Page 43 of Pretend and Propose

I stare at her. If there was one thing I loved as a kid almost as much as reading books and riding horses, it was playing music with my sisters. “I haven’t played in years. I doubt I even know how anymore.”

“You won’t know until you try. I’ve already signed us up to play a gig at Philistines, that night club just outside town.”

“You did what?” Clover walks into the room, an apple in one hand and a mug in the other.

“It’s a battle of the bands thing,” Honey says. “If we’re terrible, we’ll be done early.”

“Did you tell anyone else about this?”

Honey looks entirely unconcerned. “No. It’ll be fun and a good sister bonding exercise.”

“Dani,” Clover calls. “You need to hear this.”

Dani steps into the living room, a plate of food in one hand, a fork in the other. “What’s up?” she asks around the pasta she’s chewing.

“Honey signed us up to perform at a battle of the bands.”

“It’s in a month,” Honey says, all Zen-like calm. “Plenty of time to practice.”

Dani chokes and Clover thumps her on the back. Dani swallows and coughs, eyes watering. “No,” she gets out on a ragged breath.

“We can practice three nights a week,” Honey says. “I only work weekend nights at the diner, so any week night would work for me and the rest of you don’t work nights, unless Clover has a late class.”

“Nope.” Dani shakes her head. “No way. I’m not doing it.” She turns and walks back to the kitchen.

“She’ll come around,” Honey says, as though she can predict the future now.

“Well, I’m not coming around,” I say. “I haven’t touched my bass in nearly ten years. There’s no way I’ll be ready for a performance in four weeks.”

“You don’t have to be perfect.” Honey looks at Clover and me in turn, probably gauging our interest by whatever magic she uses to read emotions. “It’s just for fun. When’s the last time you did anything just for fun?”

I narrow my eyes. Has she been talking to Sadie, too?

“You were so good.” Clover sits on the arm of the couch. “I always envied your perfect ear.”

“I always envied all of you.” Honey’s eyes go wide with sincerity. “I was always the littlest and the worst, but I’ve been practicing for this day. I might just be better than the rest of you now.”

“Well, I’m in,” Clover says. “I can’t have my baby sister showing me up.”

Honey claps. “Yay! We should have our first practice tonight. Can Noah sing?”

I think about it. But I can’t actually remember a time I’ve heard him so much as hum along. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t sing in the shower or with the radio.”

“What about Asher?” Honey looks over at Clover.

Clover shrugs. “Maybe. He sounds pretty good when he sings with the radio, but I don’t know if he can sing the kind of bluegrass songs we play.”

“Is he coming over tonight?”

“He’s in my room, napping.” Clover’s cheeks pink. I may get lost in books a lot, but it hasn’t escaped my notice that Asher is here just about every night. I don’t know how they can stand to spend so much time together, between work and practically living together, but they don’t seem sick of each other yet.

“Great.” Honey turns back to me. “Is an hour enough time for you to get used to the bass before practice?”

“Pretty sure I haven’t agreed to play.” I’m just being a brat. I don’t have much of a choice.

Honey pats my head like I’m a little kid. “Yes, you have. I’ll go with you to get your bass from the attic and help you tune it.”

I wave my tablet at her. “I have work to do tonight.”

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