Page 1 of When It Reins
1
juniper
Singing always cameeasy to me.
When I was a little girl, I would walk around the house, always humming some tune or another that I would hear on the radio. Before my parents died, my mother used to call me her songbird, and I’d smile like it was the highest of compliments.
Now, I am trying to take my hobby to the next level, trying to take that compliment, that passion for singing, and turn it into something real.
The bar is crowded tonight, as it is on most Fridays when I or a local artist comes in to perform, and it feels as if my usual family lineup is missing.
My sister, Thea, is home with her son, who is just about to turn a year old. Her cousin, who acts as my own now, Dani, is also home with her own daughter, and Felicity, who is an international superstar turned good friend, is also home with her own son.
It’s like they all made a pact to get knocked up, and now the only ones here to support me are my sister, Annmarie, and Thea’s brother-in-law, Mitch.
Oh, and my boyfriend.
Can’t forget him.
David is a city boy who is here for a project with his company. I don’t really get what Acton, or even our neighboring city, Fall Springs, would have to offer his company, but he is pleased to be here, and I can’t deny that I’m happy too.
We met on his first night in town three months ago, and from what I can tell, his business took place mostly on his laptop and phone. The town is wary of him, but I try to keep reassuring them he isn’t here to hurt anyone’s business.
Mitch hates him.
He won’t come right out and say it, though he rarely comes right out and says anything. But I can tell he doesn’t like David whenever we show up to family events or whenever David comes and sees me at the bar.
Taking a deep breath and refocusing my thoughts on my tasks, I keep my face down now, arranging the stage just how I like it as an old Alan Jackson tune plays over the speakers. It keeps the dance floor moving while I get set up.
Over the last two years, I’ve been singing here most nights and have steadily grown a little bit of a local fan base. When I came up with the idea to put a little stage in and start hosting local talent, I hadn’t really meant myself, but after one act no-showed, I had gotten up on stage and shared my talent with the town.
Then when Felicity—who is well-known around the world for her incredible voice—came home and started joining me, the viral videos started online.
Last year after her tour, she invited me into her studio again and surprised me by helping me record a few of my own songs and releasing them to the public. It was a dream come true, but one that was hard to admit to myself.
“Hey, girl.” I turn and see Shelly, my sister’s newish girlfriend, grinning at me. She was new to town. Only six months ago she’d turned up looking for work, and we’d hired her to work here. It wasn’t long after that Annmarie found interest and started dating her.
Annmarie hid her sexuality for years, afraid of how everyone would take it. That hurt my heart for her, but I was thrilled she was not only living the life she was meant to but happily doing so with Shelly.
“Hey,” I say, getting my mics set up. Shelly is a huge help here. She used to work at a church in the city and helped with the music every week, so she knew her way around the equipment.
“Your boy is watching you.” Shelly smirks, looking behind me. Her long, black hair up in a high ponytail swishes with her movement.
I turn, and my eyes latch onto Mitch’s, who is standing against a wall, watching the stage.
Blinking, I turn back to the task at hand. “He’s not my guy.”
Shelly laughs and shakes her head. “I wasn’t talking about that one, but interesting that you looked at him first.”
A blush takes over my skin, and I look up at her, then try to find David in the crowd. He grins when he sees me and gives a wave. I wave back, embarrassed that Shelly caught me.
“I just assumed you—” I stop, unsure what I was going to say. I don’t really have a good excuse.
That man standing against the wall has been stuck somewhere in the back of my mind since the moment he walked into the bar asking for a job.
When he first came in, I’d thought he was Logan, his brother and my brother-in-law. Logan and Thea had been going through a rough time, and I was excited to see them patch things up. But it was Mitch, and ever since that moment I saw him there’s been something there, a pull of sorts.
One he wants to ignore.
