Even if they didn’t do something crazy, it would definitely be a night to remember.
* * *
A warm breeze blew Cassie’s hair away from her shoulders as she stood outside the theater, awaiting Ally’s arrival. People continued to disappear through the doors, most likely to find their seats and order a drink. She wanted to do the same, wanted to get off her feet and throw back a couple of cocktails.
Instead, she glanced at her phone to see if Cori had replied to her last text. Her sister hadn’t responded, but she noticed the time. 8:00 pm. The doors would be closing any minute, and if she and Ally weren’t inside, they’d miss the show.
It wasn’t like Ally to put herself on such a tight schedule. Normally, she was ten minutes early for everything. Yet the one night she needed to be punctual, she wasn’t. What was with the Jacobs women today? There was no word from Paula either. In fact, if Cassie hadn’t texted Ally to confirm their plans, she still wouldn’t know if Paula was okay. God knows she’d left her hanging at the antique shop.
At least Paula kept her date with Ally.
Cassie wondered how the mother-daughter dinner had fared. If Ally’s mom was hitting the bottle again, not only would it explain why she left Cassie hanging, it would explain Ally’s delay. Hopefully nothing bad had happened.
As a few more patrons filtered into the theater, Cassie swiped her thumb over her phone’s screen and exited the conversation with her sister. She scrolled through the list of recent texts and found the one from Ally.
I’ll be there before 8:00. At dinner with Mom. Can’t wait to see you too.
Repeating the last phrase to herself, she dissected each word, searching for a hidden clue to her friend’s state of mind. Was Ally honestly looking forward to seeing her? Was she repeating Cassie’s words to be polite? Worse, was it code for ‘my mother is driving me nuts’?
Before she could give it any more thought, her phone vibrated. Another text populated her screen, but it didn’t come from Ally. Cori had finally replied.
Going out with a friend. Can’t be your DD tonight. Chat tomorrow?
She laughed to herself as she punched in a reply. It was hard to believe her little sister was twenty-one. The three-year age difference didn’t seem so big anymore. It did when they were younger and Cori had wanted to follow her around everywhere. Now she was in college, living her own life, and having fun with her friends. The sweet, freckle-faced girl had grown into a woman, one that loved to party just as much as her big sister.
Good thing their parents weren’t ready for grandkids. They’d be waiting a while, if so, because neither she nor Cori were interested in a relationship. Not a serious one. Why invest all her time in one person? She’d tried that with Aaron, and it got her nothing but eight months of boredom and one orgasm.
Thank God for vibrators…and sexy ass bartenders.
Once she noticed that Cori read her message, she tucked her phone inside her clutch and turned toward the doors. A twinge of disappointment filled her when she noticed they were closed. What a shame to know she’d wasted the tickets she’d won. Oh well. If she didn’t hear from Ally by eight-thirty, she’d head over to Midnight Blues and see if Mike was working. He’d provide enough distraction to help her forget her shitty day.
As she slipped her fingers inside her belt loops, she gazed at the sky. The pink and gold tinted clouds began to shift to hues of blue and gray. At least the weather was nice. It would be a perfect night to sneak up to the terrace of Mike’s apartment and have a few drinks. Doing so would guarantee two things—hot sex and one hell of an orgasm. Mike was definitely Aaron’s opposite in that department.
What they shared wasn’t love, which was the best thing about it. She didn’t have to worry about losing her heart. After seeing Ally’s break the night before she went to New York, Cassie swore she wanted nothing to do with love. Sex, hell yeah, but not love. She could do without that emotion for many more years.
Time ticked aimlessly away. She paced in front of the steps, worrying again that something had gone terribly wrong with Ally and Paula. Memory after memory of the estranged mother-daughter relationship bounced through her mind. Yeah, it sucked that she and Ally had missed the comedy show, but her friend’s welfare was more important.
As cars continued passing by, she scanned each one, but none were familiar. She doubted Ally would get a close parking space anyway. Not this late on a Friday night.
