Page 34 of Some Kind of Forever
“And we”—Ashlie cuts in, pointing to Kayla and herself—“are going to get our drinks. Maybe you two should stay away from each other tonight, hmm?” She lifts an eyebrow at the dueling cousins, links arms with Kayla, and pulls her toward the bar. Kayla shrugs back at me, and I watch her walk away.
“She’s right. You two should probably keep to opposite corners tonight. We came to have fun,” I offer diplomatically, which seems to be the role I play whenever they go at each other’s throats.
“Sounds good to me,” Hunter huffs. “Make sure you get your kiddie wristband, Maggot,” he sneers over his shoulder as he walks toward the bar, referencing the fact that Maggie is still under twenty-one.
I turn to follow when Maggie grabs my hand. “You can come hang out with us when you get sick of their juvenile joking.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say, taking back my hand and shoving it into the pocket of my sweater. I jog to catch up to Hunter, leaving the imposing ballerinas to make their own fun.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHASE
We settle in chairs around a firepit, close to a stage where a large speaker and portable screen are set up on the concrete platform. A middle-aged redhead is singing karaoke to a popular country song, her hair swinging around as she shimmies her body to the beat. People bob their heads along to the music, keeping their separate conversations alive despite the performance. When the song ends, whooping and hollering sounds from all around the bar. She takes a bow and runs back to her seat, joining a table full of laughing women.
Just as I’m about to turn toward Kayla, she hands her drink to Ashlie and walks up to the stage. I look to Ashlie for an explanation.
“Oh, you’re in for a treat,” she says, nodding toward the stage. “Kayla’s a karaoke master.”
She adjusts the microphone stand on stage and straightens her jacket. The music to a slow blues ballad starts, and she closes her eyes, cradling the length of the stand in her hands.What I wouldn’t give to be that microphone right now.
Her body sways to the soulful melody, and the smooth sound of her voice washes over me as she croons the first words of the love song. I’m entranced, frozen under her spell as her voice liltsand swells around me. I couldn’t look away if I wanted to, the words of the chorus striking me right in the heart:
Sometimes
What you’ve lost, you’ll find
And you’ll fall in kind
To some kind of forever.
The silence of the crowd when she finishes is a stark difference from the performance before, ending abruptly when Ashlie and Hunter whoop and clap. The rest of the patrons follow suit, and Kayla smiles, taking a bow before heading back over to us.
“Amazing,” I say, giving her a smile. I reach out to squeeze her hand, and she beams at me. I don’t let go, she doesn’t pull away, and my determination to take things to the next level with her has multiplied tenfold.
After a couple of drinks and several rounds of horseshoe, our group of four has separated. Hunter and Ashlie are battling it out at a giant four-in-a-row game, laughing and joking like they’ve been friends for years. I spot Kayla standing in the gazebo, gazing into the water. The sun has gone down, and the twinkling lights strung along the ceiling cast a warm yellow glow over her. I weave my way through the guests enjoying their night at the firepits, around the twinkle lit walls of the bar, and straight back to her.
“Hey,” I say, stepping beside her, breaking whatever thought she was lost in. Leaning my arms against the wooden railing, I peer over to the water below.
“Hey,” she says breathily, jolting slightly in surprise. I scoot closer just to feel the warmth of her arm against mine. She looks down at our touch and then right into my eyes, biting her lip. “I…think you should have my number…”
“Oh?” I grin. “And why is that?”
“Maybe I missed seeing you last week…” She flips around so her back and elbows rest on the railing.
“Maybe or definitely?”
“Definitely maybe,” she teases, looking up through her lashes. My heart skips several beats as I contemplate pulling her close and pressing my lips to hers, a month’s worth of tension finally washing away. “We have an audience,” she whispers, nodding her head forward. I look over my shoulder to see Maggie watching us from the firepits.
“Ah, yeah. Maggie.” I nod, turning back to the water. “She’s intense.”
“She’s been watching you all night, Chase.”
“Has she?” I ask. “I’ve been a little distracted and haven’t noticed.” To make her smile, I wiggle my eyebrows. It works, with an added eye roll before she tilts her head to the side.
“She clearly likes you. She damn near peed on your leg at the diner trying to mark her territory.” Kayla watches me, and her cool mask slips briefly as a moment of anxiety flashes in her eyes.
I rub my fingers against my forehead, trying to ease the frustration that has settled there. This isnotwhat I want to be doing right now, talking to Kayla about Maggie. I don’t want to be talking aboutanythingwith Kayla right now. I’d rather be kissing her. Dropping my eyes to the water, I focus on the languid trickle as it flows past, hoping to gather my thoughts well enough to redeem myself. “I know. It’s been like this since we were little. She has it in her head that we’ll end up together eventually, and no amount of me brushing her off gets the point across.”
