Page 4 of Courageous Hearts

Bridget was right. The new bartender is gorge.

A buzz from my pocket startles me enough that I look away, breaking our eye contact. I pull my phone from my pocket and answer the call.

“Just a sec,” I tell Cooper before making my way toward the exit. Before I get there, I glance back one more time. The new guy is still watching me. I never found out his name, I realize.

Heart beating a little too fast, I step outside into the semi-humid Chicago air, and the noise from the bar falls away. It’s late summer now, and the temperature has started to cool, but not enough for me to be uncomfortable in just my tee.

“Sorry ’bout that,” I tell Coop, phone at my ear as I head down the sidewalk.

“No problem. Are you on your way home?” he asks.

“Yeah, just leavin’ now. You don’t have to babysit me.”

Cooper scoffs. “Please. I like catching up.”

“I know,” I say with a little grin, turning toward the nearest train stop. “How’re your guys?”

Cooper is my half-brother. I didn’t even know I had one until a couple years ago, when my friend Will introduced us. Strange story, that. Cooper was in my hometown of Plum Valley when he met Will. They became a thing, along with Tru, another of Will’s friends. When Cooper found out who his biological dad was, Will contacted me. Turns out it was my dad, too.

Coop and I have formed a good friendship since meeting one another—the guy is undeniably easy to befriend—and he, Will, and Tru are still together, living permanently in Plum Valley now as of just a couple months ago.

My half-brother has also taken it upon himself to call me at night when he can, keeping me company on my way home. I appreciate it, even as I feel guilty for hogging his time.

“They’re good,” Cooper replies, his voice soft and schmoopy. “Asleep, I think.”

A little pang of loneliness hits my chest, knowing the bed that awaits me is empty, but I brush the feeling aside. I’m used to sleeping alone by now. “Sure you’d rather be talkin’ to me instead of lyin’ in bed with your boyfriends?” I ask, aiming for teasing.

I must miss the mark. Cooper sighs, but it’s not an unkind sound. “Bo. You’re my sibling. You mean just as much to me as my boyfriends, all right? Yes, I want to talk to you. So shut up and tell me what’s new.”

I chuckle at that, feeling a little lighter as I pass through the train station and take the stairs up to the elevated track. “Don’t think I can shut up and tell you what’s new at the same time, Coop.”

“I’m rolling my eyes,” he informs me. “What’s your favorite act this weekend?”

Each week at Gertie’s, we perform a new lineup of songs. Usually a couple solo acts apiece for whoever is working that weekend, plus a few group numbers. They’re not always brand new—we reuse the same acts often. But the rotation of songs keeps it interesting for our visitors.

“Cabaret,” I answer.

“Classic,” Coop replies. “Liza?”

I chuckle again. Cooper is just as much of a music buff as I am. “How’d you guess?”

“You love the drama.”

I huff a breath from my nose. Only on the stage.

My train pulls up, and I hop on, switching my phone to the other ear as I take a seat. It’s not terribly busy at this time of night, but I still keep an eye on my surroundings.

“How’re y’all settling in?” I ask.

“Sometimes I forget you’re from here, and then you throw a ‘y’all’ at me,” Cooper says.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumble, well aware my accent is far more muted than it used to be, even though I’ll surely never escape my Texan roots.

“We’re good,” Coop answers. “Tru has been nesting.”

“Really?” I ask around a laugh.

Cooper hums. “It’s damn adorable. This place is starting to feel like home. A real one, you know?”

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