When the balls of her feet began aching, she leaned against the concrete wall surrounding the theater. It seemed like an eternity had passed. She dug out her phone and checked the clock once more. 8:28 pm. Hard to believe she’d spent twenty-plus minutes just pacing.
A groan rumbled from her chest. She lifted a loose strand of hair from her cheek and tucked it back under the hair comb she’d purchased. It was still in place, pinning part of her locks away from her face. She traced her finger over the flowers, remembering the tale the shopkeeper had told her.
Despite whatever legend was attached to the comb, she didn’t believe she would find her true love. The whole there-is-someone-for-everyone bullshit didn’t jive with her. But Ally? Yeah, she’d buy into that. Between the two of them, her friend would be more apt to find her true half.
Hell, she already had… Jonah McCabe. Too bad he wasn’t in town.
The sound of a throat clearing resonated behind her. She spun around, locking eyes with a familiar, dark pair. It sure was good to see Ally, but why the hell hadn’t she called to say she’d be late?
“What happened to you?”
Ally’s brows pinched. The smile forming on her lips faltered as she glanced at her shirt. A moment later, she looked back up. “Nothing.” She accentuated the word as if she didn’t have a clue as to why Cassie was questioning her tardiness. “Why do you ask?”
Cassie punched her hips and cocked her head to the side. “You’re half an hour late.”
“No, I’m not.” Ally bent her wrist and gazed at her watch. “We have ten more minutes before the show begins.”
It was easy to see how much Ally believed what she was saying. No humor showed on her face. Confusion did. The way she kept peeking at her watch said as much.
“I was worried something had gone wrong at the restaurant, but I didn’t want to interrupt in case it was the opposite.” Cassie waved off the thought. No sense in worrying about it now. “Anywho, you better pick up a new battery for that watch.”
Ally’s head twisted from side-to-side. She ogled the watch as if she were questioning its accuracy. If Cassie knew her friend as well as she thought, Ally was in disbelief. She’d never been late for anything and took pride in that fact. Cassie hated to burst her bubble.
“Really,” she grinned. “Check your phone.”
Reaching around her side, Ally removed her phone from her back pocket and stared at the screen before she spoke again.
“Great,” she complained as she threw her hand in the air. “The first really nice gift my mom gets me is messed up.” She tapped the watch’s face then lowered her hand to her side. “I am incredibly sorry. Will they still seat us if we’re late?”
“Nah,” Cassie shrugged. She leaned closer to her friend, pulled the tickets from her jeans, and pointed to the fine print. “It specifically says so on the bottom, along with a spiel about how it distracts the comedians.”
As Ally’s eyes fluttered shut, her shoulders drooped. “My first week back and I’m letting people down.”
“Oh, please. You’ll have to do a lot more than that to let me down. I’m just glad your dinner went good.”
If Ally and her mom had a pleasant dinner, then there was a good chance Paula hadn’t been drinking. Yet the way Ally pursed her lips to the side and studied the theater said there was more to the story.
“It did go well, didn’t it?”
It was Ally who shrugged this time. Then she sighed. “That conversation requires a drink.”
Lovely. If Ally was ready to drink, there was definitely
information she was withholding. Cassie couldn’t help but wonder what it was. Her curiosity always did get the better of her, but there was no need to ask questions in the middle of downtown Savannah. She’d get an explanation soon enough.
“Say no more.” She tugged the string on Ally’s sleeve then motioned behind her. “There’s a nice little blues joint just down the street. I had a really crappy day at work. Let’s go blow off some steam. We can stay until midnight and ring in your birthday the right way.”
Another smile curled Ally’s lips. “Liquor and music. What a great way to end this, how did you say it, crappy day?”
Finally. It was time to have some fun. Cassie clapped her hands quickly and danced in place like a little girl with a brand-new Barbie. She hadn’t acted this goofy in years.
Locking arms with her oldest friend, she escorted Ally down the street toward the nightclub. “You’re gonna love this place. It’s laid back, the cocktails are perfect, and the men are hot. You are still single, right?”
