“I will be,” I agree, not at all afraid to admit that I’m popular around here. It pays my bills nicely, and does the same for the business owners I play for. “I’ve missed playing here.”
“You have?” she asks, seemingly surprised.
“I have.”
“Well, good.” She clears her throat and leads me back to the stairs. “Maybe I can talk you into giving me Fridays and Saturdays.”
You could probably talk me into just about anything, darlin’.
And that just won’t do. Women are a great distraction, but that’s all they are.
“I’m booked on Saturdays,” I reply.
“We’ll see,” she says with a smile as her heels click down the stairs back to the main bar where Adam has finished with his call and is stocking bottled beer in the cooler.
“What do you think?” he asks.
“I think you’d better stock more beer. This place is going to be hopping in about two hours.”
***
God, I love to perform. I love every part of it: singing, playing all of the instruments, watching the crowd as they dance or sing along. Music is as necessary to me as breathing and it’s always come naturally to me. They call me a prodigy, but I don’t know about that. All I know is, it’s a part of me that I’ll never let go of.
I’m toward the end of my last set, and I was right. The place is packed, wall-to-wall, standing room only. Adam and another bartender I haven’t seen before are working the bar, and two waitresses are working the room.
Callie has been mingling, helping wherever she’s needed, and working her ass off in general.
How she can do all of that in the shoes she wears is a mystery to me, and my sister Charly owns a shoe store. I’ve come to realize that I’ll never solve that particular mystery.
As long as women continue to wear them, I’m good.
Speaking of Charly, my eyes meet hers in the crowd. It didn’t surprise me that she showed up with our brother, Eli, and his girlfriend, Kate. It did surprise me, however, to see that she brought a date along.
I wonder who the fuck this one is.
Not that he’ll be around for long. Charly doesn’t keep men in her life. Odd, how our parents were married for the better part of five decades, faithfully and in love for every day of those years, yet most of their six children are commitment-phobes.
“Are y’all havin’ a good night?” I ask the crowd as I tickle the keys on the piano and smile when the room erupts into applause and cheers. “I am too. Let’s give the owner, Callie, and the staff of The Odyssey a big round of applause for making this place so beautiful.”
My eyes link with Callie’s as the crowd cheers loudly. She smiles and waves, then simply lifts a perfect eyebrow in my direction.
God, I love how sassy she is.
“I’d also like to send out a little hello to some of my family in the audience this evening.” I smile down at Eli, Kate and Charly. If any of my family takes the time to come to a show, I take a minute to thank them. “And this here’s gonna be the last song this evening. It’s one of my favorites. Thanks for listening tonight, friends.”
I move easily into a slower rendition of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain, loving the lyrics, losing myself in the melody. And when it’s done, I stand and wave, give one bow, then climb off the stage and head straight to my family.
“Hey,” I say and kiss Kate’s cheek, then Charly’s, and give my brother a man-hug. “Thanks for coming.” Then I turn to Charly’s date. “Who are you?”
Charly rolls her eyes. “God, you’re such a man.”
“I’m a brother,” I correct her, still holding the stranger’s gaze with mine. He’s not as tall as me or Eli, but then few are. At roughly six-foot-four, we’re taller than most. He’s dressed smartly, like an accountant or a lawyer, in a dark button-down and khaki pants.
And, because she’s Charly, and this is her type, he has dark blond hair and light eyes. “I’m Declan.”
“This is Harrison,” Charly says.
“Can I call you Harry?” I ask with a smile, but Harrison doesn’t smile. He simply says, “No.”
I glance over at Eli, whose eyes are narrowed, and he gives a small shake of his head.
Harrison won’t be around long.
“Okay then. I hope you enjoyed the show.”
“Not my usual type of music, but you’re very talented,” the rude and stuffy Harrison replies.
My eyes meet Eli’s again, and a whole conversation takes place in the matter of two seconds.
Can I deck him?
Not worth it, man.
“We need to go soon,” Kate says with a smile. Her green eyes look happy as she tosses her red hair over her shoulder and gazes up at Eli. “We fly out early tomorrow morning.”