a lift home later, and he’d agreed to be on standby for her.
After they’d had food and walked over to the club, Nate had disappeared onto the stage and she’d heard some warming up or getting ready or something. Trying to stay out of the way, she had ignored everything he’d done up until that point.
A commotion caught her attention behind her, and someone jostled her elbow, spilling her gin all over the table. Liquid dripped onto her suede skirt and she frantically scrubbed at it with a napkin.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
Clem turned towards the owner of the voice, a pretty redhead, dressed in black skinny jeans, a simple white top and killer heels, instantly recognising her from the pictures she’d seen of the woman who was Nate’s ex. Poppy McKenna.
“Hi, Poppy. I’m Clem.” She stood up and forced a smile.
Poppy’s gaze took her in from top to toe. Clem almost withered under the intensity. It was like being around Anastasia again.
“Yes, I’m aware of who you are.” Her tone was frosty, and she turned back to the other women with her, excluding Clem from the conversation.
Clem flinched at Poppy’s rudeness. From what Nate had told her, they hadn’t been together for a while and Poppy was already with someone else. She couldn’t understand why Poppy would have an issue with her.
One of the others moved around to be next to her. “Can I get you another drink?” she asked, gesturing to Clem’s empty glass. She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Sorry about that, Poppy’s always been a little clumsy. I’m Eva, Richey’s girlfriend.” The brunette’s expression was warm, the polar opposite to Poppy’s.
“Thanks, that would be great. I feel I’m going to need it.”
Eva linked her arm through Clem’s. “Come to the bar with me.”
They threaded their way through the crowd and waited to be served.
“It can be a minefield when you first meet the others,” Eva admitted. “Caro and Poppy have been close friends for ages and they’re a bit wary of newcomers.” She paused. “There were some issues in the past with a girlfriend of Alik’s causing a whole heap of drama, and I think they’re wary of new people. The first time I met Caro, I was petrified. She had everything, and I basically had the clothes I stood in, no job and no future.”
Covertly, Clem took the opportunity to appraise Eva. She looked put together, casually dressed, and carrying a Balenciaga handbag. There was nothing to show she was anything other than a confident woman. “How did you get them to accept you?”
“I guess I was lucky. I’d been friends with Poppy a while back and she took me in when I needed her most. She and Nate weren’t together then, and I’d split up with someone, so I wasn’t interested in getting involved in another relationship.” She laughed. “Although never tell Richey that!”
“You weren’t a threat to her.” Clem realised that was the issue.
“I never thought of it like that, but I guess that’s true.” Eva waved at the barman and got drinks for them both. “Here, get this down you. I’m sure you and Poppy will be besties in no time.”
