Page 23 of His Surrender
“Last weekend when I gave you that pain in your chest,” he said. “Then you called me cruel.”
Oh. Right.
“What would you say if Ididfind someone after you walked out on me?” I asked, resting an arm on the bar as I turned to him.
“I wouldn’t say anything.” Remi kept a straight face, but I saw the irritation in his blue eyes. “You can do whatever you want with whoever you want.”
“What if you’re the one I want to do it with?” I stepped a little closer, and he tilted his head up to keep holding my stare.
“Too bad?”
“Tease,” I said. It was then I noticed something interesting about his left eye. “Part of your iris is brown in that eye. I never noticed before.”
“Yeah, I have heterochromia.” Suddenly, he seemed a bit self-conscious. He dropped his gaze to the glass of water in front of him, hiding the eye that held my attention. “A lot of people have it. It’s not a big deal.”
His defensiveness made me wonder if someone elsehadmade a big deal of it and made him feel embarrassed. The thought caused anger to coil inside my chest.
“Here you are,” the bartender said, placing two beers down and popping the caps.
“Thanks,” I said to her, grabbing the bottles. When I turned back to Remi, I saw him walking back toward the stage. Nogoodbye,see you later, or anything.
You really need to learn proper etiquette, Remi Barnett.
I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips, and went back over to Ivan.
Chapter 6
Remi
My gig that night had been a last-minute decision. The musician originally hired had canceled, and the manager at the 906 had called to see if I was interested in filling the spot. Johnny and the guys had been busy, so I’d taken the gig. With Valentine’s Day being a week away, I’d decided to go more romantic with the songs I played.
And of course, Jay had picked that night to show up with an equally stunning blond who could only be his brother.
Romance was in the air. But so was a huge load of bullshit.
I played a few more songs on the piano, starting with “She’s Got a Way”from Billy Joel and then going into “New York State of Mind.” Each time I looked up, Jay’s back was turned to me. He was fully engaged in conversation with the other guy.
Better this way, I reminded myself for the millionth time. Wanting him was one thing; acting on that want was completely different. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t forget about Jay Foley. Just when I thought I was over him, he came back into my life, drawing me back in.
Something was about to break. I couldn’t go on like that for forever. My resolve was already cracking.
After my set, I stood from the piano, earning applause from a table of women in the center of the room. They were all dressed up in cocktail dresses and drinking glasses of champagne.
“Thank you,” I said, slightly bowing my head.
“Mr. Barnett,” an unfamiliar voice said from behind me, and I turned to see the man who’d come with Jay. Same green eyes as the insufferable man beside him, a telltale sign they were related. “I’m Ivan Foley. My son, Foster, is in your class.”
“Ah, yes,” I said, shaking his hand. “Please call me Remi. Mr. Barnett is only for my students. Makes me feel old otherwise.”
It also made me feel like my dad.
Ivan smiled. “Nice to officially meet you, Remi. Foster really enjoys being in band. I can see how it’s helped him come out of his shell a little.”
Jay stood beside his brother, his gaze everywherebuton me. Was he no longer interested? Did he have someone else on his mind? He winked, and I impulsively followed his line of sight. It’d been directed at the table of women. They giggled and waved at him, and one returned his wink.
“It was nice meeting you,” I said to Ivan before walking toward the back of the bar where the manager waited to give me my pay for the night. I also wanted to get away from Jay.
Over the years, I’d developed a thick skin. However, Jay had found a way to get right under it.
