"Uh, okay?"
"Crey, if you scare her, she's not going to want to sign with Homegrown. Boone already told me I had my work cut out for me to convince her, so I don't need you making it more difficult."
"He did?" I ask.
Holly winks. "He told me quite a bit, and I'm so happy for you both." Her smile disappears. "As long as you don't screw him over like that bitch Amber, we'll be all good. Otherwise, you should know that I know people in the family."
The family? Holy shit, is she talking about the mob?
"And on that note, I think we're done here," Creighton Karas says with finality in his tone.
"'Bye, Ripley!" Holly and Tana both wave as they slide off their stools. "See you tomorrow!"
I watch as the entire contingent makes its way out of the White Horse, half the crowd standing gape jawed and the other half snapping pictures like crazy.
What the hell did I just agree to?
Boone has a lot of explaining to do.
33
Boone
Holly's practically bouncing in her seat, and her excitement is contagious.
Seeing Ripley on video is a lot different from seeing her perform live. Even though I've got all the confidence in the world in her, I'm still a little nervous. Shit, I'm more nervous than before I step onstage in front of thousands.
Tonight's attendance has been heavily curtailed due to Creighton Karas's ironhanded rule over security, but I can't blame the bastard. When Holly told me she showed up here last night with only Tana and two guys, I asked her if she'd lost her damned mind. She flipped me off. I miss that girl. After touring with her, she became like a little sister to me, and I'm glad as hell to see her succeeding and finding her own happiness.
When we talked last night, she also broke the truth to me about the fact that she never liked Amber. She thought Amber was a bitch from day one, and was irate that she'd fucked me over, but happy I'd parted ways with her.
Hindsight being twenty-twenty and all that, I couldn't disagree with Holly. I also wanted to shake her and ask her why she hadn't bothered to tell me in the first place. But then again, no one did. Not my parents, my brother, or my friends. No one. They just let me almost make the biggest mistake of my life-a mistake that meant I never would have met Ripley.
That thought is enough to twist my gut into knots.
"What's she singing tonight?" Tana asks from the other side of the table.
"I don't know. She didn't tell me."
I don't mention that Ripley was too pissed off at me when she called because I had the keys to a rental car delivered . . . and it was parked in the spot where her Javelin was before Anthony stole it. Although it wasn't really stealing. He just got a wrecker to put it on a flatbed so we could take it out of state.
Regardless, she was fucking pissed.
"She killed that Carrie song. I'd love to hear her sing something else, though," Holly says.
"I guess we'll find out."
"Next up, we've got the White Horse's own Ripley Fischer!" the announcer calls, and Ripley climbs onto the stage with a guitar in hand and wearing her White Horse tank and tight black jeans with tall black boots.
Fuck. She looks gorgeous.
Behind us, the crowd yells, and Holly and Tana both cheer.
Ripley walks straight to the mic and doesn't make eye contact with anyone. She doesn't introduce herself or speak to the crowd before she puts the guitar strap over her shoulder and starts with a few chords.
"I didn't know she played," Holly whispers.
"Me either," I reply, even though it burns to admit it.
Within a few moments, it's clear what she's playing, and I can't keep the smile off my face.
Maren Morris's "My Church." Unlike the video I saw of Ripley belting out Carrie Underwood, this one embraces her husky voice as she adds subtle power behind it. The line about finding redemption when she gets in her car has to be a subtle jab at me for stealing the Javelin, and I laugh.
This woman. She's everything.
By the chorus, she's got everyone in the bar on their feet, singing along. There's magic in her voice, and when Holly grabs my arm and squeezes, I know she hears it too.
When Ripley whispers thank you into the microphone and leaves the stage, Holly is out of her seat before I am. "That's it. I want her. She's the new sound I've been dying to hear."
"Then you'll have her," Karas replies. I'm pretty sure Holly could have said she wanted the international space station, and he'd agree to get it for her. "We'll get the contracts drafted and schedule a meeting in the office. Also, the nanny just texted that Rose is fussy, so I'd like to get home."