Ally nodded, hesitantly, which didn’t surprise Cassie. There was never a set time to get over an ugly breakup. Even if Ally didn’t love Douglas Kingsley enough to accept his marriage proposal, it didn’t mean he had the right to trash her apartment or send hateful texts. Cassie still believed he was the one who spray-painted the walls.
Asshole.
There was no love loss between them. Besides, he wasn’t right for Ally. Only one guy was, and if Cassie ever had the chance, she’d make sure the right one wouldn’t get away again.
Damn she wished the McCabe boys were still around…
CHAPTER THREE
Theo felt a burst of adrenalin rushing through his veins. It wouldn’t be much longer now. The moment he always waited for. The one he craved. He’d be on stage, standing before his microphone, as well as a packed house by the looks of the dance floor. That didn’t include the people spread about the bar.
While it wasn’t a big stage before a crowd of thousands, performing at a blues joint on a Friday night meant a dynamic crowd that would want them to keep playing. People loved live music, especially if it was free. It wouldn’t be tonight, thanks to the cover charge. They did enough free shows when they were staying in New Orleans.
Those types of performances didn’t pay the bills, and the lack of money cost him Jonah. But losing his brother to a sound-producing job turned out to be a blessing. His departure incited a fire in Theo, one that drove him to bust his ass and find more gigs. That same ambitious drive led him and Southern Scandal to their agent, Joel Decker, and his twin brother, Josh, who’d turned out to be one hell of a manager.
The one-year separation did him and Jonah some good. It taught him to appreciate his brother and to get motivated about his dreams. It was his determination that proved to Jonah how serious he was about the band. Then, just like old times, his big brother came back to aid him. Yet this time, he had the means to help.
Now Southern Scandal had a record deal. They would begin producing their first album next week. Tours were being mentioned, gigs were lining up, and the women…fuck, the women kept getting hotter.
Life was good.
“Damn,” Jonah grumbled beside him. He adjusted the guitar strap around his neck and blew his hair from his face. “I don’t know why I let you talk me into this shit. I could be on a plane, heading back to my beach house, sleeping in my bed with my pillows, and my things. Instead, I’m sweating my nuts off, my gut’s in knots, and when I leave here, it will be to some hotel suite where thousands of strangers have slept…and God only knows what else.”
Theo lowered his gaze to the guitar as he bit the inside of his jaw. When did his brother forget how to have a good time? Hell, when did he quit living for the music? He choked back a laugh and shook his head. They weren’t on stage yet. It would all come back to him once the ladies went crazy. Judging by the honeys already on the dance floor, Theo wouldn’t do much sleeping this evening. If Jonah didn’t want any company, that was his choice.
“You need a tampon, dude?”
“Excuse me?” Jonah snapped. He turned his ear toward Theo, as though he hadn’t heard him. Or maybe he was preparing to punch him.
Tossing his hands in the air, Theo forced himself to chuckle. “Just thought I’d ask. I figured you’d need one with all the bitchin’ you’re doing. You sound like a woman on her—”
“Say it and I’ll punch you.”
Laughter erupted from Theo’s chest. He slapped his brother on the arm, shaking him until Jonah caved and chuckled. “Relax, bro. I know you’d rather be in L.A., and I want you to know how much I appreciate you staying to help. But for Christ’s sake, at least have some fun while you’re here.”
Jonah ran his fingers over the guitar strings. “Always looking for a good time, aren’t you, Theo?”
“Hey, I’m fucking twenty-three years old. You’re twenty-four. We’re in our prime, man. I’m not ready to settle down. There are too many beautiful women for that nonsense.” The dance floor came into view. He spotted a set of bright eyes, perfect tits, and an ass he’d love to grab. “In fact, we’re getting some pretty serious eyes right now.”
He watched as Jonah scanned the bar, checking out the ladies lingering near the stage. After a brief moment, his brother shrugged. “She’s not bad.”
What the fuck?
