Page 1 of Play For Me
CHAPTER ONE
MILES
“Well, what do you think?” I look over at Noah and watch him study the worn-down place. If anyone can help me bring this place back to life and see beyond the years of grime and battered wood, it would be him.
We met seven years ago when my older brother, Travis, married Sophia. She grew up with Noah and his younger sister. We easily became friends and have become very close. It’s like a zoo when we all get together with the kids, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Family has always been extremely important to me.
It’s one of the main reasons why I’m standing here in this run-down dive bar, praying I’ve made the right decision. My whole life, all I’ve ever wanted to be was a drummer. I lived and breathed the feel of those sticks in my hand and the beat of the drums. And I did it. Our band became just as successful as I had always dreamed of as a little kid.
What I didn’t anticipate was how hard tour life would actually be. Don’t get me wrong. I love the high of getting on stage and having thousands of fans scream your name. We sold outquite a few venues these past six years and went hardcore on tour. I thought it would be everything I always wanted, but just because you are surrounded by people, twenty-four-seven, doesn’t mean you don’t feel lonely on the inside.
After a while, the fame and the hotel rooms night after night become less glamorous, and the meaningless one-night stands start to feel like a mundane routine. At thirty-two, I find myself wanting that deeper connection and that person who can stir something in me to make me feel alive.
And then there’s my family. I come home as much as I can, but it’s not the same. I’ve missed birthdays, and my nieces and nephews are growing up faster than I would like. FaceTime is just not enough anymore. I don’t want to be the uncle they barely know who just pops in from time to time. I want the Sunday family dinners and going to little league games or dance recitals to cheer them on. I want to be home, back in Blue Haven, where I feel more like myself.
“I’m not going to lie,” Noah laughs, pulling me out of my thoughts. “You couldn’t have picked a bigger project to take on.” He adjusts his worn ball cap over his dark hair and studies the wooden bar.
“Where’s the fun in buying a place if you can’t start from scratch and make it your own?” I grin.
“This,” he says, looking around at the broken light fixtures and the stage that will have to be replaced because of the giant hole in the middle, “is the definition of a dive bar,” he chuckles. He’s not wrong. This place looks like shit. “But,” he looks at me and grins with a twinkle in his blue eyes, “the structure is solid, and because this building has been here since the beginning of time…”
I start to feel the excitement because I know he senses it, too. This place is special—I can feel it.
“It has character and stories in this wood just begging to bebrought back to life so it can hear more,” he finishes. “With a little sanding and some staining, this place is going to be amazing.”
“So you’re in?” I see the gleam in his eyes and know he won’t be able to resist this challenge. He’s been renovating homes and businesses around Crystal Isle, a small coastal town about an hour south of here. He lives there with his family, and what started as a side hobby has quickly turned into a full-blown business with an entire crew under him. He’s the only one I would trust to do this job and share my vision of keeping the place as authentic as we can.
This place, formally known asEddy’s,has been here for as long as I can remember. Hell, my parents grew up coming here. Sitting on the outskirts of town on a gravel coastal road, it’s the perfect setup for live music and good drinks. The hill it sits on overlooks the ocean, and I can already envision the new deck I want to build.
“I’m in,” Noah says with a sparkle in his eyes. “But I do have a proposition for you.”
“I love a good proposition,” I grin. “Let’s hear it.” I cross my tattooed arms across my broad chest and lean against the bar, hoping I won’t stick to it when I feel the grimy coating against my arm.
“I want to be a silent partner and invest in this place. With my renovation help and your eye for music and bringing in the crowd, I know we can create something special here.”
“You want to be partners?” I ask, surprised. I never thought about having a partner, but since I sunk a large chunk of money into buying this place, it would be nice to split costs and share expenses with someone. “Why?” I laugh. “Crystal Isle getting too boring for you, so you want to venture into my town?”
“Yourtown?” He raises his eyebrow and chuckles. “Wedidlet a Montgomery into ours, so it’s only fitting that you get a Bennett in yours.”
My two older brothers, Travis and Jake, are tattoo artists, so when they wanted to branch out, Jake kept the business here, and Travis moved to Crystal Isle to open a second location ofInked.He was a single dad to Max at the time and wanted a fresh start. The stars definitely aligned in his favor because he quickly found himself falling hard for Sophia, who happened to be the teacher Max wouldn’t stop talking about since his first day of school.
“Besides, I’ve always wanted to own a bar, and this way, I can still say I own one without having to pour drinks,” he grins.
I rub my small lip ring between my teeth as Noah waits for my answer. I really don’t have to think too hard because I love the idea of a silent investor. I’ll be able to do twice as much to the place and double our overhead. It’s always fun to make people squirm, though, so I pretend to really think on the matter as Noah studies me.
“Well?” he says after a few moments. “Do we have a deal?” He holds his hand out, and I glance down at it, making him wait a few seconds longer.
“You know it’s a yes,” I laugh and shake his hand. “I just wanted to make you sweat a bit.”
“God, this is either the best idea I’ve ever had, or I just made a deal with a very large child. A large child who just wants to have fun, and I’ll end up being the grownup in charge,” he chuckles.
“Why can’t it be both?” I laugh.
“With you, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” He shakes his head with a grin before looking around the place again. “I’ll work up some designs tonight when I get home, and we can talk more tomorrow. I told Emma I would be back in time to watch the kids so she could teach her yoga class tonight, so I need tohead out.” He grabs his notepad from the bar with all the measurements we took during our walk-through earlier.
“How are Lily and Jax doing? I haven’t seen them since Max’s football game last season.”
“They are doing great and growing up too fast if you ask me. Lily will be finishing up with kindergarten this year, and Jax is your typical two-year-old getting into anything and everything,” he laughs as we walk to the front door.
