Page 16 of Fire
“You still call me Cupid.”
A wicked smirk spreads across his face. “Told you I was sticking with it. And besides, you like it when I call you that.”
I try to come up with a witty reply, but I come up blank. Because he’s right. I do. I liked it back then, and I like it even more now.
He must notice because his grin widens. “And no, definitely not showing off. Just taking advantage of the family discount. Have you bought a drink in this town lately? It’s ridiculous.”
I laugh.He’sridiculous, and it’s ridiculous that I find it charming. “I didn’t know your family owned a bar. Doesn’t your dad do something in the music industry?”
He nods. “My dad is a manager for several musicians, which is the primary family business. There’s also the recording studio,our newest venture, and then the bar in Malibu, which is sort of my parents’ pride and joy. Besides me, of course.”
“Of course.” Cars zoom past the window as we drive down the 101 toward the coast. “So will your family be at the family bar?”
“My sister Presley might be bartending, but that’s probably it. We don’t hang out there twenty-four-seven like some weird family sitcom.”
Well, that’s a relief. Not that I’m sure they’re lovely, but I’m not really up for meeting the whole family tonight. “Presley? Hendrix? I’m sensing a theme.”
“Ah, yes. My dad really loves his music legends. And my mom? Well, she loves my dad enough to let him name all of us after them.”
“All of you? How many are there?”
“Five.”
“Five?” I almost gasp. “That’s?—”
“A lot? Yes, it is. And that doesn’t even account for all the bonus siblings.”
“What the hell is a bonus sibling?”
“You know, like a best friend or longtime employee that just sort of becomes part of the family. My parents have always been the more, the merrier type. Holidays are nuts in our house.”
“That’s really nice of them,” I say, unsure of what else to add since I haven’t really experienced the big family thing. My dad is an only child, and his parents passed away when I was young. My mom’s family is actually quite large, but scattered, from the West Coast all the way to the Greek Isles and everywhere in between. As for friends, that was always more my sister’s area of expertise.
“So tell me all their names.”
“The bonus siblings? Well, there’s Zan?—”
“No.” I chuckle. “Your regular siblings. The ones with the crazy names.”
“Oh.” He chuckles. “Well, there’s the oldest, Cash, then there’s me and Presley. After that is my brother Myles and my youngest sister, Mercury.”
“Wait, Myles as in—” The other ones are easy to identify. But I try to think of a famous musician named Myles. “Miles Davis?”
He just shakes his head. “No, but I’m sure that’s what people think when they hear his name. Myles was adopted, so he got off easy when it came to crazy names. My oldest brother, though, was almost named Halen, which he could not pull off—at all.”
“They didn’t consider naming you Bono or Prince. Oh, how about Zeppelin?”
“I could absolutely rock a name like Zeppelin,” he says with a straight face.
“I don’t think you could. Honestly, I’m not even sure you’re cool enough to pull off Hendrix.”
“What the fuck? You can’t just shit talk a guy’s name, ZaraHazelValentine.”
My eyes widen. “How?—”
“Your phone screen is really bright.” His grin is so damn smug. “So are you going to invite me over?”
Oh my god.My cheeks burn.“You know, reading someone else’s text messages is considered a violation of privacy?”