“Not bad? Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? She’s pretty hot.” Had his brother taken a dose of saltpeter or what? Okay, so maybe that was a myth, but something had happen to Jonah’s libido. The chick staring at them was young, hot, and built to ride a stallion. He knew the perfect one she could mount.
Damn, he needed to get laid. Little blondie could serve the purpose. Or was her hair red? Under the light, it appeared to be a mixture of both. Bet she was a strawberry blonde. He’d know for sure this evening when he buried his face between her thighs. She would definitely be in his bed. The way she kept studying every inch of his body was clue enough. Unless she was a tease… Hmm. Come to think of it, something about her reminded him of—
“Forget it, man.” Jonah chuckled.
“What?”
His brother leaned his elbow against the handrail that led to the stage. “I know what you’re thinking. I had to do a double take, too. It’s the hair, little bro, but it’s good to know you still think about her.”
“Who?”
Jonah rubbed his face, trying to hide the smile forming on his lips. “Cut the innocent act. It doesn’t fit you. And I know what coming home does. You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about a certain redhead that used to make your balls so blue that you had to sleep with an ice pack.”
So his brother wanted to trash talk on his way down memory lane. It’s the last place Theo wanted to go, but he’d be damned if he let his brother talk smack. “Please. I never had to sleep with an ice pack. You may have chased one skirt your whole life, but not me, dude. I had my hands up many.”
“Except the one you wanted most,” Jonah quipped. “So you haven’t thought of Cassie Clarke since we came home?”
“Nope.”
He hated lying to his brother. It was only a few hours ago that memories of Cassie rolled through his mind. Hearing her name was like a kick in the teeth with a steel-toed boot, but he’d be damned if he let Jonah know. Hell no. Then he’d catch hell the whole time they were in Savannah.
“I know you cared about Ally, and being here brings those feelings back, but Cassie and I weren’t a possibility. Ever. And I’m past her. Way past.”
Jonah scanned him from head to toe as he shook his head. “You’re full of shit. That’s what you are. I know I’m not the only one who hates coming back. You do too, and I know it’s because of Cassie. So you didn’t think you had a chance with her. Big deal. You still cared about her. Isn’t that why you beat Parker Pearson’s ass our senior year?”
“He had his hands on her. That’s why I kicked his ass. I would have done the same for any other girl. That guy was a prick.”
“Yeah, he was, but he’d been that way for a while. Cassie wasn’t the first girl he’d put his hands on. She’s just the one you didn’t want him to touch.”
Theo refrained from responding. Jonah was baiting him, and he refused to bite. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and glanced at his watch. Just a few more minutes and they’d be on stage. Too bad they weren’t already performing. Then he and Jonah wouldn’t be having this conversation. Seeing as how they had three more minutes, it was time to flip the spotlight back on Jonah.
“I know what you’re doing, bro. You’re bringing up this shit with Cassie so I won’t ask you about Ally. Personally, I don’t give a shit what you do as long as your choice makes you happy. But you won’t find that happiness until you do one of two things.”
“And what would that be?”
He ignored the sarcastic tone in Jonah’s voice and continued with his advice. “One, you find where Ally is and pay her a visit. See if there’s something between you or if she’s moved on.”
It didn’t take long for Jonah’s head to twist from side to side. “We’re talking about Ally Jacobs, Theo. Do you think a girl like that would be single? She’s moved on. I know she has, and letting myself think anything else won’t do me any favors.”
“Well, if you’re not going to attempt to find Ally, then it’s time you moved on too.”
Jonah pushed himself away from the handrail and faced the hallway leading to the backdoor. Allen and Jesse stood a few feet away, deep enough in their own conversation that they weren’t listening. It must have satisfied Jonah to know they weren’t listening because he turned to face Theo once more.
“I have moved on from Ally, but that doesn’t mean I need someone else in my life. I’m busy, and I don’t want a girlfriend.”
“Who the fuck said anything about a girlfriend? Sample the flavors until you find one that becomes a craving. Tonight, I’m sampling a strawberry Popsicle.” He shifted his attention back to the little hottie who kept flirting, but a grunt echoed from Jonah’s direction.